HISTORY OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS – CHAPTER 8

1819 Consequences of the death of Kamehameha – Skepticism – Occasion of – Abolition of idolatry – National character – Rebellion of Kekuokalani – Defeat and death – 1820 – Arrival of American missionaries – Reception – Hostile intrigues – Kindness of Kaumualii – Of foreigners – Tyranny and dissipation of Liholiho – Gradual improvement of Nation – Voyage of Liholiho to Kauai, July, 1821 – Kaumualii's hospitality – Treachery of Liholiho – Keeaumoku made governor of Kauai – Kaahumanu's marriage to Kaumualii and his son – First Church erected at Honolulu – Increased taxation – January, 1822 – First printing at the islands – State of education – Arrival of English deputation – Results – Present of armed schooner – First Christian marriage – Hoapili appointed governor of Maui – New missionaries – Increasing favor of government – 1823 – Festival in honor of Kamehameha – Illness and death of Keopuolani – Foreign hostility to missions – Marriage of Hoapili – Liholiho and train embark for England, 1824 – Death of Kaumualii – Rebellion at Kauai – Final subjugation – Last heathen sacrifice performed by one of the royal family – 1824 – Conversion of Kalaimoku and Kaahumanu – Character of their administration – News of the death of the king – Arrival of British Consul and family, April, 1825

By the death of Kamehameha, the key-stone, which had continued firmly to unite the rites of heathenism with the policy of government, was removed, and the fabric gave evidence of speedy ruin. The skepticism which pervaded all ranks became manifest; none had a more hearty desire to be rid of the absurd restraints of their pagan ceremonies than the new king, Liholiho. The foreigners, whom he had gathered in his train, had succeeded in infusing their infidelity into his mind, without giving him any correct principles for the foundation of a new belief. In his love of sensual gratification, disregard of customs and traditions sanctioned by usage immemorial, desire yet fear of change, and ignorance of the means of accomplishment, he embodied the general spirit of his nation. The utter worthlessness of their old system and consequent evils were apparent to all, and its downfall ardently desired.

This condition of the public sentiment necessarily resulted from their commercial relations with foreigners. Those who railed at the doctrines of Christianity, were not wholly devoid of its spirit in their acts. Exposed as they were in manhood to the pernicious influences of a licentious heathenism and unfettered by a public moral sentiment, they too frequently fell in with the gross practices about them, and gave free rein to their lusts and avarice. Yet even with such, the good seed implanted by parents' counsels and the habits of Christian lands occasionally took root, and threw out blossoms which in contrast with the general fruit of paganism were sweet and attractive.

From what has been exhibited of native character previous to the commencement of intercourse with whites, it will readily be admitted that it was degraded in the extreme. Consequently the contact of a better race must necessarily cause some moral improvement. That this was the case, the condition of the Hawaiian nation at this epoch, plainly shows. The influence operating upon them had been directly commercial, dictated by the keenest self-interest; yet religious ideas and a desire for knowledge had been incidentally developed, by example or advice of benevolent individuals. The very fruits of civilization displayed to their covetous eyes in the superior knowledge, and above all in the property of the whites, begot in them a respect and desire for the faith which to their minds teemed so rich in temporal blessings. Example, expostulation and judicious reproof did much for the Hawaiians ; the many cases where the direct influence of foreigners was exerted to ameliorate the lot of savages, and to implant a desire of civilization, cannot be all recorded. Much as was accomplished in this way, it must be acknowledged the result was small, compared with the greater influence of a selfishness, which cherished order and enterprise as the best means of promoting its own interests.

The example of the southern groups, in the destruction of their idols, added to the spreading disbelief. Incontestable evidences of the falsity of their oracles, together with the increasing inconvenience of their absurd rites, confirmed the skepticism. Those interested in the continuance of paganism, redoubled their efforts; threats, prophecies and promises were freely uttered, and as freely falsified by their own failure. Like Laocoon and his offspring in the folds of the serpent, heathenism writhed and gasped, each moment growing weaker in the strangling embrace of public opinion. It was noticed that foreigners conformed to none of their rites, yet they lived and prospered; their own countrymen who had gone abroad, lived in equal disregard of their ritual, and with like impunity. Individually, their memories convicted them of frequently breaking taboos, yet no evil overtook them, while they were unknown to the priests. Men and women had eaten together, and of forbidden food; the predicted judgments slept; their priests must be as the foreigners described them, liars, and the taboo system altogether foolish and contemptible. Drunken chiefs had often 1 violated the most sacred injunctions; no divine vengeance pursued them; the female rulers had of late broken through all restrictions, yet prosperity and health were still theirs. Female influence went far to induce skepticism among the men. Having broken through the taboos themselves, they encouraged others to do the same; and in this way the conviction of the folly of supporting an oppressive and corrupt faith for the benefit of a few, daily strengthened.

The young prince Kauikeaouli, induced by his mother, and countenanced by his brother, broke the taboo by eating with Keopuolani. Liholiho perceiving no evil to ensue, remarked, "It is well to renounce taboos, and for husbands and wives to eat and dwell together, there will be less unfaithfulness and fraud." He was yet undecided, though Kaahumanu urged him " to disregard the restraint of taboo." On the very day of Kamehameha's death, a woman eat a cocoanut with impunity, and certain families displayed their contempt for these laws by feasting in common.

Liholiho remained ten days at Kohala, while the body of his father was being dissected. He then returned to Kailua,and on the second day after his arrival, the chiefs and inhabitants were collected to witness his induction into office.* He appeared in great state, dressed in rich

clothing, with a feather mantle over his shoulders, and surrounded by a brilliant  retinue.

The kingdom was transferred to Liholiho by Kaahumanu, with the injunction of Kamehameha, that if he should not conduct himself worthily, the supreme power should devolve upon her. She also proclaimed it as the will of the late king, that he should share the administration with her, to which he assented. This haughty queen dowager had always retained her influence over her husband, and she had taken the precaution to secure to herself an authority equal to the king's, to the exclusion of the more legitimate rights of Keopuolani. As this assumption of power was universally acquiesced in, it must have been considered the true exposition of the commands of the deceased sovereign. This singular feature of a double executive has been retained, though modified, to this day, and the powers and limitations of both defined by written law. Neither could act officially without the other; each in turn being a check or support as the policy of the government required; and no act was valid without the sanction of both. This is an anomaly in governments, but the principle is so well understood and recognized by the Hawaiians, that the harmony of the kingdom has never been endangered. By interest and blood, these personages are closely allied, and mutual convenience cements the tie. The king is the lawful ruler and proprietor of all the islands, the negotiator in foreign relations; the premier is at the head of the internal policy, chief counselor, and in the king's absence, or death, acts as guardian for the heir, and becomes the responsible agent. This office originated in the affection of Kamehameha for his favorite queen, and the necessity of a check upon the heedless passions of his son. Liholiho was crowned, and received the title of Kamehameha II.

After the mourning for his father had terminated, the new monarch went to reside at Kawaihae, in deference to a superstition, which considered a place defiled by the death of a king. Skeptical as to the religion of his youth, yet wavering between old and new desires, he was undecided as to his course. On the one hand the priests exerted themselves to restore his credulity, while Kaahumanu and Kalaimoku influenced him to a more liberal policy. The latter for a while prevailed, and Keopuolani urged him again to eat in violation of the taboo, setting the example herself. Liholiho, still wavering, temporarily returned to heathen rites and assisted at a sacred festival, indulging with his train, in revelry and drunkenness. He also consecrated a heiau to his god at Honokohau.

In August, 1819, the French corvette L'Uranie, M. Freycinet commander, arrived, and remained a few days. Kalaimoku (Billy Pitt as he was familiarly called) then prime minister, was induced to receive the rites of baptism, at Honolulu, according to the formula of the Roman Catholic Church. His brother, Boki, followed his example; neither had any clear comprehension of its meaning nor design; and both, after exchanging presents with Freycinet, returned to their usual idolatrous practices. Unintelligible as was this ceremony to them, it served to prepare their minds for further innovations. Kaahumanu, determined in her opposition to the priests, prepared for decisive measures. In November she sent word to the king, that upon his arrival at Kailua, she should cast aside his god. To this he made no objection, but with his retainers pushed off in canoes from the shore, and remained on the water two days, indulging in a drunken revel. Kaahumanu dispatched a double canoe for him, in which he was brought to Kailua. Between them matters were arranged for the further development of their designs. He then smoked and drank with the female chiefs. A feast was prepared, after the customs of the country, with separate tables for the sexes. A number of foreigners were entertained at the king's. When all were in their seats, he deliberately arose, walked to the place reserved for the women, and seated himself among them. To complete the horror of the adherents of paganism, he indulged his appetite in freely partaking of the viands prepared for them, directing the women to do likewise; but he ate with a restraint which showed that he had but half divested himself of the idea of sacrilege and of habitual repugnance. This act however was sufficient. The highest had set an example, which all rejoiced to follow. The joyful shout arose, "the taboo is broken! the taboo is broken!"

