HISTORY OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS – CHAPTER 9

Liholiho's passage to England – Attention shown to the party – Death of King and Queen – Boki's interview with George IV – Blonde frigate Arrival at Lahaina – Honolulu Funeral Obsequies – Council of State – Speeches – Kaahumanu and Kalaimoku proclaimed Regents – Idolatry existing in Hawaii – Courage of Kapiolani – Singular Creed – Outrages of foreign Captains at Lahaina – United States schooner Dolphin at Honolulu, 1826 – Triumph of the liberal party – U. S. ship Peacock – Origin and structure of parties – Character of English Consul – His policy – Death of Kalaimoku, 1827 – Laws enacted – Opposition of foreigners

The motives which occasioned the refusal of Captain Starbuck to allow the passage of Mr. Ellis, were soon apparent. The king had placed on board twenty five thousand dollars in specie to pay his expenses; the regulating of which the captain wished to secure to himself. Assisted by Rives, whom the historian of the voyage describes as possessing a "low, cunning, and profligate nature," Liholiho was allured to his old practices of gambling and intoxication. The ship put into Rio Janeiro for a short period. The consul-general of England gave a ball for the entertainment of their Hawaiian majesties, and the Emperor, Don Pedro, treated them with distinguished attention. On the 22d of May, 1824, Captain Starbuck landed his passengers at Portsmouth, England, without making any provision for their comfort. The government were apprised of their arrival through the kindness of the owners of the ship. The Hon. F. Byng immediately received the appointment of guardian to the royal cortege, and quarters were provided for them at Osborne's hotel, London. Their cash chests were forwarded to the Bank of England. On being opened, but ten thousand dollars were found; of the remainder, no account was given by the captain, except a bill of three thousand dollars for expenses incurred at Rio.

The appearance of the royal travelers, before suitable dresses were provided, was, for London something novel. Kamamalu exhibited herself in loose trowsers, and a long bed-gown of colored velveteen; Liliha, in a similar costume. However, the tailors soon fitted the males to the newest cut; and Parisian modistes clothed the ladies in accordance with the court fashion of the day. Corsets for the first time encircled their ample waists; and the London fair, in their rage for the strangers, sought patterns of the turban that graced the brow of the queen. The contrast between the simple malo of their deceased father, and the splendid habiliments with which his children were clothed, must have excited curious reflections in the minds of their attendants. They behaved, however, with propriety; though on one occasion one of the party seeing a mullet, which resembled the species found in their island waters, seized it with avidity, and hurried home, where the impatience of the royal guests would not await its dressing. It was devoured raw, and no doubt was the most savory morsel they tasted while abroad.

Rives was dismissed from his office of interpreter, on account of repeated ill behavior, and James Young, a son of the favorite of Kamehameha I, was appointed in his place. The nobility bestowed many flattering attentions upon the party. Their pictures were to be found in every shop window, and the lions of the moment were the savage king and queen of the islands discovered by Cook. They were feasted and flattered; taken to the shows and sights of the metropolis, and hurried from one route to another with an activity which their ensouciant dispositions and tropical constitutions were poorly calculated to sustain. The chapel of Henry VII., the burial-place of England's sovereigns, Liholiho could not be prevailed upon to enter, esteeming it too sacred to be profaned by the foot of even a brother monarch.

On the 12th of June, Manui,the steward was attacked by the measles; the next day, the king sickened, and by the 19th, all of the party were afflicted with the same disease. Dr. Holland attended them; but in a few days the queen became dangerously ill, and a consultation of physicians was held. Boki and Kekuanaoa rapidly recovered, and Kapihe soon grew better. On the 4th of July, Liholiho was sufficiently well to give an audience to the newly appointed consul to his dominions. By the 8th, no hopes of the queen were entertained. The mutual grief of the royal couple was affecting. They held each other in a warm and protracted embrace, while the thought of dying so early in her career, so far from her loved islands and friends, caused the tears to gush freely. In the evening she died. This sad event so affected the depressed spirits of the king, that although hopes of his recovery had been entertained, he sank rapidly, and on the 14th, after much severe suffering, breathed his last. Previous to his death he drew up a rough memorandum, in which he expressed his wish to have his body and that of his consort conveyed to their native land; his personal effects he distributed among his retinue.

