The Florence tribune., 1897-06-12
FROM TIE HON. cAAs. P. MASON.
His Safe Arrival in Honolulu and His First impressions of the
 Hawaiian Islands.
HONOLULU, Hawaii, May 2s, 1897.


 steamship Australia on the 25th inst. The voyage across the 2100 miles of water intervening between this place and San Francisco was without moment and though suppose should say that l enjoyed the trip immensely can not in candor do so. was sea sick, awful ly sea sick, for the first two days, and during the entire seven days it took us to cross the ocean felt very uncomfort- able, to say the least-out of my element as it were. The change from the burn ing desert of Arizona to the vast stretch of endless water was too much, and I succumbed for the time being; but 1 had company-that was one consola- tion. Out of fifty cabin passengers aboard only six were able to come to meals the second day out, and many failed to put in an appearance till we reached the wharf at Honolulu. On the morning of the seventh day the prominent headlands of the island coast were visible, and for the seventeen miles that we followed the coast before arriving at our destination the view was as barren, bleak and desolate as the oldest Hassayamper of Arizona could desire. The mountains, rough and rugged, arise from the sea level to a height l should judge of four or five thousand feet. The formation is all volcanic and mainly devoid of vegeta- tion. The rims or craters of extinct volcanoes are everywhere in evidence. The entrance to the harbor is guarded by one of these craters called the Dia- mond head. Upon rounding this how the scene changes! From the barren, unsightly waste of lava there suddenly is presented to the tired eye a scene that can only be witnessed in the tropics immense groves of cocoahut palms, fields of rice, banana palms, mango trees and Towering shrubbery of every color imaginable. We passed through the narrow channel that leads to the landing accompanied by the usual horde of small Kanakas diving for the money thrown from the deck by the passengers. The harbor was lined with shipping from nearly every nation of the earth. The battle ship Philadel- phia with four other American men-of- war. the Japanese war vessel Nakawai, and large English gunboat were anchored off the wharf, and scores of trading vessels with the colors of their respective nations floating at the mast head presented an imposing sight.
 But Honolulu proper-no pen can de- cribe the beauties of the place. In company with our former townsman, Abram S. Humphries, and Judge Me Donald, of Newark, N. J., I drove through the various thoroughfares of the city. The streets are wide and void of dust. The grounds of every private residence in Honolulu is park in it. self. They are beautifully laid out with bluegrass lawns, well kept. with palms and other tropical plants strangers to me. Wealth and prosperity are everywhere in evidence. He who owns few acres of land in Hawaii is indeed fortunate. am informed that an acre of land on these islands will produce ten tons of sugar, and that sugar sells here for s70 per ton. It does not take much figuring to prove that farming pays in Hawaii. In addition to sugar, large quantities of cocoanuts, bananas, pineapples and other tropical fruit are exported. Bananas sell here for ten and fifteen cents a bunch. Other fruits, mangoes, watermelons, grapes, etc, are too cheap to put value upon. These fruits and all kinds of vegetables are in the market the year around, for Hawaii is a land of perpetual spring. It is a very noticeable day when the ther- mometer varies ten degrees from 75 Fahrenheit at any time of the year. There is always cool refreshing breeze from the ocean. The population of Honolulu is 30, GOO souls, of which 5000 are Americans, the rest being principal ly Chinese, Japanese and natives. The natives are very different people from what expected to find. Instead of the breech-clouted barbarian found them educated, intellectual and refined. All can read and write the English lam guage. The school law here is com pulsory, and every child, no matter of what nationality he be, is compelled to attend school. Special police, whose duty it is to see that this law is en- forced, are appointed, and if a truant is apprehended he is hauled up before the police court the same as any other transgressor. A habitual disregard of the law leads to thereform school. No gambling of any kind is permissible under any circumstances; opium smok- ing is strictly prohibited the carrying of fire arms is punishable by a heavy fine; all malt and spurious liquors are heavily taxed, and frequenter of sa- looms in Honolulu is a social outcast.