Feasts were provided for all, at which both sexes indiscriminately indulged. Orders were issued to demolish the heiaus, and destroy the idols; temples, images, sacred property, and the relics of ages, were consumed in the flames. The high priest, Hewahewa, having resigned his office, was the first to apply the torch. Without his cooperation the attempt to destroy the old system would have been ineffectual. Numbers of his profession, joining in the enthusiasm, followed his example. Kaumualii having given his sanction, idolatry was forever abolished by law; and the smoke of heathen sanctuaries arose from Hawaii to Kauai. All the islands uniting in a jubilee at their deliverance, presented the singular spectacle of a nation without a religion.

The character of the people at this period was peculiar. Superstition had been stripped of many of its terrors, and the general standard of morality had increased. Perhaps it is more correct to say that a knowledge rather than a practice of purer precepts existed. The most repulsive trait was the universal licentiousness; not greater than existed a century before, but was made a shameless traffic. Although the majority of the idols were destroyed, yet some were secretly preserved and worshiped. Centuries of spiritual degradation were not to be removed by the excitement of a day, or the edict of a ruler. Its interested advocates prepared for a fierce struggle. Availing themselves of their influence, they aroused the fears of multitudes; defection arose in the court, and some of its prominent members deserted Liholiho and joined Kekuokalani, a nephew of Kamehameha, who next in priestly rank to Hewahewa, had been incited to erect the standard of revolt with the promise of the crown if successful. The priests, fearing for their occupation and influence, urged him to the struggle by quoting a common proverb among them, "A religious chief shall possess a kingdom, but wicked chiefs shall always be poor." Said they, "of all the wicked deeds of wicked kings in past ages for which they lost their kingdoms, none was equal to this of Liholiho." Those who feared innovation and desired "to resist and turn back the tide of free eating which was threatening to deluge the land," and those who were dissatisfied with the existing government, gathered about him, and he soon became popular, as the defender of their ancient faith, and the protector of the oppressed. His mother endeavored to induce him to return to loyalty, but urged on by his partisans, who had committed themselves too far to retract, he turned a deaf ear to her entreaties.

In the first skirmish the loyalists were worsted. The news reaching the king, a consultation was held, in which Kalaimoku urged an immediate attack with all their force upon Kaawaloa, the headquarters of the enemy, and by a decisive blow to crush the insurrection before it had become formidable. It was determined, however, first to attempt conciliatory measures. Hoapili and Naihe were appointed ambassadors, and Keopuolani volunteered to accompany them. They reached the camp of Kekuokalani the same evening, and used every endeavor to effect an amicable settlement. Hoapili urged his relationship, for he was his uncle, and offered to leave the heathen worship optional with his partisans; but such was the rage and excitement of the rebels, that the ambassadors considered themselves fortunate to escape with their lives. Kekuokalani's forces marched that night on Kailua, with the intention of surprising it. The royal army, aware of the expected attack, prepared for action under the command of Kalaimoku. The armies met at Kuamoo; the engagement commenced in favor of the rebels, and had their fire-arms been equal to those of their adversaries, the day would have been decided in their favor; but a charge of the royal troops drove them with considerable slaughter toward the sea-side, where, under cover of a stone wall, they made for some time a successful resistance. A squadron of double canoes, in one of which was a mounted swivel, under the charge of a foreigner, sailed along the coast, and their shot enfilading the rebels, did considerable execution, and created disorder in their ranks. This fleet was under the command of Kaahumanu and Kalakua; the women then, as anciently, engaging freely in battle.

Kekuokalani, though early wounded, gallantly continued the contest, and several times rallied his flying soldiers, but was at last struck down by a musket ball. Manona, his wife, during the whole action, courageously fought by his side; seeing him fall, she was in the act of calling for quarter to Kalaimoku and his sister, who were approaching, when a ball struck her on the temple, and she fell and expired upon the body of her husband. After this, the idolaters made but feeble resistance, though the action continued ten hours, until all the rebels had fled or surrendered. Most of the leaders perished. The victors carried their arms to Waimea, where another body of insurgents had taken the field. They were quickly subdued, and the king used his success with such moderation, that the whole island returned to its allegiance. About fifty of .the rebels and ten of the royalists were killed in these engagements. The reaction against the tide of "free eating" in consequence of this victory was past. The chiefs who had so warmly sustained the priests, turned upon them and slew Kuawa, who was the chief agent in so fatally misleading Kekuokalani. They next attacked their idols, throwing them into the sea, using them for fuel, and otherwise expressing their rage and contempt for their pretended sanctity. "There is no power in the gods," said they, "they are a vanity and a lie. The army with idols was weak; the army without idols was strong and victorious."

Before the news of these remarkable events reached the United States, an interest had been awakened in the religious public, for the purpose of conveying to these islands the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Some Hawaiian youths, who had spent several years in that country, and ardently desired to carry the blessings of Christianity to their countrymen, increased this interest. Among them was George Kaumualii, son of the ruler of Kauai, who had been sent when a mere lad to the United States, to secure an education. The sea-captain who had him in charge died suddenly, and the funds provided for his expenses were lost. George thus cast upon his own resources, led an erratic life, and finally shipped on board of a United States' vessel, served during the war, and in 1814 was discharged at Charlestown. Here he was recognized by some benevolent individuals, who sent him to school, where he made respectable progress. His father had often expressed a wish for the arrival of teachers to instruct his people, in which desire he had been joined by several other chiefs; and he had expected good results from the education of his son. A letter had been received from him, written at school, in which he adjured his parents to renounce idolatry.

On the 30th of March, 1820, the first missionaries arrived at Hawaii. The cheering intelligence of the abolition of idolatry, and the favorable condition of the nation for the reception of a new religion, reached them that evening. They were kindly received, and Kalaimoku and the two dowager queens, on the first of April, made them a visit on board their vessel, the Thaddeus. On this occasion they were neatly dressed in foreign costume, and their urbanity made a favorable impression on the missionaries. April 4th, the brig anchored at Kailua; they met with a hospitable reception from Kuakini, who spoke English, and who seemed pleased at their arrival. Hewahewa  was cordial in his welcome to his "brother priests," as he called them. He possessed an uncommon liberality of mind; five months before he had counseled the king to destroy the idols, publicly renounced heathenism himself and acknowledged his belief in one Supreme Being.

"I knew," said he, "that the wooden images of our deities, carved by our own hands, were incapable of supplying our wants, but I worshiped them because it was the custom of our fathers; they made not the kalo to grow, nor sent us rain; neither did they bestow life or health. My thought has always been, 'Akahi wale no Akua nui iloko o ka lani' – there is 'one only Great God dwelling in the heavens.' "

By an old regulation, no foreigner was allowed permanently to remain without the consent of the king and his council. The former sovereign would not permit a foreigner to build a house on the islands except for himself. The missionaries made no attempt to settle on shore, until the free consent of the government had been formally obtained. Prejudices had been imbibed in regard to their intentions from evil disposed persons, who had represented that the Government of England would be displeased if missionaries from America were received; and that they intended eventually to monopolize both trade and political power. In a full meeting of the principal chiefs, these objections were overruled, and the missionaries, after a detention on board the brig of two weeks, were allowed to settle among the islands for one year, with the understanding that if they proved unworthy, they were to be sent away. Their chief patrons were Kaahumanu and Kalaimoku; the king, though friendly, was considerably influenced by vicious whites in his train, who foresaw that as knowledge increased, their importance and occupations would cease. The principal of these intriguers was John Rives, a low Frenchman, who filled the offices of cook, boot-black, secretary and boon companion, as the inclination of the king permitted. This man had the address, assisted by the influence of certain Englishmen, who were jealous of the Americans, to procure an edict for the expulsion of all residents of that nation. They were ordered to leave the islands by the first vessel, and the missionaries were expected to follow at the end of their year of probation. At this period the chiefs were fearful of giving umbrage to England by showing favor to Americans in allowing them to settle, and they seem to have imbibed the idea that their sovereignty would be endangered by them. Mr. Young was ordered to write to England to inform the government that American missionaries had come there to reside to teach the people. The missionaries were forbidden to send for others, for fear they might be burdensome or dangerous.

