St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-01-24
HAWAII, THE PEARL OF THE
PACIFIC"

The Second Of a Series of Letters by John
r. MuSick.
(Copywright, 1896, by Funk & Wagnalls
Company, New York
Honolulu dates its existence as a
town from 1916. Before this date it
was mere fishing village. At the
time mentioned there were several
white men on the islands, among
them one John Young, whose roman
tic career almost rivals that of Cap.
tain John Smith. Young had been
a mate on the American vessel Elean-
or, and had been captured by King
Kamehameha together with d sailor
named Davis from a little schooner,
The Fair American. The command.
er and all his crew, save Davis, were
killed by the savages, kamehame
sparing Young and Davis only be-
cause thev were expert i'll the use OF
firearms. When all of the islands
had been brought under the control
OF Kamehameha John Young was
made governor Of Hawaii, the larg-
est island OF the group.
Young was man of more than
ordinary ability. He became true
subject Of Kamehameha, and his sue
cessor on the throne. In 1915 he
advised the erection of a fort at
Honolulu, TO command the harbor
He was given iull power to direct
its construction, and, early in Janu,
AIRY, 1916, the fort was begun and
completed the same year. This fort
was nearly square, measuring be-
tween three and four hundred feet
on side, with walls about twelve
feet high and twenty feet thick. 1t
was built OF hard rock and had EN-.
brasures for cannon. 1t stood on
the seward side of what is now
Queen street, and across the lower
part OF Fort street. About forty
guns-Six, eight and twelve pound
ers-were aiterward mounted, and
the fort placed under command oil
Captain Beckley.
In November, 1920, the king moved
his court to Honolulu, Mr.. Thurston
and his wife, two pioneer mission
aries, accompanying him. Ever
since, Honolulu has been the seat OF
government for the islands.
Perhaps the most beautiful tree in
the world is the Royal Palm which
grows on the Sandwich Islands. In
her forthcoming book, entitled
Around the World With the White
Ribbon" Mrs. Mary Clement Leav,
lit says:
The ROYAL Palm, introduced here
from the West Indies, combining the
beauty of architecture in its perfectly
symmetrical, highly polished and
beautifully colored columnar trunk
with the swaying grace of its long
plume like leaves, easily takes a
place second to none in the world"
Her description is neither over
drawn nor incorrect. So smooth
and symmetrical are these "columnar
trunks" that a gentleman who was
with me, asked citizen if they did
not scrape the bodies OF the trees, or
sand-paper them.
There are few residences in the city
which are not surrounded with
palms. The city is rich in vegetation,
The houses are not usually grand or
imposing, but very picturesque, and
the grounds are ample. The Homo.
luluan thinks more OF his lawns than
OF his house. The approach to the
house is generally through a verita.
BILE flower garden. Usually there is
an avenue OF palms, between which
are numerous plants, or shrubs
crimson, vermilion, and gold, A tall
cactus often reaches the height Of
twenty feet, with flowers of every
hue, and the banana spreads its
broad leaves before you. Oranges
dates and figs grow in the yards and
gardens. Almost everything is tropi
cal. A few plants, trees and flowers
may be seen which grow also in a
colder cline, but they reach such
gigantic proportions, and are o.
such gorgeous colors as to be hardly
recognizable. Great trees that look
as though they might have had fifty
years OF growth, were planted by
people who are still in middle age
Walk into one OF the numerous yards
where plants and trees and vines are
growing, as though on their native
soil, and you will find that every one
of them has been imported within a
comparatively recent period. AL
most every quarter OF the subtropi
cal world has been laid under tribute
From the days OF Vancouver, the
foreign residents have been tireless in
introducing ornamental and useiuI
plants.
The houses of the Americans are
the most imposing and beautiful
excepting only the public buildings
They are most beautifully decorated