The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-03-26
HAWAII,
.rHE PEARL OF THE PAClFlC.>
The Eleventh of Series of Letters by
John r. Musick-AuthOr of 1.-The
Columbian Historical Novels,
s.Brotter Against Brother, ETC., etc.
lCopyrieht, 1896, by Funk and Wagnalis
Company, New York.

/
Feeling is still TOO bitter between
the Republicans or P. G.'s, as they are
con,emp,uously called by their enc
mes, and The Royalists tor the exact
ruth as to the overthrow of the mon
archy to be obtained. The political
feeling here is a, about the same heat
II was in the United States in 1866.
rne Ro,altsts still call the govern
uent .sProvisional," and refuse TO rec
ognze It.
10 understand the sause of the over
throw of monarchy one must have
some knowledge OF the history OF Ha-
wall. In the latter part Of the 18th
century powerful chief of Hawaii,
known as kamehameha, captured two
American sailors named Davis and
| Y,.ung. The latter was boats"aln
on the Boston frigate Eleanor, the f'r-
n,er on a little sloop, the Fair Amerl-
can. The latter vessel was seizsd, Its
captaln and crew, with the except IN
of Davis, killed, and It's cannon taken
on shore. Young and Davis, being
expert gunners, were spared to manage
The artillery for kamehameha, who at
once began the conquest OF the whole
proup of Islands. The two Americans
we're his generals, they married the
daughters of chiefs or princes, and were
given high offices.
After several years OF war all the
Sandwich Islands were conquered, and
Kamehameha declared king over all.
He was succeeded by four direct de-
scendants known as kamehameha H.,
ILL.,, ~. V. The natives having abol-
ished idolatry, in the year 1920 the
missionaries sent by the American
Board of Missions came to convert
them. They were kindly received by
the natives, but by this time the islands
had become the rendezvous tor whal-
ing vessels, whose officers and crews
were lewd, lawlesS, men, and they OBJ
iected to the restraints of religion and
deCency.
The missionaries, however, had come
to stay, and, in an earnest manner,
began the conversion OF the hedlhen.
They were often threatened by the
lawless sailors, who regarded their up
right lives as a standing rebuke to their
own Immortality. But, in spite Of all
threats and danger, the missionaries
held their ground. They had the res
pect and confidence OF the kings, who
remained their friends, and the cause
of Christianity advanced until all OF
the islands were brought under its
sway. Missionaries who came TO the
islands young men, raised families of
children, grew old, and died. Child
rem born on the islands grew up, died,
and left children, natural born Hawa-
iians, the same as any American clti-
zen to-day is an American.
The business interests of the islands
soon began to attract the attention OF
the world Americans came to engage
in agriculture or mercantile pursuits.
These dots on the face of the globe as
sumed great importance, and the Eng
lish, always JEALOUS of any advance of
Americans in the acquisition Of terri
tory, began to turn their attention to-
ward the islands.
| AS the American Congrega,ionalists
and Presbyterians had succeeded SO
we'll, the Church Of England, from
purely political motives it is claimed,
began religious conquest of the is
lands. From this time on there was a
struggle between Americans and Eng
lish to control the ruling monarchs.
! kamehameha III gave the people
the first liberal constitution. All the
kamehamehas seem to have been
friendly to the Americans, as they were
probably under the influence of Young
and Davis and their descendants.
| The antlmissionary party in time
became the anti-Amercan party. HIS
tory shows how England has sought
in the past to get control the islands,
and how she objected to the annexation
of them to the United States during
the fortes, as the trade at that time
with the United States was increasing
in proportions that alarmed her.
| The direct line OF kamehamehas
ended with kamehamaha V. After
one or two short reigns, David Kalak-
aua was elected king. Tho a disso-
lutte man, with many weaknesses, he
seems to have had an idea of justice
and right. But he tried to please all
parties, and, of course, failed.
| By this time sugar and rice planta-
tions had become source of great
wealth in the island, and Americans
with pluck and energy were peopling
the country and getting the cream of
its industries.
| The lands had previously been d.
vided among the common people in a
way that was equitable to all, the as
sertions made on the floors of the
American Congress to the contrary
Notwithstanding. Under the old kings
all land was invested in their name, as
lands originally were in Great Britain
These kings distributed them some
what according to the feudal system,
to chiefs, reservlng great tracts ofwhat
are still called crown lands. At the
suggestion of the missionaries large
quantities Of lands were SET apart :or
the common people, and these lands,
tho small in acreage, composed nearly
! all the very best soil on the islands
They were the taro patches and rice
| fields, some Of which are to-day worth
five hundred dollars per acre, while
there are vast tracts of lava s,rewn
mountain land not worth one dollar
for five hundred acres.
| Among the many American emf
grants to the islands were shrewd busl-
ness men, who procured long leases on