In their interest for the spiritual welfare of the Hawaiians, the friends of the mission had not been unmindful of their physical improvement. Among the number of the first band, were a mechanic, physician, farmer and printer; also three clergymen, Messrs. Bingham, Thurston and Ruggles. All brought families, and their wives were the first civilized women who landed on these islands; much was expected from their exertions in setting examples of well regulated households, the pleasures of domestic life, and the beneficent influence of Christianity, particularly in ameliorating and elevating their sex.*

Notwithstanding the licentious dispositions of the islanders, but one instance of an insult to a white female ever occurred. This happened at Kailua, soon after their arrival, where a native, smitten by the charms of one of their number, behaved with a rudeness which caused alarm. Liholiho, by the advice of the foreigners present, determined to put the fellow to death, but at the intercession of the husband of the insulted lady, spared his life. Mr. Thurston remained at this place. Mr. Bingham, with several others, proceeded to Honolulu, and there met with a kind reception from the foreigners and Governor Boki. Messrs. Ruggles and Whitney sailed for Kauai, with George Kaumualii. When the intelligence of his arrival reached the king, he fired a salute of twenty-one guns, and manifested the utmost joy at once again embracing his son. He expressed great pleasure at the arrival of the missionaries, and engaged to provide liberally for them. From this time to his death, he remained their steadfast friend. To the captain of the brig he made valuable presents; on George he conferred the second station of importance in his island, besides giving him chests of clothing, the fort at Waimea, and finally a large and fertile valley. These distinctions elated the youth, though he continued disposed to serve his friends, and lived after a civilized manner. His father, to induce the settlement of all the missionaries with him, offered to build houses for them, for schools and for places of worship, and to use his authority in causing his people to respect the Sabbath, and attend their teachings. Messrs. Whitney and Ruggles, in July, took up their residence on Kauai. It is not an uninteresting event to record that the interpreter of Kaumualii, a middle-aged native, had dined with General Washington in New York, who gave him clothes and treated him with much kindness as a native of the islands where Cook was killed.

At Oahu, the foreigners subscribed six hundred dollars for a school fund for orphan children; several manifested kindness and attention to the wants of the missionaries, a desire to aid them in their labors, and made laudable exertions for the education of their families.

The chiefs made many requests for artisans to instruct their people, with offers to support them handsomely. Their applications were forwarded to the United States. The zeal of the king for instruction was truly royal; none of the common people were at first permitted to learn to read. In accordance with their ideas, knowledge, with the other good things of life, were the birth-right of rank. The progress of several of the chiefs was rapid. In July, Liholiho could read intelligibly; in November four schools, containing one hundred pupils, were established.

In the autumn of the year, Liholiho removed with his court to Lahaina, on the island of Maui. He soon paid but little attention to his studies, and spent most of his time in revelry, though he learnt rapidly, and his knowledge of geography, the customs, productions and governments of other countries was respectable. The vagabond whites about him, taking advantage of his inquisitiveness, corrupted his mind by teaching him the basest phrases of their own language. By them he was freely supplied with rum, and encouraged in gambling. At times he would spend many hours at his desk; and when not under the effects of liquor, was kind and affable. But his dissipation lead to ruinous debts; the rich stores and treasures of his father were squandered on favorites, and the monopoly of the sandal-wood trade carried to such an extent as to produce the most disastrous consequences. His favorites, availing themselves of his easy good nature, in moments of conviviality obtained orders for their personal benefit, which the people were obliged to execute. Days were spent in drunkenness and debauchery. While intoxicated, the king purchased largely of foreigners, and profusely bestowed gifts of broadcloths, richest silks and satins, and other costly goods upon his retainers. Vessels were bought on credit, for large sums; $80,000 in sandal-wood was paid for the Cleopatra's Barge, a yacht sent out by a Boston house at an expense of $30,000. $40,000 were given for the brig Thaddeus, $16,000 for a small schooner, and their cargoes purchased at corresponding rates. Through such extravagances heavy debts were contracted, and to pay them monopolies created and taxation carried to its utmost bounds; not a fowl or vegetable could be sold without a premium paid to the chiefs. Vast quantities of sandalwood were collected and sold, but debts augmented. The uniform and equalized system of Kamehameha I. was set aside, and instead of one humane task-master, a thousand tyrants sprung into existence; the confusion which prevailed in court, spread elsewhere; the avarice, wants and dissipation of the chiefs increased, as their resources diminished, and taxation, exposure and tyranny daily carried disease and death into the house- holds of the tenantry. The infatuation prevailed during Liholiho's reign and did not cease until the conversion of some of the principal chiefs to the Christian religion. In the figurative tongue of Hawaii, rum was a " poison god," and debt, " a moth " which consumed the islands.

No sooner was the influence of the missionaries felt than vigorous efforts to counteract it were manifested. Some of the natives were influenced by the misrepresentations and calumnies of certain foreigners, but as a body they respected their motives and character. Every allowance that charity can permit should be made for those who by circumstances beyond their own control or by fortuitous events, have been exposed to unusual temptations. To youth ardent in the first impulses of manhood, unfixed by principle and unfortified by habit, no situations can be more alluring than those which while they give them a real or nominal superiority freely acknowledged by those around them, leave them full scope in the indulgence of their selfish desires. Such was emphatically the case here at this period and much later. The native women were but too proud to form connections with white men; the white men were equally free in the gratification of their sensual appetites. The temperance reformation was then in its infancy. The Pacific was notorious for its facilities for dissipation and its lack of moral restraint. Self-interest had led the whites here, and that gratified, nothing remained but physical pleasures. Had there been opportunities for moral and intellectual excitement and the amenities of social life, few even of those men would have gone the lengths they did in the indulgence of their passions. But as it was, history obliges us to record the fact that the whites settled on the islands were, with exceptions, it is true, a dissolute race, fostering in the natives the very habits they were too prone to indulge in by nature and custom, but which the missionary steadily frowned upon as at variance with the morality of the gospel. Under such circumstances, the whites could not but feel reproved by their example, and irritated by their preaching.

Hence arose an enmity towards the mission, confined, at its commencement, to that class whose depraved appetites, or selfish interests, were affected by the increase of virtue and knowledge. The presence of pure domestic circles, while they reminded them of the homes they had left, contrasted widely with their loose lives even in the eyes of natives. With some perhaps the novel restraint of an incipient public opinion gave an additional zest to their illicit pleasures. Hence we find a contest early commenced between certain of the whites and the missionaries; the one endeavoring to secure as mistresses the young half caste females of most promise in mind and body, and the other to provide for them permanently in schools where they would be rigidly secluded from vice and instructed in the knowledge and virtues of domestic life. But as might have been expected, the allurements of dress and an indolent life, corresponded too well with previous impressions and desires, to enable them in every instance to cleave to their white sisters, by whom they would have been taught habits of household industry, naturally repugnant to them. Beside the contests which arose from this rivalry between virtue and vice, others more directly appealing to the self-interest of the traders speedily operated to widen the breach between missionary and resident. It was unavoidable that the former in preaching to the chiefs should reprobate their extravagance and urge a more rational expenditure and husbanding the national resources. Anxious as the missionaries were to avoid collision with their fellow-countrymen, exiles like themselves, though from far different motives, yet it was impossible for them not to proscribe to their converts, and indeed it was their duty, the wicked waste of merchandise which characterized the nation, and particularly to declaim against the use of ardent spirits. They came also to impart knowledge. As that knowledge increased among the people, they inquired the cost of foreign merchandise, and drew comparisons between it and the prices of the traders. The result went naturally to diminish extravagant desires and to lessen the chances of extravagant profits. Some of the residents had the manliness and perception to foresee the true results, and cultivated an amity which was mutually beneficial. Respect was shown to the Sabbath, and the moral requirements of religion gradually observed; in the progress of civilization and Christianity they perceived real advantages, even to worldly pursuits, and they could not fail to respect virtues which though they might judge them ascetic, they knew to be sincere. But there were many who could ill brook to hear vice called by its legitimate name.

