The times., 1898-07-10
HISTORICAL.
The Early and Later Tribuiations
of the Sandwich Islands.

The Early and Later Tribuiations
of the Sandwich Islands.
The trustworthy history of the Sand
wich Islands, as they were officially
called for nearly a century, began when
they were discovered by Capt. Cook, the
English navigator. in I77S, on his third
and last voyage in the Pacific Ocean.
Previous events are matters of uncertain
tradition and although some threads OF
romance run through subsequent mar
ratiyes The essential facts concerning
the political changes in the group OF ISL
ands are positive enough. The original
inhabitants. of whom Capt. Cook esti-
mated perhaps TOO generously. there
We're 40O10 were of Polynesian
origin. with the savage, but tameable
qualities Of the typical South Sea ISL
anders The islands were held by differ
ent warning tribes, a single island some
times being divided between TWO or more
petty and grotesque monarchs Here. as
Stevenson noted of the Samoan group,
the forms of feudalism as old as Rome
were in force The natives were as ami
able as the Negritos of the Philippines,
as debased as the most licentious Ro-
mans and superstitious almost 10 i'm
/ becility. Every vice conceivable by the
most unrestrained idlers had its seat in
the islands and the extinction of the race
was inevitable without the interference
OF civilized mankind. There appears to
have been no other system OF selecting
aruler than that which belongs TO the
most primitive condition. The man with
the strongest arm or most tirelesS cum
ming became the chief. Even If the sub
jects had been able to conceive OF
right and a possibility Of selecting their
own chiefs. they were toe indolent to
make an effort to achieve it,
The First Rnmehamchn-
A particularly ambitious leader, Kane
hameha. near the beginning Of this cen
tury. easily fought his way TO the rule
Of the entire group. He was an amazing
exception among the islanders in being
energetic a fighter and person OF exec
utive ability beyond the whole experience
Of the race He recognized the superior
qualities of the white man and sought
his advisers among occasional adNentur-
ers from the civilized world. He sup
pressed the petty wars and established
a dynasty that might have rescued the
people from their rapid decline but for
the intrcdut ton Of the only vice they
could learn from civilization, that of
drunkenness. For when Capt. Cook had
made his report on the islands men
guided by cupidity were as quick as the
missionaries TO seek the new field, and
they found their readiest and most COM
pIete victims in the rulers. While the
missionaries. the first of whom were sent
in 1873 by the Congregational Church
! from Boston, guided the kings and chiefs
| in their first efforts TO advance the NOR
| ais and promote the material welfare of
| the people, the traders brought whisky
and disease. including the leprosy that
! still claims its many victims among the
vanishing natives. That the traders were
]
! appears in the census records. From the
estimated popula ton of 100000 in 177S,
there was a decline to 10000 when the
| first census was taken in 1892 Four years
later the people numbered but 109, 500. and
| in fourteen years more there were only
| 81. .000 In the next three years there was
a loss of IL 900, and in 1872 the natives
mustered only $1,000. The decline con-
tinues, though at a much lower ratio.
The production of sugar had become a
matter of Importance to
Kamehamehn III.
who succeeded his father in 1919, and he
readily consented to the immigration of
foreign laborers. He was young and
dissolute so obviously unfit to govern
that his father had provided for guar
dian or vice-king in the person of wo-
man of extraordinary ability, Kaahu-
manu- by name. She was especially
friendly toward the missionaries and
formally abolished idolatry. She had the
power to veto the acts of the king. and
but for the self-seeSing whites who OBJ
tanned control of the king by pandering
TO his vices she would have made tre-
mendous advance toward the civilization
Of the islands. While the population in
creased in numbers by the immigration
which the king encouraged. it did not
improve in character The natives, in
1896. numbered but 30,957 IN a total of
10000 The King, Kamehameha II went
to England. where he died, leaving the
succession TO his young son, as
Knmehameha ILL.,
with Kaahumanus as regent during his
minority This able woman became
convert to Christianity, and had a pow
erful influence over the laws and social
life of the islands until her death. in
1881 Her successor as regent was Kinau.
another woman Of unusual mind and also
a Christian. In 1893 the king declared
his minority at an end, and although he
retained Kinau as vice-king he allowed
the administration of the laws to be-
come lax, and for time was himself a
spectacle of profiigacy and inefhciency
When, however, both France and Eng
land in turn showed their purpose to as
sumo control of the islands he became
steadier, and under the influence of XII
nau and with the advice of the American
missionaries, he promulgated, in 1910, a
constitution in which provision was made
for a constitution that recognized the
rights of the common people. Later
fee-simple titles to the lands they had
had in cultivation were given to the peo-
| pie, in order to promote habits of indus
| try and thrift.
The Fourth and Fifth.
He died in 1856, and was succeeded by
his cousin, the son of Kinau, who took