Kamamalu

The survivors received much kindness, and were taken to such places as were calculated to enlighten their minds, and give them favorable impressions of the power and civilization of England. On the 11th of September, George IV granted them an interview at Windsor, in which he received them courteously, and promised protection, should any power manifest a disposition to encroach upon the sovereignty of their islands. Canning, also, was friendly, and held frequent conversations with the party. All their expenses were provided for by government, and the money lodged in the bank of England, returned to them, which they expended in presents for their friends at home.

The frigate Blonde, commanded by Lord Byron, was ordered to convey to Oahu, the remains of the sovereigns, which had been deposited in lead coffins, enclosed in wood, covered with crimson velvet, and richly ornamented. Suitable inscriptions in English and Hawaiian, gave the rank and age of the deceased. Boki and his followers, embarked at Portsmouth, on the 28th of September. On their voyage they had an opportunity of observing several other countries. The frigate touched at Rio, St. Catherines and at Valparaiso, where Kapihe died; also, at Callao and the Galapagos; thence they sailed to Lahaina, Maui. Before their arrival, Liliha and Kekuanaoa, were baptized, at their request, by the chaplain, Lord Byron standing sponsor. On the 4th of May, 1825, the Blonde came in sight of Lahaina. A boat put off from the frigate, containing Boki and his consort, and their suite. The cry spread through the village, " it is Boki, it is Boki; " and thousands thronged the shore to await his landing. Some began to wail; Hoapili, the father of Liliha, took a seat upon the beach. As she approached the crowd opened a passage for her into the centere of the circle. The wailing gradually increased, until her venerable parent rose from his chair, and, in the words of an eye witness, "with a roar which scarcely resembled the human voice," embraced his daughter. The princess Nahienaena then threw herself into Liliha's arms. Hoapili, unable longer to restrain his emotion, cast himself on the dirt at Boki's feet, literally scouring his face in the sand. His example was followed by all the veterans of the court, and the assembled multitude broke forth into a wail, which drowning the roar of the surf, echoed over the hills and carried the tidings far and wide.

Boki was the first to speak; he inquired, "where shall we pray." As soon as the chiefs joined in devotion, the wailing ceased. Boki, after writing to his brother, at Oahu, to apprise him of his arrival, spoke of the voyage and of the kindness he had received from the English nation. He repeated to the people King George's words, "if you wish to have me for your friend, you and your people must all learn to read and write. If you do not attend to instruction, I shall not be your friend." He also told them that when he inquired of him, "whether it was wise to encourage the teachers of religion," he replied, "yes, they are a people to make others good. I always have some of them by me;" and spoke of the former barbarous state of Britain, referring to its present condition, as an instance of what Christianity and civilization could accomplish.

The Blonde arrived at Honolulu on the 6th and fired a salute which was promptly returned. Boki and his party were received at the landing by all the chiefs, dressed in deep mourning. Files of soldiers kept the crowd at a respectful distance. Kaahumanu led the way to the barges, accompanied by her two sisters and the widows of the deceased monarch. When the parties were sufficiently near to recognize each other, the queens gave expression to their sorrow and wept aloud. Boki's barge stopped when within a little distance of the shore; all the near relatives indulged in violent paroxysms of grief, wringing their hands, while the air was filled by the clamorous lamentations of the populace and the gloomy roar of the minute guns. The mourners disembarked and embraced. After a short interview, they hastened to the house of Kalaimoku, who was too unwell to be out; thence to the chapel, where divine services were held; after which, Boki made an address, recommending attention to "letters and religion." On the succeeding day, the chiefs gave an audience to Lord Byron and his officers, at which the gifts of George IV. to the heads of the nation, were presented. The young king was clothed to his great satisfaction, in a rich suit of Windsor uniform, with chapeau and sword. Kaahumanu and Kalaimoku also received testimonials suitable to their station.

