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vI






AROUND THE HORN
TO THE
SANDWICH ISLANDS AND CALIFORNIA
1845-1850




I ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~




a,




I N.
CIESRSMT MA
*1843 




AROUND THE HORN
TO
THE SANDWICH ISLANDS


AND CALIFORNIA
1845-1850
BEING A PERSONAL RECORD KEPT BY
CHESTER S. LYMAN
SOMETIME PROFESSOR OF ASTRONOMY AND PHYSICS IN YALE UNIVERSITY
EDITED BY
FREDERICK J. TEGGART
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY D. L. P.


NEW HAVEN
YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
LONDON  HUMPHREY MILFORD * OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
MDCCCCXXV




COPYsIGHT 1924 BY YALB UNIVRSlfY PRzSS
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES Or AMERICA
First published, September, 1924.
Second printing, January, 1925.
ss\          I




.- f: 4
PREFATORY NOTE
IN its present form, the Journal of Mr. Lyman has been
reduced about one-half. The excision of matter has followed certain obvious lines: comments on the weather,
remarks on the health (and seasickness) of the author,
and desultory statements of ordinary activities, which
occur throughout the diary, have usually been omitted, as
well as many descriptions of natural scenery and occasional recitals based upon hearsay. Such omissions are
not indicated; but an occasional editorial note has been
supplied wherever, without such a note, the omission of
a passage might impair the clearness of the narrative.
Otherwise the Journal has been printed almost precisely
as it stands. The original is clearly written, and modifications of the text have been unnecessary, save in regard to
the author's uniform practice of using "wh" and "fr"
for "which" and "from," and in employing dashes of
varying proportions in place of the usual punctuation
marks. In a few instances, the signs < > have been employed to indicate the Diarist's later additions to or corrections in the manuscript. The Editor's emendations
and notes are enclosed in the customary square brackets.


THE EDrTOB.








CONTENTS
Page
List of Illustrations                          ix
Introduction.                         xi
I. New York to Valparaiso; Valparaiso to Callao; Callao to Honolulu.....          3
October 1, 1845, to May 14, 1846.
II. Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Hilo, and Kilauea;
Tour through Puna......          61
May 15 to July 15, 1846.
III. Hilo, Kilauea, Waiohinu, Kealakekua, and
Kailua.......... 113
July 16 to December 10, 1846.
IV. Maui, Oahu, and Kauai...           147
December 11, 1846, to April 25, 1847.
V. Oahu; Honolulu to San Francisco; San
Francisco and Monterey; San Jose.      195
April 26, 1847, to June 5,1848.
VI. The Gold Mines, San Jose and San Francisco; San Francisco to New Haven.     261
June 6, 1848, to June 20,1850.
Index........ 313




I
I




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
The Sandwich Islands (map)..    Inside front cover
Chester Smith Lyman...             Frontispiece
(From a daguerreotype taken in 1843, two years before the beginning of his voyage around the Horn.)
Facing page
Chester Smith Lyman.....                xii
(From a photograph taken about 1875, when Mr. Lyman was Professor of Astronomy and Physics in the Sheffield Scientific School.)
Valparaiso in the '40's..                                      22
(Reproduced from Deck and Port; or Incidents of a Cruise in the
United States Frigate Congress to California. By Rev. Walter
Colton, U.S.N. New York: A. S. Barnes & Co. 1850.)
Lima in the '40s..........    42
(Reproduced from Deck and Port; or, Incidents of a Cruise in the
United States Frigate Congress to California. By Rev. Walter
Colton, U.S.N. New York: A. S. Barnes & Co. 1850.)
Kawaihao Church, Honolulu...                  62
(From The Introduction of Christianity into the Hawaiian Islands.
By Emily C. Hawley. Reproduced with the permission of the
author.)
The Old Mission Home, King Street, Honolulu.                  74
(From The Introduction of Christianity into the Hawaiian Islands.
By Emily C. Hawley. Reproduced with the permission of the
author.)
The Lake of Fire, Kilauea....                        92
(From The Introduction of Christianity into the Hawaiian Islands.
By Emily C. Hawley. Reproduced with the permission of the
author.)
Kealakekua Bay in the Time of Captain Cook..  120
(Reproduced from The Centennial Book: One Hundred Years of
Christian Civilisation in Hawaii, 1820-1920. A Symposium published by the Central Committee of the Hawaiian Mission Centennial. Honolulu. 1920.)
Early Preaching in the Sandwich Islands...  130
(From The Introduction of Christianity into the Hawaiian Islands.
By Emily C. Hawley. Reproduced with the permission of the
author.)




x


List of Illustrations


Facing page
San Francisco from      the Bay, 1847...                 202
(Reproduced from The Annals of San Francisco. By Frank Soul6,
John H. Gihon, M.D., and James Nisbet. New York: D. Appleton
& Company. M.DCCC.LV.)
The Gold Rush.....                         256
(Reproduced from The Annals of San Francisco. By Frank Soul6,
John H. Gihon, M.D., and James Nisbet. New York: D. Appleton
& Company. M.DCCC.LV.)
Sutter's Mill......                                266
(Reproduced from The Annals of San Francisco. By Frank Soule,
John H. Gihon, M.D., and James Nisbet. New York: D. Appleton
& Company. M.DCCC.LV.)
Mining Scene...                                         274
(Reproduced from The Annals of San Francisco. By Frank Soule,
John H. Gihon, M.D., and James Nisbet. New York: D. Appleton
& Company. M.DCCC.LV.)
In the Gold Region.........  284
(Reproduced from Mountains and Molehills; or, Recollections of a
Burnt Journal. By Frank Marryatt. London: Longman, Brown,
Green, and Longmans. 1855.)
San Francisco in 1849.....                 294
(Reproduced from Eldorado; or, Adventures in the Path of Empire. By Bayard Taylor. New York: G. P. Putnam. 1861.)
Crossing the Isthmus of Panama...             310
(Reproduced from Mountains and Molehills; or, Recollections of a
Burnt Journal. By Frank Marryatt. London: Longman, Brown,
Green, and Longmans. 1855.)
The Gold Region (map)*.. Inside back cover
* This map is redrawn from the corresponding area of Lieutenant E. 0. C.
Ord's 1848 map (see cartouche) with hardly any attempt to correct the
obvious inaccuracy of the original, which was the map actually used by the
author of this journal in his two visits to the gold fields. Many of the
spellings have been changed to conform with those used in the diary; but
the topography, however distorted, is reproduced substantially according to
Lieutenant Ord's version.-Editor.




i~: l
I.  l,,




1'l   i b 
c... it...........




INTRODUCTION*
IN fourteen little hand-sewn note-books with homemade covers of brown paper has been hidden away for
three-quarters of a century the original diary of which
about half is published in this volume. It contains a threefold record: a voyage of eighteen thousand miles on the
Ship Mariposa, which left New York, October 1, 1845, and
arrived in Honolulu, May 14, 1846; a stay in the Sandwich Islands of thirteen months; and a stay in California
of two and three-quarters years. Its unique value consists
in the fact that it is not only a contemporaneous description of those interesting days, including the gold discovery of '48, but also the record of a scientist, devoid of
exaggeration or coloring of the facts-reliable with almost photographic exactness.
To the reader of to-day, who by train may traverse the
continent in four days and thence by fast steamer reach
the Islands in six days, this story of a seven-and-a-half
months' voyage around Cape Horn presents a vivid contrast. The daily record of its hardships and monotony is
enlivened by very human comments on the life and people
on board and by detailed description of the unfamiliar
and interesting ports of the west coast of South America,
at which the Mariposa made three welcome stops.
Fully to enjoy the second period of the Diarist's experiences, those in the Sandwich Islands, it is necessary
briefly to recall the most romantic and stirring story in
all missionary history-that of the transformation, by a
little group of New England missionaries who arrived
twenty-six years before, of a race of savages given over
to degrading and revolting customs, including human
sacrifices. In 1809, on the steps of one of the Yale College
buildings, young Obookiah, a Hawaiian lad, was found
* In preparing this Introduction, use has been made of a few paragraphs
taken from an article by the same author entitled Sketch of Chester S.
Lyman, published in The Popular Science Monthly for November, 1887, vol.
32, pp. 116-121.




x i
LIv


Introduction


weeping because he had no chance for a Christian education. As a result of his plea, in 1820, forty years after the
discovery of the Islands by Captain Cook, Hiram Bingham, Asa Thurston, and a little band had arrived at
Hawaii. Within a few years their labors, reenforced by
those of later comers, had accomplished amazing results,
culminating in 1839, just seven years before the Diarist's
visit, in a great revival. This extraordinary religious
awakening spread like wildfire from island to island, "a
veritable National Pentecost," in which hundreds and
thousands became converted every week and sometimes
as many as twelve hundred were baptized at a single
service.
By the time of the Diarist's arrival in 1846, some natural reactions had set in; and his thirteen months' record
of visits to every missionary station reveals many an
interesting picture, both of heathen depravity and degradation and of the devotion and kindliness of the early
missionaries in their simple homes.
Two other features of his sojourn are of special interest. For several months he had sole charge of the Royal
School for Young Chiefs which had been started by Mr.
Amos S. Cooke in 1839. Among Mr. Lyman's pupils were
five who afterward became kings of the Islands. The
permanence of the friendships there begun between
teacher and pupils is shown by an interesting collection
of letters still preserved, as well as by the visits at different times in later years, at the Diarist 's New Haven home,
of Queen Emma, King Kalakaua, and Bernice Pauahi.
(It was Bernice, his favorite pupil and lifelong friend,
who gave up her right to be queen in order to marry Mr.
Charles R. Bishop.)
Of special interest also are the detailed observations of
Mauna Loa and its great crater Kilauea, with a circumference of seven and a half miles and a magnificent lake
of fire, the largest in the world, a thousand feet across.
To the visitor of to-day, who drives to the very rim of
this lake on the splendid automobile highways of the




Introduction                 xiii
Hawaiian Volcanic Park, the Diary presents a strange
picture. Through arduous and dangerous experiences
were acquired the information and the data for maps
which enabled the writer to send to eastern scientific
journals the most trustworthy and scientific records of
the conditions of the great volcano at that time. One of
his maps was later incorporated in Dana's volume on
Volcanoes.
Scattered throughout the pages on the Sandwich
Islands are many descriptions of natural scenery which
enable us to realize afresh the force of Mark Twain's confession: "For me, its balmy airs are always blowing; its
summer seas are flashing in the sun; the pulsing of its
surf-beat is in my ear; I can see its garlanded crags, its
leaping cascades, its plumy palms drowsing by the shore;
its remote summits floating like islands above the cloud
racks; in my nostrils still lives the breath of flowers that
perished twenty years ago." 
In July, 1847, the Diarist arrives at San Francisco,
then a mere village newly laid out among scrub oaks and
sand-hills. The only thoroughfare on which there were
enough buildings of any sort to show which way it ran
was Montgomery Street, then on the water-front and in
one place covered with water at high tide, but now many
blocks inland.
To those who recall the fascinating story of the Spanish
occupation of California and of the early days of its
acquirement by the United States, the Diary's record of
nearly three years' stay is especially full of color. Home
letters received in Hawaii had been full of the Oregon
question, settled by the acquisition of Oregon by the
United States under President Polk in 1846. The very
year of the beginning of the Mexican War, Colonel
Kearny, after the conquest of New Mexico, had marched
on to California, only to find it already won for the Americans by Lieutenant Fremont and Commodore Stockton.
On nearly every page of the Diary are illuminating
incidents of the new regime: vivid pictures of the orgies
of gambling, drunkenness, and profanity of San Fran



xiv


Introduction


cisco; of the charming hospitality of the old-time Spanish
homes, black-eyed seinoritas dancing fandangos to the
music of castanets and guitar; of nights spent in the rough
homes of the ranchmen when the Diarist goes to re-survey
San Jose, incorrectly laid out by an incompetent predecessor; of vexatious horse-stealing by the Indians; of the
dangers from grizzlies of too neighborly a disposition;
of the survey of the famous New Almaden quicksilver
mine; of a meeting with a young Lieutenant William Tecumseh Sherman, which proves the beginning of a lifelong
friendship.
But most interesting of all is the story of the discovery
of gold in 1848. While the Diarist is engaged in surveying
San Jose, the news comes one day that gold has been
found at John A. Sutter's mill in the Sacramento Valley.
The surveyor's men will be off at once. The only way to
persuade any of them to finish his work is to promise that
later he will go with them. And then follows the story of
his two months' stay in the gold-diggings-of the kind
of life which was lived, of the prices to which commodities soared, of the sort of men who rushed there in the
first days of the gold fever. The Diarist's long letter to
the American Journal of Science was probably the first
authentic account which reached the east. Extensively
copied by the press, it had no small part in augmenting
the crowds which began to pour into the goldfields from
all over the civilized world. But the life there was too
rough to make its golden rewards longer worth while, and
the pages of the Diary record a return to the work of
surveying, which continues until in 1850 the writer sets
sail again, via Panama, for home.
It is not only on the scenes and events of these interesting periods of Hawaiian and Californian history that
the Diary throws light. Between the lines is also revealed
an interesting personality-the product of the two great
dominating interests, religion and science, of the recorder's make-up. There is here no conflict between science
and religion. On the same page and with equal zest are
recorded meteorological observations and the text of a




Introduction


XV


missionary's sermon, the height of a mountain and the
number of converts at a communion service. The Diary
might in fact be called the story of the evolution from a
scientific clergyman of a no less religious man of science.
The writer of these little note-books, Chester Smith
Lyman, eighth lineal descendant of his first New England
ancestor, Richard Lyman, who came from England in
1631, was a country boy, born January 13, 1814, in Manchester, Connecticut, the only son of Chester and Mary
Smith Lyman. When a very little boy, he evinced an
unusual mechanical ingenuity. But even more obvious was
his intense interest in astronomy and kindred sciences.
Long before the ordinary boy is out of the grammar
grades, and with no advantages but those of a common
country school, he had acquired by himself, from the
reading of a few books got with difficulty, the elements
of geometry, trigonometry, surveying, and astronomy.
Before he was in his teens he had extemporized a rude
telescope by means of his mother's spectacles, a small
burning lens, and a yardstick, through which, to his intense delight, he saw the cluster of Pleiades expand into
many bright stars. Between the ages of thirteen and sixteen he had constructed many astronomical and other
instruments-a quadrant, sextant, orrery, solar microscope, and others. Grinding the lenses himself, he also
made a reflecting Herschelian telescope four feet long
which enabled him to show Jupiter's satellites, Saturn's
rings, and the craters of the moon to the country folk who
came from miles around to look through it. He computed
the eclipses for fifteen years to come; and, without ever
having seen a nautical almanac, he made rough but approximately accurate tables to give the places of the
planets in almanacs which he made for 1830 and 1831.
Entering the Ellington School, then one of the best
preparatory schools in New England, he fitted for college
in twelve months' time, entering Yale in 1833. During his
course he took several literary prizes and graduated with
high rank in 1837. In his Junior year, with his classmate
William M. Evarts and three others, he founded and be



xvi


Introduction


came an editor of the Yale Literary Magazine, the oldest
existing college periodical in the United States. After
graduation he taught for two years. But his interest in a
scientific career had given way, even before he entered
Yale, to a determination to enter the ministry. After
studying theology in Union and Yale Seminaries, he held
a short but very successful pastorate in New Britain,
Connecticut. There a throat trouble developed which
obliged him to travel for his health. The story of his life
up to this point explains the curious blending of scientific
and religious interests shown on every page of the Diary
which records his more than four years of travel and
adventure.
With quadrant or theodolite we see him calculating the
height of a mountain, or, by counting the seconds of a
stone's fall from a precipice, the depths of a valley. Now
he computes the longitude or latitude of a place or records
the temperature or condition of atmosphere or clouds;
now he details the story of a fallen meteorite, explains
the geology of a region, or makes minute observations on
the long-past lava flow of a volcano.
It was these absorbing interests which, after his return
to New Haven, determined his life career as a teacher of
science at Yale. After some time spent in preparing the
definitions of scientific words for the unabridged edition
of Webster's Dictionary, he became in 1859 professor of
Industrial Mechanics and Physics in the Sheffield Scientific School, taking an active part in the building up of
the school in its early years. In 1871 his chair was that
of Physics and Astronomy; from 1884, his health failing,
that of Astronomy alone. He was connected with Yale for
thirty-two years, the last two as Professor Emeritus.
Professor Lyman was the inventor of the combined
transit instrument and zenith telescope for determining
latitude by Talcott's method-an instrument which was
used for many years and known by his name in the governmental survey of British India. Among other inventions
was an ingenious device for showing how the curves of
sea waves are formed, described by his successor, Pro



Introduction


xvll


fessor Hastings, as "the most perfect and remarkable
apparatus ever designed for the explanation of a highly
complex phenomenon; a pendulum apparatus describing
acoustic curves; and various improvements in clock
escapements and compensating pendulums. He was the
first to observe the planet Venus as a delicate ring of
light when very near the sun in inferior conjunction. He
was one of the founders of the Yale Observatory and a
director until his death in January, 1890.
Although, of the two great predilections revealed in
the Diary, the scientific determined his life calling, the
religious by no means lost any of its depth or genuineness
as the years went by. Not infrequently called upon to
preach, always actively interested in the work of the
Church, he was also a fearless seeker after truth and years
ahead of many of his contemporaries in a liberal and
rational interpretation of the Bible.
The Diary reveals, too, a great kindliness of nature,
evidenced, for example, in his playing the Good Samaritan at San Jose to the luckless gold-digger who already
owed him a goodly sum. Throughout his life this trait
endeared him to all who knew him. And his uniform practise of treating his students as gentlemen, rather than as
schoolboys, gained for him their universal respect and
affection. In the words of an editorial printed at the time
of his death, "His was a noble character, which independently of knowledge and science has made the world
better by its presence and enriched all who had the good
fortune to come under the range of its influence."
In the pages of this Diary, kept, without thought of
publication, during more than four of the most adventurous and varied years of a life of over threescore and
ten, the reader sees the world, then, through the eyes and
with the heart of this Connecticut clergyman, Hawaiian
missionary, land-surveyor, Californian gold-digger, editor, teacher, and man of science.
Mingled with the scientific and the religious strain of
the Diary there is one other element of recurrent interest,
to which the last page is an altogether satisfying con



* *i*
xvml


Introduction


elusion. The Diarist's impatience for the first letters
from home-they took more than a year to arrive-is
now explained. Within five days of the traveller's return
he becomes engaged to that one who, through all his
wanderings, had been as the North Star in his heart"D. W. W.," who was Delia Williams Wood, a granddaughter of Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth. There is no
record of the "supper and fixings for twenty-five persons" which was to be the forfeit paid by Mr. Steadman
if he lost his wager of August 8, 1849,* that the Diarist
would not be married within a year after his arrival at
home. Lose it he did; for a little more than two months
after the traveller's return, the story ends, as every good
story should, with a wedding-" Cake and cards for 1300."
D. L. P.
1923.


* See page 298.




IL
NEW YORK TO VALPARAISO
VALPARAISO TO CALLAO
CALLAO TO HONOLULU
OCTOBER 1, 1845, TO MAY 14,1846








I.


JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE FROM NEW YORK FOR
THE PACIFIC OCEAN
THE Mariposa in which we sailed from N.Y. is a Merchant
Ship of 330 tons, 110 feet in length, 25 ft beam & 32 ft
deep, drawing about 15 ft water. She is owned till she
reaches the S[andwich] Is. by Messrs. A. G. & A. W.
Benson, & <Todd & Co.> Capt Hale of N.Y. after that
by <Todd & Co.> Capt Hale. Through the noble generosity of the owners I have my passage to the Sandwich
Islands gratis, whither I go in search of health, having
suffered for 2 or 3 years from a throat complaint, &c.
Our ship is stout built, but uncomfortable from its
careening, occasioned by her narrowness of beam. The
Cabin is on deck, with accommodations for 8 passengers
besides the Capt. & two mates. We have 7 Cabin passengers-Mr Ferdinand Coxe of Phila. traveling for health,
Mr. Lippman from Paris Fr[ance], & Mr Ernestrall [or
Ernstal] from Bavaria Ger[many] who go out as speculators, Mr Thompson, a Sea Captain, designing to settle
in California, & Mr Haley a printer from Maine, who is
taking out a power printing press to Lima S.A. His wife
accompanies him. There are besides four steerage passengers, going to settle in Oregon. The crew consists at
starting of 10 hands, mostly dutch, or North of Europe
men, temperance men of course as no liquors are provided
or allowed by the Ship. The passengers in this particular
are allowed to suit their own tastes & some of them have
not failed to lay in plentiful stores. Capt Spalding, our
Skipper, is from Salem & a fine man, gentlemanly & intelligent. His son accompanies him, as a hand & as Capt.s
Clerk.
Our ship got under weigh from N.Y. about noon, Oct 1,
1845, with a fine breeze from the N.W. & beautiful weather.
About 3 PM we passed Sandy Hook & discharged the
Pilot, & in a few hours were out of sight of land.




