HAT was then called Fort Vancouver was a station of theHudson's Bay Company. We took up our quarters here till oneof the company's vessels - the 'Mary Dare,' a brig of 120tons, was ready to sail for the Sandwich Islands. This wasabout the most uncomfortable trip I ever made. A sailingmerchant brig of 120 tons, deeply laden, is not exactly apleasure yacht; and 2,000 miles is a long voyage. For tendays we lay at anchor at the mouth of the Columbia, detainedby westerly gales. A week after we put to sea, all our freshprovisions were consumed, and we had to live on our cargo -dried salmon. We three and the captain more than filled thelittle hole of a cabin. There wasn't even a hammock, and wehad to sleep on the deck, or on the lockers. The fleas, thecockroaches, and the rats, romped over and under one allnight. Not counting the time it took to go down the river,or the ten days we were kept at its mouth, we were just sixweeks at sea before we reached Woahoo, on Christmas Day.
How beautiful the islands looked as we passed between them,with a fair wind and studding sails set alow and aloft.
Their tropical charms seemed more glowing, the water bluer,the palm trees statelier, the vegetation more libertine thanever. On the south the land rises gradually from the shoreto a range of lofty mountains. Immediately behind Honolulu -the capital - a valley with a road winding up it leads to thenorth side of the island. This valley is, or was then,richly cultivated, principally with TARO, a large root notunlike the yam. Here and there native huts were dottedabout, with gardens full of flowers, and abundance oftropical fruit. Higher up, where it becomes too steep forcultivation, growth of all kind is rampant. Acacias,oranges, maples, bread-fruit, and sandal-wood trees, reartheir heads above the tangled ever-greens. The high peaks,constantly in the clouds, arrest the moisture of the oceanatmosphere, and countless rills pour down the mountain sides,clothing everything in perpetual verdure. The climate is oneof the least changeable in the world; the sea breeze blowsday and night, and throughout the year the day temperaturedoes not vary more than five or six degrees, the averagebeing about eighty-three degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. In1850 the town of Honolulu was little else than a nativevillage of grass and mat huts. Two or three merchants hadgood houses. In one of these Fred and Samson were domiciled;there was no such thing as a hotel. I was the guest ofGeneral Miller, the Consul-General. What changes may havetaken place since the above date I have no means of knowing.
So far as the natives go, the change will assuredly have beenfor the worse; for the aborigines, in all parts of the world,lose their primitive simplicity and soon acquire the worstvices of civilisation.
Even King Tamehameha III. was not innocent of one of them.
General Miller offered to present us at court, but he had togive several days' notice in order that his Majesty might besufficiently sober to receive us. A negro tailor from theUnited States fitted us out with suits of black, and on theappointed day we put ourselves under the shade of the oldGeneral's cocked hat, and marched in a body to the palace. Anative band, in which a big drum had the leading part,received us with 'God save the Queen' - whether in honour ofKing Tamy, or of his visitors, was not divulged. We werefirst introduced to a number of chiefs in European uniforms -except as to their feet, which were mostly bootless. Theirnames sounded like those of the state officers in Mr.
Gilbert's 'Mikado.' I find in my journal one entered asTovey-tovey, another as Kanakala. We were then conducted tothe presence chamber by the Foreign Minister, Mr. Wiley, avery pronounced Scotch gentleman with a star of the firstmagnitude on his breast. The King was dressed as an Englishadmiral. The Queen, whose ample undulations also remindedone of the high seas, was on his right; while in perfectgradation on her right again were four princesses in shortfrocks and long trousers, with plaited tails tied with blueribbon, like the Miss Kenwigs. A little side dispute arosebetween the stiff old General and the Foreign Minister as towhose right it was to present us. The Consul carried theday; but the Scot, not to be beaten, informed Tamehameha, ina long prefatory oration, of the object of the ceremony.
Taking one of us by the hand (I thought the peppery oldGeneral would have thrust him aside), Mr. Wiley told the Kingthat it was seldom the Sandwich Islands were 'veesited' bystrangers of such 'desteenction' - that the Duke of this(referring to Fred's relations), and Lord the other, were thegreatest noblemen in the world; then, with much solemnity,quoted a long speech from Shakespeare, and handed us over tohis rival.
His Majesty, who did not understand a word of English, orScotch, looked grave and held tight to the arm of the throne;for the truth is, that although he had relinquished hisbottle for the hour, he had brought its contents with him.
My salaam was soon made; but as I retired backwards I had themisfortune to set my heel on the toes of a black-and-tanterrier, a privileged pet of the General's. The shriek ofthe animal and the loss of my equilibrium nearly precipitatedme into the arms of a trousered princess; but the amiableyoung lady only laughed. Thus ended my glimpse of theHawaian Court. Mr. Wiley afterwards remarked to me: 'We dothings in a humble way, ye'll obsairve; but royalty isroyalty all over the world, and His Majesty Tamehameha is asmuch Keng of his ain domeenions as Victoria is Queen ofBreetain.' The relativity of greatness was not to be denied.
The men - Kanakas, as they are called - are fine stalwartfellows above our average height. The only clothing theythen wore was the MARO, a............