The funeral obsequies were performed on the 11th, with a mixture of barbaric pomp and civilized customs, which accorded well with the transition state of the nation. Twenty men in the native mourning habit, some with rich feathered cloaks, bearing, by couples, the immense feathered staffs of state, waving heavily to and fro in the wind, headed the procession. Double lines of soldiers extended on both sides of the road from the fort to the chapel, a distance of half a mile. The marines, band and officers of the Blonde, with all the foreigners, walked in regular files. The coffins were placed on two cars, surmounted by rich canopies of black, and each drawn by forty of the inferior chiefs, clad in mourning. The king and his sister, with Lord Byron and Mr. Charlton came immediately after; the chiefs two by two, according to their respective ranks; a hundred seamen of the frigate in uniform, closed the procession. The church was hung in black. After the religious services, the procession marched to the residence of Kalaimoku, which had been prepared for the reception of the officers. Here this venerable chieftain, the tears starting down his care-worn countenance, despite the convulsive effort of manliness to suppress them, received the remains of those who, through life, had been to him as his own offspring. Strange reflections thickened upon his memory. He had fought against their father, to his humanity owed his own life. In war he had shared his perils, and in council and at the domestic board his confidence and love. It was amid the obscene memorials and unholy rites of a now obsolete faith that he had closed the eyes of the old king. The throne had come to the son in the conflict between the votaries of heathenism and the advocates of license rather than reform. Kalaimoku looked in vain in that crowd for his old companions in arms, Kamehameha's veteran counselors. They had died as their master, heathens. He alone connected the past with the present. That new and holy faith which, like the grain of mustard seed, in noiseless increase, had swelled and flourished in his own heart, appeared too late for them to share its blessings; and now amid the passing away of the old, the pomp and decorum of civilization, and the sacred symbols of Christianity, he beheld the ashes of the children of his benefactor consigned to their last resting-place, enveloped in more splendid cerements, than within his memory, the wealth of the kingdom could have furnished.

On the 6th of June, the grand council assembled for settling the succession, and regulating other governmental affairs. Beside the chiefs, Lord Byron, the English Consul and Mr. Bingham were present. Naihe opened the business, by stating they had met to confirm the crown to Kauikeouli, and establish suitable laws for the state. The young prince was unanimously proclaimed king. Kalaimoku then addressed the chiefs, setting forth the defects of many of their laws and customs, particularly the reversion of lands to the king on the death of their occupants. Kamehameha had partially introduced a hereditary succession, based upon feudal tenure, which confirmed predial servitude among the common orders. A powerful aristocracy had arisen in consequence, which his superiority alone could keep in due subjection. His successor, either fearing their overgrown power, or avaricious of their wealth, revived the more ancient custom. Kalaimoku proposed that Kamehameha's policy should become the established law of the kingdom, and that the lands of the chiefs should be unalienable in their families, except in cases of treason. A proposal so greatly to their advantage, was adopted by acclamation, and the result has been to leave very little landed property in the actual possession of the king and people. Boki informed the chiefs of the results of his interview with George IV. in which he had consented to watch over the kingdom, and protect it from foreign invasion. He also repeated the advice in regard to the missionaries; paid a just tribute to the English for their hospitality, and concluded by expressing his deep loyalty to the young king. Kuakini proposed that Kauikeouli should receive a Christian education, and be separated as much as possible from those of his subjects, whose influence would lead him to the vices which had stained the character of his brother. This met with the approbation of all. Kapi`olani then stated her endeavors on Hawaii to diminish the prominent vices of the nation, and that she had promulgated laws prohibiting murder, infanticide, theft and debauchery. Kaahumanu, in a short speech, expressed her approval of such measures, proposed their universal adoption, and that instruction should be given to the people at large.

Lord Byron gave some useful hints for their domestic polity, in which he urged a uniform taxation, the abolition of villanage, and protection of life to the common people. He also approved of the labors and designs of the mission; its principles being primarily explained in an address by Mr. Bingham, who stated that their instructions expressly forbade any interference in the political concerns of the nation. The recognition of their existence by the English government, as a free and independent people, was fully assured them, and that in no wise would that power dictate or interfere in their domestic affairs. By his recommendation the exorbitant port duties were much reduced, and regulations for the seizure and delivery of deserters from ships agreed upon. These were reduced to writing, signed, sealed and promulgated by Kalaimoku. It was the first official written document of their legislation. Kaahumanu was continued in the regency during the minority of the king, with Kalaimoku as her prime minister. The council then broke up. To show gratitude to the English government for the attention received in England, Boki proposed that sites for the English consulate and consular residence should be bestowed upon the consul, for himself and successors in office. With the approbation of Kaahumanu, this was done by verbal grant, and Charlton received the spot of land since known as Beretane, as his residence, and a smaller lot near the fort for his office. These spontaneous gifts to the English nation were afterwards made by Charlton a most fruitful source of vexation and injustice to the chiefs.

