The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-04-05
SUPPLEMENT 70 HISTORY
NARRATIVE OF 4 VOYAGE TO HA-
WAIIAN ISLANDS.
Gabriel Franchere. a Canadian, Who
Sailed on the Tonquin, the Author
Book Full of Interest.

A valuable supplement to Hawar q u
history is to be found in a lately un-
earthed Narrative of a Voyage to the
Northwest coast of America" by Ga
briel Franchere, says the april Friend.
The writer was a young Canadian,
who sailed in Astor's ship the Tonquin
in 1911, for the Columbia river. He
printed his story in French in 1919. 1t
was published in English in 1854, by j.
V Huntington.
On the passage out a stop of seven
teen days was made at these islands
in February, 1911, which is described
in pages 1894. The descriptions and.
notices appear to be careful and accur-
ate. Many items are of much inter
est. \ native is found building 80
red hot iron for an auger, John Young
was the governor, living at Tohehigh,
or Kawaihae. The Tonquin finally
anchored off Ohetity, which must
mean Waititi. The well known Davis
and Manini are among the first visit
ors to the ship. also Kraimoku. Tame
hameha soon came off. He was above
the middle height, well made, robust,
Inclined to corpuIency, and had q ma
jestic carriage" He appeared to me
from 80 to 60 years old. He was
clothed in European style and wore a
sword. His double pirogue" was
manned by twepttyy-four men, ..rs
About noon on the 22nd, ''his sable
majesty paid us another visit, accom-
panied by his three wives and his fav-
orite minister. These females were of
an extraordinary corpulenee, and of
, unmeasured size. They were dressed
in the fushion of the country. having
nothing but piece of tapa, or bark
cloth, two yards long, passing round
the hips and falling to the knees"
Jean Rives is barely mentioned, as
"a young Frenchman from Bordeaux,
preceptor of the Kings sons, whom he
taught to rea,, and who understood
the language"
'We were given to understand that
Tamehameha was pleased to see
whites establish themselves in his do
minions, but that he esteemed only
despised idlers, and especially drunk
ards
Each village has one or more mo-
rails, which are enclosures serving for
cemeteries. In the middle is tenn
pie, where the priests alone have n
right to enter. Thy contain several
idols of wood, rudely sculptured. At
the feet of these images are deposited,
and left to putrefy, the offerings of
the people, consisting of dogs, pigs,
fowls, vegetables, etc. The respect of
these savages for their priests extends
almost to alteration" E
The people cannot be regarded as
generally happy: the artisans and pro-
ducers, whom they call Tootoos ca
are helots, condemned to labor almost
necessarily for their lords or Eris
| (Ali) without hope of lettering their
condition"
TO one observing the present opu-
lent prosperity and civilization of the
natives, such u condition, only Sc years
ago, seems strange. There are still
some aged people living, who remem-
Der all that past of darkness and des-
| titution. Most of the natives have for
gotten ''the pit whence they were
digged."
! This record of Franchere's visit here
seems to have hitherto been unknown
to our historians. There are accounts
by other visitors and sojourners, both
before and after 1911.
Franchere's narrative is in the H.
brary of the Hawaiian Historical So
ciety.