4


New York to Honolulu


For myself, I soon began to feel the effects of seasickness, & for about 10 days was for the most part confined
to my berth, being able neither to eat, nor keep on deck.
Became extremely weak, & kept soul & body together on
what little water gruel I could keep down. During these
first ten days, & especially while crossing the Gulf Stream,
the weather was rough & unpleasant, the ship pitching
badly, & rendering the situation of an invalid any thing
but enviable.
The first Sabbath on board I was wholly confined to my
berth. There were no religious exercises on board, nor
any thing that seemed much like the Sabbath on land.
Thursday, Oct 9th was an eventful one on board. The
day was stormy, with a gale from the Northward. In the
morning while four of the hands were employed in reefing
a sail, the footrope on which they were standing gave
way, & it was only by a remarkable Providence that none
of them fell. Their narrow escape from death was calculated to give one a lively impression of the perils of a
sailor's life. But this accident seemed only a presage of
another in the afternoon. About 3 P.M. a noise was heard
in the Cabin, & to the Captain's inquiry "What's that?"
it was replied some one has fallen. It was soon ascertained
that a seaman had fallen from the foretop to the deck,
where he was lying senseless. Every means the ship
afforded was instantly employed for his recovery, but
without avail. He had first fallen upon the cook house, &
thence to the deck. A deep gash was cut over the right eye,
& though for a short time he gave some symptoms of life,
it was impossible to rouse him & he soon breathed his last.
The event spread a gloom through the ships company, &
that eve the usual game of whist among some of the passengers was dispensed with in the Cabin. Some took the
Bible in their hands, others sat in silence, others still, kept
on with the novel or romance which they had previously
been reading. The name of the man killed was Edwardo
Gauss, a native of Trieste, Italy where he has a sister &
other friends. He was a fine seaman, a sober, sensible man,
temperate in his habits & economical in his living, in con



A Burial at Sea


5


sequence of which, during the three years since his first
coming to this country, he had been able to lay up in a
N.Y. Savings Bank some $250. And he was anxiously
looking forward to the time of his return to his home &
establishment in a more settld mode of life. But, poor
man! his visions were not to be realized.
The next day I was requested by the Capt. to officiate
at the funeral. Between 8 & 9 AM the body was prepared
for burial & placed in the leeward gangway on a plank
from which it c'd readily be slipped into the deep. The
ships colors were run up & all hands assembled on deck.
The day was somewhat stormy, the sea high, & the winds
sighed solemnly among the rigging. Being scarcely able to
be on deck from my recent sickness, I made a few brief
remarks & then read the burial service of the Episcopal
Church. The body was plunged beneath the blue waters,
& the scene was over. Never, it seemed to me, had I attended a funeral il so solemn circumstances, & long will it
be before the impressions which this scene made on my
mind will be effaced.-The deceased was brought up a
Catholic, & had with him his Bible & Prayer book.
The Sabbath, Oct 12th again passed without religious
exercises on board, as I was still too feeble to officiate.
There was more solemnity however apparently than the
week before. The day of the funeral I took occasion to distribute a number of religious tracts among both the crew
& passengers, in hopes that at such a time their influence
might not be lost. As to the passengers however, the prospect of doing them much good in a religious way is rather
dark. Not one is pious, 4 or 5 are avowed infidels-or
Deists-some going so far as to deny the existence of God
& the immortality of the Soul. Our Capt. is a Unitarian.
Oct. 20, Monday. Yesterday the sea was rough & the
wind blowing a gale, as it had done since Friday PM, &
the Sabbath passed off very little like a Sabbath on shore.
The passengers were collected in the Cabin, some talking
French or German, some reading good books & some bad
-Payne's [Thomas Paine's] Age of Reason [first part
published Paris, 1794], 6 penny French Novels, &c. &c.




6


New York to Honolulu


At noon Monday a small Shark about 5 ft long was taken
& soon killed; accompanying him was also taken a small
fish (succor) about 6 in long. The Shark was the Blue
Shark of the Atlantic.
Oct 21, Tues. A beautiful sunset. A partial rainbow
appeard just before sunset. The magnificence of coloring in the sky & clouds was such as I never saw on shore.
Dark blue, orange, green in various shades were arranged
& blended in a most attractive scene. Yet much more
glorious sunset scenes are said to be witnessed within the
tropics.
Oct 23. Nearly becalmed, ship makes very little progress. This forenoon many Dolphins made their appearance about the ship. Their appearance in the water is
exceedingly beautiful, from the variety & changableness
of the splendid colors which they exhibit. Two of them
were taken, one by a hook, the other by a spear or pronged
fork. They were from 2 to 21/2 ft in length. When out of
water they cease to exhibit their beautiful coloring.
Oct 26. Spent the day mostly in reading. Not able to
preach. Mate distributed Bibles & tracts. Several of the
passengers had no Bibles. These spent the Sabbath in
reading French Novels, &c. &c.
[Oct.] 28 Tuesday. AM. A whale seen to spout & a
vessel visible at a distance; both soon invisible. Weather
very pleasant, wind northerly, probably the commencement of the Trades. Capt Spalding remarks in a great
number of voyages out he never had so much unpleasant
weather & such contrary winds as since we left N.Y.
Nov. 1 Saturday. This afternoon the effects of Edward
Gauss who was killed by falling from aloft were sold at
auction. The sailors bid liberally & the articles brought
about their full value. From some Mss. & books he appears
to have been educatd above his class.
[Nov.] 2. Sunday. Pleasant, wind changable & captain
thought it best not to attempt any religious services.
Spent the day chiefly in reading Bible & some religious
works in [The] Christian Lib[rary; a reprint of popular




In the Trades


7


religious works, New York, 1836]. A vessel seen in the
offing nearly all day.
Sat. Nov. 8. Fine weather & fine breezes for the last few
days & we are advancing as rapidly on our voyage as our
vessel, which is a very dull sailor, will carry us. With a
good wind we go from 5 to 7 knots an hour, never over 8.
We are now in the trade winds, though their direction for
several days has been not far from East, if any thing
somewhat south of E. The sea has been rather rough, &
though not sick yet I do not entirely [cease] to feel unpleasant effects from the motion of the vessel.
Yesterday 2 or 3 flying fish came on board. They are
a handsome fish resembling somewhat the perch but furnished with wings for flying. One of those that flew on
board was about 9 inches long, with wings about 5 in each
in length, made to expand like a fan into a quarter of a
circle; they are said to be often from 12 to 16 inches long,
& delicious when cooked. One of those taken was cooked
but as politeness assigned it to the lady passenger I did
not taste it.
A ship was visible at a distance this PM.
[Nov.] 10 Monday. Yesterday sea rough & I felt somewhat unwell. The Sabbath passed as usual as quietly as
could be expected, especially considering the characters
& habits of our company. Three ships passed us in the
course of the forenoon bound probably for Europe. One
of these showed the British flag, which was answered
from our ship by running up the stars and stripes. This
morning another vessel passed.
The only professor of religion on board so far as I
have ascertained is Mr Parsons the Mate. He belongs to
a respectable & pious family in Maine & made a profession of religion when a lad. Soon afterwards he went to
sea as a sailor in one of his fathers vessels where his
attachment to religion was put to a severe test. During
the voyage he was subjected to the scoffs & jeers of his
companions, not one of whom had any respect for religion. One wicked fellow went even so far as to attempt
to flog him on account of his piety. He took with him a




8


New York to Honolulu


number of religious books such as [Richard] Baxter's
S[ain]ts [Everlasting] Rest [London, 1649], Doddridge's
Rise & Progress [of Religion in the Soul, London, 1745]
&c &c, which in the course of the voyage fell into the hands
of the crew & on the return passage from China he had the
satisfaction of finding that the truth had not failed of its
effect. The most hardened of his companions, the one who
had attempted to whip him, came to him one day with a
serious countenance & said, "Parsons I know I have
abused you & am very sorry for it. I have been reading
those books of yours, & I want to know what to do to save
my soul," & before they reached home he with 3 others
became hopefully pious. The man who came to him first
was a German & possessed of a good education; afterwards he left the sea, translated the book which had been
the means of his conversion (Dodd[ridge's] R[ise] &
Prog) into his own language & had it published after his
return to Europe. I record this as a specimen of what
religious books, seconded by the example & prayers of a
solitary professor of religion may be made instrumental
of acomplishing on board a ship. [The translation, entitled: Anfang und Fortgang der wahren Gottseligkeit in
der menschlichen Selle, was published in New York, 1851,
but without the name of the translator.]
15 Nov. Saturday. So much water was obtained last
night that an allowance is made of it for washing & this
morn the deck presents a busy scene, all hands, from the
Capt down to Jack having turned washermen & gone to
scrubbing out their dirty linnen etc. The day is calm &
the sun shining hot from a clear sky, & the ship's rigging
is plentifully adorned with the diversity of garments
hung out to dry. Several sharks have been playing about
the ship this morn, but the skill of our shark catchers on
board has not enabled them to take any.
[Nov.] 16. Sunday. A large ship passed very near early
in the morn. The sab. passed as usual; distinguished from
other days by greater quiet & by all hands being better
dressed, but in other respects with most on board, very




Across the Line


9


much the same-The Bible or serious books being seen in
the hands of very few.
[Nov.] 24. Monday. This is our 54th day from N. Y. an
unusually long passage to the Equator which we pass
to day. The weather is moderate & has been ever since we
left N.Y.-The Ther[mometer] ranging during the last
month from 76 to 83~-generally from 77~ to 80~, varying
usually not more than 1 or 2~ in the course of the day.
Nov 29 Saturday. This week a fine breeze from the S.E.
has given us a good push on our voyage. We are today in
Lat 10~ 8' S. & Lon. 31~ W. The evenings & nights are
clearer, & occasionally the stars have appeared in great
brilliancy, though scarcely more so than we are accustomed to see them in our climate. The planets Venus
Saturn Mars & Jupiter are now all visible in the evening
sky & pass not far from the Zenith. The disappearance of
the northern constellations & the rising of new stars in
the south reminds us that we have passed into another
hemisphere. The clouds of Magellan are seen in the south
at eve, like brighter patches of the Milky Way. The Cross
I have not yet seen as it does not rise till long after
midnight.
Monday Dec 1st 1845. The vessel we saw Sat. has kept
in sight ever since. Sat. eve she dropped just astern of us
& on being spoken proved to be the Brig -  from Aberdeen Scotland for Rio Janeiro. Though our ship is a dull
sailor we have beaten the brig.
Yesterday Sunday was a beautiful day, fine sky, fine
breeze, & the ships company more quiet than usual, most
being employed in reading. The quiet however which has
prevailed of late has been rather the quiet of nonintercourse than anything else. The passengers present qualities the most discordant imaginable & in consequence a
good deal of disagreement exists & some are not on speaking terms. Conversational talent is accordingly at a
discount.
Our fare on shipboard is altogether better than I had
anticipated from the accounts I had heard of sea life. The
ship is well furnished & with articles of the best quality.




10


New York to Honollul


We left N Y with a stock of 20 Pigs, 12 dozen fowles, &
several dozens of Geese & Ducks. A pig is killed every
Sat PM. This furnishes fresh meat for 3 days. Sunday
and Monday noons we have 3 courses-1st Pigs head soup,
2d baked pork, 3 dessert of plum pudding or apple pie.
Wed. cods tongues & sounds with vegetables, & dessert of
fritters. Thurs. Chicken pot pie with baked rice pudding.
Tues & Friday, 3 courses —1st Bean soup, 2d Baked pork
& beans with vegetables, 3d dessert of apple pie or fritters.
Sat. cods tongues & sounds, & fritters. Boild salt beef is
on the table several times a week. For breakfasts we have
twice a week fried fresh pork, twice hash or lob-scouse,
once, Souse, once mackerel, & once ham, with warm bread
twice, corn cake twice, & family bread twice, & mush occasionally, vegetables &c. For tea we have bread & butter,
more commonly Scotch Toast made of ship bread, cold
corned beef &c. &c. Green and Black teas, & at breakfast
these or Coffee. These dishes are occasionally varied, so
that we live as well as people do on land.
Our breakfast hour is at 8 AM, Dinner at 1 PM, & tea
about 6 PM.
At 10 PM to lamp in the cabin & all hands required to be
silent.
Our Steward & Cook are well skilled in their business,
particularly the Steward; everything is done in the nicest
& neatest manner. Both are blacks & have had many years
experience in their respective callings on ship board.
Our water is quite tolerable, & as we use tea & coffee
at morn & eve, we experience but little inconvenience on
account of it.
We are today (Monday 1st) at noon in 15~ 1' S. Lat. &
33~ 22' W Long, having made just 15~ of Lat in one week.
The wind has shifted from S.E. to NE b E & we are now
under fine headway with the wind aft.
Thursday [Dec. 4th]. The Scotch Brig in sight again
with two other vessels at the same time. The weather
since Tues has been for the most part clear & pleasant,
tho' the wind very light from a northerly.quarter. This
PM a whale was seen at a distance, dashing the water into




The Southern Cross


11


a foam as he alternately threw his head & tail out of
water, in his onward progress. At Eve. the sky & clouds
inthe East were tinged with beautiful colors, such as I
never saw before, but resembling the brightly & variously
colored clouds in some landscape paintings, & which are
frequently criticised as very unnatural.
Monday Dec 15. For several days past have had head
winds & bad weather, with sudden squalls from S & S.W.,
the air being raw & chilly tho the Ther. in the region of
70~.
On the Sabbath the weather unpleasant & sea rough.
Spent it by myself in reading & contemplation; feel very
sensibly the want of Christian friends-there are almost
none on board with [whom] on religious subjects I can
find sympathy. I trust however this want of communion
with Xn [Christian] friends will lead me to appreciate
more fully & prize more highly the privilege of communion with Him who is present in all places & at all
times.
Sat. Dec. 20. For 3 days past the weather has been mild
& pleasant with favorable winds. The evening sky very
brilliant. The Southern Cross, a beautiful Constellation
in 60~ S Declination, is now above the horizon all night,
& has just begun to be visible at its lower meridian passage. The weather the early part of the week was exceedingly unsettled, squalls occuring often during the day &
night.
Monday Dec 22. Yesterday an albatross was seen for
the first time flying near the ship. Its body was white
with black wings. Today another was seen.
Tues. Dec 23. Violent wind all day & rough sea. Squalls
in PM & eve. At 6 PM a whirlwind or waterspout passed
very near the ship creating some apprehension.
Friday Dec 26. Wind blowing a gale all day from
NW. Cold & uncomfortable.
Sunday [Dec.] 28. Very pleasant. Eve. water beautifully phosporescent, the waves all over its surface, far as
vision extended seeming crested with light, & where disturbed by the motion of the ship exceedingly brilliant.




12


New York to Honolulu


A bucketfull stirred by the hand sparkled like a cat's
back or any electric [substance] when subjected to friction. The light from the sea very much diminished the
natural darkness of the night.
Mon. [Dec.] 29. No wind. Sea nearly motionless. Chilly
& rainy. Engaged in writing a rhyming letter. Some beautiful seaweed called sea-ribbon found floating & taken on
board, the stem at the junction of the leaves covered with
Barnacles.
Wed Dec 31. This morn. hundreds of Albatrosses &
Duck flying & swimming about the [ship] & thousands
visible all over the sea to windward. In a short time they
disappeared. During the P.M. several whales were seen
spouting in our vicinity & great numbers of Porpoises
were shooting about 4 or 5 of which were speared but lost
before getting them on board; one however was taken
about 6 feet long & 1 in Diameter, skin beautifully smooth
& colored <shaded> with black & white, snout pointed.
Some [of] it fried was not unpalatable eating.
About sunset a French ship overtook & passed us.
Thursday Jan 1, 1846. The most gorgeous sunrise I ever
beheld, the fleecy clouds tinged with purple orange &
gold it is impossible adequately to describe.
At 8 AM we were boarded by the bark Ann Maria a
whaler 7 months out from Fall River. There was great
activity at first among the passengers to get letters ready,
but when it was ascertained that she would not perhaps
return to the US under a year or two the alacrity ceased.
After breakfasting & obtaining our latest papers from
the U.S. & giving us a spear for porpoises, the Captain of
the bark left us. While 7 months out he had taken but
one whale. He now goes to look up the whales we saw
yesterday.
Friday Jan 2. Weather beautiful but scarcely any wind.
This morning two Albatross' were taken with hooks
baited with pork. They are noble birds. One measures
11 ft from tip to tip & 31/2 ft as he hangs up from tail to
beak. The head is about 9 or 10 inches including bill &
the bill 7 inches, 11/, or 2 of it curved of flinty hardness.




Riding Out the Storm


13


The breast belly & under part of the wings are white &
the upper parts mottled or pied with black, the mottling
of the neck & forepart of the back being exceedingly
beautiful, the hinder part nearly black. The other one
measures 10 ft from tip to tip. The gripe of the bill is
very powerful as I had experience on my arm, thro' coat
& flannels.
Saturday Jan 3, 1846. Lat 46~ S. Lon 59~ W. A violent
gale, commencing about 6 AM & lasting till Sunday PM,
the heaviest of it between 11 PM & 3 AM, when it blew
a perfect hurrican; the wind was exceeding violent at
times also thro' the eve, & till next morning. The Captain
who has been some 20 yrs at sea says he has never more
than once or twice if ever experienced a more violent gale.
The Barom began to fall Sat morn from 29.10 till eve
when it stood at 28.64 & continued there till it began to
rise about 3 next morn. The wind at first was East N E
whence it gradually hauled to E & E S E when blowing
hardest & finally to about S.E. The ship lay to during the
gale & rode it out in good style. There was much danger
of the sea sweeping the deck & many of the passengers
were somewhat alarmed, & few obtained much sleep. As
for myself contrary to my anticipations I slept nearly as
soundly as usual, being awakened once or twice by the
violent roaring of the storm, or by being knocked against
the side of my berth.
During the gale one of the hands fell from the yard &
was only prevented from falling over board by catching
hold of a loose rope by which he was drawn in. The iron
hook of the chain supporting the main yard also gave
way, but the damage was easily repaired. Much water was
driven on board, chiefly however by the dipping of the
Leeward side of the ship; some of it came into the Cabin
to the damage of books, papers, &c. No one can have any
adequate idea of a storm at sea & of the violence of the
wind & the mountain size of the billows without practical
experience of the reality. One of our infidels was so
frightened that his wife remarked that the beating of
his heart fairly shook the berth. All of them manifested




14


New York to Honolulu


much more alarm than the others. It rained all day Saturday & was very raw & chilly the Ther. being about 50~.
Sunday was clear, but the wind was cold, & the sea high
& the ship rolling very uncomfortably. It was so stormy
yesterday that the pig's life was reprieved for the
present; 1/ a dozen of the geese died during the night &
one of them was served for dinner instead of the usual
pig. The sea was so rough that but few were at table, most
of the passengers keeping their berths.
Wed & Thursday Jan 7th & 8th 1846. Lat 49~ S. Lon.
63~ W. A Gale more fearful than the last. Wed. morn. the
Bar. was falling & the wind strong from NW. or WNW
& preparations were made for a storm. But at noon the
Bar. rose again & the wind fell almost to a calm by 4 P.M.
The Bar. however again began to fall & the wind sprung
up from SW increasing in strength till it was blowing a
gale at 8 PM the Bar. standing at 28.53. It soon went
down to 28.50 (at which p[oin]t it had stood in the forenoon) & remained nearly stationary till after midnight,
oscillating a few hundredth's from the motion of the ship
or some other cause. From 9 PM till 10 AM Thurs. the
wind was blowing a violent gale, & in occasional gusts
with the force of a hurrican. The Sea presented a wild &
terrific appearance, running almost literally "mountains" high, & apparently threatening to overwhelm the
ship. Several times these billows dashed on board filling
the deck with water, forcing it into the cabin & flooding
the leeward staterooms. I was in my berth about 10 P.M.
when a sea struck the ship; instantly it came dashing into
the cabin with such violence as to be thrown the whole
length of it, & I found myself wet in my berth as with a
shower bath. Several times during the night the water
dashed in in this manner, some of it coming thro' chinks
in the sky-light when the sea forced itself over the top
of the cabin. In the morning the water in my room was
some inches deep & rushing noisily about with the violent
motion of the vessel. My trunk I had placed on supports,
& it was but little wet. Another trunk I had taken the precaution to put below. About 4 AM. the quarter Boat which