At an annual entertainment given in honor of his deceased father, at Kailua, in 1820, Liholiho invited all the mission family, and at his request, a Christian blessing was invoked. Kaumualii and his wife commenced their studies. In April, 1821, desirous of opening a friendly intercourse with Pomare, to witness for himself the results of missionary enterprise, and to procure valuable and useful exotics for his island, he planned a voyage to Tahiti in a fine brig belonging to him, lying at Waimea. At his request, two of the missionaries were to be in his suite. The calumnies of a few foreigners, who represented the Tahitian missionaries as great hypocrites and wholly unworthy of credit, and that the port charges would be ten thousand dollars, induced him to relinquish the undertaking. It is an ungrateful task to be obliged to recur to facts like these, but it is the duty of the historian to state the truth when necessary to his subject. Much of the earlier portion of Hawaiian history will be found pregnant with details highly discreditable to parties, who from the time their pleasures or interests came in conflict with the purer objects of the missionaries or the welfare of the people, maintained against both a bitter and reckless hostility. Enmity on one side was sometimes opposed by error on the other, and it will be my object to state faithfully whatever is requisite, but nothing more, for the clear understanding of the means and principles brought to bear on either side, by which the nation has laboriously worked its way into something like a regular and efficient government.

There will be found throughout the prolonged contest, a conservative, civilized and moral principle on the one hand; on the other an opposition, active, persevering and unsystematic; bound by no tie of a common purpose, except so far as interested views or factious dispositions knit men together. At this juncture commenced the struggle between the two parties; the one to uphold morality, strengthen the nation, and implant civilization on the basis of the word of God; the other, with no avowed purpose of opposing these views, but with maintaining an influence favorable to their own less rigid principles, and friendly to their personal desires. Good and evil will be found mixed in both. Without condemning in full all who chose to range themselves under the anti-mission banner, for among them were men who, though they erred perhaps in theory, yet in practice were often just, generous and serviceable, the most consistent friends of the nation will be found on the other side; not that they were always wise in their policy, or unselfish in their desires, but the principles they professed have been such as to secure the confidence of the people and preserve them through many periods of trial. At this date, however, they were suspicious of the designs of foreigners generally, a state of feeling kept alive by national prejudices, operating on the ill-informed minds of the natives. At Honolulu, uneasiness was expressed on account of a cellar that was being dug for Mr. Bingham's house, which had been sent out from America in frame. It was reported to be designed for a secret magazine of arms, and that a conspiracy was intended, in which the royal family were to be slaughtered. But stories so preposterous recoiled upon their authors. Before the expiration of the year, the chiefs were satisfied with the designs and intentions of the mission, and requested them to send for a reinforcement. The missionaries, desirous of securing still further the favor of the king, offered to have built for him a similar house, which was then considered, in comparison with the thatched huts, a grand affair.

Two Russian ships of war entered Honolulu harbor, April 2d, 1821. The officers were entertained on board " The Pride of Hawaii," his majesty's flag ship; late the "Cleopatra's Barge." In return, the king dined with the commodore, receiving the honors of his rank.

In July, Liholiho made the voyage to Kauai in an open boat. Having become jealous of Kaumualii, on account of a letter received from George, in which he was addressed simply as "king of the windward islands," he determined to visit him. Without disclosing his intention, he left Honolulu for Ewa on the 21st, with Boki, Naihe, and about thirty attendants, including two women. Having arrived off that place, the wind being fair, he ordered the helmsman to steer for Kauai. The chiefs expostulated, but to no purpose; the boatmen were frightened; they had neither water, provisions, chart nor compass; the island was one hundred miles distant; the channel rough, and the wind strong; moreover, Kaumualii might prove hostile, and crush their little party. But he was not to be dissuaded. The whim had seized him when half intoxicated, and, reckless of consequences, he sternly ordered them to proceed. Although he had never been at Kauai, he had a correct idea of its position; and spreading out his fingers, to represent the different points of the compass, naming them in broken English, he directed the course of the boat. Twice was it nearly capsized, and ready to sink. His attendants begged him to put back. "No," said the resolute king; "bail out the water, and go on; if you return with the boat, I will swim to Kauai." By vigorously plying their calabashes they kept it free from water, and continued their course, steering well to the northward. Just before dark the island was discovered, being several points on the lee bow. Putting their craft before the wind, they ran for it, though at considerable hazard from the sea, which continually broke over them. Early the next morning, exhausted with hunger and fatigue, they came to off the coast. As soon as Kaumualii was apprised of the circumstances, he hurried on board, and welcomed him to his dominions. A commodious house was prepared for him, and a brig and schooner dispatched to Oahu to relieve the apprehensions of his subjects, and to bring two of his wives, with their retinues. Liliha, Boki's wife, arrived on the 23d, with four attendants, having made the voyage in a small canoe, in the management of which the natives are much more skilful than of boats, easily righting and freeing them from water when upset. The king was highly delighted with her adventurous courage.

The forbearance of Kaumualii when Liholiho was so completely in his power, is remarkable. Instead of making it an occasion of demanding the acknowledgment of his independence, or other confirmation of his present authority, with a spirit faithful to the very letter of his agreement with Kamehameha I., he voluntarily proposed a formal surrender of his kingdom to his guest. With much emotion, he addressed him in the following terms: "King Liholiho, hear! When your father was alive, I acknowledged him as my superior. Since his death, I have considered you, his rightful successor, and, according to his appointment, king. I have many muskets and men, and much powder; these, with my vessels, the fort, guns, and the island, all are yours. Do with them as you please. Send me where you please. Place what chief you please as governor here." Naihe next addressed the assembled chiefs, and confirmed the dependence of Kaumualii to Kamehameha I. A deep silence prevailed, and all awaited with anxiety the reply of the monarch. With a mildness and suavity that deceived every one, he spoke as follows: " I did not come to take away your island. 1 do not wish to place any one over it. Keep your island, and take care of it just as you have done, and do what you please with your vessels." A shout of approbation resounded on all sides, and the magnanimity of both was highly lauded. After this scene Liholiho indulged in a debauch. Kaumualii was assiduous in his endeavors to please his royal visitor, whose insincerity and real designs were soon manifested. His beautiful vessel, "Haaheo o Hawaii," pride of Hawaii, having arrived with the expected chiefs, Kaumualii was invited on board. While unsuspiciously seated in the cabin, orders were secretly issued to make sail, and the generous and faithful chief was made a state prisoner, and borne from his dominions, which were entrusted to the guardianship of Keeaumoku. On the arrival of the royal parties at Honolulu, Kaumualii was compelled to part from his favorite Kapuli, and marry the imperious Kaahumanu. His title was continued to him, but with it no authority. After this dishonorable transaction, Liholiho proceeded to Hawaii. Kaahumanu also took to husband, Kealiiahonui, the son and heir of Kaumualii, thus holding father and son in her chains, which, at that period, were not altogether silken.

August 15, 1821, the first building a small, thatched edifice erected on the islands for the service of Christianity, was dedicated at Honolulu.

Liholiho continued in his profligacy, occasionally manifesting a desire for better things. To the arguments of a missionary, who urged him to reform, he replied, "five years more and I will become a good man." Throwing off all restraint he became more reckless and dissipated than ever, spending his time in carousals in different parts of his dominions as humor prompted. In a fit of jealousy he beheaded a chief. A native who had stolen a few pieces of calico from him, he ordered to be ironed and thrown overboard.

As the sandal-wood diminished, or became more difficult to be procured, new means of extortion were contrived, one of which, from its singularity, deserves record. Whenever a chief erected a house of better appearance than common, no one was allowed to enter it, without a gift adequate to the rank and wealth of the visitor. The chiefs on such an occasion, would present the king with from fifty to a hundred dollars each; foreigners from twenty to thirty, and all other classes, to the lowest menial of his household, a proportionate sum. By this means, the king occasionally raised several thousand dollars governors and chiefs lesser sums. The gross habits of the ruler infected the whole nation; female chiefs of the highest ranks boarded ships in a state of entire nudity, and not unfrequently visited the ladies of the mission in that condition, in the presence of the other sex. The saturnalian practices of all orders were too vile even to be alluded to; all the variety and indecency that lewdness and drunkenness could accomplish, were to be seen. At the present day, it is almost impossible to credit that such was ever the case; but the testimony is undoubted.

