The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-10-21
Hawaiian Yesterdays
Fr ~ " STr ""

search of the sagittal line on the crow
of his shining pate
Sir Thomas Thompson, Bart, was en-
tertained at the home of Mr.. Lyman
where he drank cup after cup of tea
"perspiring at every pore" ate wit
magnificent appetite, and "lauded tn
bread and butter to the skies" II
rallied Mrs. Lyman on her "eold waite
notions ''-she "giving him as good a
he sent,' while he promised to jon
''the first temperance society tina
would allow him glass of port win
after every meal"
From a quartermaster of the Dublin
the author-then small lad, with {
love for English history-received al
interesting reic-a copper ring made
from nail taken from the hull of the
Inflated Royal George.
Our own naval officers of that period
were interesting men. Amongst then
was Commodore Sloat, in command OF
the sixty-gun frigate Savannah, and
who saw in the new Steamship" new
tangled tea kettles, as he called them
the decay of true seamanship and the
ruin of the American navy.
Commodore Catesby Ap Jones, who
played his part in the stirring drama
of early Hawaiian civilization, is re-
called as "an old gentleman in full
uniform" who came ashore to call
at the mission house, followed by a
number of officers dressed in white
trousers and blue coats all glorious with
gilt buttons and shining epaulets, and
well girded with swords at their sides.
The picture of a line-of- battleship
of that day might truthfully be regard
ed as contribution of permanent value
to naval history. That which Dr. Ly-
man described with such accuracy and
enthralling charm, was the Ohio-a
huge threedecker, the flagship of the
squadron then in Pacific waters. The
was "an enthusiastic poll
tician, too much engrossed in the
science OF government, ''-as it was be-
ing studied in California 'Eto think of
dalliance in the sunshine of tropical
island, so the commander, Captain
Stribling lad the splendid threedecker
all to HIMSELF
No such powerful craft had ever en-
tered the harbor of Hilo, and it was
an event of the first magnitude. There
was free interchange of social eour-
.esies between the officers and the mis-
'ionaries, and the lads of the latter
families were given many pleasant
hour on board, DR.. Lyman and a class
nate being invited to go on the ship to
Honolulu where they were to enter
chool.
The account of the maneuvers of the
ailors, to the sound of the fife and
rum, the morning guard mount, the
eremonious dinners in the captain s
abin, read like snatches of Marryat. |
'wo extracts deserves to be quoted |
erbatim; the first relates to the old |
ustom of serving out grog to all hands,
nd the other describes the ceremony |
f evening prayer. Concerning the |
rog ration the author says: "The
oatswain with his mates, standing in
row, shrilled out from their silver
Thistles the orders for change of
Tatches, for dinner and for daily grog
alton. Then followed a scene of the
veliest animation,-the new guards
chewing the old, the men who had been
n deck since eight O'Clock hurrying
Glow, the men of the afternoon watch
oming up as slowly as their fear of
iscipline would permit, and amidships
long line of hardened drunkards fling
P to the grog tub that stood near the
lainmast under the watchful eyes of
larine guard. Each man, as he came
orward, received his measure of liquor,
-hich he. gulped at a single draught,
nd then rolled off, wiping his lips with
ne back of his hand as he disappeared
own the hatchway to reioin. his mess
ates squatting in groups at dinner on
he main deck
The second extract is as follows
Gas sunset approached, a quarter
aster overhauled the flag halliards,
he guard looked to the printing of his
usket, and at signal from the officer
| command, bang went the gun, and a
urst of patriotic music set the air
-quivering. The boatswain then piped
Il hands to prayers, and instantly the
pper deck was cleared. Following the
aptain down the companion-way, we
'und the entire crew drawn up in
ing lines that extended the whole
myth of the gun deck, with the Off