A Night of Terror


15


hung on davits within arms length of my stateroom
window I heard dashed from its fastenings & carried
away, & in it some Albatross & other bones which I was
attempting to preserve. Other seas in the course of Thurs
AM knocked off the figure head from the bow, a part of
bow & lee gangway railing, upset some of the water casks
& came near carrying away the whole deck load. The deck
at one time was full of water & a hole in the bulwark had
to be cut with an axe to let it off. The same sea, which
came coaming down upon the ship like a mountain precipice, dashed its spray over the maintop sail (60 or 70 ft
high) & even the topgallant sail was found afterwards
encrusted with salt from the spray thrown upon it. The
steerage passengers all went below. In the Cabin there
was but little sleep. The noise of the wind & sea & the
danger were too great to allow of it. A heaving sea
boarding the ship would almost certainly have knocked
the Cabin to splinters, & there was great hazard of our
shipping such a sea at any moment. By the Good Providence of God however we were saved from such a disaster.
Tho' the wind perhaps did not blow harder than in the
gale of Sat. yet the peril was very much greater owing to
the greater violence of the sea. Our Captain remarks that
if our ship had not been a remarkably good sea boat she
could not have stood it through. The Bar. before dawn of
Thurs began to rise slowly, & this gave encouragement
that the heaviest of the gale was over. Tho' the wind
however abated the latter part of Thurs PM the sea continued high all day, And it was not till afternoon that we
could be considered out of danger. When the gale was
beginning to abate it was painful to see some of our
infidel passengers make forced attempts to be merry,
while their whole appearance showed that in reality their
feelings were far otherwise. Thurs. morn. we took in our
hands (most of us in our berths) a cup of coffee & a
cracker for breakfast, it being impossible to cook anything-indeed there was momentary danger of the cooking galley being washed away. Our dinner also was made
of cold beef & bread with a few sardines. Some of the pas



16


New York to Honolulu


sengers dined on preserved meats & soups which one of
them had brought from N.Y. Thurs eve most of the passengers were in bed by sunset (7h50) to make up for loss
of sleep last night. The weather during the gale was cold,
the Ther. in the air probably being not far from 45~. Sky
mostly clear.
Friday Jan 9th. Examined my trunk & found it had got
but little wet, only a shirt & few bosoms being damaged
at all. The mates room was more filled with water than
mine & his trunks much damaged. Some books got injured by taking an unseasonable ablution. None of mine
however tried the experiment.
The weather is getting to be uncomfortably cold, & as
we have no fire at all I am obliged to clothe myself very
thick with woolens. The bed being the most comfortable
place one can find I am tempted to keep it from an early
hour in the eve till a late one in the morn. The sun however
does not set now till 8 oclock, and early in the eve means
9 or 10. I get up since it has become so cold not till 7 AM
or an hour or /2hour before breakfast.
This forenoon from 10 to 11/ a very bright halo was
seen around the sun, the prismatic colors being at times
as bright as in an ordinary rainbow. There were some
scattered cirrus clouds in the sky, but generally it was
clear; these clouds were mostly in the neighborhood of
the sun & part of the circle seemed projected on them &
part on the clear sky-the most brilliant portions of it
were at times on clear sky. The Radius as measured with a
quadrant was between 20o30' & 22~40', the middle being
about 22~05' or 22010' from the sun's center. The inner
hue was the red, the outer violet.
Saturday. Jan 10th. Not much harmony among the passengers. Two of them had a falling out today, a sort of
a cock fight, pulling ears, hair &c. Some disturbance turns
up almost daily. A fine illustration of want of early discipline & self-control.
Monday [Jan. 12th]. We are now passing the Falkland
Islands, not distinctly in sight, tho' the Capt. thinks he
saw land for a short time. Sky cloudy. Our wind since




Cape Horn Weather


17


yesterday has been fair & we are approaching Staten
Land. Air very chilly & damp.
Tues. [Jan. 13th]. Made Staten land distant some 30
miles or so, S.W. at noon. The weather in the AM thick &
rainy. The fog clearing off land was visible at midday.
Ther. on deck 45~. Air damp & very uncomfortable. No
fire. Albatross taken.
Wednesday. Jan 14th 1846. Cape St Johns, the easter [n]
point of Staten land in full view, bearing at noon SW b S
distant about 27 miles, which verifies our chronometer,
our reckoning giving the same dist[ance]. The Cape is
high & mountainous & with a glass snow is visible about
its summit. Many Albatross', Penguins, Cape Pigeons;
stormy petrels, silver petrels &c &c about the ship. A
Penguin was sporting very near the ship now swimming
a long distance under water, then rising & sporting on the
surface. His prevailing color is a dark brown with a
singularly shaped head & bill. His wings are very short
& he cannot rise in the air. With a spyglass I had a good
view of him. The Cape Pigeon is a beautiful bird, mottled
or pied & somewhat resembling a partridge.
Thurs. Jan 15. No wind, clear sky & warm sun, very
pleasant to the feeling, especially as contrasted with some
of the chilly weather we have experienced, & also as entirely unexpected this being the reputed region of cold
& storms.
Friday, [Jan.] 16. Fog, mist, rain & cold, & very unpleasant. Since yesterday calm & have made no headway.
Lat 55~52' Lon. 64~06'. Ther. 45~ on deck.
Sat. [Jan.] 17. A calm, wind last night & this morn. S &
S.W. very chilling. Ther on deck 40~, at 4 AM. Cape
Pigeon caught, a little larger than the domestic pigeon.
In self defense has the power of spitting or vomiting from
his mouth a quantity of reddish liquid matter resembling
thick paint, or mud.
Tues [Jan.] 20th. Yesterday and today have been
squally, misty, rainy, cold & unpleasant-good specimens
I imagine of Cape Horn weather. We are making very
slow advances on our voyage. About noon today a whaler




18


New York to Honolulu


passed us within hailing distance, though owing to the
roughness of the weather no hailing took place except by
signal. She reported her Longitude 66~. Ours by dead
reckoning is 64~ 45'. We have had no observation today,
& can make no allowance for current. The ship was the
"Statira" of "New Bedford." The weather is very uncomfortable today, all the passengers shut up in the cabin,
spending much of the time in bed in order to keep warm.
I find it necessary to clothe myself in 2 pairs of drawers
(woolen & cotton) woolen pants, 2 flannels, shirt, cotton
wrapper, 2 vests, & overcoat, with 3 pairs of socks! The
thermometer in the Cabin stands at about 45~, but having
no fire & the atmosphere being very damp we find it difficult to keep warm.
Thurs. [Jan.] 22. The same weather yesterday and
today except that this PM the sun shows itself & the air
feels somewhat drier. Our winds are all westerly & the
sky almost continually overcast. The Ther. in the air
today 41~. Temperature of the water 37~ (in Lat 60~
South).
A large whale (the "Right" whale) some 20 or 25 ft
in length appeard playing for some time around & under
the ship in full view. The sun sets tonight at 8h 32m. At
10 PM it is broad day light, as much so as at half an hour
after sunset in our Latitude at home. The twilight continues all night, and at midnight it is light enough to see
to read, the sun at that time being but 9~ below the
horizon.
[Jan.] 31. Sat. Two days past fair breeze from SW &
we are gradually getting to the Northward.
Monday 2d February 1846. Yesterday a calm, nearly
clear, & pleasant, more so than for a fortnight previous,
occasional fogs & mists. A ship visible all day beyond the
offing, the same as seen yesterday on the other or starboard quarter, steering apparently the same course we
are. Also a humpback whale about the ship. To-day fine
breeze, but foggy & chilly. Capt. broke my thermometer.
Thursday Feb 5th, 1846. Lat. 51~ 14'. Lon. 82~ 10'. Have
a fine breeze & a prospect of getting out of these un



Landfall


19


pleasant latitudes soon, the last two days cloudy misty &
disagreeable. Have been writing this forenoon to friends
in the U.S. in order to have letters in readiness to forward
froim Valparaiso. Flock of wild geese seen.
Mon. Feb. 9th. For 3 days past have had a fine fair
breeze & been getting towards Valparaiso as fast as our
dull vessel w'd carry us. Saturday night was unclouded
& pleasant, the first clear night we have had since passing
Staten Land. Our days also have been uniformly cloudy
& misty for the same time. We have not had anything like
a fair day for more than 3 weeks. We are now getting into
milder weather & find ourselves much more comfortable,
tho' the extreme dampness is still very disagreeable.
Yesterday, read a Sermon in Cabin.
Wednesday, [Feb.] 11th Lat. 39~ 15'. Lon. 79~ 29' W.
Weather mild, sea smooth, & fine breezes from the southward.
The ship begins to wear the appearance of getting
toward port, boats put in readiness, painting & scraping
done, clothes got out, boots &c &c. Looked into my cash
matters, find I now have with me in Gold $50. Silver
$64.63. Total $114.63.
Sat. [Feb.] 14th, 1846. From Thurs Eve. till this morn
we have had a strong SE wind amounting at times &
especially yesterday PM & last night to a gale. As the
ship was sailing in the trough of the sea, the spray frequently dashed over her, the sea being quite high. The
Barom fell from 29.48 yesterday Morn. to 29.33 last Eve;
this morn it is 29.13 (7 AM), having fallen 2 tenths in the
night. We are now (7 AM) by estimate only about 80
miles from land & expect to see it soon.
Sun. [Feb.] 15th Lat 34~ 16'. Lon. 72~ 58' W. Sky hazy
& cloudy. Land seen about 2 PM distant some 30 miles,
the view very indistinct. An immense whale seen near the
ship. Eve. clouds passed off, no wind, sky extremely clear
& stars brilliant.
Tues. [Feb.] 17th. Lat 33~ 21'. Lon 72~ 7' W. Yesterday
& to day nearly calm, light breeze during the night.
Weather clear & pleasant. Ther. about 65~ & 69~. Are by




20


New York to Honolulu


estimates this noon 34 miles from Valp[araiso] which will
make 12,265 nautical miles from N.Y.
At Sunset arrived within 12 miles of Valp[araiso] &
stood off & on through the night; passed 2 miles from
point.
Wed. morn Feb 18th where we were last eve. With fine
breeze went into the harbor & cast anchor this morn, about
9 AM. Land high. Beautiful sunrise.
Wed. Feb. 18th 1846. Rose this morning at 5 to see the
sun rise "over the Alps." The hills in the vicinity of
Valpo. are very high (some 2000 ft) & the shore steep.
The Andes proper are not in sight at all from our position
5 miles from the land, & the sunrise was by no means as
splendid as it has been represented by some voyagers,
tho the morning was bright & the sky clear. The view of
the hills was indeed beautiful in the boldness of its outlines, but the attractiveness of the scene was much diminishd by the parched & sterile appearance of the whole
prospect. A few trees & a little scattered herbage alone
relieved the barren aspect of the country. The signal staff
on the hill back of the town was presented in fine distinctness against the morning sky. Also the Light house
on the point N.W. of the town. The moment the sun appeared above the hills the whole landscape was obscured
by a dull haze. A fresh breeze springing up we were soon
rounding the point of land which forms the harbor, tho'
in doing it, from the sudden failure of the breeze, we were
in great danger of running upon the rocks; at one moment
our position was critical, but a favorable puff just swung
the ship clear of them & we soon came to anchor in outer
part of the harbor, about 2 a mile from the landing.
Breakfast was deferred till after the ship came to anchor
& sails were all furled, 10 AM. At the same time the Captain of the Port, & Captain of the Custom house officers
boarded us & took the ship's manifests, descriptions of
passengers &c &c. Many other boats visited us from the
vessels in the harbor & hotels &c in town. The Captain
& some of the passengers went ashore with Capt Walsh
an Am[erican] merchant here of Capt S[palding]s 'ac



Valparaiso


21


quaintance. As for myself I was obliged to wait till my
trunk & chest were got from the after & main hatches.
Putting myself in shore rig, I landed in the boat
about 1 PM & commencd my survey of this to me very
singular city. Within 5 minutes after stepping on shore
I met at the P.O. Rev D Trumbull who arrived here some
two months since under the direction of the Foreign
Evang[elical] Soc[iety]. To see an old acquaintance in
a strange land & after a 140 days voyage was indeed a
gratification. I went with him to his room, & was there
introduced to Mr Wheelwright, who teaches a school &
resides in the upper part of the city.
Took a walk on the hill some 200 feet high where most
of the Americans & English reside & had a most magnificent view of the harbor & ocean & mts to the northward. The City is built on the sides & at the base of the
hills which surround the harbor. The houses mostly of 1
story, & stuck into the ravines which separate the hills
& into the sides of the hills & such a way as to make one
wonder how they resist the natural effects of gravitation.
The weather is hot & summerlike & there having been no
rain for months the ground is baked & the air full of dust.
The way washing is done by groups of women around
rocky pools at the bottom of almost dry rivulets, in a
scanty supply of water which serves scores of companies
of washers in succession, is a striking exemplification of
what perseverance may accomplish with the smallest
means. The houses of the poor exhibit the appearance of
anything but neatness or comfort.
Thurs. Feb 19th 1846. This morn. after breakfast went
ashore. At the Post-Office met O E Carter a col[lege]
classmate, who is with Mr Barton making observations
in reference to the survey of a Rail Road from this to
Santiago. Mr B[arton] is a clergyman from Chickopee
Mass. & was obliged to quit preaching by Bronchitis.
Finds the climate here too arid & dusty.
Was introduced by Capt. Walsh to the Merchant's reading room, which is a very spacious, airy room, overlooking the harbor & furnished with a great variety of papers,




22


New York to Honolulu


among them the leading ones of the U.S. & England.
Found Eng[lish] papers down to Nov 1st. The room is
adorned with a number of paintings, maps, &e &c. Among
them a piece of needle work, some 12 by 18 inches, by
the pupils of a French school, containing many figures
wrought in silk, & exhibiting actual portraits, &c.
Took a stroll, to the Fort. Great numbers of Brass &
iron Cannon of all lengths from 3 to 12 or 15 ft. Most of
the larger ones have distinct names given them, such [as]
El Furioso (1772) El Rayo (1772) El Destruido (do) El
Relampago (1776) El Marte (1772) &c &c. Many also
bore the ins[criptio]n "Viola te fulmina Regis," & many
of them purported to have been made in Lima. Saw some
of the troops, white pants blue coats.
PM took a walk to the Almendral, the extreme east
end of the town some 2 or 21/2 miles from the "Port."
Begin to understand how the place may contain 50,000
people, from the number of houses & the manner in which
they appear to be crammed. Sit mostly on the floor,
few conveniences, much filth, dogs & fleas numberless.
Stepped into a large house, now building. Carpenter
American from Mass. in 1826. Says carpenters do as well
now as then. Jour[neyman]s wages 2.50 per day. Stock
and living not half as high. Says the harbor is filling up,
mentions that where he built houses a few years ago there
had been an apparent rise of land of 6 or 8 ft. The [that]
where the front street now is he had been in swimming.
Thinks it has nothing to do with Earthquakes but caused
by wash from hills.
Saw some beautiful gardens in the Almendral. Lemon
trees full of fruit, &c &c. Saw Prisoners chained two &
two conducted by Guard. Observe every where in the
streets the "Vigilantes" or Policemen on horseback.
Amusing scene near Hotel de Chile, street blocked with
Carts & Carriages, Officer on horseback in great flurry,
loud vociferations, some time before he could clear the
way, whipped a man's horses &c &c. The Carts are clumsy
things, most with double felloes, piniond together, no
tires, ungreased, bodies rude wickerd. Others like those




VALPARAISO IN THE '40'S




tu0,NAl






Theological Disputation


23


in U.S. Passenger carriages somewhat like our old fashioned Gigs, 2 wheeler, 2 horses, one mounted by postillion.
Drive like Jehu. Met twice the family (4 ladies with 2
gents,) of Admiral Seymour (British) riding out horseback, blue dresses, beautiful.
Took tea at Mr Wheelwrights. Mrs W[heelwright]
daughter of Dr Dana of Newburyport, agreeable; tea
served around. Mr Harding painter present. Came in
Bombay 105 days from Boston, was out in the same gales
of Jan. that we were. Complained of the Capt. Thayer of
the ship as to fare, accommodations &c, lived poorly, had
misunderstandings-this seems to be the case on all long
voyages.
Spent the Eve very pleasantly at Mr W[heelwright]s;
his house is far back on the Hill, where most of the
Eng[lish] & Am [erican] s reside, some 300 ft high, tedious
climbing. The hills back of Valp[araiso] are stated to be
1500 ft. Testimony of Mr & Mrs W[heelwright] confirms
Mr Cheever's statement in his letters of the lying propensity of the Chilian, taught it from Childhood, by
nurses, parents &c &c. Consider it a "very little thing,"
flows from the Papal distinction of mortal & venial sins.
Mr W[heelwright] thinks it a sign of improvement that
in his school a dispute arose among the scholars whether
it was a greater sin to lie or not to attend mass, & while
most of the children who had been only under the influence
of parents &c said that not going to mass was, those who
had come under protestant influences took the other side.
Mrs. W[heelwright] says it is customary for ladies even
of the higher ranks to sit on the floor. She called on one
who had married an Am[erica]n & found her thus seated,
no chair being in the room-this was daughter of a high
officer. Mr W[heelwright] finds the prospect of a school
discouraging. An English Lady has set up opposition.
Living high here-Milk 25 cts qt. Butter 50 cts. lb. meat
6 cts. fruit generally about as at home. Returned with Mr
Trumbull & slept in his room, in the building where Mr
W[heelwright] has his school. Appearance of the town &
harbor by night from the hill beautiful. At ten heard the




24            New York to Honolulu
vigilantes crying the hour, little like music, some good
voices, some poor. Wilkes's musical "Notes" humbug;
Am[erican]s here dont think much of Wilkes. [Charles
Wilkes, Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition during the years 1838... 1842, vol. 1. Philadelphia, 1845, pp. 168-169: The police "carry a loud and
shrill whistle, the sounds of which are varied as occasion
requires, and by it a concentration of force can be effected
in a few moments.... When they cry the hour they all
sing the same tune, but the pitch is ranged in accordance
with the scope of the voice.... "]
Frid. Feb 20th. Breakfasted with Mr Wheelwright at
his school-room. Read at Mr Trumbull's room afterwards,
saw among his books an old Dicty entitled "A New General English Dictionary, peculiarly calculated for the use
& improvement of such as are unacquainted with the
learned languages &c &c. Originally begun by the Reverend Mr Thomas Dyche, Schoolmaster at Stratford-lebow, author of &c &c, & now finished by William Pardon
gent. 11th Ed. London 1760." On a flyleaf is written,
"W" William's Book bot at N. Haven xbr [December]
year 1762 of Mr Benedict Arnold-(afterwards the infamous traitor)." Mr Williams was one of the signers
of the Decl[aratio]n of Ind[ependenc]e.
To show how literally Arnold "used & improved"
s[ai]d Dict'y I copy the following Definition —"Traitor
or Traytor(s) one who is false to his prince or country,
one that informs the public's Enemy of something advantageous to them & hurtful to his prince or country.' 'Went with Mr Trumbull to the U. S. Consul's office. Mr
Dorr cousin of Gov D. of R. I. affable & gentlemanly.
Spent an hour, talked of matters & things in general. He
says nearly all the natives have more or less indian
blood, none pure indian, every kind of mixture & variety
of color-African, Indian, Spanish &c. The generality of
the natives wanting in enterprise, corrupt in morals.
Attributable mainly to their Religion. Opposed to improvement, superstitious, priesthood corrupt & licentious.
A bishop in Peru lived a very licentious life, finally took




Epitaphp~


25


a paramour from a convent, this so open as to oblige him
to leave Peru, came here bringing the nun with him,
publicly known, yet the priesthood here pay him all
customary respect & reverence. Many convents here, /2
dozen churches & priests. The Irish priest [Robert
Walsh] who made so much disturbance at the Sand[wich]
Isls is here. Mr Dorr says the people are little benefitted
by free form of govt. not prepared for it, tho free in form
it is in fact an oligarchy. Feudal, few large landholders
contest all the elections &e &c, their tenants at their
bidding, little general intelligence. Mr D[orr] says the
only way to improve the nation is to break down the
Cath[oli]c Rel[igio]n.
As to the climate, Mr D[orr] saysthattheinsensibleperspiration is generally obstructed, very little passes from
the body in that form. Colds common. Principal diseases
Chronic Dysenteries, Rheumatism, & Heart affections.
There are also fevers. Very difficult to know of what
diseases people die from the public reports owing to their
want of discrimination, the classification loose & unscientific, & when they are at a loss about the cause of death
it is put down as (interiora) something "internal."
Visited the Protestant Burying Ground on the hill.
Enclosed by wall, level, square, two walks cross it at right
angles; small enclosures each large enough for one grave
are formed by bricks set edgewise; the walks or avenues
& the borders are adorned with shrubbery & vines, peach
trees, roses beautiful, handsome bower. Tablets mostly
wood, painted white, some marble, some horizontal
monuments & 2 or 3 of these embowered with vines &
roses. A large proportion of those buried here are English. Among many ordinary epitaphs are some that do
little credit to the taste, talents or religion of the writers,
e.g. on mon[umen]t of Isaac Tickell of H M Ship President 1841 -Shipmates all my cruise is up
My body's moored at rest,
My soul is where? aloft of course
Rejoicing with the blest.