The first experiment in printing was made on the 7th of January, 1822. Keeaumoku was present. He assisted in setting up the types, and in taking a few impressions of the first sheet of the Hawaiian spelling-book. The king, chiefs and foreigners generally, took a deep interest in the success of this enterprise. The missionaries employed themselves assiduously during the first part of this year, in forming the Hawaiian alphabet upon the basis of a plan furnished them by the Hon. John Pickering, of Boston. The vowel sounds were the same as those employed in his alphabet of Indian languages. Printing gave a new impulse to the desire of knowledge among the chiefs. Kuakini, Kamamalu, Keeaumoku, and others, applied themselves diligently to learn to read and write. Liholiho again enlisted himself as a regular pupil; his brother and sister also became scholars. Even Kaahumanu shared in the general enthusiasm, and laid aside her cards for her alphabet. Others of lesser note followed the example of the royal family, and the schools flourished. The king was able in a few months to write legibly. In September, five hundred pupils were receiving instruction.

The arrival at Oahu in April, of Messrs. Tyerman and Bennet, deputized by the London Mission Society to visit all missionary stations, and the Rev. W. Ellis, a Tahitian missionary, with Anna, a converted chief of that nation, and his train, proved of much service to the American mission. By their efforts, the misunderstanding of their objects, which had been so industriously cultivated by inimical persons, was counteracted. Intelligent and influential Englishmen were found who countenanced its objects, which they would not have done, were they apprehensive of any sinister designs upon the islands by a rival nation. The people themselves could not believe that those who came with their families, indulged in ambitious or hostile views. Warlike designs and operations received no encouragement from the presence of females. At the joint request of the American mission and the chiefs, Mr. Ellis consented to return with his family and remain one year. By this act, the last lingerings of jealousy were dissipated, as it was seen that the benevolent of both nations united in laboring for their welfare. The sentiment that England was their protector, and exercised a species of guardianship over their country, still extensively prevailed, and was kept alive by acts of national courtesy, and the interested views of English traders, who wished to secure a superiority over other nations in mercantile transactions. The chiefs themselves, from their regard for Vancouver, and a desire of increasing their national importance, were not averse to an alliance, even if it implied some degree of vassalage; though their disposition to acknowledge themselves solely and wholly British subjects, was doubtless exaggerated. Their intercourse, from the commencement of the century, had been mostly with Americans, and their predilections toward that nation gradually increasing. When the deputation arrived, they found forty ships at anchor at Hawaii and Oahu, nearly all whalers from the United States.

The English government uniformly manifested a courtesy toward the islanders that was highly honorable. Without asserting a claim to the Islands, they recognized their nationality by numerous acts of courtesy, and encouragement toward civilization. On the first of May of this year, Captain Kent presented to Liholiho, in the name of His Britannic Majesty, a schooner of seventy tons, called the Prince Regent, fully rigged and coppered, with an armament of six guns. This was the long-promised vessel of Vancouver to Kamehameha; a gift which unfortunately neither he nor his royal friend had the satisfaction of seeing accomplished.

On Sunday, May 6th, Liholiho celebrated his accession to office, with a mixture of barbaric pomp and attention to civilized customs, which showed how rapidly the latter were becoming naturalized. Salutes were fired from ships and batteries, and national flags displayed from all the vessels in port. Great quantities of clothing were distributed, in which the soldiers and attendants made a respectable, though incongruous spectacle. Gaudily colored uniforms, richly bedizened with gold lace; chapeaux, boots, plumes, silk stockings, satins, velvets, broadcloths, tapas and calicoes; gold watches, canes and jewelry; feather cloaks, helmets and kahilis, were seen in the throng. Some wore dresses fashioned by foreign artisans; others, a mixture of the past and present costumes. Brilliant silks, wrapped in many folds, encircled the waists of portly dames, while flower wreaths, or hair necklaces, negligently rested upon their exposed bosoms. A dinner was prepared and served in European style; and throughout the whole, notwithstanding the quantity of ardent spirit consumed, an unusual decorum prevailed. Eighty dogs formed a portion of the viands. The common orders indulged in excesses of the vilest description.

The anniversary of the national independence of the United States of North America, was celebrated on the fourth of July, in a more rational manner. An oration was delivered in the mission chapel, by J. C. Jones, Esq., acting American consul, and a poem recited by Mr. Bingham. A prayer was also offered and a psalm sung. After which the company adjourned to a public dinner, the king with the principal foreign residents being present.

The first Christian marriage was celebrated, August 11, between two converted natives. On the 13th, Kaumualii and Kaahumanu, with a retinue of nearly twelve hundred people, sailed for Kauai. Four small vessels conveyed this multitude, which crowded their decks, and even occupied the chains, tops and bowsprits. Previous to their departure Kaahumanu issued a general ordinance against drunkenness, which was proclaimed by public criers throughout the town of Honolulu. The object of the voyage was to collect the annual tribute of sandal-wood. While they were on the island, the wife of the governor, Keeaumoku, died.

Though none of the principal chiefs joined in the ceremonies, the heathen customs of sacrifices of animals, with chants and prayers, were practiced for several successive days. In December following they returned. A few days afterward a young member of the royal family died, and at the request of his relatives received a Christian burial. It is necessary to notice many events of little interest by themselves, but proper to record, that the gradual development of the spirit of Christianity, with its frequent fluctuations, may be clearly traced.

Upon the departure of the English deputation, Captain Kent, with whom they sailed, was charged with the following letter to the King of England. Though it bears the signature of Liholiho, it was not written by him, but was supposed to convey his real sentiments. Towards the ship's company he behaved with a liberality worthy of his father.

"Oahu, Sandwich Islands, August 21, 1822.

 

"MAY IT PLEASE YOUR MAJESTY:

 

"In answer to your Majesty's letter from Governor Macquarrie, I beg to return your Majesty my most grateful thanks for your handsome present of the schooner, Prince Regent, which I have received at the hands of Mr. J. R. Kent.

 

"I avail myself of this opportunity of acquainting your Majesty of the death of my father, Kamehameha, who departed this life the 8th of May, 1819, much lamented by his subjects; and, having appointed me his successor, I have enjoyed a happy reign ever since that period; and I assure your Majesty it is my sincere wish to be thought as worthy your attention as my father had the happiness to be during the visit of Captain Vancouver. The whole of these islands having been conquered by my father, I have succeeded to the government of them, and beg leave to place them all under the protection of your most excellent Majesty; wishing to observe peace with all nations, and to be thought worthy the confidence I place in your Majesty's wisdom and judgment.

 

"The former idolatrous system has been abolished in these Islands, as we wish the Protestant religion of your Majesty's dominions to be practiced here. I hope your Majesty may deem it fit to answer this as soon as convenient; and your Majesty's counsel and advice will be most thankfully received by your Majesty's most obedient and devoted servant,

 

"KAMEHAMEHA II.

 

"King of the Sandwich Islands.

 

"To GEORGE IV., King of England."

Notwithstanding efforts made to induce the king entirely to abandon his studies, and give himself up once more to debauchery, he persevered and succeeded in acquiring the elements of instruction, while the truths of Christianity were acknowledged by his intellect, though set at nought by his conduct. Of their requirements he was not wholly ignorant before the arrival of the missionaries. When one of his wives, soon after the Thaddeus anchored at Kailua, urged their being permitted to remain, jocosely observed, "If I do, I shall be obliged to put you away, for their religion allows but one wife." The interest of the other chiefs daily became more apparent.  In February, 1823, they proclaimed a law for the public observance of the Sabbath, and imposed a fine of one dollar upon all who should be guilty of laboring upon that day. This was the dawning of that legislation which was afterwards so violently opposed by foreigners, and finally resulted in bringing the chiefs and missionaries into intimate relations. It will be seen that it bore the arbitrary impress of the old. It was natural for them to suppose that by the simple promulgation of their will the natives could be compelled to observe the new doctrines. Externally it proved the case. Many became convinced of their truth and utility, though clinging to past license; the flesh pots of Egypt were not to be forgotten in a day; with a few, they produced a thorough reformation. Among the most prominent was a blind bard, of the name of Puaaiki, who afterward received the baptismal name of Bartimeus. His memory was prodigious. Versed in all their former history, he became an equal adept in the instructions of the new teachers. Not a thought was uttered, or advice given, but he treasured it up. He soon became a valuable acquisition to the mission, and qualified to impart wisdom to others. To his death he could repeat sermons delivered by the earliest missionaries, and his life gave evidence of the sincerity of his conversion.