The Blonde sailed for Hawaii, having Kaahumanu and suite on board. Grateful for the attentions and kindness of Lord Byron, the chiefs vied in their semi-barbaric hospitality .to do honor to the guest of the nation. At Kealakekua, Lord Byron erected a humble monument to the memory of Cook, on the spot where his body was burnt. It consisted of an oaken cross, into which a copper plate was inserted, bearing an inscription, ascribing to Captain James Cook, the discovery of these islands. Byron shares with Vancouver, the affectionate remembrance of the chiefs.

The immediate region about the crater of Kilauea, Hawaii, being remote from all the mission stations, remained for several years much under the influence of the priesthood of Pele. It was seldom visited by the ruling chiefs, and its inhabitants living within the circuit of the former devastations of the volcano, and in sight of its terrific action, were more deeply imbued with heathen superstitions, than those whose idols had been destroyed, and whose faith had been yearly weakened by an increased foreign intercourse. Here, apart from their fellows, they existed an almost distinct race. Sacrifices were daily offered to Pele, and occasionally her prophets wandered into the more civilized districts, denouncing awful retribution for the general apostacy. But these denunciations had been too frequent and faithless to excite anything but ridicule among the better informed, while the chiefs remonstrated with these self-deluded agents on their folly, or sternly ordered them to renounce their claims to inspiration. Gradually a spirit of inquiry was awakened even here.

The first blow given to this dominant belief was in the summer of 1823, when a party of missionaries visited the crater. In defiance of the threats of the priests and the fears of the people, they partook of the sacred fruit, and boldly invaded her very fires. The impunity with which this was done, astonished the natives; but they attributed it to the superiority of Jehovah to their goddess, rather than to an entire absence of the supernatural. But early in the year 1825, their credulity was staggered by the boldness of Kapi`olani, who, with a daring which, when her previous associations are considered, does her infinite credit, determined to convince its votaries of the falsity of their oracles. She visited the wonderful phenomenon; reproved the idolatry of its worshippers, and neglected every rite and observance which they had been taught to consider as necessary for their welfare. In vain the priests launched their anathemas, and denounced upon her the vengeance of the offended deity. She replied she feared them not; the fires of the volcano were the work of the God she worshiped; she would abide the test of daring Pele in the recesses of her domains. Venturing to the brink of the abyss, she descended several hundred feet toward the liquid lava, and after casting the sacred berries into the flames, an act than which none more sacrilegious, according to their ideas, could have been done, she composedly praised Jehovah amid one of the most sublime and terrible of his works. The sincerity of her faith could not have been put to a severer test.

The island of Hawaii affords specimens of at once the grandest, most picturesque, and sternest of nature's works. Raised from the sea, by volcanic action, at a date never to be ascertained by man, it has accumulated layer upon layer of lava rock, piled in every shape that so fearful and powerful an agency can give them, until it has shot up mountains more than two and a half miles high. Mauna Kea on the north, and Mauna Loa on the south, with the lesser mountain, Hualalai, to the west, divide the island between them. Mauna Kea rises to an elevation of 13,950 feet. Mauna Loa 13,760 feet. Both are vast in their proportions, though differing widely in their natural features. Mauna Kea is a succession of craters long extinct, which have risen one above another, heaping up stones, ashes, sand and cinders, long enough quiescent to form soil and clothe its flanks with vegetation. To all appearance it has had a much longer respite from internal fires than its neighbor. But, judging from the late eruptions, all of Hawaii must be a mere crust raised upon a vast globe of fire. Mauna Loa forms an immense dome with a base of 120 miles, and a horizon at the top of 27, covered with a gigantic crater through nearly its entire extent. Nothing can exceed the cold sterility of this region, or the fury of the blasts that sweep over it. At long intervals its gigantic crater heaves with internal fires, throwing its boiling lava over its crest, and bursting vents for it lower down its sides, from which it spreads in fiery currents to the plains beneath, consuming before it every living thing. On the eastern flank of| this mountain, some 10,000 feet down, at an elevation of 3,970 feet above the sea, is situated that vast pit six miles in circumference, and from 400 to 1,000 feet deep, according to the activity of its fires, called Kilauea, the fabled residence of the goddess Pele. No region on the globe affords greater attraction to the lover of volcanic phenomena than this. Stupendous in their scale, always active, though varying greatly in intensity, they never fail to impress the traveler with wonder, interest and fear. Vesuvius sinks into insignificance in comparison. The visitor must not, however, expect to find a huge pit, two miles in diameter, filled to overflowing with fluid lava, as the imagination readily suggests at the idea of a crater. Kilauea more frequently presents the appearance of a smoking ruin, sunken deep into mother earth, flashing with light and flame, heavy with smoke, and stunning with detonations and angry noises. Occasionally the black crust or mass beneath heaves and is rent asunder; rivers of viscid, boiling lava arise, spouting blood-red jets far into the air; or they spread into a lake which sends its heavy waves against its sides with the noise and fury of the surf on a precipice bound shore.