26


New York to Honolulu


The Commodore short warning gave
For me to anchor ship,
My moorings hard & fast are laid
Till signal's made to nip.
On Wm Arnott H B M Ship Basilisk
Far from his home Wm Arnott came
His life to end on the boisterous main,
His shipmates fond who revered his name
Errects this tablett to his mortal frame,
Tho' far from friends & kindred dear
His shipmates drop a grateful tear
And leave this mark at his place of rest
In hopes his soul is now at rest.
Near the Prot[estant] Ground is that of the Catholics,
laid out in fine taste. Monuments & tablets mostly of
marble, many of wood. The most striking a splendid one
of Italian marble covering the heart of Diego Portales a
distinguished patriot & minister of state.
In each burying ground is a "chap [el] " or small house
where the corpse is deposited after midnight & the funeral
is attended next morning, a law of the state prohibiting
the carrying of a dead body through the streets till after
midnight.
[Feb.] 21. Sat. Rose very hoarse & not very well, cloudy
& misty. 10 AM went ashore. Met Mr 0. Ellsworth, engaged in erecting flouring mills at Tabalango 25 m out
towards San Felippe. He has dissolved partnership with
Messrs Meeks & Taylor in the Brewing business, 2 stories
to the case, rumors of dishonesty &c. The standard [of]
commercial & general morals here is certainly much lower
than at home. Foreigners very apt to lower their standard. Mr Foster a Unitarian here of high standing for
character gives it as his opinion that the standard of
morals among the foreign residents generally is lower
than among the natives. Many Americans of high char[acte]r. The chief Am [erican] Families are those of Capt
Walsh, Capt. Scott, Mr Wheelwright, Mr Riley, Mr
Hobson (these two, firm of Alsop & Co) Mr Steph. H




Sabbath Ashore


27


Smith, Dr Page of Phila. Mr Meeks, A. Ward, H V Ward
(Bachl~r) (Bowen & Atherton) There are somewhere
about 150 Am[erican]s in all.
Ih an office saw pamphlet describing Bryant's copy of
Reubens Descent from the Cross, which Mr Ellsworth
brought out for exhibition & sale. Reminded me of home
where I saw it while Bryant was painting it. Although
half invalid from cold accepted urgent invitation to dine
at Mr Wheelwrights; no one present but myself, social,
agreeable time, fine dinner,-Soup, Beef, potatoes,
onions, squash, tomatoes, beans, pudding pies (grape)
melons, peaches, coffee. Din[n]er hour 4 PM, spent 11/2
at table. Prospect from Mr W[heelwright]s house beautiful. Returned on board about sunset. In open lot adjoining Mr W[heelwright]s an encampment of countrymen,
4 or 5 large thatch covered rude carts one like a small
house covered with shingles & framed, in which families
have come from the country.
The beasts of burden are Bonicoes or Donkeys; bricks,
stones, fire wood, &c &c lashed to a thick cushion over the
animals back & driven in droves like cattle, 4 to 6 bricks
2 ft by 1 & 4 or 5 inches thick on each beast.
[Feb.] 22 Sunday. Rose hoarser & more unwell than
yesterday, yet felt it impossible not to attend Divine
service, it has been so long since I have had that privilege.
Went ashore soon after breakfast, saw Messrs Carter &
Barton, went with Mr Trumbull & others on board the
British Bark Conrad under an awning on the deck of
which Mr T[rumbull] has his service to day; 25 in all
present, among them Capt Thayer, mate & some men of
the Bombay from Boston, A Russian Capt &c &c. Had
singing. A fine sermon from text-" Let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed lest he fall." Applied to the classes
of Cold Xns [Christians], Presumptuous Xns, Moderate
Sinners, Immoderate Sinners & grossly wicked. Went on
board at 2 P.M. Fish for tea, fine, caught in the harbor in
abundance. Shop's on shore mostly closed as in N.Y.
Much riding. Boatmen in crowds. Much noise in harbor




28


New York to Honolulu


from Carpenter work on board several ships, equal to
week days.
Last eve Capt maudlin.
Mon Feb 23d Rose with cold about as yesterday. After
breakfast went ashore, stopped by Customhouse officer to
examine a bundle which I had containing a shirt. Saw
Mr Barton. He thinks the climate very bad for throat
complaints, is to start for the US in a month & then for
Eng[land] on the Railroad business. Read Lyell's travels
&c [Sir Charles Lyell, Travels in North America, London, 1845] at Trumbull's room. 12 oclock started on a
walk with Mr T [rumbull] up to hills back of Valp [araiso]
to find Mr Carter & the RR surveyors, whom we were
told were some 2 or 3 miles out. We went to the top of the
highest hill some 2/2 or 3 miles from the town but saw
no tent or surveyors; passed several dykes of felspar &
other of quartz. The rocks chiefly a sort of sienite, saw
12 or 15 different wild flowers, some pretty, cacti numerous & large, & various in species. Cut many reeds for
canes. Little vegetation. Shrubs small. Some grass in the
bottoms of ravines. Returned by a rout west of the road
on which we went up, & next to the Signal Staff, crossed
a very deep ravine, much scratchd by brambles, banks
precipitous, at the bottom some water-grass, & a small
plot of corn, stalks about 3 ft high. Plucked an ear, just
large enough for succotash, ear short large & kernels very
small; sucked it & found it very milky & refreshing after
walking so far in the hot unclouded sun, tho' the fresh
breeze from the S. rendered the last part of our walk
more comfortable than the first part. From the summit of
the hill had fine prospect of the plains & hills beyond & of
some peaks of the distant Cordilleras, one of them high
& snow capped. The view of the harbor & ocean grand,
counted 57 vessels in the harbor, but one or two habitations in sight to the E & South. In returning just before
entering the town passed a large enclosure, roofed or
thatched with wicker work under which tiles are manufactured; the tiles are nearly 1/2 segments of a cylinder or
slightly tapering trunkated cone, and are about 18 in




Monogamy in South America


29


long 8 or 10 in diam & 1/2 thick. Most of the houses of the
better sort are covered with them. Farther down passed
a brick manufactory, where sundried bricks are made;
they are of various sizes, some 2 ft by 1, & 5 in thick,
others 2 ft long 6 inches square, with notch in each end
to fit the timbers or studs of houses between which they
are laid in building houses of the better class. Drank
from a rill of water at the bottom of the valley & found
it good. Dined with Mr Trumbull. After dinner called on
the consul at his house, found him reading the B. F.
Butler correspondence. There is to be a steamer here
from Eng[land] in 2 or 3 weeks to run from Callao to
Panama, thus making a continuous steam route from
Valp[araiso] to U.S. Fare some $500. Eng[land] must
have some object besides benevolence in expending so
much on these routes.
Mr Dorr says he has heard it stated on good authority
(an Am lady resident there) that at Conception & that
vicinity, at a certain time of the year there is observed
a peculiar & offensive stench arising from the water of
the ocean, cause unknown, to be inquired into. Mr D[orr]
been here 21/2 yrs. Mentions decision in courts in case of
Adultery under the old feudal law which has long since
been disused in Spain for ages by which both parties
were given up to the disposal of the injured man with the
condition that he was not to take the life of the one
without taking that of the other also.
Case of casuistry Mr Robinson (Eng) had married
under Catholic form a native woman who proved unfaithful to him. By law here there is no divorce (marriage
being a sacrament). Afterward he finds a woman with
whom he lives as his wife happily & has large family,
tho' not legally married. Query?
Wed [Feb.] 25th Hard cold still. Forenoon at Mr
T[rumbull]'s room finishing letters for home, which I
leave for him to send by first ship. At noon was just on
the point of making a call or two, when meeting Capt
T[hompson] I learned that the ship was to sail today
instead of tomorrow as I had previously understood. So




30


New York to Honolulu


foregoing the calls & taking a hasty adieu of Mr Wheelright, Mr Trumbull &c I hurried on board. Have had a
delightful visit here & should have enjoyed it much better
had I been in better health. Mr Trumbull a noble fellow
& devoted to his Master's work. Very warm today, no
wind. About 3 PM a light wind springing up anchor was
weighed, all hands working hard. Just then the wind
shifted to Northward & the anchor was let go again. An
hour afterward a breath coming from the South the same
operation was repeated. So we were obliged to lie by till
another day. Mr T[rumbull] on board at 3, gave me 6
shirts.
Thurs [Feb.] 26. 4 AM anchor again drawn up & let go
again, a northerly wind springing up & blowing directly
into the harbor. Last eve took 3 blue pills, soaked feet &
sweat profusely. To day keep in, cold some better. No
communication with shore. At 5 PM wind shifting southerly anchor was again weighed, but immediately let go,
the wind shifting back. About midnight we were notified
by the guard boat that the ship was adrift. We had in
fact drifted a mile or more without its being discovered
by the watch on deck. There was no wind but a strong
current out of the harbor. Chain was run out nearly
80 fathoms & ship brought up. Capt. all the Afternoon in
a "bad fix," Disputatious, silly.
[Feb.] 27 Frid. At 4 AM men again commenced heaving
up the anchor, which kept them hard at work some 3 or
4 hours; this time succeeded in getting to sea. Wind very
light. Cloudy & misty morn.
Of the passengers Messrs Lippmann Ernstal & Cox
have left, & Capt. Johnson of Sydney N.H. has taken
passage for the Islands. I understand he started from
Sidney with a cargo for England but here was entrapped
& defrauded out of his cargo by firm of Meeks &c & is
now on his way back. Mr Cox & Capt did not part on
pleasant terms, Mr C[ox] having some weeks since attempted to gag him on the subject of slavery. Mr C[ox]
dissatisfied with Mr Benson also. My stop at Valparaiso




Crime and Punishment


31


has cost me but little my purse being minus but 75 cts,
mopt of it for boat hire.
Mr Ernstal remains here taking Daguerrotypes. Mr
Lippman goes in the Bombay Capt. Thayer to Manilla.
Mr Cox remains here a month or so & returns to the U.S
by way of Panama. Capt Thompson goes on, has lived on
shore while in port, steamed hard, came on board half
seas over, next day stupid & unwell, no control over himself, pity. Lippman "rushing it" at balls &c &c, turns out
to be a corn doctor, which none on board but his partner
E[rnstal] knew of till he arrived here. Ernstal brought
out 12 gold watches on which he clears $500.-Am glad
to go to sea again to get rid of dust & fleas, & I hope of
my cold also. Our living on Ship board appears to have
been better than the average. The passengers of the
Bombay complain bitterly. Say Capt. Thayer prays 3
times a day & gives them nothing to eat.
At Valparaiso have seen but little of the natives. Generally dressy. Females said to carry all they are worth on
their backs, shawls often worth 15 or 25 dols, personally
dirty. Much smoking. Not particularly intemperate. Have
seen but 2 or 3 drunken men, those all Eng. or Ams. Passing a dram shop, heard a poor wretch begging for "GrGr-Grog' '-in plain English.
Murders not so common as formerly but occasionally
take place. Man executed (shot) some 3 or 4 weeks ago,
had been banished on false charge bro't against him of
theft &c, returned in disguise of woman went to house of
his enemy, stabbed him, also shot his brother at the gate,
then delivered himself up, having obtained revenge, great
crowd at execution, undaunted, long speech.
Sat Feb 28. Cloudy & misty this morn, have advanced
but a few miles from Valp[araiso]. Reading [John]
Bonnycastle's "Spanish America" [London, 1818].
Many whales near Valpo. Several I saw just within the
harbor, 2 or 3 kinds of fish were also abundant. They seem
to come in with ships. Many boats of fishermen were constantly around our ship & they caught large quantities.
Said they were not to be taken elsewhere. One kind called




32


New York to Honolulu


Brim excellent for table larger than Shad, others somewhat smaller but very good. Baited with small fish called
Sardinias.
Streets of Valpo swept by prisoners chained together
& guarded by soldiers; at noon saw them lying in shade
to rest, some asleep, some playing cards. Before a door
saw woman looking a man's head [over?].
Principal street paved with pebbles, stone side walk on
one side, sometimes on both, narrow, no railing.
Horses of the Chilenos fine, & excellently broken,
caught when wild with lasso, mounted by bold rider, run
till fall, then docile. Saw spurs some 3 in in diameter,
enormous.
Sun. March 1st 1846. Still cloudy, foggy & nearly a
calm. Have advanced but a few miles from Valpo. Distributed some tracts on Infidelity, Universalism &c. Universalism & Unitarianism seem to have close affinities.
The Xn [Christian] Register (Unitn) [published at
Boston, Mass.] claims Universalists, & Univst preachers
write for the paper. Found on deck the other day a paper
containing a sort of Creed, one art[icl]e of which professed a belief in the "final salvation of all men," another
that men are sinners, & either here or hereafter punished
for their sins. It was dated at Sea Feb 6, 1846, & signed
by Capts son (J.C.S[palding]) & purported to be the
result of an examination of the New Testament. Many
whales (sperm & others) visible about the ship.
Mon. [Mar.] 2d Have made but 40 miles in 4 days. Might
as well have staid & attended church at Valpo.
A ship in sight, probably the Eng[lis]h man of war
which was to sail for Callao about the time we did.
New supply of Books from Capt Thompson's chest
which had been down the main hatch. Several vols. London Lancet, Lib[rar]y of Ent[ertaining] Knowledge &c
&c. Decided improvement on the "Yellow Backs." Some
Nos Xn [Christian] Examiner [published at London].
Enough Unitarian for the Capt. to debate upon the rest
of the voyage.
Tues. [Mar.] 3d The weather very different from what




More Theology


33


I had expected. Have scarcely had a glimpse of the sun
since leaving Valpo.
The New Hand (a Hamburgher) whom we shipped at
Valpo says he has been on this coast 2 weeks at a time
without seeing sun or star. Damp & uncomfortable. Am
nearly over my cold.
Great change in the aspect of things on ship board
from the passage out, more harmony, less talk & noise,
certainly a good exchange as to passengers.
Wed. [Mar.] 4. Long talk with Mr Haley on Infidelity
Morals &c. He holds that man is not to blame for gratifying his natural appetites & propensities, e.g. has disposition to steal, if he does so at the time, under temptation
he is justifiable, but an hour afterwards, on reflection w'd
see that he was wrong. Holds to no future state, & other
absurdities of infidelity. His principles so far as he has
any allow no possible foundation for morals, or accountability. Capt Johnson mentioned a man a bold infidel who
was with him on shipboard in New Holland when an
attack was made & who in the hour of danger was found
in the boat on his knees praying.
Mr Haley who was so frightened during the gale of
Jan 3d denies that it had any reference to death or a
future state, but that he was thinking of his mother &c.
Says that when young he was brought up to say his
prayers by his mother &c & was also told many ghost
stories & other fictions, which he soon learned to disbelieve
& that this is the source of his infidelity in religion!because ghost stories are untrue, therefore Revelation
is! Fine logic.
Thurs [Mar.] 5th. Lat 28~.58' S L 74~.15'. Read a good
article in the Xn Examiner (Jan 1844) on Christianity
by E. S. G(annet) admits depravity, necessity of Atonement &c &c. The truth is, the written Theology of Leading
Unitns is of a much higher order & nearer orthodox than
the oral or practical theology of most professed Unitns.
For professed Unitns are of every grade from Universalism up to orthodoxy. This AM, in passing through the
Cabin, was stopped by the Captn & bored with the reading




34


New York to Honolulu


of a long article from the Xn Examiner on the Unitn ideas
of Atonement &c, with heavy blows at a man of straw
labeled orthodoxy. Mem. Those who call themselves
liberal Xns [Christians] are more illiberal & bigotted than
any others I know of.
The same cloudy, damp weather yet. The sun looked
dimly through the clouds at noon, just sufficient to give
an observation for the Lat & Long.
Black fish & other sorts in abundance.
Frid. [Mar.] 6th. Weather milder today, & most of the
PM the sky was nearly unclouded. The sight was very
refreshing after so much cloudy weather; this is the first
time the sun has shone out clear since we left Valpo.
Writing today. A large bird nearly white with a singularly pointed tail flying about called the Boatswain. Shed
my old Sat[ine]t Pants, gave them to the Cook, & donned
another coat & pants. Mostly calm today.
Sun [Mar.] 8. Bright & beautiful day, but nearly a
calm. Read in Xn Examiner for 1844 an article on' Norton
on the Gospels" giving an interesting & clear account of
the Gnostics & their tenets, also another on the evidences
of Xnity [Christianity], a review of [John Gorham] Palfreys Lectures [Lowell Lectures on the Evidences of
Christianity, Boston, 1843], good, overthrows Hume's
arg[umen]t from experience by showing belief is not
based on exp[erienc]e but is nat[ura]l to man, disbelief
being rather the result of experience &c &c. Some conversation at table on religious topics, marred as usual by
the jokes of Infidelity, encouraged by the quasi-infidelity
of Unitarianism.
Mon. [Mar.] 9th Practicing economy today i.e. transforming an old coat into a cap! Tho' called a Taylorite,
tailoring is new business & how I shall succeed the sequel
will tell.
Read this eve a Review of Prescotts [History of the]
Conquest of Mexico. Cortez not justifiable in conquering
so civilized a people. It is doubtful whether any balance
of good has sprung from the act to justify the enormity
of it. Catholicism as developed both in Spanish N & S




Sharks


35


Americas is hardly a better handmaid of Civilization or
of humanity than Paganism itself. Had the Anglo Saxon
race settled these Countries how different w'd have been
their aspect & destiny.
Tues [Mar.] 10th. Not very well, eat little today. Reading, making cap &c.
Pretty little comedy acted. Mr H[aley] & his wife
quarreled be[cause] she picked over raisins for the
steward. Much noise was made in their room & this being
reported soon grew, three-black-crow-like, into a sort of
Murder story which Mr H[aley] tracing back found to
have begun with himself. In his thoughtless excitement
he abused every body & played the tempest in a teapot
to admiration. At length by gentle talking to he was finally
cooled down, & had administered to him many wholesome lessons on manners, morals, conjugal proprieties
&c &c by which it is hoped he may profit.
Took the trades yesterday in Lat 27~ Lon 75~. Brig
astern all day. New Dish for tea recently called "Pomme
de Terre de Maitre d Hotel," a cold hash of beef, potatoes, & onions, with sweet oil &c.
[Mar.] 16. Mon. (13~32'-76~48') Land in sight all day
some 30m off. Island of San Gallan much nearer. Towards
sunset distant Mts. appeared very high. At noon we were
about 85m from Callao.
17. Tues. March 1846 San Lorenzo seen at a distance
from aloft. Back to leeward, calm. Shark killed with harpoon by Capt Johnson, 7 or 8 ft long. Another Shark
taken, 8 ft 9in long, pect[ora]l fins 21in. Blue on back.
Sucker attached, 6 in long. Under forepart of his body
an oval apparatus 11/ in long for "suction" by which he
attaches himself to any object with great force. Several
Pilot fish also accompanied the Shark. A Sword Fish
also came around but c'd not be taken. PM another Shark,
the 3d.
Island of Callao & San Lorenzo right ahead. At 2 PM
saw Lima with glass, beautiful view, stretching a great
distance with numerous domes & turrets, orchards &c &c.