In March, 1823, Hoapili was sent with Keopuolani, whom he had married, to Maui, as governor. Puaaiki was received into their family as a domestic chaplain. Previous to this, on the 27th of April, the ship Thames arrived from America, bringing a large missionary reinforcement. They were cordially welcomed ; some of the chiefs were really desirous of securing them in their families as religious teachers, while all received them as public benefactors. The Utility of writing, by the knowledge of which their orders were transmitted with so much ease and accuracy, with other useful arts derived from the mission, had created a powerful revolution in their favor. All the distrust which had been so signally manifested in 1520, was now removed. Liholiho, notwithstanding his constant strait for money, remitted the harbor fees, amounting to one hundred and sixty dollars, both to the vessel that brought Mr. Ellis, and the Thames. To the captain of the latter he addressed a letter, of which the following is a literal translation:

"To CAPTAIN CLASBY:

"Love to you. This is my communication to you. You have done well in bringing hither the new teachers. You shall pay nothing on account of the harbor – no, nothing at all.

"Grateful affection to you,

"LIHOLIHO IOLANI."

On the 26th of the same month his majesty held his annual festival in celebration of the death of Kamehameha I. On this occasion he provided a dinner in a rural bower, for two hundred individuals. The missionaries and all respectable foreigners were present; the dresses were an improvement upon the costumes of the preceding year. Black was the court color, and every individual was required to be clothed in its sombre hue. Kamamalu appeared greatly to advantage. The company were all liberally provided for by her attentions, and even a party of sailors, to the number of two hundred, who were looking on with wistful eyes, were served with refreshments. While at the table, a procession of four hundred natives appeared in single file, clad in white, and deposited their taxes at the feet of the king. The festival was prolonged for several days, and was concluded by a procession in honor of his five queens. Its ceremonies were striking and interesting; the more so as being the last national exhibition of their most ancient customs, combined with the splendor derived from commerce, and arranged by their taste. Kamamalu was the most conspicuous personage in the ranks. She was seated in a whale-boat, placed upon a frame of wicker-work, borne on the shoulders of seventy men. The boat and the platform, which was thirty feet long by twelve wide, were overspread by costly broadcloth, relieved by the richest colored and most beautiful tapas. The carriers marched in a solid phalanx, the outer ranks of which wore a uniform of yellow and scarlet feather cloaks, and superb helmets of the same material. The queen's dress was a scarlet silk mantle, and a feather coronet. An immense Chinese umbrella, richly gilded and decorated with tassels and fringes of the same gaudy color, supported by a chief, wearing a helmet, screened her from the sun. Kalaimoku and Naihe stood behind her on either quarter of the boat, both with malos, or girdles, of scarlet-colored silk, and lofty helmets. Each bore a kahili, the staff of royalty; these were nearly thirty feet high, the upper part being arranged so as to form a column or plume of scarlet feathers of a foot and a half in diameter, and from twelve to fourteen feet long; the handles were surrounded with alternate ivory and tortoise-shell rings, beautifully wrought and highly polished. More magnificent insignia of rank, conveying at once the ideas of grandeur, state and beauty, as they towered and gracefully nodded above the multitude, were never devised by barbarians.

Kinau and Kekauonohi, appeared in similar pomp, and in lieu of a boat, were mounted upon double canoes. The prince and princess wore simply the native costume; the malo and pau, made from scarlet silk. Their carriage consisted of four Chinese field bedsteads, fastened together, covered with handsome native cloth, and surmounted with canopies and drapery of yellow figured moreen. Hoapili and Kaikioewa, the one bearing a dish of baked dog, the other a calabash of poi, and another of raw fish, the prime articles of Hawaiian diet, followed them as servants; this was indicative of their comparative relations to the royal children, notwithstanding their own proud j lineage, and high offices; the former being their step-father, and the latter their guardian.

The dresses of the queens-dowager were remarkable for their size and expense. Seventy-two yards of cassimere of double fold, half orange and half scarlet, were wrapped around the figure of one, till her arms were sustained by the mass in a horizontal position, while the remainder, forming an extensive train, was supported by a retinue selected for that purpose.

Pauahi, when an infant, experienced a narrow escape from being burnt to death, from an accidental ignition of gunpowder, by which five men were killed, her house destroyed, and she badly injured. Hence her name, pau, completed, and ahi, fire. To commemorate this event, after performing her part in the procession, she alighted from her couch, and set it on fire, with all its expensive decorations ; reserving only a handkerchief, as an apology for a covering, she threw all of her dress into the flames; her attendants imitated her example, and a valuable amount of cloth, both native and foreign, was consumed.

The richness and variety of the dresses and colors, and the exhibition of the wealth and power of the chiefs, their hereditary symbols of rank, the stately kahilis, splendid cloaks and helmets, and necklaces of feathers, intermingled with the brilliant hues and deep green of the flowers and wreaths, from their native forests, rendered the spectacle at once unique and attractive. Groups of dancers and singers, to the number of several hundred, accompanied the procession, enthusiastically shouting their adulations in the willing ears of their chiefs. The beating of drums and other rude music, swelled the wild notes of their songs, and the acclamations of thousands of voices, with the heavy tramp of their feet, broke in upon the deep-toned choruses and thrilling responses. Amid the throng the king, with his suite, excited by the revelry of a week's duration, mounted upon saddleless horses, rode recklessly about; a body-guard of fifty men, dressed in shabby uniform, followed by a multitude, shouting and cheering, endeavored to keep pace with the royal troop.

In September, Keopuolani was taken ill; all the principal chiefs assembled at Lahaina and wailed around her couch. As her disease gained ground, the utmost affection and grief were manifested by all classes. Among the people, alarm for the consequences of her death prevailed. Being the highest female chief, the usual excesses were expected to ensue. Many natives fled to the mountains ; the foreigners prepared to retreat to the shipping, and urged the missionaries to follow their example. For a year previous, Keopuolani had expressed a deep interest in the instructions of the missionaries, and her deportment gave evidence of a decided change of character.

Having given sincere proofs of her conversion, the rites of baptism were administered. Her dying counsel was directed to the religious welfare of her relatives and people. She strove to influence the king to abandon his cups, and for a few weeks he continued perfectly sober. She enjoined, and her wishes were proclaimed as laws by Liholiho and Kalaimoku, that no heathen rites should be observed at her death. So public an example, from the highest authority, of the breaking down of usages, sanctioned by the custom of centuries, proved their death blow. Once abrogated, few could regret the attendant disorder, debauchery and crime. On the 16th she died. Her remains were interred in accordance with her desires; but the deep wailings of the people were not to be suppressed, though the rites of Christian sepulture were hers. The corpse, covered with a rich pall, was borne by the five queens of Liholiho and the wife of Boki; around it were the family as principal mourners. Chiefs and people, foreigners and missionaries, joined in the procession, bearing badges of mourning, while the tolling of the bell, and the firing of minute guns proclaimed its solemn progress, until it reached the stone tomb prepared for its reception. As was customary, the relatives erected little booths in its vicinity, in which they dwelt for a season. The people of the district were employed in removing the stones of a dilapidated heiau, to form a wall around her burial place. All the chiefs, except the king and Hoapili, assisted in this labor with their own hands; and the singular spectacle was presented of the portly Kaahumanu, and her almost equally bulky husband carrying large stones, while stout men walked lazily beside them, bearing nothing but light feathered staffs, the badges of their authority.

Keopuolani was born in 1778; she had given birth to eleven children, of whom Liholiho was the second. He, with the young prince and princess were all that

survived.

