Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1894-01-04
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VIEW OF HONOLULU.


lish and Americans, but before reaching
our hotel we saw that those were only
the advance guard of porters, small
traders, agents for this and that, idle
sailors and the general fotsam and jet
sam of port in the tropics which is the
common resting place of rovers of all
nations.
From the center of the town on, how
ever. we struck it rich in the Kanaka
line. We saw them of every age and
many shades of color and in every stage
of dress and civilization, from the new
arrival from the mountain highlands,
clad only 80 tar as absolute decency re-
uuired, to the cultured gentleman in
blue coat, white vest and truly immacu-
late linen At every convenient recess
in the side of the street was group of
native women. but there was not the
same variety in their dress. With scarce
ly an exception each wore sort Of
Mother Hubbard" of blue cloth, and
whether walking, sitting or riding-and
many of them were riding and always
astride-they managed this single gar
ment with the same modest grace l had
noted among those in the boats.
The streets are of fair width, and in
places seemed to me whittier than was
agreeable and rather dusty. AS there is
nearly always breeze enough at sea to
refresh one, felt oppressed at first by
the dead calm in the air, and retiring to
the courtyard of the hotel was just say
ing it was hotter than had been led to
expect when felt strong, cool breeze.
IN three minutes at the furthest the sky
was overcast and almost black; in 10
minutes more the rain was pouring in
volumes, which, as it seemed to me,
threatened to wash the town away. /
naturally supposed that open air sight
seeing was done with for that day, but
my local mentor, to whom had brought
letters from Salt Lake City, laughingly
replied: wait wee. You are not in old
England now, nor yet in Utah"
In an hour the sky was bright and
clear as ever. In another the streets
were in splendid condition, and next
morning they were dusty again. then
learned three things which surprised me
very much: That at least one-fourth OF
the entire population of the little king
dom live in Honolulu; that the city rests
not on the true rock of the islands or
volcanic deposits, but on sort of fiat
built up by the coral insect, and that
three-fourths of the Hawaiians of all
races live III very narrow belts around
the islands The interior of Hawaii es-
pecially is an almost untrodden waste.
The coralline basis of Honolulu is so
open that water runs through it as
through fine sieve, and SO. though it
may rain six days in succession. the
streets will be dry on the seventh.
The first task for me, pursuant to my
business on the islands. Was to learn
little of the language. which deserves a
paragraph or two. especially as many
native names must appear in the re-
mainder of this article. found it quite
easy of requirement. Every word and
every syllable in every word ends with
a vowel. and every vowel is pronounced
almost exactly as in German. There is
of course a syllable to every vowel, but
in ordinary and rapid pronunciation the
effect is precisely the same as in German
and Spanish-that is, au or ah-oo, Is
practically pronounced ow, as in now.
40 is nearly the same, but it is rather
more tony" to pronounce these two dis
finct1u Sanorata Al similarly nrO-