36


New York to Honolulu


The Coast appears arid & barren like that of Chili,
rather low, with high mts in the back ground.
Isla of Callao, rocky & barren, shows an apparent
ancient sea bench in a step or injutting of it tho' this is
not horizontal, most distinct on left hand side.
San Lorenzo 5m long, red, sandy rocky & barren, steep.
Passed 2 or 4 miles from the W. side about 4 PM. Some
places steep & show stratification very distinctly. Towards
S. end barren rocks, white, covered with innumerable
birds, also Is1 of Callao. Between Islds & mainland Castle
of Callao hove in sight & part of the town soon passed
behind San Lorenzo, Lima ditto. Clouds on top of Lorenzo
north part. Ships visible with glass in the Roadstead between Lorenzo & Callao Isl. I heard the British royal
salute of 21 guns. What for, cant sayAt the N end of Lorenzo the stratification beautifully
conspicuous, some red, other strata whitish, many dark
beds like slate, all dipping 25~ or 30~ S. W. At 51/2 rounded
the N End & came in sight of Callao, the bay, shipping,
high Mts. &c. Sun 1/ hour high, beautiful view.
Eve. our vessel working in. Callao well lighted. Bil
crying the soundings "Ay! ho! &c &c deep 16- 15- 14 -13- Dropped anchor in 13 fathoms about 21/2 miles from
Callao.
[Mar.] 18. Wed. Morn. dense fog in harbor nothing
visible, cleared up at 9. Breeze sprung up weighed anchor
at 101/4 & worked in.
Boarding officer came off at 8. Dark complexion creole,
pitted with Small pox.
Capt S[palding] went ashore with him taking his
shipping papers &c to go to Lima.
Birds innumerable, large & small flying in every direction, over the town & harbor diving for fish &c &c &c.
While working in, taking a glass I read distinctly in
large open English on the walls of an extensive building
"Ten pin alley," a significant sign, to be the first readable
on entering port this side the world. Beat in within a mile
of the landing place & dropped anchor at 1 PM.
Custom house officer came on board & left port regula



In Callao


37


tions in 4 languages. 2 market boats came along side with
Apples, peaches, figs, bananas, grapes &c &c. Tried the
Grapes & Bananas & found them good.
Soon after anchoring an officer boarded us & ordered
the ship to be moved a little so as to be in a line with other
ships.
At 3 Pm went ashore with Capt Johnson, Josiah
S [palding] & Mr Haley. Landed at a large & fine mole,
well built & neat. Near the landing place noticed great
quantities of tallow in Skin bags. Wheat in immense heaps
in the open air, machinery castings, &c &c. Callao at first
view altogether better in appearance than I had anticipated, principal streets paved with pebbles, houses well
built, neater appearance of business. Took a walk through
some of the principal streets. Met Capt S[palding] just
returned in the Omnibus from Lima. Introduced by him
to the Vice Consul Mr Johnson Ship Chandler, found that
news from U.S. had been rec'd to Jan 26th. Nothing of
public importance transpired. Saw Bennets Weekly
Herald to Nov 1st.
Walked with Capt S[palding] &c to the Market place,
a large square open, &c. Not being now market hours,
nothing was to be seen but a few fruit stands. Tried some
fresh figs, not so good as dried ones, 8 for 1/2 rial. Pine
apples 25 cts Bananas 12 for Rial, &c &c. Went to Marine
Hotel, fine establishment. Took soda water, prepared in
bottles let out by stop cock, no syrup, poor stuff. Went
back to Mr Johnsons, looked over the papers. Officers in
the store marking weights & measures, an ingenious
mode of Govt sponging; they did not try the weights &c
at all, but affixed their stamp as they were, so superficially on cast iron weights as to be rubbed off with the
finger, charge 25 cents each, Mr Johnson's bill over 4
dollars. This the first time.
Found that the Mississippi Capt. Harvey has gone
down the Coast after Guanos & is to be here in two weeks,
bound for home direct. 2 American Ships are here. The
Childe Harold, & Brig Canada from China. The Troy, in




38


New York to Honolulu


which was Mr Guatier, for whom I had letters, went home
some months ago.
Returned on board at 5 PM.
[Mar.] 19 Thurs. Went ashore at 9 AM, walked again
to the Market place, a large square, but again too late,
nothing doing. Visited a chapel, not large, no seats, many
images of Virgin Mary, the Savior, Saints &c. The Savior
in the garden, a wax figure with half a dozen silver
daggers pointing to his heart &c. Jesus wearing the
Crown of thorns another piece, & other over the altar of
the same sort, all to take the eye. Holy water on each side,
confessional boxes &c &c. It being St Joseph's Day, the
shops are all closed & business suspended.
11 AM took seat in an omnibus for Lima, fare 1.00.
Omnibus good, & like those in N.Y. The office a very pleasant one, with sofas &c. The Driver black, a slave; slavery
yet existing here, tho' in a process of gradual extinction.
Started off at a Jehu rate, over a fine road the first mile
paved with pebbles. It is nearly straight & apparently
level all the way to Lima, tho' it actually rises, Lima being
according to Capt. Wilkes 420 feet higher than the water
[Narrative of the U. S. Exploring Expedition, vol. 1,
Philadelphia, 1845, p. 233]. After driving a mile or two a
rein broke & the omnibus was brought short round, but
the damage was soon mended & on we went again, over
a very dusty & bad road, a Yankee road surveyor being
very much needed to smooth off the inequalities. 1/ miles
from Callao passed the ruins of Bella Vista a walled town
which grew up after the destruction of Callao & must have
been a place of considerable size. It was destroyed in 1825
when it was occupied by the army of Bolivar. The walls
show the effects of the shot from the Castle 11/2 miles
distant. A passenger in the coach pointed out a place
where he saw a man killed by such a shot in the street
opposite one of the gateways. The Burying ground with
its green willows is the only thing beautiful, especially
contrasted with the ruins.
A little farther on is a small chapel connected with a
farm. The fences dividing the fields & farms are very




Buried Treasure


39


numerous & run in every direction. They are made of
large bricks or blocks of mud 2 or more feet thick & about
3 high by 4 long. They are laid together closely & must
originally have been constructed with great labor & expense. At present, from their resemblance to portions of
the walls of houses or of towns they give the country a
ruined & desolate appearance, especially in connection
with their state of dilapidation & the parched & barren
aspect of much of the soil. The soil however is naturally
excellent & by enterprise & irrigation this might be made
a perfect garden. 2/3 of the way to Lima on the right are
several large naked mounds built by the aborigines &
used for burying. At a place a few miles north similar
mounds have been opened & money to quite an amount
taken from them. Mr Foster of Lima was engaged with
others in digging into one, but obtained only skeletons.
These on the road to Lima have not I believe been explored. They are very large & have been stated to be 150
ft high, but this estimate seems too large. From the road
they appear like simple hills of earth & are somewhat
irregular in form. They present little or no appearance
of walls or brick. The surface of the earth around them
is apparently level. On the left are also other ruinswalls, mounds &c relics of the same race. Indeed I was
told that many of the walls or landmarks of the farms
are likewise their work.
A mile before reaching the City we come to a paved
street again, & a beautiful avenue is formed by rows on
each side of a sort of willow or poplar. Seats of brick
plastered are also built at intervals to accommodate
parties who walk or ride out from the City. Lima is a
walled town & we entered by a beautiful arched gateway,
white, tho' of cheap material & washed in imitation of
marble. My first impression of the City was rather that
of disappointment, the houses being of but one story with
flat roofs & dirty irregular looking walls, & it being also
St Josephs day & on that acc't the shops all closed, &
apparently little business going on.
I should have mentioned a Convent & shanty for the




40


New York to Honolulu


sale of fruit liquor &c midway between C [allao] & L[ima].
The Steeple of the Convent was partly shaken down by
a recent shock of an earthquake. At the shanty were several individuals male & female, some on horses & some
on mules. A Padre also who took something & was quietly
smoking his segar while chatting carelessly with those
around. On the road we met mules laden with all sorts
of freight-hay, wood, vegetables, fruit &c &c. Women
riding astride, dressed in a man's hat &c. Some of the
men were on Spanish saddles, high before & behind with
large wooden block stirrups & breeching around the horse
behind.
As we approached Lima there were more cultivated
fields, & the large fields of Yuca (a long root edible and
used for making starch) plantains, oranges &c &c were
very refreshing to the eye. We were set down in Lima
about 101/4 AM. Went with the Capts son [J. C. Spalding]
to Mr Foster's of the house of Alsop & Co. Met Capt
Harvey there to whom I had a letter from Mr Trumbull,
but which I had left on board ship-all the same for I
found him very gentlemanly & a warmhearted Xn [Christian]. Was invited by Mr F[oster] to dine. Walked out
with Capt H[arvey] over the Rimac which runs thro' the
City to the beautiful portion of the City called the Alameda, where are many long & delightful avenues, shaded
with rows of willows, furnished with brick seats, & ornamented with fine fountains. One of these avenues extends along the River & is very refreshing, from the
cool breeze always blowing from the mountains. The river
is rapid & tho' now low is at times very high. Where it is
crossed by the Bridge of Pizarro it has a fall of several
feet, & has a striking appearance. Near the bridge close
by which is a large flouring mill. The Stream is a grand
one for manufacturing purposes. The ground[s] in a
part of the Alameda belong to the Church & are ornamented with groves, gardens, walls painted in fresco, &c
&c. There is here also a Convent & hospital. Close to this
part of the City are high barren hills or mountains many
of their peaks terminated by a cross.




The City of the Incas


41


Returned in season for dinner at 4 P.M. Mr F[oster]
a bachelor, no ladies at table, only Mr F[oster], Capt
Harvey, his Clerk, & another gentleman connected with
the house, which is one of the wealthiest in Lima. Had a
fine dinner & a delightful visit. Mr F[oster] a frank, unaffected, intelligent gentleman. Dinner-soup, beef steak,
fish, roast beef, fowls with rice, fried plantain, sweet
potatoes & several other dishes with desert of fruits,
peaches grapes & sweetmeats, peaches & grapes excellent. Wine on the table but none but Mr F[oster] &
another partook.
Went to Moin's [Morin's?] "Warm Bath Hotel" & engaged room. Hotel on corner of Plaza. Fine accommodations, best in Lima, room carpeted, two apartments, sofa,
excellent bed, iron bedstead & washstand, &c &c. Charge
75 cts a day. The Plaza or public square the principal
attraction, on two sides the Portales, or Arcades, 500 ft,
pavement small pebbles with vertebral bones inlaid in
various figures, made 1799. Over the pavement a sort of
piazza on columns, inside shops or recesses filled with
various goods, & outside & between the Columns shelves
& stands for goods jewelry &c &c with lace workers,
stands for iced drinks &c &c. On another side is the palace,
its entrance guarded by Soldiers; the whole front is occupied by shops or sta[n]ds for the sale of various wares.
On the remaining side is the Cathedral & Bishop's Palace,
an immensely large & much celebrated building, but exceedingly tasteless in its ornaments, images, ungraceful
carvings & mouldings &c. In the Center of the Square is
a fine brazen fountain, surrounded by a chain between
posts of inverted Cannon. There are to be seen numerous
laborers with their mules filling water casks, one of which
is held in a frame on each side of the saddle & the man
himself jumps up behind. The fountain was created 1600.
The rest of the square is open & with no shade trees. In
a walk with Capt H[arvey] after dinner to the Alameda
saw the Gateway of the Naval School with the blocks on
top of the side pillars broken & turned partly round by
the shocks of an earthquake. Returning met the Governor




42


New York to Honolulu


or Mayor of the City walking out & as Capt H[arvey]
said, keeping a lookout on the gambling establishments &
vices of the place, which he is exerting his power or influence to suppress.
Before reaching my hotel had an opportunity to witness
that very impressive observance the "Oracion." At the
tolling of the bells a little after sunset or about dusk all
the inhabitants instantly stop, uncover their heads, &
stand a few moments rendering silent thanks to God for
the mercies of the day-at least this is the design of the
custom. Arrived at my lodgings about 7 tired & warm.
The rooms at this hotel some 16 or 20 ft high, airy, & well
ventilated by high windows.
Lima, 1846.
Frid. March 20, 1846. Rose at 7. Heavy fog or mist
at times a drizzle so as to wet the pavement. Breakfast at coffee house. Beef steak 183/ cts. Went to
the Cathedral. Met Capt T[hompson] &c there; he had
distributed 212 dollars among the priests & attendants.
I was beset by the same, the only Spanish word I c'd
understand was one often repeated to me by these
beggars "moneta." Money they are unscrupulously eager
to get tho' there is no regular charge for visitors. The
part of the Cathedral containing the great altar is elevated several ft above the floor. The ornaments present
abundance of carving & gilding & to an eye fond of glitter
& tawdriness may seem splendid. The altar is s[ai]d to
be of silver, & the high columns of it were said to have
been formerly of the same but were melted down in revolutionary times & replaced by plated ones. The walls are
covered with paintings & images of the virgin &c &c. In
niches or alcoves on the right & left within gratings are
other pictures & altar pieces, chiefly of Scripture or legendary subjects. In one room on each side were carvings
in wood of apostles & saints, with the name & a motto over
head, many paintings, & other objects of Catholic worship.
In a room adjoining this is a series of pictures of the
Archbishops &c &c. The Virgin Mary everywhere. One




I::~~~~~~~~~~~~I
LIMA IN THE '40'St~,s




I^t.
\s ^, *yv. w S~?lhz




Bones of the Conqueror


43


piece in which some venerable person is represented as
kneeling & kissing the infants feet. Some branch of worship seemed to be going on at the great Altar, chanting,
singing &c &c. Near by is a large case with the doors
thrown open containing "relics of the Saints" I asked
thro' my Companion What relics? But could only get for
answer that they were "relics." The most prominent
objects were pictures & images of the Virgin & Saints,
with some small articles in glass cases, which were beyond
my comprehension.
They pretend to show the bones of Pizarro, but the
price of a sight being 1.00 my curiosity did not rise sufficiently high to overcome my love of money.
A young man from N. Y. a few years ago broke off one
of Pizarro's toes & carried away the relic undetected.
The attendants, even to the little boys are dressed in a
sort of loose gown, generally black, fitting close about
the waist. The dress of the different orders of monks is
different, some blue, some white, some grey. Their hats
equally diverse, some with brim 3 ft wide rolled up at the
sides, other bare headed, seemingly a jovial, thoughtless
rowdy set. The[y] found out from my companion that I
was a prot[estan]t clergyman, seemed to be suspicious,
acted trickish; gave them 25 cts. The north part of the
Cathedral less attractive, showed by a black boy into a
room where was an urn to which he pointed & talked to
me much in Spanish, but all I c'd understand was
"Moneta." I afterwards learned that this was professedly
a charity urn for the poor.
Went with Capt Harvey this AM to Mr Chamberlains
an American, who in connection with a Peruvian is
putting up machinery for manufacturing silk, which they
are about introducing into the country. The species of
Mulberry they use is the Morus Multicaulis. He is also
putting up a bathing establishment. Has a steam engine
& other machinery.
The shops around the square are all open today &
present a very different aspect from what they did yesterday. At one of the stands for iced drinks saw a priest




44


New York to Honolulu


take a glass & before drinking, made the Sign of the
Cross on the Surface of the liquid twice with the stirring
stick & then sipped. The Sign of the Cross is every where.
Standing on one side of the Plaza 2 dozen may be counted
without reckoning those on the dresses of the priests &
elsewhere.
Dined at same coffee house on a mutton chop & sallad31 cts. Went to see the Museum at some distance from the
square. Had just begun to look & noticed a portrait of
Columbus [This portrait of Columbus was exhibited at
the Columbus Exposition, Chicago, 1893.] & a series of
45 portraits of the Spanish viceroys commencing with
Pizarro, suits of specimens in Natural History Geology
&c, with Indian relics idols of silver gold &c, when the
hour came for closing & I was obligd to leave off.
At the stage office saw a young lady, the prettiest I have
seen, with her mother & brother.
Introduced by Capt H[arvey] to Messrs Watson &
Brown Tailors & Americans. One of our passengers had
tried to pass himself here for the Capt of the Mariposa
in order to get a suit of clothes. But did not succeed. Mr
W[atson] knew him at Valparaiso as a very bad man.
Not long after he "cozened" a fellow Englishman out of
$8.00, & has shown himself fully worthy of the place he
hails from Sydney, N. S. W.
Learnt from Mr Brown some traits of the Peruvians. Licentiousness unbounded. Morality hardly known.
Priests all have women. One of high rank who passed the
door was pointed out as having a "woman" & family, &
was now living with another woman. When talked with
they justify their conduct by saying they are but men &
did not make the regulations of celibacy. They are a vain,
light, trifling set of men with very few honorable exceptions. One bishop is mentioned as having had 90 children.
But this gross corruption of Xnty [Christianity] seems to
be losing its hold upon the minds of the people.
At 5/ walked with Capt H[arvey] to the Alameda,
delightful. Paused on returning at the time of Oracion or
evening prayers. Went with Capt H[arvey] to tea at Mr




In the Track of the Earthquake


45


Fosters & spent the eve. Tea at 7/2 no formality, simple
cup of tea & nothing else. Much interesting relig[iou]s
conversation with Capt H[arvey]. His experience, converted by instrumentality in part of a religious pamphlet
given him by a friend who was himself not pious. He
carries his religion into all his life. Strict on board his
ship, has no gambling, drinking, song singing or anything
of the sort.
Took omnibus for Callao at 2. British minister in it.
Fine looking man, of about 45, in white hat, white vest
with gilt buttons & white pants & blue coat. Says he has
no apprehensions of war with U.S.
Went aboard. Began a letter to Father to send by Capt
Harvey overland.
Mon. Mar. 23d Went ashore at 4 & took a stroll across
the point from the Castle to the South beach; followed the
beach nearly to the W point & returned by the N Beach,
passing over the ruins of the old city of Callao. Marks of
these ruins are visible over all this neck of land most of
which is very low & covered with pebbles, as if washed
by a surf. The beach around consists of a ridge of pebbles
many feet high, in fact on the S. side there appears to be
a double beach one several feet above the other, unless it
be where the surf washes in high seas at the present time.
It is s [ai] d that the old city extended beyond the point to
a rock called the Whale's back between the p[oin]t & San
Lorenzo, the sinking of the earth converting this into a
roadstead. It is usually stated in the common acc[oun]ts
of the earthquake that of a population of 4000 only 200
escaped. But Mr Howell of the Golden Bull Hotel says it
contained 46,000, that there are 6 or 7000 in Callao now.
But I doubt his being good authority. Fragments of walls,
arched vaults of churches, pavements &c &c are still visible. These vaults are filled with human bones, & the same
are to be seen almost everywhere among the ruins; they
are s [ai]d to have been put there for the most part in the
Revolution of 1825 & 6, tho' others say that bodies are
deposited there at the present time. Near the point are
some light houses of reeds out of which a great dog came




46


New York to Honolulu


yelping at me but gave me no further trouble. Gathered
a few pebbles & shells but none of value.
The surf breaks heavily on the south beach, rushing up
several rods. The pebbles are mostly of trap or trachyte
with porphyry, amygdaloid &c. The old fort is in a good
state of preservation, the walls & ditch being entire &
many other parts of the structure apparently but little
injured by the earthquake. The foundation of it is now
even with or below the level of the water. The rags of
clothing belonging to bodies that have been buried or left
on these grounds are scattered about & render it a disgusting place.
Tues. 24th March Went ashore at 91/2. Rambled up the
beach towards the mouth of the Rimac. The outskirts of
Callao filthy. A great many wolfish looking dogs. Fishermen on the beach drying & repairing their nets. Women
bathing with skirt on below the waist. Beach pebbly, went
nearly to the River, farms & farmhouses just back from
the shore, fields of plantains &c immense foliage, pinchd
some large yellow flowers from a shrub, suppose it to be
cotton from the ball containing what appeared to be that
article, some fine shades of willows; followed a path across
some of the farms, thro' a grove where at a little pond of
water a dozen women were washing clothes some of them
half naked. Saw a man ploughing with 1 yoke of oxen,
his plough with 1 straight handle long enough for the
beam; the whole seemed to be rude & chiefly of wood. The
fences around some of the fields were of canes set perpendicularly & lashed together some 6 or 8 feet high. A
light kind of house or enclosure is made in the same way.
The soil here seems to be a rich loam, in some places
clayey, & is evidently fertile. Irrigation is necessary.
Near the road to Lima passed a large company of Soldiers
engaged in washing clothes in a ditch. The officers were
lying idle, some women among them. Went to the cross
nearly out to Bella Vista on the road to Lima, a square
mud pedestal whitewashed with a cross on top, marking
the place of the Spanish Frigate driven inland by the
wave which destroyed old Callao. It must be about 1 mile




The High Cost of Matrimony


47


from the water inland. Got back to Callao about 12, &
went on board in the boat.
It is said that one reason why so many live together
without marriage is on acc't of the expense of the ceremony, the priests so contriving it as in various ways to
make the sum run up to perhaps 100 or 150 dollars.
Wed Mar 25th. Went on board the British War Steamer
"Cormorant," & looked all over it-2, 10 ft long guns 42
pounders, fore & aft, two broadside 68 pounders, 2, 42 lb
mortars, & some smaller Brass pieces 6 lbs. Complement
145 men. Ship 225 ft long 35 or 40 wide. Paddle wheels
17/2 feet diam. 2 single engines & 4 boilers runs from 6
to 8 knots per hour. Afterwards went ashore. Another
holiday & no business done, shops nearly all shut. Staid
an hour & returned to the ship.
Mr Parsons the Mate very kindly made me a present
of a pair of summer pants.
[Mar.] 26. Thurs. Went ashore at 3 & staid till 6,
rambled thro' the Castle. In one wing of it the Prison
containing the robbers, murderers &c of the Country.
Some English & American sailors there, some for desertion & some for other crimes. The Castle is s[ai]d to be
able to contain 10,000 men; it is now chiefly occupied for
the business of the Customhouse. A large number of
Cannon are mounted on the ramparts. Spoke to a Sentinel
& got scolded in Spanish by an officer; none the wiser.
A large number of guns are now mounted on the walls,
though Wilkes remarks that when he was here they had
been all removed but 4. ["Only five of its beautiful guns
remain," Wilkes, Narrative, vol. 1, p. 234.] They have
since been replaced.
The various dwellings & apartments inside the fortress
seem to be occupied by offices soldiers &c. Under a large
shed, men were at work building boats. Many soldiers are
seen about the fortress & elsewhere in Callao. Small
squads with a band of music may be seen marching thro'
the streets at any hour of the day. Their uniform is
usually white pants & roundabout, with a cylindrical cap.
The prisoners seem to be mostly kept at work sweeping,




48


New York to Honolulu


& repairing streets & doing other work with soldiers
enough keeping guard to do the work themselves.
The best Hotel at Callao is the Marine Hotel. A
cheaper one & in fact equally good for all practical purposes is the Golden Bull by David Howell, who speaks
English & is I believe an Englishman. Fire wood is sold
here by the pound; a billet, 6 inches in diam or so costs
6 cts-it is very scarce & very dear.
Capt Thompson came to borrow of Capt S[palding]
34 dols. in addition to the 34 he borrowed the other day,
to foot his bills at Lima. Oh the folly & sin of drinking I
The old fort west of the Castle Mr Johnson says was
blown up in 1839 at the same time another fort a little
north of it was. It had nothing to do with the great earthquake, as' is commonly represented. Mr J[ohnson] thinks
the present pop[ulatio]n of Callao 15,000, & of Lima
45,000.
[Mar.] 27. Friday. Went ashore at 9 & took a ramble
to the ruins of Bellavista 2 miles on the road to Lima.
No inhabitants, ruins of houses, mound of considerable
height, walls. Two circular shafts or wells, some 10 or 12
feet in diameter, with openings below. Part of a kind of
tower or castle, circular, steps outside, 10 or 15 feet in
diameter, hollow, two entrances below one into one story
& another by a descending way below that. Before reaching Bella Vista passed a sort [of] village, large square
establishment enclosed with high walls, main entrance
guarded by soldiers. In one corner a public school as I
gathered from an inscription over the door & from hearing the voices of children reading & spelling within.
Passed through a gateway into the grounds of a large
farm apparently, pleas[an]t house & garden; wandered
over it, & over the ruins of Bellavista which are East of
it & the walls of which seem to embrace this establishment.
Passing a plantain or Banana field I plucked one of
the flower bulbs, purple, & conical some 2 inches in diam,
& 4 long, consisting of leaves folded on each other. Under
each leaf were the rudiments of the future Bananas in
clusters or layers of 14 each & I counted nearly 40 layers,