To the eastward, Kilauea, by the lateral pressure of its lava, has thrown out a series of smaller mouths or craters, reaching to the sea-side, from which it ejects its superfluous masses, before accumulating sufficiently to overflow its own banks. These operate as safety valves, and preserve the country in the immediate vicinity, which is fertile and forest-clad, from devastation.

The greater portion of Hawaii has remained to this day comparatively and benighted. It has afforded a retreat to the few remaining votaries of the past, and has been the field whence have sprung wild beliefs, which, under more favorable circumstances, might have ripended into fanatical creeds. The character of the inhabitants seems to partake of the natural wildness about them, and their imaginations to be ripened amid the blackness of desolation which marks the action of the volcano. Here arose a system of theology, some years since, remarkable for its ingenious combination of Christianity and heathenism. A few young men promulgated that there were three gods: Jehovah, Jesus Christ, and Hapu, a former prophetess, whose bones had been disinterred, adorned after the manner of their idols, and deposited in a certain enclosure, denominated the place of refuge. They traveled through the island, exhorting all to flee within its bounds, as the heavens and the earth were about to meet, and all not there assembled would be destroyed. Multitudes obeyed; a temple was erected and they continued worshipping day and night; but the destruction not taking place at the appointed time, hunger compelled many to leave. The appearance of a missionary, who expostulated with them upon their folly, decided the remainder, and, after firing the temple, they quietly dispersed.

No restriction excited the anger of the enemies of the mission more than the taboo, which prevented women from frequenting ships. Since the discovery of the islands, this practice had been carried on openly and without restraint. Masters of vessels frequently hired young girls to perform voyages with them. So universal had been licentiousness, that the first appearance of any restraint appeared to be viewed by its advocates as an infraction of their natural rights. It is on record that vicious whites, previous to the arrival of the missionaries, inculcated licentiousness as a virtue, by telling the natives that it was right for them to prostitute their women. This species of hospitality was freely proffered the missionaries, and the natives were at first greatly surprised at their refusal, and the doctrines of purity they preached, quoting against them the opposite sayings of their first teachers. In the fall of 1825, the chiefs were induced to forbid the traffic in lewdness The good sense of the majority of foreigners approved of the reform, but the violence of others was unpardonable.

In October, the British whaler Daniel, Captain Buckle, arrived at Lahaina, where this law was in force. Some of the crew charged Mr. Richards with being its author, and demanded that he should procure its repeal. He informed them that the law emanated from the chiefs, who acted in this respect in accordance with the word of God. They withdrew; others came up and threatened the destruction of his property and lives of his family. After they retired, the natives kept guard, and allowed no seamen to approach the premises. The next day Captain Buckle sent word to Mr. Richards, that all his crew were ashore, and were determined not to return without women; and if he gave his consent, all would be "peace and quietness." An attack was made by the armed crew upon the house, which was repulsed by the guard. The chiefs were vainly solicited by the infuriated seamen to repeal the law.

On the 14th of January, 1826, the U. S. schooner Dolphin, Lieut. John Percival, arrival at Honolulu. This commander expressed his regret at the existence of such a statute, and interested himself, and with partial success, in procuring the release of some women who were confined for immoral offences. Violent menaces were circulated against the missionaries, to whose influence the regulation was rightfully attributed. The evening of the 26th of February, being the Sabbath, Mr. Bingham went to hold divine worship at the house of Kalaimoku, who was lying ill on his couch. Several of the Dolphin's crew entered, armed with clubs, and demanded the abolition of the law; in case of refusal, they threatened to destroy the building. Before they could be ejected, all the front windows were broken in. Driven from this quarter, and having received a reinforcement of shipmates, they directed their course to the residence of Mr. Bingham.. Seeing this, he endeavored to reach the house first, but falling in with them, was immediately seized, and threatened with further violence. The natives now interfered, and in the melee Mr. Bingham was released, fortunately escaping a blow aimed with a club, and the stab of a knife. These rioters were secured, but another gang reached the house and broke in a window. Two attempted to force the door, when one unexpectedly turned upon the other, and without any apparent provocation, with a sudden blow, laid him senseless. Another was dangerously wounded by a sabre, in the hands of a native. Through the authority of the chiefs who were present, no further injury was received, although one seamen owed his preservation to the interposition of a missionary.

