Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-07
PORTUGUESE IN HAWAII.
Early Immigrants Came From Cape
Verde Island,

From the Honolulu Advertiser.
Up to the year 1861 as far as can be
learned from the census, there were but
eighty-six Portuguese on these islands
Their numbers increased to 436 in 1873
They came originally from Fayal, Graciosa,
st. Jorge and the Cape Verde Islands. as
sailors in the whaling ships that frequent
ly visited this port. and SO attracted were
they by the country ana its climate that
they decided to abandon the sea and settle
here
"As the wine must taste Of it's own
grapes SO these men soon proved the
sterling qualities of their race by readily
adapting themselves to the conditions OF
the country and applying themselves to the
development Of its resources. To Antonio
Silva is given the credit OF setting up the
first sugar mill on the islands as early as
1928. Small and rude as it was, he succeed
ed In making sugar with 1t, although he
did not operate it long.
Not until the reciprocity treaty was
enacted in 1875 did the sugar industry be-
come permanent and profitable one Ha-
waiian sugar being then admitted to the
United States free of duty. and the produce
ton being greatly stimulated, a pressing
demand for labor made itself felt
Through the agency of DR.. Hillebrand,
then a resident in the Island Of Madeira,
satisfactory arrangements were made for
and Azores The sailing vessel Priscilla
was chartered for the purpose and arrived
here September 80, 1873 with the first COM
pany. numbering $50. These people at once
foresaw the advantages offered to indus
tr1ous, ambitious young men. and urged
their friends to come to the "terro novo,"
the new land.
The current of immigration from the Por-
tuguese islands being thus fully establish
ed in 1882. a treaty of immigration was ar
ranged by the governments Of the two
countries, through the efforts of the late
H. A. p. Carter, father Of Gov. Geo. r.
Carter.
A diplomatic representative of Portugal
Count A. de Souza Canavarro, was sent to
Hawaii, and no man could have shown bet
ter than he such integrity OF character and
such an intense interest for the welfare
and progress of the Portuguese colony. He
| is and will be always in the heart of all his
couHtrymen In Hawaii
The Portuguese essentially an adven-
turous nation. fond of travelling and full Of
| enterprise, So no difficulty was found in
recruiting the necessary number of labor
ers. Their. knowledge of the culture of
sugar cane, the grape vine and other agri-
cultural products which were the chief
sources of wealth in their own country,
gave them an advantage over other labor.
And the planters. appreciative of a reliable,
| iaw-abiding class of laborers. continued to
Introduce the Portuguese islanders until
some Il. 7O0 were added to the population
of Hawaii Mel, the SIS. Victoria arriving
with the last company in 1890. These stall
wart Industrious people gave a new i'm
petus to the different enterprises then in
their infancy.
These laborers were brought here at the
expense of the planters and local govern
ment, and, as Is well known, under con-
| tract. Many of them, however, remained
on the plantations long after their con-
tracts had expired. but the large invasions
OF Japanese, many of them without fam
| lilies and working at a lower rate of wages,
brought complete Generalization among
the Portuguese laborers on the plantations
Although possessed of Industrious and eco
nomicai habits, competition with these
people was out Of the question and many