Official Vigilance             49
so that I ignorantly destroyed over 500 Bananas. I also
came across a lime tree & picked up some half ripe ones
under it, plucked some fine roses also, & saw large fields
of sweet potatoes. The tops are a vine lying on the ground,
spreading to some distance, & having a heartshaped leaf;
noticed many willows & other trees whose names I did
not know. These grounds are irrigated by water but in
ditches.
Just at dinner time the visitors came on board officials
whose duty it is to see that all the articles on the ships
manifest are on board & nothing smuggled. It seems however to be a mere matter of form for they took some bread
& cheese & cider & left the ship without even glancing an
eye into the hold or at any part of the cargo.
This AM the U.S. frigate Congress came in, looks
finely at a distance. Has on board Judge [Joel] Turrill
& Mr Ten Eyke [A. Ten Eyck] Consul & Superintendent
at the S [andwich] Islands.
This PM the Ship Mississippi also came in, bound for
home in a few days.
Sat. March 28th. Last night the colored Cook disappeared baggage & all. He & the steward have been at
swords pts for some time. When or how he went no one
professes to know. Capt S[palding] has offered $10.
reward.
Through Capt. Spaldings great kindness in paying my
passage to Lima & back I made another visit to that city
to-day. Took the omnibus at 7 & got to Lima a little after
8. Made the acquaintance of Mr Teneycke who is going
out in the Congress as U. S. Commissioner to the S[andwich] Islands. He was in the same omnibus for Lima, &
appears to be the right sort of man. He took rooms for
himself wife & two other ladies at Morins. Com. Stockton
& other officers put up at the same house. The same
begging Padre at the bar of the half way house-he is
accustomed to beg money of passengers; discovering us
to be nearly all foreigners he hesitated about approaching
the Coach, but soon ventured near, obtaining nothing
however for his pains. He carries a picture of the Virgin




50


New York to Honolulu


which donors if they are good Catholics are expected to
kiss. Saturday is peculiarly a Catholic begging day, & in
Lima priests & friars were to be seen at ever[y] turn with
a contribution box in one hand & a picture of the Virgin
or of some saint in the other.
Gave to Capt Harvey a letter to take to the U.S for
father. He is to leave on the 14th of April & expects to
get to Baltimore the latter part of May.
Visited hastily another of the old & wealthy churches
in Lima, could not ascertain its name. On its portal was
the date 1838. The internal ornaments are more splendid
& showy than those of the Cathedral; there is an immense
amount of curious carved work & most of it entirely
covered with gilt & tinseley. Images of course were in
great profusion. Many devotees were on their knees on
the pavements & seemed very devout.
Returned in the two oclock Omnibus, a dusty ride.
Loitered about Callao till 5 & went on board.
Found Capt Thompson still at Lima, has been on a
hard spree. He had run out the 34 dols he borrowed two
days ago of Capt Spalding & a score of $20 besides,
making his expenses at Lima in the last 8 or 9 days about
88 or 90 dollars. So much for Drink.
Sunday, Mar. 29, 1846. Should have noted that Friday
eve a week ago the mate & 4 hands went ashore, 2 of them
John & Bill got drink. Bill seemed like a madman, jumped
out of the boat several times, took 112 hour to get off to
the Ship. Called up watch at 12. Bill struck & injured
much in the face & eyes a quiet inoffensive hand a German
who had turned out to assist. In fact Liquor had made
him perfectly frantic. During the past week some of the
men have contrived to get spirits, & are made by it very
disorderly & troublesome. The German hands are much
the most temperate. Bill & the Mate had some trouble day
before yesterday. Bill asked Capt S[palding] to discharge him. The Capt. refusing he declared he would not
work another day, they might put him in irons or do what
they pleased with him. The Capt put off the settlement of
the difficulty for a day or two Bill being evidently under




Shore Leave


51


the influence of Liquor. He & all the rest when at sea are
as orderly & quiet men as could be wished.
The Purser & another officer from the Steamer came
on board to do some business with the Capt. & get some
books which I sold yesterday-viz [Sir Archibald] Alison's History [of Europe, 1789-1815, Edinburgh 1833 -1842] for $9.00. Naturalists Library 1 vol. for 3. & [Sir
Charles] Lyells [Elements of] Geology [1st ed. Lond.,
1838, 2d ed., 1841] for 4.00 = $16 -This Afternoon the Capts clerk of the Congress came
on board to see Capt Thompson said clerk (Mr [George]
Hyde) being bound for California, as he said to seek his
fortune. He is a pleasant young man of 27, & rather
visionary seemingly in some of his notions.
This day has not seemed much like a sabbath, there has
been so much going on that savors not of the concerns of
religion.
Great excitement on board this eve from suspicions
that the Steward was designing to run away. A boat
came up & was ordered off; soon after it returned again.
The Capt gave orders for a strict watch. The two mates
watch & all hands were on deck & Capt in cabin. Yet in
the midst of all this precaution the Steward got off without detection from the Stern; at first it was supposed he
had run away, but his trunk & things being undisturbed
it was concluded he had only gone on a spree, especially
as he had been ashore in the PM & was under the influence of liquor when he came on board at tea time. It
turned out that this was the case, as he reappeared at
5 oclock Monday Morn. The Capt had a loaded pistol by
him to be prepared for any more serious disturbance,
but had no occasion to use it.
Monday March 30. Saturday the Capt engaged a new
cook, a young darkey. Yesterday his bundle came a
board. But this morning it was ascertained that he got
into a row last night & was now in Calaboose. Accordingly
the Capt this morn. has engaged another & he is now on
board.
This morn. the ship was towed a little way out where




52


New York to Honolulu


she c'd more readily get under way this PM. At 3 P M
the Capt of the port visited us & at 3 /2we got under way,
& steered for the Islands. Took some altitudes for the
time, but while working them in the Cabin was obliged to
leave off by seasickness, though the ship had no great
motion. Instead of taking tea, emptied my stomach over
the ships side. Went to bed at sunset.
Tuesday March 31. Rose at 7, unwell, ate no breakfast,
kept my berth nearly all the forenoon, ate no dinner
but a few figs & a bit of watermelon, qualmish, lay down
most of the P.M. Fine weather & at noon had advanced
102 miles. We have a new Passenger a mate of a ship,
who is to work his passage to the Islands; he sleeps in
the Steward's room & boards in the Cabin. We have now
6 at the Cabin table viz Capt. Spalding, Mr Parsons, J. C.
Spalding, Capt. Thompson, Mr Moran (the new passenger) & myself. I have a state room by myself & am
in all respects more pleasantly situated than on the
passage out.
Thurs. 2 April. Steward laid aside by the results of his
sinful folly & the boy Nicolas takes his place temporarily.
Thus for one man's sins not only himself but others
suffer. The new cook is but partially acquainted with his
business & needs the aid & instructions of the Steward;
cant make coffee as well as the old Cook, but is better
tempered & willing to learn. Gave him a couple of shirts
for which he seemed thankful.
In speaking of the Catholic religion in Chili & Peru Mr
Moran mentions that 36 miles from Coquimbo is the
shrine or Church of St. Rosa to which he has seen persons in the way of penance making pilgrimages on their
knees, their knees being all raw. The image of the Saint
they pretend is able to weep, & cannot be removed from
its place.
Friday April 3d 1846. Pleasant sailing. Reading Wilkes
description of the Sandwich Islands [Narrative, vol. 3, ch.
11, vol. 4, chs. 1-7], very good as to facts & statistics, but
as a literary performance discreditable to himself & to
the country.




Tailoring an Umbrella


53


Sat. 4th 1846. Have been out 5 days & come over 600
miles, at the same rate we shall cross the equator in about
12 days. The Congress was to have sailed on Thurs (2d);
she will doubtless be at the Islands before us.
Sun. Ap'l 5th Was out this morn. at 4. Stars very brilliant, Venus particularly so, could perceive no Zodiacal
Light; went to bed again & slept till 7. Breeze very light,
& weather warm, nearly calm.
Reading Wilberforce &c &c. Talk with Capt S [palding]
respecting how far a man's religious char[acte]r is
affected by narrow mindedness, or want of judgment &c.
He seems disposed, like many Unitns, to make vital religion responsible for a man's intellectual defects or idiosyncracies.
Small whale alongside. P.M. very large schools of porpoises & Blackfish. Eve. very beautiful, moon 9 days old
clear, & nearly in the zenith. Air mild & soft. Sat on the
rail looking at the sky & then at the water with the moon
dancing in it. Thought of friends who might be viewing
the same object, grew sentimental,-fine eve for serious
contemplation.
Mon. Ap'l 6, 1846. My umbrella, which was purchased
new when I left N.Y. & was never wet, proving very
rotton as to its cover, I bo't some cloth in Lima (25ets per
yd) & have been putting my geometric and sewing skill
in requisition to day to cover it anew.
Tues. 7th April. Finished the umbrella got a good fit &
saved thus the price of a new article which this side of
the world w'd be twice as much as at home.
Wed. Ap'l 8. Not very well today. Reading some Nos
of the Sandwich Island "Friend" & " Cascade" for 1845
which Mr Trumbull gave me at Valparaiso. They are very
much occupied with Temperance & judging from their
representations, that Cause must have made good progress there.
Thurs Ap'l 9th. Reading Cheevers letters &c. Had a
long debate with Capt S[palding] on the Atonement
which he decries & holds that simple repentance alone is
nec[essar]y to reconciliation.




54


New York to Honoltulu


Friday, Ap'l 10th. Reading [Sheldon] Dibbles History
of the S[andwich] Isds [Lahainaluna, 1843] &c. Debate
with Capt S[palding] respecting Cheevers Letters,
foreigners at Honolulu, influence of Missionaries &c &c.
He talks much of liberality, enlarged views etc but forgets
the practice.
Eve. tried to read [Francis Allyn] Olmsteds visit to
S[andwich] Is, interrupted every five minutes with glorifications of Unitarianism &c &c, could accomplish but
little. Delightfull moonlight eve, moon nearly full, sky
clear air soft & mild.
Sat. Ap'l 11th 1846. Reading Olmsteds "Incidents of a
Whaling voyage" [New York, 1841].
The boy Nicholas (who is now acting Steward during
the disability of the regular functionary) has been repeatedly urged by the Capt & myself to devote some of
his time to learning to read. I have freely offered to instruct him, but from shame for his backwardness in learning, or for some other reason he neglects to avail himself
of the opportunity.
Charming Ev. full moon, sat musing on the ships rail,
thought of a thousand things, among them of home
friends etc.
Flying fish innumerable.
[Apr.] 13th Mon. Reading [Charles Samuel] Stewarts
Residence at the Sandwich Islands [Private Journal of a
voyage to the Pacific Ocean, and residence at the Sandwich Islands, 1822-1825, New York, 1828, and other editions], &c &c &c.
Wed [Apr.] 15th. Made the greatest run since leaving
NY = 189m, there being 29m current.
Yesterday I drew up a Temperance pledge, in consequence of a conversation which I had a few evenings ago
with "Bill" & others who had got into trouble by intemperance at Valpo & Callao. I determined to circulate it
thro' the Ship. On presenting it to the Capt. he declined
on the ground that he had Brandy in his Cargo to dispose
of & was obliged in the way of his business to deal in the
article, but nevertheless expressed his desire that his son




The Pledge


55


should sign it. His son refused, but said he would if his
father would. Capt T[hompgon] declined, saying he had
resolved to take nothing stronger than Claret-! Wm
Powers & John McArdle (who got so high at Callao) with
the Steward (who also had a sad spree there) were glad
to pledge themselves to total abstinence. Two or three
declined who are yet temperate or drink scarcely at all,
& 2 or 3 refused who profess total abstinence.
The Pledge is as follows"Fully convinced, in view of the many & great evils
resulting from the use of alcoholic drinks both to individuals & communities that total abstinence from them
is the duty of all,
"We the Undersigned, do hereby unite in a solemn
pledge that we will not use as a beverage any intoxicating liquors & will discountenance the use of them in
others." Signed by
J. S. Parsons            Geo Aug. Borgle
Wm Powers                C. S. Lyman
Jos Frost                Dan1 Trippit
Jos Soost                F Blumer
John C. McArdle          Thos Powell
Carls Moran
A very large irregular spot is visible on the sun with
the naked eye. It cannot be less than 30 or 40,000 miles
in diameter.
Thurs 16. April. Spent the AM in washing clothes,
hard & hot work. Not able to eat my figs, they being too
laxative, gave then to J C. S [palding].
Reading Stewarts Journal, &c.
Took a bath by standing over the head & pouring water
over myself, drawing it up with a bucket, very refreshing.
Design to practice thus every other eve or so.
18. Sat. April 1846. Must have crossed the line before
sun rise this morn.
Writing sermon today.
Steward again gives out, having tried for a week or so
to do his business, & the boy "Nick" takes his place.




56


New York to Honolulu


Eve. reading Dibble's S[andwich] Ids.
[Apr.] 19. Sun. Reading [John] Flavels Touchstone
[of Sincerity, London, 1698, 2d ed. Boston, Mass., 1818]
&c &c. A quiet Sabbath, but how delightful it will be to get
once more where the Sabbath may afford the privilege of
public worship. This (D.V.) we anticipate in 3 or 4 Sabs
more.
Mon. 20th April. This eve saw the North Star about
21/2~ above the horizon. Wrote some rhymes about the
matter.
Thurs [May] 7th Lat 19~ 23' N. Lon. 145~ 0' W. Copied
from Wilkes a map of the volcanic district of Hawaii, &c
&c. [Map of the part of the Island of Hawaii, Sandwich
Islands, shewing the Craters and Eruption of May and
June-1840. By the U. S. Ex. Ex. 1841. In Narrative, vol. 4,
p. 111.]
Frid 8th May. Rewriting a sermon. Reading Geology,
&c &c. Eve bored with listening to the reading of Xn
[Christian] Register & other Unitarian matter.
Sun 10th May 1846 Reading Barne's Notes on
Matt[hew], &c &c.
Mon. [May] 11th AM Whale near the ship.
Thurs 14th May 1846 This morn Island of Morokai
[Molokai] visible some miles to the Southward. Morn
dark & rainy. Also a barque (American) close by us. 101/2
AM Oahu in sight to the W. N W p[oin]t of Morokai to
the S. Lat at noon 20~ 25'. Lon 157~ 19'. 20m from E
p [oin] t of Oahu.
2 PM. passed old cone crater 2 or 3 miles off, appearance of the Island mountainous & barren.
21~ PM. Diamond hill in sight. 2 vessels standing into
Honolulu. The beach 4 or 5 miles distant lined with
hamlets, small villages, with cocoa nut groves & some
patches of green vegetation, high hills just back from
beach.
3/ passed Diamond hill which is also an old cone
crater. Honolulu soon appeared in view, the 3 or 4 vessels
in the harbor. The Frigate Congress which we left at
Callao & which we expected w'd be here before us had




Arrival                   57
not arrived. The Pilot Capt Meeks came on board when
we were about 2 or 3 miles out & at 4 PM we dropped
anchor in the outer roads & soon after the Capt went on
shore in the pilot boat. We came in with a strong breeze
& since yesterday the Mariposa has done better than at
any time on the passage, having made 230m since yesterday noon. From the Pilot we learn that the bark which
passed us this AM  [was] the Angola of Salem-from
Tahiti. She came from Salem to the Sandwich Isds in 117
days. Waititi [Waikiki] lies east of Diamond Hill, appears like a pleasant place, large groves of Cocoa nuts.
The Natives who came as boatmen for the pilot were fine
looking fellows. Packed up my effects & got ready to go
ashore tomorrow.








II.
OAHU, MAUI, HAWAII, HILO, AND KILAUEA;
TOUR THROUGH PUNA
MAY 15 TO JULY 15, 1846




0




II.
Honolulu May 1846
Friday 15th Came ashore after breakfast, called with
Capt S[palding] at Mr Greens store, & under the guidance of a native lad proceeded to Rev S[amuel] C[heney]
Damon's, Seamen's Chap[lain], to whom I had a letter
from Mr Trumbull of Valp[arais]o. Found him just
harnessing his horse to go to the General Meeting of the
Missionaries at the large Church 3/4 of a mile distant. He
is a man prepossessing in appearance, apparently 30 or
35 yrs of age, & received me with a cordial Xn [Christian]
welcome & made me at once at home in his family; was
introduced to his good lady & her sister & immediately
rode with him to the Miss[ionar]y meeting.
The town as to its external appearance is not inviting;
the sharp thatched roofs of the houses give it from the
sea the aspect of a plain filled with stacks of hay, & on
entering it the wall of adobes by which the streets are
lined & the houses shut in give it a monotonous & uninteresting appearance. The streets are sufficiently broad
& the chief annoiance in them is the dust which the wind
rushing down from the hills keeps in active circulation.
The streets are filled with natives passing to & fro,
dressed in every imaginable variety of garments, or
rather some of them scarcely dressed at all, for scores
are to be met at any hour of the day with nothing but a
shirt on. The natives at first view are a fine looking set
generally, more so at least than I had anticipated. They
have for the most part a dignified appearance, carry their
heads erect, & have a pleasant expression of countenance.
The women are much better dressed than the men.
Indeed I have not yet noticed anything that one sh'd call
immodest in this respect. Most of them wear a loose gown
close at the neck & reaching to the feet. Some I have met
with a gown of the gayest colors & a rich silk shawl, but
without shoes or stockings. On the way to the Mission




62     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
premises & stone Church (or Kings Chapel) we passed
the palace, a very handsome building in the midst of extensive grounds planted with shrubbery. Near it is the
school of young Chiefs (Mr. [Amos S.] Cooke's). At the
Church we found the missionaries in session it being the
second day of the general meeting. Soon after entering
I was introduced to the Moderator (Mr. [Harvey R.]
Hitchcock formerly of my native town) & then to the whole
body of the miss[ionarie]s who rose to receive me. The
letters brought by me were distributed to the proper
individuals & for a short time the run of business seemed
to be quite interrupted. When we entered Mr [Titus]
Coan of Hilo was reading his report; afterwards reports
were read by Messrs [Mark] Ives, [John D.] Paris,
[Ephraim W.] Clark, [William P.] Alexander & others.
The missionary work at the different stations appears
to be in a flourishing condition. In some districts of
Hawaii complaint was made in respect to the schools,
much oppression existing on the part of the rulers, & the
school regulations being but imperfectly carried out. In
the Southern & Western districts of Hawaii mention was
made of a most distressing drought & consequent famine
for many months past. The like is not remembered by the
oldest inhabitants. The natives live mostly on roots for
which they have to go miles into the mountains. Their
whole time is occupied in procuring a scanty subsistence.
Every species of vegetation is burnt as dry as the sun can
make it. Water is very scarce. Rev. Mr. Ives stated that
for many weeks he had to depend for his supply of drinking [water] upon the whale ships, & Mrs Thurston informed me that they had not had potatoes for several
months. The distress among the natives is of course great.
To render the matter worse the Govt Taxes are required
to be paid in Gold or Silver. But these metals on that
Island are exceeding scarce. Mr [William] Richards told
me that the whole am[oun]t of money collected from that
Island was not sufficient to pay the Governor's salary.
To procure money the people are obliged to go to some of
the larger towns, Hilo or Honolulu for employment that




KAWAiHAO CHURiCH, ITONOLULU
D1)lDICATEID IN 1842




10"
d,~o
', Nt




Primitive Sacrament 


63


will yield it; their lands at home are neglected & when
once away they seldom return or at least in most cases
their children are left behind. This is one cause of the
diminution of the population of these districts.
Mr [Lorenzo] Lyons' report from Waimea on the same
Isd [Hawaii] was a very amusing one. He not being
himself present, it was read by Mr Coan. The sketch he
gave of the physical intellectual moral & religious aspect
of the station was very graphic. It is a retired station, &
the missionary's trials & labors are greater than at most
other places. He mentioned many anecdotes illustrative
of the rude & uncultivated char[acte]r of the people.
Under the head of religious char[acte]r he described a
communion scene. The table was covered with plates of
every sort & size. The cups were sometimes pitchers, but
often only calabashes or gourds. Water colored with
molasses was a substitute for wine, & for bread various
articles were used taro, potatoes, sometimes poi & occasionally ship bread. On one occasion when Mr L[yons]
was to administer the sacrament the natives in the simplicity of their hearts, had endeavored to make the best
arrangements in their power & accordingly had procured from a whale ship 1/2 a dozen bottles of wine, & a
quantity of soft bread a full month before communion.
Mr L[yons] on coming into Church found the bottles
displayed on the table & also the bread wrapped in a
napkin. To be sure that all was right he thought it prudent to taste the wine & found every bottle but one was
the worst kind of Brandy; the other bottle he c'd not
make out except that it was not wine. These were set aside
of course. On opening the bread he found it all a black
mass of mould. Other articles were substituted in the
best way that circumstances w'd allow of & the service
gone thro' with.
Dined at Mr Damon's. Stayed with him over night,
became acquainted with several of the Miss[ionarie]s.
Sat. May 16. Did not attend the Meeting this AM, busy
getting my things landed & in other matters. Dined with
Messrs [David B.] Lyman & Ives of Hawaii. Mr L[yman]




