The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-10-22
PACIFIC OCEAN,
S. S. "COPTIC," June, 1896.

Editors of the Citizen Permit me
to invite your readers to accompany us
on our homeward voyage, and especi-
| ally to call with us at the Hawaiian
Islands, the Paradise of the Pacific.
Our ship, owned by the White Star
Line and chartered by the Occidental
and Oriental Company, is one of the
finest on the Pacific, having every
modern Improvement and leaving
nothing to be desired either in officers.
| cabins or table.
Among our many passengers is II. Il.
Hon Torn Hoshi, the new Minister to
the United States, who with his family
is on his way to take up his duties at
Washington. japan owes much to him,
both on account of his services In the
lower House, where he served most
efficiently as president, and on account
of valuable aid rendered when Minister
Miura proved untrue in Corea His ap-
pointment is worthy recognition of
his great services. Other passengers
are Rev. r. w. Munson and family
and Mrs. c. G.. Kelso and children of
our Malasian Mission.
The voyage of 3,400 miles to Homo
lulu and 2,0S0 miles from there to San
Francisco has been for the most part
uneventful. After getting fairly out of
Yeddo bay not sign of life has ap-
peared outside our ocean palace, ex-
cept an occasional shoal of flying fish
and the sea gulls that have followed us
the whole way. We passed to the
south of the small Midway Islands,
and barely sighted, the evening before
arriving at Honolulu, Bird Island, a
small, rocky outlying island uninhab-
tied except by birds.
1t was Captain Cook who first made
known this wonderful group to the
world. Passing northward from the
Society Islands in 177S, in search of
northern passage from the Pacific to
the Atlantic ocean, he by accident
came upon the Island of Oahu, the
third in size of the group, and upon
which Honolulu, the capital, is situat-
ed. The location is certainly lonely,
for the group is in the midst of vast
expanse of waters, stretching from the
islands of the South Pacific, 1,200 TO
1900 miles away, to the Aleutian ISL
ands on hte north, and from Japan to
California. The six largest islands of
the group have an area of little less
than 1000 square miles, Hawaii lead
ing the list with 4,210, and the three
next in size, Maui, Oahu and Kauai,
having an average of 500 each.
Leaving Kauai on our right, noted
for it's shark fisheries and barking
sands" as well as for it's fine agricul-
turaI lands, when we got our first view
of tropical foliage, we sighted Oahu
on the left and found ourselves passing
the famous Eva sugar plantation with
it's Is, 900 acres and $4,000 steam plows
which produced last year $4,000 tons
of cane and over 5000 tons of sugar,
and having a steam mill capable of
crushing 800 tons of cane and turning
out 100 tons of sugar every "a hours.
Another feature of this great planta-
tion is the system of irrigation from
twenty-five 10-inch artesian wells, 23O
to $40 feet deep, and having a capacity
of 5000, 900 gallons per day.
Eighteen miles further on is Homo
lulu of which we had heard so much
and toward which we had been so
anxiously looking for ten days. The
city, stretching for three miles along
the seacoast, filled like magnificent
park with tropical trees Of every de-
scription. it's quaint, low cottages in
terspersed with stately palaces, the
while backed with rugged, volcanic
mountains. presents from the steamers
deck a view which is picturesquely
beautiful. AS we approach the wharf
we are greeted in broken English by
native lads who are bathing in natures