Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-08-17
FROM SANDWICH ISLANDS
AND ON THE WAY THITHER.
Extracts from Letters from Professor
q. II. Perkins.

steamer Manchuria, at sea, July r.
The voyage has been very plcasant
and the steamer is ~ splendid boat. 6l5
feet long, and very steady; few have had
any trouble with sea sickness ON tho
great after-dcck are some 200 Chinese. and
Japanese, men. women and children. ~
motley and very Oriental crowd. The
men are gambling most of the time. [
counted II fan-tan, roulette and other
gambling contrivances in full blast when
went down there yesterday. The nights
nave all been comfortably cool. We have
sailed now over four days and have seen
no sail. nothing but the boundless sea
And oh. so blue! 1t is magnificent in the
sunshine. never saw such splendid
color in the sea-
see. OF course Il good deal of Sccrc-
tary TaIt and his party Miss Roose-
welt l have not met but see her often.
Honolulu, July L.
We came into port amid all sorts
oil demonstrations on account of the Taft
party. IL was a pretty sight. ON getting
larry TO land Professor II. and went
directly to II friend of his, who gave us
very Pleasant accommodations. The
mousse is low cottage. surrounded by
trees, many of them bananas. We have
been very Hospitality received and cor
daily invited to make our home at two
other houses. And now as to my i'm
pressions of the region, so far as |
nave seen 1t. ! may say first that great
as were my expectations of the tropical
luNuriance and beauty, the actual cX-
pcriencc has far exceeded them. \ few
geranilims are the only familiar out of-
door plants that | have seen. Without
Il single exception every tree and shrub
Is new Palms of many kinds, some very
superb all interesting. hedges Of bril-
liant scarlct-fiowcrcd hibiscus, bananas
In every yard, crotons ten or twelve
feet high mangoes. alGarobas, bread
fruit, tamarinds. now and then a ban
yam. and everywhere the magnificent
poinciana. There is also a most elegant
tree-I can only get Golden Shower" as
name for it-with great dropping clus-
tiers of golden yellow flowers so that the
great trees are masses of yellow. Colors:
yellows. crimsons. puppies. most exOui-
site greens in the shading of the often
daintily fOliaged trees-cOlOr is every
where. l realize now the gorgeous
beauty OF tropical trees which Charles
kingslcy's AT Last" first brought to my
conceptions, years ago. l am moro than
satisfied that l have come here To see
1t. One sight alone, which came To mo
almost by accident, would have been
worth coming here to see: Friday after
noon I went to see DIR. r.. an old man
who is familiar with the geology of the
islands. He is fully satisfied that there
is no place on earth like these islands
On the way I saw great cactus night
blooming cercus. completely covering the
high stone wall of some college grounds.
for distance of hundreds of feet |
also saw that 1t was full of buds. In
the evening ] went out there and found
hundreds. yes. thousands. of the great
creamy flowers open. In some places tho
wall was a sheet of blossoms. so thickly
were they clustered upon the branches
Of the plant or all the floral displays
have ever seen this will abide in my
heart as the most magnificent. ! never
imagined anything like it, That night
was the one night in tho year when the
display was finest.
Turn in whatever direction ono will,
some splendid picture of the tropics is
before one. Every dooryard Is a botanic
garden. OF course you will remember
that many of the finest trees and plants
are Hot NutiNc, put everything uOpichI
seems to thrive here.
The island IS more ruggedly mountain
Gus than I expected. The volcanic
peaks are very sharp and wild. Yes
terday we went to Diamond Head. the
crater of an old volcano. We climbed
to tho highest point not an easy thing
to do. as the path is very narrow and
runs along the crest of the crater. There
is n complete circle OF lava some hun
dreds OF feet high enclosing n wide
level plain a mile or so In diameter.
One point much higher than the rest.
was a sharp triangular peak. and from
this very charming view OF the sur
rounding country was gained. And here
was. sitting IN the old volcanic cone.
looking down into the old crater on ono
side. off over the coral reef and the
boundless expanse of the blue Pacific
beyond the foaming breakers, while sn
| the other Wa. A.. mass OF the island.