64     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
is a native of New Hartford Ct. & a branch of the original
Lyman family in America. Find my interviews with the
Miss[ionarie]s delightful after so long a deprivation of
Xn [Christian] intercourse, especially as they all seem
to be warmhearted Americans & most of them from New
England. Took tea with Mr. [Edmund H.] Rogers the
mission printer whose wife was Miss Hitchcock, formerly
of Manchester. Her brother Mr. Hitchcock of Morokai
[Molokai] was also present, with his wife, & Mr Hitchcock 2 yrs since from Ohio, the foreman in the Govt printing office. Mr R[ogers] has a family of 4 children.
Sunday [May] 17th. A delightful Sabbath, attended the
Seamen's Chapel. Streets of the town as quiet as in a
N.E. village. The Chapel is situated near the landing. It
is capable of seating 250 or 300 & was well filled, mostly
by foreign Amn & Engh residents & the officers & seamen
of the ships in the harbor. The preacher was Mr. [Daniel
T.] Conde one of the missionaries. He gave a well built
practical sermon on the Pearl of great price.
Eve. attended service at the Seamen's Chapel & heard
Rev Mr [John F.] Pogue miss'y on Kauai, & one of the
last reinforcement 2 yrs since. He gave a good sermon
on taking up the Cross & following Xt [Christ]. Chapel
well filled.
Capt Thompson yesterday was thrown from a horse &
broke one of his ribs. Is now confined in a thatch house
connected with the Mansion House hotel. Was intoxicated
at the time. Thus he loses an opportunity of going direct
to California by the Angola Capt [Samuel] Varney which
is to sail on Tues.
Mon. [May] 18. After breakfast called to see Capt
T[hompson], found him easy. Attended the Missy meeting this AM. Reports finished. Mr [Daniel] Dole's on the
School for Missionaries' Children very sensible & well
drawn up. He strongly advocated the admission of other
children besides those specified. On this p[oin]t there is
some difference of opinion among the missionaries. Dined
with Mr & Mrs [Asa] Thurston at Mr Damon's. Mr
T [hurston] is one of the oldest missionaries, a venerable,




Footnote to the Pledge


65


good man, & Mrs T [hurston] is a very agreeable excellent
woman-had a very pleasant interview.
P.M. called on Mrs Paris who is sister of Miss Grant
whom I saw at Mr Hart's in N.Y., found her quite feeble,
complaint pulmonary. Met there also Mrs Judd wife of
Dr [Gerritt P.] J[udd] Minister of Finance.
Mon. P.M. also called on Dr [R. W.] Wood for medical
advice. Find him an affable intelligent man.
Tues 19th May. Went down to ship. Rode (on Mr
D[amon]s horse) 2 or 3 miles up the Valley of Nuuanu.
Dined at Mr [Richard] Armstrong's. [Richard Armstrong was the father of General Samuel C. Armstrong,
the founder of Hampton Institute.] Mrs Dibble present.
Both agreeable ladies. Found in Mrs A[rmstrong] an old
schoolmate & friend of Mrs J H Brockway.
Called also at Mr [Benjamin W.] Parkers, not at home.
Called at the Young Chiefs School. Mr Cooke not in.
Mr Douglas who came from New London for his health a
year since is assistant teacher, & was in charge of the
school. I was introduced to the scholars; they are 16 in
number, bright & intelligent in features & some of them
decidedly fine looking, especially Bernice Pauahi, one of
the older girls. [Bernice Pauahi afterward became the
wife of Charles R. Bishop. The Diarist corresponded with
this interesting Hawaiian as long as she lived, and in the
'70's she visited him at his family home in New Haven.]
Mr Cooke soon returned. He was formerly an intimate
friend of my friend Strong of N[ew] H[aven]; his wife
is very pleasing. Met also at Mr Cooke's, Mr. Johnson
[Andrew Johnstone?] & his wife teachers on Kauai.
Wed. 20th May. Staid at home most of the day, except
riding out in the morn, visiting the ship &c; found Bill
who had signed the Temp. pledge on the passage from
Callao, under the influence of liquor. Talked with him
but fear he is a ruined man. He is discharged from the
ship.
Called with Mr D[amon] on Mr Boardman, watchmaker, found him busy & reducing his noonday observa



66     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
tions for the rating of Chronometers, & staid but a few
minutes.
Heard from him that there was typesetting in the Govt
printing office last Sunday. Meeting a workman Mr
D[amon] found on inquiry that such was the fact, &
wrote a note of inquiry to Mr J[ames] J[ackson] Jarves,
Superintendent, &c. It seems to make quite a stir in the
village. The reason of it is that Mr J [arvis] being anxious
to get a pamphlet ready against the arrival of the Congress is hurrying the workmen in the office-the pamphlet
is a local & political matter intended to forestall the
sentiments of the public officers on board that ship. The
story is too long & intricate to set down here. Eve. riding
with Mr D[amon] met Mr Hitchcock foreman of the
office. He denied sanctioning it but attempted to justify
it. Some plain talk. Eve. Mr [P. A.] Brinsmade former
Consul called. He returned to the Islands in the Charles
2 months since having spent several yrs. in America
Eng[land] & France. He has sued Jarves, Editor of the
Polynesian for libel laying $50,000 damages. The case is
an intricate one; one branch of it is the Sunday printing.
Mr B[rinsmade] is brother of H. N. B[rinsmad]e D D of
Newark N.J. & is a pleasant & intelligent gentleman.
Mr & Mrs Ladd also called, a very pleasant couple.
Thurs [May] 21st. After breakfast rode horseback to
Waititi [Waikiki] 2 or 3 miles E of Honolulu. Waititi
is on the shore, & contains extensive cocoa nut groves.
P.M. attended communion service in connection with
the Missionary meeting at the Church. After meeting
rode with Mr Damon & Miss Mills on horseback to Mr
Adams' place 3m W. of Honolulu; the ride is a very
pleasant one. Mr A[dams] has a number of acres under
cultivation; he has been here but 14 months, & his grounds
which were then wild are now filled with all kinds of
fruits & vegetables. Mr Adams is a Scotchman, has been
here 36 yrs, has a native wife & family, is an intelligent
man & great reader. His house is a thatched one, commodious, mats on the ground, two chief rooms, front & rear,
pictures & maps on the walls, table in center &c.




The First Steamer


67


Frid. [May] 22d Rode up to the Mission with Mr
D[amon] thence to the landing to see the Brit. Steamer
Cormorant come in, which we had seen with glass from
"look out" (on his house) soon after breakfast. This is
the first Steamer ever arrived here, & the natives were
in a state of great excitement. Every house top & steeple
was covered with them & their clatter was heard in every
direction. They were seen coming into town from every
quarter & at the time of her arrival at the landing the
wharfs & every place from which she c'd be seen, was
literally covered with natives, & their clatter was raised
to the highest pitch. She came up very slowly, with little
motion of the wheels & little smoke visible so that many
of the natives seemed disappointed, their notions of a
"Fire-ship"  as they call the steamer not being fully
realized.
Found some late papers at Mr D[amon]s. The papers
are mostly filled with the Oregon question.
Called on Mr [George] Brown, U.S. Commissioner. He
has rec'd a splendid copy of U.S. Ex[ploring] Exped[itio]n for the King, cost $80, quarto. Mr. B[rown] is
interdicted from intercourse with the Govt on acc't of
difficulties which have arisen. He tells sad stories of
some of the Govt officers & has in his possession some
documents which are certainly very queer. Called also
on Dr Wood & Mr Brinsmade. Eve Mr Douglass called.
Sat [May] 23d. Mr Armstrong invited Mr D[amon] &
myself to attend the Genl meeting. This I had not done
bx [because] I understood that strangers were excluded.
Tues PM before adjourning a vote was passed to have the
meetings public & many individuals were invited to
attend. The next morn Mr Brown & Mr Brinsmade went
up, but just as they were entering the Ch[urc]h a vote
was taken rescinding that of the day before. They accordingly retreated. I am informed however that it is not the
design to sit with absolutely closed doors, but that the
brethren may invite whom they think proper.
Mr. and Mrs [Cochran] Forbes & Mr. and Mrs.




68     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
[Dwight] Baldwin at dinner at Mr. D[amon]s with their
Children.
Mr. & Mrs. Hunt & Mr & Mrs [Eliphalet] Whittlesey at
tea; they are of the last reinforcement (two yrs. ago
[1844]) & the ladies are particularly interesting. Mr.
H[unt] is a grad of Yale, Mr. W[hittlesey] of W[illia]ms
Col[lege].
Sun. May 24th At 11 attended service at Seamen's
Chapel. Mr D [amon] preached a sermon in behalf of the
Hawaiian B[ible] Soc. from the text "His word runneth
very swiftly," showing that more Bibles have been circulated since 1800 than in all previous time, & detailing
his own labors in Bible distribution. The last year he had
sold & given away 356 Bibles & about the same number
of Test[ament]s. The Chapel was full. PM Reading &c.
Mr Damon is in a useful field. Many seamen call for
Bibles & papers every day, & seem to be very thankful
that they have a true friend in the midst of the ocean.
Mon. [May] 25th Rode to the Mission, in the meeting an
hour or more. Com [mitt]ee on common schools reported,
commending the present system. Next general meeting to
be in May 1848.
Called at Mr Boardman's saw his fine new transit, for
which he has just completed a very neat house. PM. At
Mr Boardman's met Mrs. Taylor & Mrs. Skinner, also
Mr. Brinsmade. Was introduced to the Govr Kekuanaoa,
a large fat man, very affable & easy in his manners.
Tues. [May] 26th. Rode horseback to a hamlet N. of
Waikiki. Visited Mr. Cooke's School, Mr. Douglass in
charge of it. Found there Gen' [William] Miller (the
British Consul General) & Capt. Gordon of the Cormorant. They left soon after I entered, as Capt G[ordon]
was to receive the Miss[ionarie]s and their Children on
board his vessel at 11. 60 or 80 went off. Staid at the
School 1i2 h, heard classes in Algebra & Arithmetic. They
seem to be quick in calculations. Their great lack Mr
D[ouglass] says is in the power of fixing the attention.
Dined at Mr. [Henry] Dimond's. Messrs Ives & [John
S.] Emerson present.




"How shall he marry without any wife?."


69


PM spent an hour in the Gen1 Meeting. Subject up the
Wailuku [Maui] female seminary, which does not seem
to have answered the purpose intended, that is of raising
up wives for the students at Lahainaluna. The students
complain that they have no means of getting acquainted,
or when they have been there that they have not been
well treated. Only 1 or 2 instances have occurred in which
pupils of the two schools have married. The boys do not
think the female graduates superior to others, do not
understand domestic duties &c; furthermore the girls are
ambitious of marrying foreigners, & the young men find
it difficult to obtain them. Courting must be done mostly
thro' the teachers. The young man makes known his
wants & several who are marriageable are presented for
his selection, but on acc't of the difficulties above alluded
to after many trials, no match is made, & the swain goes
back disappointed. This seems to me a foolish contrivance; "Love goes where it is sent."
Most of the mission seemed not in favor of any new
appropriations for this School.
Miss Tewksbury who came out in the Charles called at
Mr. Damon's. She is staying at Mr. Marshalls, dislikes
Honolulu.
Wed 27th May. Went into M[issionary] meeting a few
minutes, subject up, the sup[port] of pastors. It seemed
to be the general opinion that the Churches ought to be
encouraged to support them, rather than think they sh'd
cultivate farms to do it themselves. Govt has made an
offer to Churches of 50 members or more on application
to give them a glebe or parsonage for the natives to cultivate for their pastor. Mr. [Artemas] Bishop is now cultivating much land & has large herds of Cattle. He furnishes milk & butter for many of the residents of Honolulu, & the last year I understood paid into the Mission
treasury $400 or $500. Mr. [Samuel] Whitney [who died
in 1845] was in the habit of similar cultivation at his
station. Mr. Green who is not connected with the mission
is supported mainly by the Ch[urch] & his own efforts.
Pious fraud-Last Sab. at the Bible Collection Genl




70     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
Miller who sat with Mr. Brown undertook to practice on
him what he called a pious fraud taking out a sovereign
($5) but not putting it into the hat. The sov[ereig]n being
noticed by some good brother he asked the Treasurer (Mr
Cooke) if there was such a piece; the answer was, 'No.'
Then it must have been stolen was the reply, for one was
put in by Genl Miller. Mr Cooke went straight to the Gen1
to make sure. The Gen1 said he took out a sov[ereig]n to
practice a kind of pious fraud on Brown but put it back
again into his own pocketl
Such is the licentiousness of the natives (& white of
course also) that during the visiting of the Steamer by
them the women were detected in adultery with the seamen, & they were accordingly forbidden to visit the ship
without a man to accompany them.
Thurs. [May] 28th. P.M. a little while at Mission; subject, the ordaining of native preachers. There seems to be
a reluctance on the part of some to do this, & some seemed
to fear that if the native helpers were ordained & assigned
to separate fields the Missions w'd lose their influence
over them. This appears to me an improper, if not groundless apprehension. David Malo was mentioned & spoken
of with approbation, as of fine talents & undoubted piety.
Many of the brethren are in favor of ordaining him. It
was stated that on a certain occasion when he had no
distinct field assigned him for labor he told one of the
Miss[ionarie]s he was going to cultivating taro patches,
which for a man who was laboring gratis at the direction
of others was certainly a natural & sensible resolution.
The process of raising a native ministry is slow. Stepped
into Mr Boardman's with Mr D[amon] & was introduced
to Mr Abel, U.S. Consul. He is a young man & not prepossessing.
Also at the Printing office introduced to Mr [John]
Ricord, Attorney general. He is a young man, an adventurer from N.Y. & got his app[ointmen]t in 10 days
after his arrival.
Frid. [May] 29th. Went to genl meeting. Support of
native ministry up, a sort of home missionary plan




The Higher Education


71


adopted, by which funds raised in the Islds for the support
of the Gospel are to be appropriated by the secular agents
for that purpose.
P.M. again at Mission, locating of missionaries. Mr
Hunt assigned to Lahainaluna somewhat against his
wishes. Mr Forbes to Lahaina as Seamen's Chaplain. Mr
Conde made a speech of grievances after the vote was
taken & it was time to adjourn.
Took tea & spent the eve at Mr Cooke's, several of the
missionary families present. I was much gratified with
the appearance of the Young Chiefs. The older ones
appear like well educated & refined young gentlemen &
ladies in America. They sing excellently, & some of the
young ladies are fine performers on the piano. I had
not heard that instrument before since leaving the U.S.
& the associations it awakened were highly pleasing. I had
much conversation with several of the elder pupils &
found them intelligent & able to speak English with great
accuracy & fluency. The girls were elegantly dressed like
ladies in good circumstances at home, the boys ditto.
During the Eve Mr Douglass performed some experiments with the Electrical machine much to the amusement
of the young people present. Most of the company also
took the electric shock. The young ladies expressed themselves highly gratified with their visit to the Cormorant
steam ship, tho' they had previously obtained very accurate notions of these vessels from plates & descriptions.
They spoke of the Great Britain & expressed a great
desire to see a railroad. Morse's Telegraph they understood the modus operandi of & seemed thoroughly to apprehend its advantages.
Bernice [Pauahi] seems to be the brightest & most
promising of the girls, tho' the others are by no means
deficient. Alexander [Liholiho], the son of the Govr of
Oahu & adopted by the King is a very pleasant lad. They
all seem quick at figures & an arithmetical puzzle which
I gave them excited much interest. The girls after trying
awhile were willing to be told, but Alexander wished to
work it out himself. The eve was passed very agreeably.




72     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
Tea was passed around the room, the elder of the boys
acting as waiters in part. Introduced to John Ii. Returned to Mr D [amon] 's at 9/2.
Sun [May] 31st. At Chapel. Rev Mr Hunt preached.
Text, "Ye cannot serve God & Mammon &c." [Matthew
6:24.] An excellent sermon. Mr H[unt] is an eloquent
preacher. It strikes me as a measure of doubtful propriety
to take him from preaching to be'a teacher at Lahainaluna.
Eve, heard Rev Mr Forbes at the same place, a sound,
forcible sermon from the text, "Who died for us that
we sh'd hence forth not live to ourselves but to him who
died for us & rose again" [Cf. 2 Corinthians 5. 15].
Mon. June 1st 1846. Eve. Attended monthly concert at
Mr Armstrong's Ch[urch]. Few there except the missionaries. The natives hold their concert in the morning early,
as they do most of their meetings, this being a more convenient time for them than the eve. Several prayers were
offered & remarks were made by Bros Baldwin, Armstrong, Coan, Andrews, Parker, & Judge Andrews
(Lorin). A good spirit was manifested, & a strong desire
seemed to exist for a revival of religion in the Churches.
The fact was alluded to that more Ch[urc]h members
had died in the last year than had been admitted. The need
of a stronger Gospel influence in respect to the political
condition of the nation was spoken of by Judge Andrews.
The nation needs a conscience or the new laws will be but
a dead letter.
Tues. [June] 2d Rose at 51/4, took a walk & bathed, accompanied by Mr Douglass. Very pleasant. Temp. of air
on the road 75~. In the ravine at the bathing place 72~.
Of the water in the pool 72~. Of a spring issuing from the
side of the rocks a few yards from the bathing place 74~.
Wrote a long letter to my sister Mary A. to send by a
French ship which is to sail for Mazatlan tomorrow. Paid
postage over Mexico 50 cts.
Wed June 3d. It is reported by the French Ship which
is from Tahiti, that the natives have killed 3 or 400 of




Surf Riding at Waikiki


73


the French & that the French admiral has retaliated,
killing men women & children indiscriminately.
By invitation of Mr Douglass took a ride with the
young Chiefs, they very kindly offering me a horse. Rode
to Waititi [Waikiki] 3 miles where there is fine bathing
in the surf. The premises there are in the hands of the
Chiefs. Near the beach are fine groves of Coconut trees,
& Kou trees, also several thatched houses one of which
is occupied by the Y[oung] Chiefs as a dressing apartment while bathing. They have an attendant on the
grounds. These youngsters are fond of riding & some of
the way they put their horses on a run. Undressing at the
house, I found a bath in the surf on the beach very refreshing. The Y[oung] Chiefs are all provided with surf
boards, which are kept in the house above mentioned.
They are from 12 to 20 feet long 1 ft wide & in the middle
5 or 6 in thick, thinning off towards the sides & ends so
as to form an edge. Some of these have been handed down
in the royal family for years, as this is the royal bathing
place. None of those belonging to Kamehameha Ist [d.
1819] are now left, but one used by Kaahumanu [regent,
1824-1832] & others belonging to other distinguished
Chiefs & premiers are daily used by the boys, & on one of
them (Kaahumanu's I believe) I had the pleasure of
taking a surf ride towards the beach in the native style.
Tho' the motion is swift it is very pleasant & by no means
dangerous unless the surf be very strong.
On coming from the beach to the dressing house, calabashes of fresh water were in readiness to wash off the
sea water. While dressing some of the boys bro't me a
couple of fresh coconuts, the water of one of which was
very refreshing, the other I carried home to Mr
D[amon] 's. We returned full gallop & reached the village about dark. On some of the Coconut trees I counted
over 2 dozen nuts. The boys told me that by pouring sea
water on the tops of the young trees when only a few
feet high, they are prevented from running up & made to
produce fruit immediately & in much greater abundance.