In the evening, Percival waited upon the chiefs, and declared his intention not to leave the island until the prohibition was repealed. Awed by threats, and wearied by importunity, some of them gave a tacit consent. Numbers of women immediately went on board, and when the first boat load pushed off, a shout of triumph rang through the shipping. The delinquent chiefs were severely reprimanded by Kalaimoku; but the prestige of the taboo had been overborne by a national vessel of a powerful nation, and it was not until there was more moral sentiment to sustain it that it could be reestablished. Lieut. Percival expressed his gratification at the result, and his further determination to compel the recision of the edict at the windward islands, where it still continued in force. His vessel remained at Honolulu ten weeks, in the full enjoyment of the immorality for which he had so successfully interfered. So odious was the example that his vessel has ever since borne the soubriquet of the "mischief-making man-of-war."

With such a precedent, it is no matter of surprise that lawless captains should incite their crews to equally overt acts. At Lahaina, some mouths after, where through the firmness of Hoapili, the law was rigidly enforced, the seamen of several ships lying in the roads, declared their determination to murder Mr. Richards. He was then absent; but they proceeded to his house with the intention of demolishing it. A guard of natives drove them off; they continued for several days, to destroy the property of the inhabitants, and committed many excesses. Hoapili was also absent, and had left the place in charge of a female chief, who, at the commencement of the difficulties, ordered all the females to retire to the mountains.

A year afterward, another and more aggravated assault was made by the crew of the John Palmer, an English whaler, commanded by an American, of the name of Clark. Several women had succeeded in getting on board, whom the captain declined giving up. Hoapili refused to allow Clark, who happened to be ashore, to return to his vessel until the delinquents were landed. Word was carried to the crew of the detention of their captain, and they prepared to fire upon the town. Upon the promise of Clark to return the females, he was released; before, however, the intelligence of his liberation reached the crew, they had discharged five cannon balls in the direction of the mission-house, none of which, though they passed near it, proved destructive. The next morning Clark, violating his pledge, sailed for Oahu, taking the women with him.

Farther to give evidence to their statements, a letter was published in the London Quarterly Review, which the editor pledged to be a genuine production of Boki, in which they were confirmed, and the thrice told tale of the power passing into the hands of the missionaries, fully re-echoed. Unfortunately for the party, it no sooner appeared than it was proved a forgery, and by it the real character of those who resorted to such fabrications to support a sinking cause, was disclosed. If the opponents of the mission had taken the stand that the influence of governmental matters was gradually passing into their hands, and the policy of the nation was perceptibly assuming their hue, they might have been sustained by facts. But they undertook to prove too much when they accused the missionaries of aiming to build up an ecclesiastical polity, centering all power and wealth in themselves, after the manner of the Jesuits of Paraguay. The weapons they employed against them were foul in themselves. Consequently the evil they intended recoiled on their own heads, and rendered their testimony even upon other matters dubious.

It must not be supposed that all who were not of the mission were in the ranks of their enemies. There were many men who honestly differed from them, but respected their cause, and who could see errors in practice or persons without passing wholesale condemnation upon a creed or sect. The venerable John Young expressed his surprise and pleasure at the reform; foreign settlers there were who lent aid by counsel and example. But those low men, who formerly held unlimited influence over the chiefs, of whom Rives was the principal, formed the nucleus of the party. About them gathered the degraded in moral sentiment of all classes; men whose interests or sensuality were curtailed by the increasing knowledge. At their head now appeared the English and American consuls. In the selection of the former individual, the government, for its own credit, had been most unfortunate. So popular had Vancouver and Lord Byron made that nation, that an official agent of generous sentiments and general intelligence, might have secured an influence which would have hastened the progress of civilization, and conferred honor upon himself. But this man unfortunately was, by temperament, habits and abilities, inadequate to such usefulness. His character for mendacity soon became proverbial throughout the nation, and he was considered a reproach to his own countrymen by those who had an opportunity of knowing him. He was often kind and courteous to the American missionaries, but was jealous of their superior influence, and feared that the tone of the people would tend towards that nation.

