The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-08-14
HAD TEA AND TOAST
AFTER WHICH THEY PAID VISIT
TO MUSEUM.
Visitor Declares That Honolulu Pos
sesses As Miliiona ires-Trials ana
Troubles of Traveller from Australia.


The Town and County Journal OF
Sydney publishes the following CORES
pondence from Honolulu under date Of
May 81:
1t pains me to have to relate my ig-
nominious collapse a few days before
we reached Honolulu. l can bear with
fortitude a considerable amount of
rolling, but the horrible pitch and toss
motion resulting from a strong head
wind completely upset my equanimity,
and l retired for two dismal days to
the seclusion of my cabin. Indeed, our
arrival at Honolulu was the cause of
almost universal rejoicing, nearly all
the passengers suffering in at least
some slight degree from the result of
the stormy wind, or, as the Americans
graphically put it, being "a little un-
der the weather.
We came alongside at the Quarantine
Wharf early in the morning of May q
the sun shining, the waters of the
harbor a translucent seagreen, broken
by the bobbing black heads of native
swimmers, and the steep hills covered
with verdure forming a fine back
grOund-altogether a delightful picture
to eyes weared with the mOnOtOny of
the seascape. Having passed in single
file under the eyes OF the local health
doctor we were allowed to land, and
were soon scattered in different direc-
tions. a short walk brought our party
into the center of the town, where we
changed our English money into Am
erican, and converted the tirst-fruits
of the latter into some excellent strong
tea and hot buttered toast, thus eXhib-
iting a characteristic Australian pro-
clivity for an II o'clock repast.
After doing a little shopping, we
made our way in one of the new cleo
trio cars to the Bishop Museum, most
interesting stone edifice, covered with
ivy and beautifully situated, backed
by precipitous hills, surrounded by
buildings connected with the native
schools founded by the Hawaiian Prin-
cess Bernice, a descendant of the fam
GUS Kamehameha, who became the
wife of the Hon. Charles Bishop, of
Boston. 1t was in her memory that
the museum was erected and endOw-
ed. 1t contains, we were told, the
most varied and extensive collection
of Polynesian curiosities out of Lon
don, and indeed we could have spent
many interesting hours there had time
permitted. We then returned by tram
to the center of the town. and had an
excellent lunch at the Hawaiian HO-
tel, a picturesque and comfortable
place. We were told that since the
American occupation a great change
was noticeable, and to the stranger no
thing is more remarkable than the odd
tumble of the alien and the everyday,
the civilized and the savage, the pri-
mitive and the up-to-date. Cars drawn
by slow-moving mules electric cars
with all the modern conveniences, tall,
many-StOreyed commercial buildings
quaint, pagoda-looking Chinese resi-
dences, set in formal gardens; shops
kept by neat little Japs, with their
pretty smile and broken English; sto-
lid native policemen in uniform, more
decorative than useful, since they re-
ply vaguely to all inquiries; dark
skinned women sitting on the curb.
weaving the long chains of scented
flowers, which friends exchange in
token of affection, and wear suspend
ed round their necks with obvious
pride. These and many other features
strike the observant stranger as he
walks through the streets Of this town
Of strange contrasts.
A felloW-p passenger informed me that
of about 10000 inhabitants there are but
some $1,000 Americans, among whom
are As millionaires and multi-milliOn-
aires-I cannot of course vOuch for the
correctness Ol THESE SldllSlltS. III the
old days, Honolulu was a whaling sta
ton, and fortunes We're made in oil and
whale bone. Nowadays millions are
made out of the sugar plantations, SAL
to be the richest in the world. We
made here our first acquaintance with
rice in it's earliest stages-we took it
first for oats when we noticed the
waving green on each side of the tram
way. AS yet there is no cable cOmmu-
nicatiOn with America though we
learnt that this essential of modern
civilization is to be added in November;
so no news of the outer world could
reach us. We must wait till we arrive
at San Francisco for the longed-for
news from South Africa. Win it be
peace? That is the great question
Meantime, the hour at which we shall
reach Frisco is the subject for much
speculation, and the various overland
routes are much discussed. One of
the big railway companies, with Anne
rican enterprise, is represented by Il
very Well-spoIen well-dressed young
man, who agreeably eXpounds to all
who will listen the superior advantages
of the route his line follows Meantime
We reserve our final plans till our ar
rival in San Francisco, where l hope to
post this to Sydney. 1t seems half
lifetime since We left it ourselves.