The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-09-26
Lawyer Robinson of PennsyI-
vania Writes Home.
HE WANTS TO SEE ANNEXATION.
Doesn't Care What Form II Takes-So Long
as American Flag Floats Supreme over the
Country Impressed With the Many Amer
icanisms-ImpOrtanee OF Islands in Trade.
LChester Times.l

Lawyer v. G. Robinson, of the Del
aware County Bar, who, with his wife,
has been spending the summer in a
visit to China, Japan, the Sandwich
interest, sends the Chester (Penn)
Times letter descriptive of his trav-
els. The letter was written some time
ago on board the steamship Gaelic.
Mr. Robinson writes:
"The Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands
should be annexed to the United
States. 1 had very crude ideas of the
nature of the country and the charac-
ter of the people. Having no special
interest in it or them, l had nothing
but impressions from careless read
ing and these that it was a country
peopled by half-clad natives, who were
wonderful swimmers and very expert
boatmen.
This reputation as far as / have dis
covered is based upon the fact that
when a foreign steamer enters the
port of Honolulu, it is surrounded by
some twenty of thirty men or boys in
the water, swimming around like por-
poises and clamoring to have coins
thrown over to them, which they dive
for in a surprisingly expert way. Be
yond this 1 saw no difference between
the native dress and that of any south
ern city of our own land.
Whilst it seems folly for one to at
tempt to give an opinion upon a polit-
Al n.
tanned in short period, yet one can
judge upon many subjects, by what
may be called first Impressions
that something which we are all in a
greater or less degree conceited enough
to think we have, enabling us at a
glance to know the character of those
we meet. The advertisement or folder
of the Occidental and Oriental Steam
ship Company" gives us a very flatter-
ing introduction to what it calls the
"sun-kissed group"
After 21O0 miles of the bluest sea it
has ever been my good fortune to gaze
upon, the good ship Gaelic" rounded
Diamond Head and brought us into
the bay of Honolulu. Words cannot
describe the beauty of the many color
ed waters, from the deep blue of the
mid-ocean to the light pea green of
the shore. At some points shading
from one to the other and at others.
by reason of the reefs the shades OF
color as sharply defined as in the rain
bow. We were landed about four
o'clock in the afternoon, amusing our
selves just previous to landing by
throwing coins into the deep water for
the diving boys | have already men
toned. Immediately upon landing we
took a carriage for drive. Our jehu
being a native Kanaka, as the aborig-
inees are called. Our first stop was
at the fish market, where we saw a
profusion of fish totally unfamiliar to-
our market. Then we were driven
the city to the palace of the
deposed Queen, now used as the seat
of the government. 1t is a spacious
building in the middle of a square in
which is encamped a detachment of
the regular army of the Republic. The
grounds are filed with trees and plants
of tropical growth, prominent among
which is the royal palm.
Fortunately for us the business for
the day had ceased and we were shown
through the building by very polite
Kanaka. The center of the building
is a wide hall, combining portraits of
the various monarchs. In the middle
OF this is a broad open staircase lead
ing to the second floor. The second
floor in days of royalty, contained the
sleeping apartments of the royal fam