As American commerce and settlers were by far the most numerous, and both yearly increasing, English influence would gradually be absorbed, and in time the islands become an appendage to the great republic. This was a sufficient motive for an attempt to frustrate their growing prosperity. Availing himself of the discordant elements about him, he managed, by exciting their cupidity, sensualism and fear of religious intoleration, to combine into one party the classes before described. Several Americans, circumvented by his artifice, and imbibing an almost equal hostility towards their countrymen, impolitically condescended to serve under his banner, under the persuasion that they were opposing liberal principles to fanatical rule. On a small scale it was the gay cavalier against the zealous round-head. Whichever party secured the state proved ascendant. By turns Charlton flattered and bullied the chiefs; and at all times endeavored to convince them that they were the subjects of the British empire, and under some sort of guardianship to him. But the assurance of Lord Byron, and the terms of his own commission, by which he received his appointment to a friendly and independent nation, gave the lie to those assertions. Failing in defeating the progress of the American mission, at this period he proclaimed it his intention to divide the nation and create a rival religion, by the introduction of English Roman Catholic priests. Such was the state of affairs at the visit of Captain Jones.

In the management of their foreign relations, the chiefs depended greatly upon the advice of the highest foreign officers who touched at their islands. Either party felt strengthened according to the course such pursued. The conduct of Percival was a triumph to the liberal party, as they considered themselves; that of Jones strengthened the confidence of the government in the honor of his nation, and served fully to expose the malicious designs of their defamers. He arrived imbued with many of the prejudices common at that era; numbers zealously hastened to confirm them. The excitement became so great that the mission issued a circular, stating the course they had pursued, denying the charges, and challenging an investigation. The residents accepted it, and appointed a meeting, at which both parties could appear and be heard. Captain Jones and his officers were to be witnesses. At the appointed time all assembled; Mr. Charlton repeated the substance of the usual complaints; that he was dissatisfied with the management of the mission; that the people were growing worse; that no chief dared testify against a missionary, &c.; but he refused to commit any of these charges to writing, or render himself liable for the proof. He said he came to hear what the mission had to prove. Their circular was read, and the accusers were requested to bring forward some special charge or testimony of evil, if there were such. Not being able to adduce any, the meeting was adjourned. Before his departure, Captain Jones, having made himself acquainted with the facts and statements of both sides, wrote to the mission, bearing testimony to the good results of their labors, and their readiness to submit to an investigation of any charges derogatory to their system or character.*
 

On the 2d of March, 1827, the nation sustained a loss in the death of their venerated chieftain, Kalaimoku, who died at Kailua, Hawaii, of the dropsy; a complaint from which he had long suffered. By his countrymen he was significantly termed the "iron cable" of Hawaii.**
 

Boki, whose influence and abilities were no ways equal to his brother's, was continued governor of Oahu, and was vested by Kaahumanu with the guardianship of the young king, a measure which she soon had cause to regret. He was of an easy temperament, and frequently duped by designing foreigners. For a considerable period he faithfully discharged his duties, acting in harmony with Kaahumanu, but was finally seduced into a course which distracted the nation, and brought ruin upon himself.***
 

When it was found that exposure attended the criminal practices and violence of those captains who insulted the native authorities, and heaped abuse and violence upon the unoffending heads of their teachers for it was at this date that the public press was first made use of as a check to those whose lawlessness was meted only by fear of public disgrace the virulence of the party that supported them, knew no bounds. In their rage, they desired the deaths of those who had been active in creating the moral sentiment which placed a bar to their intemperate passions. Charlton blusteringly demanded satisfaction for the detention of Clark at Lahaina. Such deportment rendered the chiefs more attached, as they saw an attempt to visit the hostility to their acts upon the mission. During the month of December, it was thought necessary to establish a military guard for the protection of the most obnoxious. The fortifications at Lahaina were made capable of resisting any attack from whale ships; though it is improbable that the threats would have been put into execution. Foiled thus on every side, their enmity settled into a subtle malignity, which sought expression by poisoning the minds of visitors, and creating prejudices which they hoped would result in the final overthrow of the mission, and the chiefs that gave it support. Dibble quotes from a journal kept by a native, an account of a noted occurrence at this period, which, as illustrative of the peculiar relative position of the different parties, and the policy of each, is worth giving in this connection.