In proportion as the mission flourished, and the doctrines of Christianity began to have a perceptible influence upon the acts of the government and the character of the nation, in like manner did the opposition increase. No artifice was too low, nor falsehood too gross, for its purposes. In most cases, the vileness of the one, and the shallowness of the other, defeated their design. As the narrative proceeds, the nature and design of the enmity to the spread of Christianity will be more clearly seen. Originating, as has been shown, in a few vagabonds, the contamination gradually spread to persons, if not of better principles, of more knowledge; and the falsities so diligently uttered by the former, found their way into journals and reviews, whose editors would have shrunk from contact with their authors, as from plague-spots, had they but known them. In no place has the triumph of the cross been more signal than at the Hawaiian Islands; in none other has enmity been more bitterly manifested. Instead of adducing arguments against supposed faults of the system, or affording any tangible ground on which to base an attack, the characters of its advocates were assailed by the grossest calumnies, and the faith and resolution of its converts, by the most artful designs. Those who so prominently figured in these attempts, had the satisfaction occasionally to witness the instructions of the benevolent made abortive, and grief, misery and shame carried into families which else would have continued in well-doing. While the death-bed scene remained fresh in the memory of the king, his conduct was that of a reclaimed man; but in an evil hour, he listened to the desires of some whites, who persuaded him to visit a vessel, under the pretence of showing him some new goods. Several dinner parties had been provided for him previously on the Sabbath, which he had uniformly declined attending. But in this instance, suspecting no sinister object, he went on board. The favorite liquors were proffered, which he refused. A bottle of cherry-brandy was then produced, an article he had never seen, and which, being told it would not intoxicate, he tasted. The insatiable thirst was aroused, and his entertainers plied the glasses until the king, requesting some to carry ashore, prepared for a revel. Not content with this, the sacred forms of religion were made a scorn and by-word. One chief was taught to call his fellow, as a nickname, Jehovah. A foreigner engaged in mock prayer before Kuakini, while another wrote the vilest words of the English language for his perusal.

Hoapili set an example of further innovation upon their customs. Instead of selecting a number of wives as soon as the corpse of his consort was removed, to be changed at will, he waited more than a month, and then was joined in matrimony to Kalakua, who took the name of Hoapiliwahine. The ceremony was performed October 19th, in church, by the Rev. Wm. Richards. This was the more to his credit, as there were five candidates for his household from among the highest females. About this time, Liholiho began to entertain a design of visiting England and the United States. Beside the natural curiosity for viewing foreign lands, he was desirous of an interview with the governments, and entering into formal relations with them. In October, a council was held at Lahaina, in which, after a full discussion, it was decided that he should embark in the English ship L'Aigle, Captain Starbuck. Kamamalu, his favorite wife, Boki and Liliha, Kapihe and Kekuanaoa, with a Steward and a few male servants, were to accompany him. It was the wish of the king and the chiefs, that Mr. Ellis should go with him to act as interpreter and counselor. A large sum was offered for his passage. Captain Starbuck alleging his inability to provide accommodations for his family, he was compelled to remain. Kauikeouli was appointed successor to the throne in case the king never returned, and Was also made heir to his private lands. The government was to be administered by the chiefs in council, the regency being invested in Kaahumanu, with Kalaimoku as prime minister. November 18th, the royal train went on board the L'Aigle and under a salute from all the shipping and batteries, sailed in company with ten other vessels for Oahu. On the 27th, the L'Aigle left Honolulu, amid the sad forebodings of the people. Kamamalu remained on shore to the last, mingling her tears with those of her attendants, to whom her amiability and attention to domestic concerns had greatly endeared her. Before stepping into the boat, after the manner of her forefathers, she thus chanted her farewell:

"O! heaven; O! earth; O! mountains;

O! sea; O! my counselors and my subjects, farewell.

O! thou land for which my father suffered,

the object of toil which my father sought.

We now leave thy soil; I follow thy command;

I will never disregard thy voice;

I will walk by the command which thou hast given me."

Salutes were fired, and the ship soon disappeared before a favorable breeze. While preparations for sailing were being made, Rives, the Frenchman, endeavored to persuade his royal master to permit him to join the train. Not wishing to disgrace his retinue by such an appendage, he refused; but Rives managed to convey himself aboard by stealth, and after the vessel was underway, baggageless as he was, contrived to secure permission to remain. Boki, though of inferior talents to his brother, was as good a specimen of the chiefs, as Kamamalu of the beauties of her native islands. She was then twenty-six years of age.

Upon the first arrival of the mission families, they suffered from the thieving propensities of the natives, who did not consider it disgraceful to pilfer from the whites, as they had so much property; even the chiefs indulged in the practice, and kept professed thieves. But as they became convinced of its dishonesty, they exerted themselves to eradicate the habit. The most decisive measure for its suppression, was performed in December of this year by the young prince. His Kahu, to whom he was strongly attached, and who had borne him in his arms since his birth, was detected in stealing. The prince immediately expelled him from his household and gave the office to another petty chief. At Kailua, Kuakini built a house of worship within the enclosure of a ruined temple, at which the average attendance on the Sabbath was eight hundred. Other chiefs united with him in enforcing the observance of the day. Kapi`olani dismissed all of her husbands but Naihe; became temperate, and to her death, in 1841, was a sincere believer. No other female adopted more thoroughly the habits of civilized life. Her house was tastefully arranged and furnished, and she was excelled by none in neatness, and attention to all her duties.

Keeaumoku, governor of Kauai, died on March 23d, 1824. On the 26th of the following May, the ex-king of Kauai breathed his last. No chief had won more upon the affections of the missionaries. He had been an intelligent convert, and, toward the latter part of his life, was active in exhorting his countrymen to cast aside their vain superstitions and embrace the truth. He was remarkable for his personal beauty and dignified and gentlemanly manners. His dominions were bequeathed to Liholiho, to be held in trust by Kaahumanu and Kalaimoku. According to his last request, his remains were carried to Lahaina, and deposited by the side of Keopuolani, to whom he had been closely united in friendship.

On the 30th, the chapel at Honolulu was destroyed by an incendiary; Kalaimoku, in a few weeks, caused another and more spacious one to be erected.

When the news of the death of Kaumualii reached Kauai, the people broke through all restraint and renewed their heathen practices. Riot, pillage, licentiousness, knocking out of teeth, and mutilation of limbs, spread over the island. During this general anarchy they prepared for war, as it was thought a favorable time to throw off the yoke. The nephew of Kalaimoku, Kahalaia, a cruel and weak man, had been appointed governor. No sooner had he landed than the Kauaians manifested their detestation of him by the destruction of public property and other acts of insubordination. In two weeks, Kalaimoku, accompanied by Kekauluohi, arrived to receive the submission of the chiefs, arrange the affairs of the island and look after the wreck of the Pride of Hawaii. On landing at Hanalei, they narrowly escaped seizure and assassination. In a council at Waimea, the Kauai chiefs demanded a new division of lands and property, which Kalaimoku, in obedience to the will of Kaumualii, refused. George Kaumualii, or Humehume, as he was called by his countrymen, had rapidly degenerated in character since his arrival. Elated by the honors conferred upon him, he aspired to greater consequence. Upon the arrival of Kalaimoku at Waimea, he with other chiefs hastened to tender their gifts. Kiaimakani, the most active of the dissatisfied chiefs, meeting them, proposed to proclaim Humehume their ruler. "Come with us, you shall be our king; the islands are yours, as they were your father's. Much will we fight for you."

He immediately joined their party. On the 8th of August Humehume, at the head of a numerous but undisciplined band, attacked the fort at Waimea. The rebels suddenly entering the gates, got possession of the magazine and armory. Instead of following up their success by quietly putting to death the few soldiers that were mostly sleeping or but half armed, the principal part of the garrison being encamped outside with Kalaimoku, they vain-gloriously fired their guns. This aroused the main body, who joining those inside the fort, after some sharp fighting, and losing six of their number, drove the rebels out, with the loss of ten. In this attack, Kalaimoku narrowly escaped with his life. Among the killed on his side were two Englishmen. Messrs. Bingham and Whitney, with their families, resided in a house near the walls, and were repeatedly endangered by the balls of both parties. As soon as the fight terminated, Kalaimoku sent for them, knowing that they would be exposed to the fury of the disappointed chiefs who were mostly pagans. As he was still closely besieged in the fort, he advised them to take passage in the schooner which he was on the point of dispatching for Oahu with news of the insurrection. Accordingly they embarked; with them went a fine looking young chief, who had been made prisoner. Knowing the fate that awaited him, he requested to be shot, but was carried on board and confined. When midway between the two islands, he was sent for; "I know what you want," he replied, as he manfully ascended the companion-ladder. Hardly had his feet touched the deck, when a knife was passed through him, and his body immediately thrown overboard.  A number of lesser note were served in the same manner; a method of disposing of state prisoners which had been adopted in lieu of former sacrifices.

