The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-30
TURNING POINT
IN OUR HISTORY
What Might Have Been Had
Vancouver Discovered
Honolulu HarbOr.

Of more than usual interest to
members of the Hawaiian Historical
society is the Fifteenth Annual Report
of that society, just issued from the
Gazette press. Not the least interest
ing portion is that dealing with a Bit
ter attack on the American mission
aries of the islands, written in 1882
by L. Horton James in letter to a
noble lord advocating the occupation
of the Sanwich Islands by Great
Britain and the granting of the trading
concessions OF the group to a British
joint stock company. Some of the
statements in the letter are highly
ridiculous, being replied to In an adj
denda to the manuscript by Professor
Alexander.
A history of the early Improvement
of the Honolulu harbor, reviewing the
work done on it by successive kings and
covery in 1749 by Captain Brown of
the schooner Jaekal until 1876, which
history includes incidentally much of
the history of the city, is contributed
by Professor Alexander, other papers
in the report being one on the legend
of Pele and Hiiaka, from a journal of
Hon. G. D. Gilman, and the regular
annual reports of the president, libra
rian and treasurer.
The Importance of the harbor of
Honolulu to the commerce of the Pa
cific is dealt with extensively by Mr.
James in his letter, referred to above,
the statement being made by him at
the time that but for the untimely
death of Captain Cook and the fact
that Vancouver failed to locate the
entrance to the harbor here, the islands
would have then passed into the pos
session of Great Britain. The follow
ing occurs almost at the beginning of
his letter:
ssThere can be- no doubt that, but
for the fatal accident at Karakakooa
Bay, on the 14th of February, 1879,
which deprived the world of our great
navigator, these superb islands would
many years since have been entirely
British, for, had Cook lived to return
to England, he must have recommend
ed the immediate settlement of them,
to the then Ministry.
Accordingly, since Cook IS time. by
whose splendid talents they are ours
by right of discovery, Vancouver in
1872 obtained the written and formal
cession of them to Great Britain from
the then principal chief, Tamahameah.
But it was neither the good fortune
of Cook, nor even of Vancouver to dis
cover that which now forms the most
important feature in the value of this
fine cluster of islands. viz: the harbor
of Honolulu in the island of Woahoo, |
and although this island ranks only
third in point of size, yet when its
fine haven is considered it is decidedly /
the most valuable of them ALL All /
navigators had concurred in the supe- /
rior fertility, greenness and beauty of /
Woahoo; but it is only. a few years
since that the narrow channel was dis i
covered, leading tor what the natives
,all Honoruru or Fair Haven where
here is water enough at low spring
,ides for a frigate to enter with per-
,ect safety; and within natural dock,
'apable of containing so to 100 square
igged vessels, besides small craft, free
rom everv danger To show the i'm
,ortance of the discovery of this har-
,or, need only state that there is no-
'ther place where ship can be hove
lown, within 5000 miles -