"The excitement became very great, and some foreigners who had formerly been favorable to the mission, were gained over to take part in it; and certain unstable chiefs also, particularly Boki and Manuia, joined with the opposers, saying it was wrong for Mr. Richards to make known in America the conduct of foreigners which took place at these islands. Certain chiefs of Oahu wrote to chiefs on Maui, to this effect: 'Chiefs of Maui, if Captain Buckle and Captain Clark and the English Consul demand your teacher, do you take care of yourselves and not refuse to give him up; let a foreigner contest the matter with foreigners, and intermeddle not yourselves lest you become guilty.'

"This sentiment gaining ground and causing great confusion, Kaahumanu called a council of all the chiefs, to determine whether it was right to give up Mr. Richards to the rage of the foreigners, or whether it was their duty to protect him.

"Mr. Richards was to sail to Oahu on Wednesday evening, and on the afternoon he preached to his people at Lahaina, from the parting address of Paul to the Ephesian Church. The congregation were in tears, for they had heard the opinion of many chiefs not to protect him, and supposed they should never again hear his voice.

"The chiefs met, and were in council two days without coming to a decision, for Boki and even Mr. Young, the companion of the old king Kamehameha, said it was wrong for Mr. Richards to write to America.

"On the third day, David Malo and Kanaina entered within one of the doors of the council room, and Kaahumanu, having much confidence in David Malo as a teacher, beckoned him to sit down. She then said, to him with tears: 'What can we do for our teacher? For even Mr. Young and Boki say that he was very guilty in writing to America.' David said: 'The foreigners certainly are very inconsistent, for they say it is very foolish to pray, but very well to learn to read and write, and now they condemn Mr. Richards, not for praying, but for writing a letter. But,' said he, 'let us look at this case, if some of your most valuable properly should be stolen, and you should be grieved for the loss, of it, and some one should give you information of the thief, so that you could regain your property, whom would you blame, the informer or the thief?' 'The thief, surely,' said she. David said: 'Kanihonui was guilty of improper conduct with one of the wives of Kamehameha, and Luluhe was knowing to the fact and gave him information, which of the two did Kamehameha cause to be slain?' She said, ' Kanihonui.' David said: 'In what country is it the practice to condemn the man who gives true information of crimes committed, and let the criminal go uncensured and unpunished? 'No where,' said she. 'Why then,' replied David, 'should we condemn Mr. Richards, who has sent home to his country true information, and justify these foreigners whose riotous conduct is known to all of us? ' Kaahumanu replied: 'The case indeed is very plain; Mr. Richards is the just one , we chiefs are very ignorant.'" Kaahumanu then conferred with the well disposed chiefs, and came to a decided resolution to protect Mr. Richards.

"The next morning came the British Consul in his official dress, with Capt. Buckle, Boki, Manuia and several merchants, arid with an air of confidence and importance entered into the hall of the council, and insisted that Mr. Richards should be punished. But Kaahumanu had made up her mind, and she told them her decision; and all knew, foreigners, as well as natives, that whatever they might afterwards say would be like the beating of the sea against a rock. The matter, of course, was ended."

At a general council, held by order of government, it was proposed to reduce the edicts, which had been hitherto issued according to the will of the individual governors, into a species of national code, which should embrace penalties, based upon the principles of civilized lands. As they were to include the selling of ardent spirits, and restrictions upon certain liberties which heretofore had been free as the winds, the opposition was strong. The vengeance of the British government was threatened by the English consul, if they dared to legislate for themselves. He prevailed so far as to defer the execution to an indefinite period, of all the laws enacted, except those for murder, theft and adultery. The whole were printed and distributed for the information of the people.

Two years before, an attempt had been made to introduce a municipal code of a similar character. The regents had invited some of the missionaries to be present at the council at which the several clauses were to be discussed. It was rumored that the Decalogue was to be the basis of the new regulations. Some of the foreigners, irritated at these measures, broke in upon the meeting, and by their violence and menaces, intimidated the chiefs from then accomplishing their purposes.

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