Had the widow of Kaumualii, the repudiated Kapule, who was greatly beloved, joined the rebels, the consequences would have been much more serious. Her loyalty and firmness preserved many true to the will of their late king; and her exertions, though poorly repaid, were considered as highly serviceable. The news of the war created a great excitement at the windward islands. When the intelligence reached Oahu, the enthusiasm was so great that the people rushed to the fort and demanded arms, that they might embark immediately for Kauai. Runners spread the cry of "rebellion" over the island. The vessels in the harbor were quickly filled with warriors, who embarked in such haste as almost to neglect arming themselves, and without provisions of any kind, they sailed without delay for the seat of war. One was detained to carry arms and munitions. The chiefs prepared energetically to crush the insurrection, but the people, in many places left to themselves, indulged in riot and dissipation.

A thousand warriors, headed by Hoapili, Kahekili and Kaikioewa, reinforced Kalaimoku. A skirmish ensued between the hostile parties at Wahiawa; the numbers and ardor of the government troops soon dispersed the rebels, and they fled in all directions, leaving the ground strewn with slain, among whom was Kiaimakani. In the action and pursuit one hundred and thirty were slaughtered; of the loyalists but one fell. George Kaumualii fled to the mountains, where after enduring great misery and privation for two months, he was captured. Kalaimoku had issued the most positive orders, that he should be taken alive and unharmed, even if he made resistance to the attacking party. After his capture, his kindness to him was unremitting, both for the sake of his old friend the late king, and a feeling of compassion for the folly and indiscretion of George, who had been made a mere tool in the hands of the conspirators. He kept him near his person, and allowed him only to eat of the food prepared for himself, for there were many who desired to take his life, and would not have hesitated at treachery when force was found unavailing. Kalaimoku shortly after sent him to Honolulu, where he continued in honorable captivity until his death, which happened not long after.

The desire of education daily grew more popular. Before the expiration of the year, two thousand had learned to read, and fifty natives were qualified as elementary teachers. At a public examination of schools, Kaahumanu was the first pupil examined. A feeble at tempt was made, by a few individuals of rank, whose desires yearned toward the old deeds of revelry, to revive dances and other idolatrous practices. The young princess was persuaded to engage in a heathen sacrifice. Wahinepio, sister .to Kalaimoku, was the most active of this party, which originated from a lingering faith in the superstition of "praying to death." Whatever belonged to a chief was carefully disposed of, to prevent any one inimical from obtaining an article which would give them the power of causing a mortal illness. A portion of the wardrobe of the princess which had been cast aside, was secretly buried in the sea; but one of the dresses, it was supposed, had been stolen by a sorcerer, and her attendants prevailed upon her to offer a sacrifice, as the only means of averting the evil. This was covertly done at a village eight miles from Lahaina; that place being supposed to be too much under the influence of Jehovah to ensure success. This is only worthy of note as being the last heathen rite of this character, sanctioned by the authority of a high chief.

The principal rulers not only were now favorers of the mission, but sincere converts to Christianity. Old as were many, they acquired the art of writing, and wrote letters of gratitude to the patrons of the mission in America. That fierce warrior and sagacious statesman, Kalaimoku, gave the last hours of his active life to the support of its doctrines. By example, he exhibited their beneficial effects, and by authority, brought their influence to bear upon the nation. But no brighter change was seen, than in Kaahumanu. In the days of her heathenism, she was a cruel, haughty, imperious woman; the glance of her angry eye carried terror to all her obsequious and crouching vassals; not a subject, however high his station, dared face her frown. Many suffered death in her moments of irritation: her carriage was pride itself; for among those who held rank in the greatest estimation, she was the proudest. Though friendly at first to the missionaries, her deportment was lofty and disdainful. Their courtesies were met with an averted eye, and her little finger simply extended to a proffered hand. Her decision, energy and ability, united as they were in harmony with the experience and good judgment of Kalaimoku, extricated the nation from difficulties into which it was frequently involved, by the follies and extravagance of the king. Their sternness humbled the most rebellious, and preserved order amid many trying scenes. By them the designs of evil-minded foreigners were nipped in the bud; their cunning and temptations availing little against the superior penetration of these chiefs.

After her conversion r her violent passions were checked; the cold and contemptuous behavior gave way before the strong, natural flow of affection. To the missionaries she became warmly attached ; and among her own people, and even foreigners, her character was so entirely altered, her deportment so consistent with the principles of her faith, that none could doubt its sincerity. " The new and good Kaahumanu," passed into a proverb.

The same activity and firmness which were infused into all her former acts, became united with real desires for the welfare of her subjects. Close attention was given to all affairs of government. Idols were ferreted out and destroyed; the people exhorted to forsake their vices, and schools encouraged. The machinery of the old system, which centered all power in the hands of the chiefs, in whom, it may with propriety be said the nation was individualized, was brought to aid the moral reform. The will of the rulers being the will of the populace, the revolution that followed was not surprising. As the weathercock is affected by the wind, so was public opinion at this era, by the example of the chiefs. Providentially, they had become Christians. Its pure doctrines were manifested in the lives of a few of all degrees, but with the mass it was an external habit, like the clothes borrowed from civilization. For centuries the temporal and spiritual governments had been closely united. As it was impossible to enlighten the minds of the chiefs in the same ratio as their morals, or at once to infuse into monarchists the democratic tendencies of the age, this same principle was incorporated with all their new acts. So habituated had they become to swaying the public by simple expressions of will, that in their zeal for the diffusion of Christianity, they blindly pursued the same course. In moral degradation, the minds of all had heretofore been upon a level, and it was as easy to agitate the mass by an edict or example, as to stir the waters of a calm lake by the casting of a stone. But there now existed a wide difference. The gale in its violence may flatten the sea, but when it lulls, the commotion becomes deeper and stronger than before. It will be perceived that, whenever the powerful arm of government was manifested, vice and corruption cowed their heads and pursued their ends covertly; a great apparent moral revolution occurred, which the missionaries, not rightly understanding, were led to exaggerate.

At this time commenced the cry against the missionaries, that they meddled in government affairs. So far as their influence affected the chiefs this was true. That they gave advice in emergencies, when asked, is evident from the humane influence they exerted, and the encouragement they afforded the loyal chiefs in the late rebellion at Kauai. It may be that they were not always sufficiently frank and open in it, and shrunk unnecessarily from encountering boldly the opposition when their assistance would have been serviceable to the chiefs; or they rendered it in too cautious and non-committal a manner for it to avail much at a crisis, though it effected much in the general issue. The charge was raised by the same class of individuals who as actively endeavored to corrupt the chiefs. They had perseveringly tried to influence the government to continue in vice; yet with an inconsistency to which they seem to have been entirely blind, they charged those whose lives and instructions were devoted to removing evil, with endeavoring unworthily to effect what they were themselves pursuing. In the struggle, religion prevailed, and the discomfitted assailants at once exclaimed, church and state; by-words well calculated to impress those ignorant of the nature of the Hawaiian policy, with the idea that the missionaries sought to incorporate the two, and fatten upon both. They found them united by the alliance of ages; it is not politic, even if possible, for man rudely to sweep away the prejudices of a nation. It will be found that, although the missionaries erred in judgment in some points, the general influence of their body, as it increased, was to widen these distinctions and enlarge the liberty of the subject. In the early stage of their career, the strong attachment of the rulers to their teachers, and the inseparable policy of the government with the religion it fostered, caused its precepts to be felt in every political movement; the missionaries were truly and rightfully the active causes ; but with the authorities lay the errors of execution.

No more positive proof exists, of the hold which the mission was acquiring in the affections of the government, and their appreciation of its motives, than the liberal aid furnished in furtherance of their views, and in securing suitable accommodations for their families. In March, 1825, the whaler Almira arrived, bringing supplies gratuitously for the mission. As soon as this fact was made known to Kalaimoku, he remitted one half the customary harbor fees. She also brought intelligence of the deaths of Liholiho and Kamamalu. Kaahumanu and Kalaimoku immediately proposed to address prayers to Almighty God; they wrote also to the governors of the different islands, to unite in humbling themselves before Heaven, to preserve order among their people, and to await the summons for a general council. The letters were signed by Kauikeouli, who, in his official acts, assumed the title of Kamehameha III. The will of the late king in regard to the succession, which delivered the kingdom in trust to Kaahumanu and Kalaimoku, for the young prince, being well understood, was quietly acquiesced in.

On the 16th of April, Richard Charlton, Esq., with his lady and her sister, arrived at Honolulu. They were the first European women who became residents. He immediately assumed the duties of his office of Consul for the Hawaiian and Society groups, to which he had been appointed by the government of England.

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