The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-07-02
REPUBLIC OF HAWAII.
sOmsthlnE About tho Islands !. Is Pro-
posed 10 Annex 20 the United States.


posed 10 Annex 70 the Uniied States.
The republic Of Hawaii embraces
twelve Islands, containing an aggre-
gate OF $40 square miles, Eight of the
Islands are Inhabited, their dimensions
being as follows: Hawaii, 1900 square
miles; Maui. 200; Oahu, 600; Kauai, 500;
Molokai, on which Is the leper settle
ment, 27O; Lauai 100; Nilhau, 81; Ka-
hoowe, 60. Molokinl, Lehua, Kaula and
Bird Islands are unlnhablted islets. The
present population Of the Islands Is es,
timated at 100000 comprising l0,0OO
Engllsh-speaklng whites, 1900 white
Portuguese, one-thlrd OF whom speak
English; $4,000 Hawallans. u whom
one-thlrd speak English; 10000 hall
whites, most OF whom use the English
Language; 1900 Chinese and $4,000 Jap
anese The census az 1890, which gave
total population Of s9,990, showed that
OF the white population at that time
I, i95 were born on the lslands,S,BO3 were
Portuguese from Fayal, l,92S Ameri-
cans. / ,si4 British, 1,034 Germans, 22l
Norweglans, 20 French and 4l9 other
nntIonailtles. Honolulu, the capital, IL
situated on the island of Oahu and had
2SO6l inhabitants in 1895, It j. distant
from San Francisco In sonthwesterly
direction 2.iO0 miles; from Auckland,
New South Wales, 1884 miles; from
Yokohama, $40 miles; from Hongkong,
4. 500 miles; from Tahiti, ESQ miles,
The Hawaiian Islands are situated Just
south OF the Tropic OF Cancer, and be-
tween the 10th and Tooth degrees OF
west longitude. A line drawn from
San Francisco 10 the northeast polha OF
Australia would pass through them Mt
little over one-third the DISTANCE from
the California metropolis
The islands are OF volcanic orlgln,and
TO great extent mountainous. The
highest mountains are situate on the
island OF Hawaii. These are Mauna,
Kea, Is, 953 feet, and Maunh Lea, an ac.
tive volcano. 1890 feet. The latter has
two craters, the one at the summit be-
ing inteTmlttently active, and that Of
Kllauea on the eastern part OF the
mountain, at an elevation of $3.50 feet,
which is continually active. Earth
auakes. seneTaiiy slight, occur fre-
quently upon Hawaii, but not so often
upon the other Islands. The climate Of
the Islands Is healthful and remarkably
equable, so much so that the Hawaiian
language has no word TO express the
general idea OF weather. Extreme heat
10 never known; the mean temperature
OF the year az Honolulu Is seventy-five
degrees, and the daily range seldom eX-
ceeds fifteen degrees,
The rugged ranges Of mountains and
lava rock are lnfertlle. but the larger
part OF the surface of the islands con-
slsts OF arabic land OF remarkable pro-
ductlveness. The sugar lands produce
twice the crop OF West Indian land, and
two-thlrds OF the area adapted TO this
culture are already taken UP, Two
crops OF rice are harvested annually.
the product being OF high grade. This
culture, which Is principally carried on
by Chinese. can be largely increased.
Cattle raising is probably carried on IN
some Islands, and IN certain localities
sheep growing Is the principal Indus
try. The food plants and fruit trees are
very abundant and diversified. The
taro plant, which furnishes the staple
food OF the people, and the sweet pota-
TO and the yam grow In abundance To-
bacco Is raised beautifully by the ma
tlyes for their own use, but the flavor OF
the leaf is coarse. Coffee raising has
been recently begun. The principal ar
tlcie OF expectation is sugar,the exports
of which in 1895 were valued at 1896
600, against SS474.OO0 In 1894 and Sl0.-
20l00O In 1899. The total value OF the
exports in 1895 was sSS5S,0O0. of which
SS,S37, 900 went TO the United States. The
imports were S57l30OO. OF which $685.
900 came from the United States.
mt .,,,o,,,,a ~ tho Government for
the year 1895 was i2O3i. eiO, and the ex-
pendltures S2OO9,il4. The public debt
on December 81, 1895. amounted to 50,
sii, O6I. There were entered at the port
Of Honolulu 3lS vessels OF 337,sl7 tons
in 1895. and cleared 3l2. % 1880 tons.
The merchant marine in 1895 numbered
hfty.two vessels OF 2i.s7S tons. OF
these twenty three constituted the fleet
OF steamboats, furnishing intereom-
munlcatlon between the islands. There
are seventy miles OF railroad on the Is
lands OF Hawaii, Maui and oahu. The
telegraphs and telephones furnish COM
munlcation between all the principal
points.
The Hawalinns form one Of the fam
lies of the brown Polyneslan race, be-
ing oil n thWny tOmfieAton Vi itht INV
hair is black or dark brown, glossy and
wavy. They have large eyes, some
what hattened nose and full lips. They
are well made, active and OF good sta
ture, are expert In swimming and the
use of canoes, are good fishermen and
horsemen and sailors. Their disposition
IL facile, yielding and initiative. They
are demOnstrative and laughter-loving
and are capable Of a fair degree OF In
tellectual and moral elevation, Their
songs manifest genuine poetic feeling
In arithmetic, geometry and music they
show special aptitude. They are moi
naturally an Industrious race, but they
now cultivate the soil with considerable
skill, and manufacture sugar, molasses,
salt and arrow root and work In Iron
and other metals.
These Islands were krown to the
spaniards more than century before
their redlscovery by Captain Cook, in
IT'S, Hawaii being called Mesa, They
FIRST became GENERALLY known by the
fate OF Cook. who wns killed by the ma
lives February II, i71o He named them
the Sandwich Islands nftcr Lord
Sandwich, the first lord OF the admir-
10, q tbaI ltfnn IA nh tata MI had tla