74     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
On our way back they showed me a cluster of new trees
treated in this manner & which were full of fruit.
Thurs. June 4th Called with Mr Boardman at Dr
[T. C. B.] Rooke's. He has many fine philosophical instruments, Bar[ometer] Ther[mometer] Hyg[rometer]
&c &c. Some of his instruments e.g. pocket compass,
standard Ther[mometer] & some others belonged to
David Douglas, the Eng[lish] Naturalist who was killed
on Hawaii in 1834.
P.M. Went to the Mission to hear Mr [William]
Richard's acc't of his visit to the U.S. & Eng[land] to
negotiate the Independence of Hawaii. He occupied about
2 hours in a very interesting sketch of the different measures which he & Haalilio took to secure this object with
the difficulties they encountered both in Eng. & France.
His interviews with Mr. Guizot he represented as very
free & he was much delighted with the minister's frankness & with the conviction & extent of his views. While in
Paris he heard of the cession of the Islands to [Lord
George] Paulet which threw great obstacles in his way.
This however seems after all to have been a kind providence, for Guizot acknowledged that the French would
have seized the Islands if it had not been done by the
British, & it was the mutual jealousy of these two nations
that led them to acknowledge the independence of the
S[andwich] Is.
The La Place treaty [1839] gave the Commission great
trouble. Among other facts Mr R[ichards] stated to
Guizot that when the first French vessel arrived after
that treaty (which allowed brandy to be imported at 5
per ct duty) the sailors went on shore & got drunk on the
very brandy the ship had brought; went on board raised
a mutiny, drove off the Capt & officers, & Haalilio (then
Govr) with a posse was obliged to exercise his authority
to quell the mutiny & reinstate the Capt. & officers in
possession of the ship.
Sat. June 6. This forenoon 3 whale ships came in. One
had lost her main mast in a gale on the N W Coast, another
was badly leaking, & the crew of the other in a state of




TIE OLD MISSION   hOME, KING STREET, HONOL UL
TIS WAS TITE EARLIEST FRAME BUILDING TO BE ERECTED IN TILE ISLANDS




140.J C,




Departure for Oahu


75


mutiny. They had shut the Capt. & Mates below. The
Capt. was taken on board one of the other ships which
they spoke & the Crew were persuaded to come here to
have the matter settled.
Sun. 7th June Attended Chapel. Rev Mr Whittlesey missionary at Hana preached, poor sermon poorly delivered.
Text Prepare to meet thy God.
After meeting called with Miss T[ewksbury] at Capt
Domini's to hear Mr Johnson sing; he sang & performed
some parts of the oratorio of the Creation splendidly.
Mon. June 8th 1846. Walk & bath before breakfast. AM
busy packing Calabashes for Hawaii.
At 4 PM the hour at which the Amelia, a native
schooner was to sail I was in readiness to proceed to the
vessel, but the native who was to carry my luggage was
not to be found. Mr Paris sent over his attendant however
& my two Calabashes of miscellanies & one of water were
soon at the landing. After waiting /2 an hour at the wharf
went on board, & at 6 PM set sail.
We had on board Mr Clark his wife & 4 children & Miss
[Maria C.] Ogden for Maui, Mr Coan & Mr Lyman, with
a son of Mr L[yman] & myself for Hawaii, together
with 20 or 30 natives. The vessel is a small schooner, has
a small aft cabin with 4 berths, was newly painted & one
of the best vessels of the "Mosquito Fleet," as that of
the S[andwich] I. has been called. The Hope with Mr
Thurston & family & Mr Ives on board sailed a few
minutes before us. We went out of the harbor with a fine
breeze and when off Waititi [Waikiki] passed the Hope
in fine style having every prospect of a favorable passage.
Thurs. 11th June 1846. Sailed well nearly all night &
yet this morn again where we were yesterday & day before
off Ranai pt. Becalmd all day. To-day a little nearer up
with the point, & towards night a breeze springing up we
at last passed it & stood on for Lahaina. Just after sunset
Lahainaluna appeared in sight, quite conspicuous on the
rise back of Lahaina, with the mts of Maui in the background. Still on deck. Kept awake nearly all night by
toothache, fleas, bone ache, & the noisy natives. By 3 AM




76    Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
we were in the harbor of Lahaina & cast anchor soon after
sunrise.
Friday June 12th Went ashore in a diddling leaky old
whale boat which professed to have been sent off for us,
but afterwards demanded pay. Walked up to Mr Baldwins
house, where we found Mr Clark's family, who had landed
a little before in the vessel's boat. They were preparing
a lunch under a beautiful vine arbor by the house & after
picking a few grapes from the vines which spread over
these & the adjoining premises (Mr Forbes', formerly Mr
Richards') we joined them & made a fine repast of coffee,
milk, eggs, bread &c.
Horses being in readiness we immediately rode 2 miles
up a dusty road, through a sterile region to Lahainaluna,
which is pleasantly situated except as to dust. Arrived
between 9 & 10 at Mr Emerson's. After dinner rode with
Mr Coan to Lahaina, found the vessel waiting. Set sail
about 5 oclock. The Hope (which had reached Lahaina
the eve before us) starting at the same time for Kailua
[Hawaii].
Sat June 13th This morn, the mt8 of Hawaii before us.
Have made a fine run after a short calm in the AM; the
sea breeze took us into Kawaihae where we landed at 2
PM. Unexpectedly found Bro. Lyons of Waimea here on
his regular tour. He had just come down in the A.M., &
was about commencing his state work, but immediately
resolved to return with us to Waimea.
Arrived at the comfortable & hospitable residence of
Mr Lyons having walked 14 miles since 21/4 P.M., it being
when we arrived just 7. Mr L[yons] 's family consists of
Mrs L[yons] & 4 children, a pleasant & apparently happy
household.
Sun. 14 June. At 9 went into Mr L[yons] 's Sab[bath]
School of 30 or 40 natives in a room of his own house, all
ages from men grown to little children, all decently clad,
2 or 3 little ones nearly white. They recited passages of
the Test[amen]t & Mr Coan talked to them & closed with
prayer. They appeared orderly & attentive.
At 10 went to the meeting house a few rods distant. The




Caves of the Dead


77


house is furnished with settees, & was about /2 filled by
perhaps 150 or 200 natives, most of them decently & some
gaily dressed; a few who seemed to be the aristocracy of
the place had their heads fancifully decked with wreaths
of flowers & other ornaments. Mr Coan preached energetically from Jude 13 verse & the people gave strict attention; the singing was by a small choir near the pulpit
& very respectable.
Mon June 15. Ther at Sunrise 60~. After Breakfast Mr
Lyman 2 lads & myself with 3 or 4 natives, equipped with
lamps visited 2 caves about 4 miles S.E. of Mr. Lyons.
The whole distance was over a nearly level plain covered
with dry grass & in places sandy or rather dusty so as to
make the walking difficult. The two caves are a little N. of
a volcanic cone which rises some 600 ft from the plain. The
entrances of both are similar, directly from the plain
downwards, & 60 or 80 rods apart. We entered & explored
both as far as was practicable.
The entrance of the 1st about 3 ft wide, descending 10
or 15 ft, expanding, some parts 2 rods wide, from 10 to
20 high, irregular & extending 5 or 7 rods. Scores of skeletons, dry, skin & integuments almost entire. Many sticks
& poles on which the bodies were brought hither, with
pieces of ropes, mats, kapas, or native cloth, calabashes
of from 2 to 6 quarts &c &c. The skeletons were in every
possible position, usually in a bent posture, or drawn
together. They must have been here many years & these
caves have not been used as burial places probably within
12 or 20 yrs.
Our guide refused to enter the caves either from superstitious or other motives.
Eve. preparing for an early start tomorrow for Hilo.
Tues. June 16. Was awaked at 41/2 AM by an earthquake, 2 distinct shocks. The first as if some thing heavy
had fallen in another room & a few seconds after a 2d
& somewhat harder shock with several immediate & diminishing pulsations like the reverberations of a thunder
clap.
Breakfasted at 6 & at 7 started on our journey. Mr




78     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
Lyons had very kindly provided two good horses for us &
men to carry our baggage without expense to us nearly
half the way to Hilo.
Our route for 5 or 6 miles lay through a level woody
country & the path was very muddy so that a horse could
only go on a walk. We came out the woods some 4 or 5
miles from the sea which was in full view, & kept our
course about that distance from the shore during the day.
About 101/2 passed the village of Koloa between us &
the sea. There being but 2 horses & 4 to ride we took turns,
& thus found the traveling comparatively easy.
At 12 we stopped at a native house & dined from the
good things provided by Mrs Lyons. Started on at 4 PM.,
reached Hanakamalii about 4/2where we left our horses,
& walked on 4 or 5 miles to Koholalele where we stopped
for the night-arrived here about 6 having travelled from
Waimea about 28 or 30 miles. Lodged in a native house
just beyond a deep ravine in which we bathed. The natives
immediately struck up a fire in the cavity in the center of
the house & put some sweet potatoes roasting for our
supper, which with the contents of our Calabashes made
us a good meal. The house was filled with smoke but the
loose thatching soon allowed it to pass away. One corner
of the room was raised a foot or so from the ground &
matted for a sleeping place. After reading the S[cripture] s & prayers in Eng. & native we spread our blankets
& retired.
Wed. June 17 Rose at 5 & were ready to start at 6, went
on 2 or 3 miles, over several ravines, before breakfast.
Breakfasted under shade of Tutui tree. At 11 came to a
place where Mr Coan had appointed a meeting. The notice
being very short, but 35 were present, mostly females &
old men-this being what is called the kings week, most of
the men were absent working out the public tax. We
passed large plantations of taro, in which men were thus
at work. In one place these fields must have embraced 40
or 50 acres. After a short service of /2 an hour in the
school house where the people were assembled we went
on our journey & at 12 stopped under a Tutui tree to dine.




Baptism and Communion


79


Started again at one & at 2 reached the village of Laupahoehoe, romantically situated in the bottom of a deep
ravine, on a lava flow at the meeting of the valley with
the Sea.
The natives were gathered for meeting in the native
Ch[urch] which was of a rough uncemented stone wall
with thatched roof. Mr Coan preachd admitted 6 to the
Church & administerd the sacrament. About 150 were
present, most of them decently clad, & some sitting on
rude settees, but the greater part on mats in the native
style. The ceremony of admitting the new members was
a solemn one & most of them seemd to feel the solemnity
of the transaction. There were 3 males & 3 females. Three
of them were baptized, which was done by sprinkling as
they knelt. One of them was a mere boy, dressed in two
shirts; another an older lad, clad simply in a strip of blue
cloth around his shoulders. The third, a young man, in
white pants & roundabout with linen bosomed shirt in
European style, had evidently come from a distance, from
the way in which his garments were soaked with perspiration. One of the females was apparently a middle aged
woman wrapped in a dirty piece of brown Tapa, the other
two young ladies, one of them in a handsome calico dress
with black silk shawl & the other in a loose dress of white.
The Elements for the communion service were taro &
water, the one cut up in pieces & served in a tin & earthen
plate, & the other distributed in two little yellow earthen
mugs & a tin pint basin which we had in our calabashes.
We had travelled this day about 15 miles, mostly within
3 or 4 miles of the coast. As we came into Mr Coan's district the natives seemed greatly to rejoice at meeting him,
& on his account I suppose I found myself welcomed with
similar cordiality. The people generally pressed round,
shaking hands & saying their aloha. In passing a house on
the way an old man came out to meet Mr Coan & welcomed
him with a touch of noses. On being introduced to me, he
grasped me by the hand & immediately brought his nasal
organ into contact with mine, remarking that Xns [Christians] were to greet one another with a holy kiss. He




80    Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)


seemed to be a simple hearted honest Xn & Mr Coan
remarks that many such are to be found among the
natives.
Thurs June 18th 1846 Started at 51/2, hired men to take
our baggage from here to Hilo for $1.00 each, to be paid
in cloth. Went on two or 3 miles & over 3 ravines before
breakfast. From 8/2 to 10 stopped to attend a meeting in
the Ravine of Maulua, which is said to be the deepest of
all. At 111/2 bathed in a deep ravine. After dinner Mr Coan
preached to 20 or 30 people in the thatched meeting house,
& at 2 we again started on; passed many deep ravines,
most of them occupied by fine streams of water. One of
these streams we crossed just at the verge of a deep gulf
down which the water plunged in a cascade of 200 feet.
At 4 stopped for Mr Coan to address a spontaneous
meeting of 20 or 30 under the shade of a Pandanus, the
meeting house having recently been blown down.
Two miles further on we halted at 6/2 for the night
at a place called Hakalau. Our host is headman of the
vicinity. We found here greater marks of civilization
than in the other native houses we had occupied. A glass
lamp with oil I saw for the first time, the substitute at
other places being strings of the Tutui or Candle-nut.
The native who lighted the lamp pulled up the wicks an
inch or more so as to make a torch, this being I am told
their universal practice, until by hard drilling they are
taught to do otherwise.
Frid. 19th June Hired a guide, & started with Mr Lyman
& his son Frederic at 7/2 to visit the Falls of Akaka about
4 miles S or SW of Hakalau.
The gulf into which the water falls, is of a circular, or
rather semicircular form with perpendicular walls of
nearly naked lava rock some 400 or 500 feet high. Except
on the face of this horse shoe precipice the two steep sides
of the ravine are clothed with a dense mass of wanton
vegetation. The stream falls in an unbroken mass of white
foam down the face of this precipice into a basin below.
Smaller rills were falling from the sides of chasm & such
was the force of the wind circulating here that the whole




The Hawaiian Coach


81


gulf below the falls was filled with spray & mist, so that
one approaching near the bottom of the cascade was soon
wet to the skin. The Basin into which the water falls is
several rods in diameter & the perpendicular height of
the falls as measured with a line by Mr Coan is 426 ft. We
threw down several stones & found them to occupy from
43/4 to 51/4 seconds in falling, which wd give a depth corresponding with Mr Coan's measurement.
After taking a lunch which we brought with us, started
on about one PM for Makahanaloa where at 31/2 PM we
met Mr Coan who had gone on direct from Hakalau a distance of about 5 miles to attend a meeting. The distance
from the falls is also about 5m.
After resting we started on at 4/2 & soon arrived at
Mr Castle's, 3/4 of a mile beyond. When half way there we
fell in with two carts each drawn by 4 yokes of oxen, one
set of them just broken in; the two teams were connected
by a long rope & went on by fits & starts, now stopping &
now going on a run. The carts were large & heavy with
thick solid wheels made of planks pinned together. They
were well filled with a crowd of noisy girls & boys & by
invitation of the Driver, an American, I took a ride in
one of these Hawaiian Coaches as far as Mr Castle's
house, glad thus to relieve a little my feet which were
becoming sore from walking in the water & climbing
precipices.
Stopped a few minutes at Mr C[astle]'s; were entertained with a refreshing bowl of milk, & then going on a
mile & a half or 2 miles put up for the night at a native
house, near by. The place is called Puumoi. Mr Castle is
an American, has been in the country many yrs, has an
extensive plantation & a native wife & family. Near his
house we passed large fields of sugar cane on his lands,
but cultivated by Chinamen who have pretty much monopolized the sugar business in this region. Mr C[astle]
has also considerable herds of cattle.
Sat 20th June. Took breakfast at 6 A.M., passed over a
ravine & stopped with Mr Coan to attend a meeting, while
Mr L[yman] & his son went on home. Thatched meeting




82     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
house, 80 or 90 present. Communion. Taro & water, tin
plate & earthen mug. Left at 81/2 went on 3 m & stopped
at another meeting. About the same number present.
This was the last of Mr. Coan's meetings on this route.
Owing to the short notice & the fact that most of the
people were off doing public work, they were much thinner
than usual, being mostly composed of Church members.
The people at these meetings were generally serious
in their deportment & appeared to give good attention to
the preaching. Twice at our evening prayers natives were
called upon to lead, which they seemed to do with as much
readiness & fluency as laymen at home.
At 11 we went on & at a cove some 3 miles from Hilo
met a bundle of refreshments sent on by Mrs Coan. We
were ferried over the stream in a boat, sat down & lunched
on Mrs Coan's cake & cheese at 12 & at 1 PM arrived at
Mr Coan's residence in Hilo, 20th June 1846.
Mr Coan's house is a pleasant farm house, about 40 or
50 rods from the beach & in a delightful location. The
Mission ground on which it is situated is a narrow strip
running S.W. from the beach indefinitely inland, the
more inland portion being worthless lava. This was given
20 yrs ago by Kaahumanu.
Took tea at Mr. Lyman's who lives in a beautiful situation a few rods S.W. of Mr Coan's. Returned to Mr
Coan's & retired at 9.
Sunday June 21st At 101/2 attended native meeting,
house large, thatched in native style, 120 ft by 60, & well
filled. Congregation probably 1000 or 1200. People mostly
well dressed, tho very fancifully & in a great variety of
gay color. Handkerchiefs in the piece are a common substitute for shawls. The congregation was attentive &
solemn; after meeting as I sat in front of the pulpit
multitudes came up & shook hands with me.
P.M. staid in the house reading-a very pleasant & I
hope profitable Sabbath. At family prayers it is Mr
Coan's custom to expound the portion of SS [Scriptures]
read, with particular reference to the instruction of his




A Sugar Mill


83


children, of whom he has 4-2 girls & two boys. His
family is a delightful one.
Monday June 22. Took a walk with Mr Coan before
dinner on the beach, saw how far up the water [rose]
during the great influx of the sea Nov 7th 1837, which must
have been some 12 or 15 rods from the beach, the water
having risen some 10 or 12 ft above high water mark; 2
or 300 people were swept into the sea, & 13 lives were lost.
A dismal wail spread instantly all thro' the region, & the
people, who were then assembled in great numbers at a
protracted meeting were deeply impressed by the event
specially as the sermon of the preceding PM had been
from the text "Prepare to meet thy God."
P.M. took a walk to the sugar mill of some Chinamen
/2 a mile S. of Mr Coan's. There are 5 Chinamen here,
& they manufacture large quantities of sugar. Some of
them speak a little English. Their mill is like a cider mill
with 3 cylinders the middle one turning the other two.
They use horse power. In the boiling house there were 3
large boilers in operation. I understood them to say that
an acre of cane w'd yield 3000 lbs of sugar. Their samples
of sugar seemed of good quality.
Walked from the sugar mill a little distance to the first
of 3 small cone craters which lie partly on the mission
ground back of Mr Coan's 1/2 a mile. We ascended the first
one on top of which Messrs Coan & Lyman have erected
a small native house as a play house for their children,
there being a good place for sliding down hill on the
Eastern side in the native fashion, it being the identical
sliding place of King Kamehameha Ist, when in this part
of his dominions.
We called also on another Chinaman who has his shop
on the beach. He is a Jack-of-all-trades, carpenter, watchmaker, silversmith, tinker store keeper &c &c., talks English, is ingenious, but like most of his nation here dishonest & unprincipled.
Tues. June 23. PM. Took a walk with Mr C[oan] to the
Rainbow Water fall 1/2 miles W. on the Wailuku River.


I




84     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
The stream, which was now but a few feet in width, here
plunges perpendicularly down a precipice 100 ft or more.
Eve. Listened to part of the article in Edin[burgh]
Rev[iew, vol. 82, 1845, pp. 1-85] on "Vestiges of Creation."
Wed June 24. AM. Called with Mr Coan at Mr Moore's,
who keeps a small store; at Mr Hoyer's, finding Mrs
H[oyer] at home, her husband, who is port pilot being
at Oahu; also called at Mr Pitman's, who has a beautiful
& tasteful residence, & at Dr Norman's, who occupies a
mission house & has a very good apothecary shop.
P.M. Went to the Church at 4. to see several couples of
natives married. Mr Coan has designated Wed PM at
the commencement of the usual lecture as the time [for]
performing this ceremony. Nine pairs were tied this
batch, the whole ceremony occupying less than 15 m.
They were for the most part well dressed, tho' in a great
variety of colors & costumes. The grooms were dressed
some in roundabouts some in calico coats. The brides had
wreaths or bands around their heads, & one wore a bonnet.
The assent was audibly pronounced by each individual.
Many of them came from quite a distance. One more
couple were united afterwards, making 10 in one day.
Mr C[oan] thus marries 150 or 200 couples yearly. No
fee is given to the minister. Parties to be legally married
must procure a license from the proper magistrate.
Eve. social meeting of Mission families at Mr Coan's.
Only Mr Lyman present. Conversation arose respecting
the religious char[acte]r of the natives & the influence of
foreigners on them, especially of seamen. The influence
of the latter is unspeakably pernicious. Men who have
families at home & wish to maintain a good char[acte]r
there, do not hesitate while here to wallow in iniquity.
During the whaling seasons (spring & autumn) such is
the prevalence of vice that Mrs Coan has doubted the propriety of attempting to keep up her school for girls in
this place, at least during those portions of the year. To
make the matter worse there is no police to preserve
order.




Mail from Home


85


Sun. 28th June. Eve. we were surprised by the arrival
of Mr Cooke with his school of young Chiefs, together
with Dr Rooke & wife & Mr Douglass, on the tour of
Hawaii. Mr Cooke & the young ladies 4 in number stopped
at Mr Coan's. Mr & Mrs Rooke went to Mr Pitman's &
the rest remained on board.
Rec'd a letter from my friend E. Strong dated Dec 25
which came by the Brooklyn which sailed from N.Y. Feb
4th with 175 Mormons on board for California. This is
the first letter I have had from the US & it was a rich
feast.
In conversation Mr Coan mentioned several cases of
ship masters who have been hopefully converted while
stopping at his house. His kindness of manner is well
fitted to touch the heart & prepare it to receive gospel
truth.
Mon 29th June Rec'd a letter from Sister Mary A. at
Ellington by the Brooklyn, & bro't here by Mr Douglass.
It was dated Jan 18th at which time I was shivering off
Cape Horn. I was greatly rejoiced to hear from home &
that all there were well.
Making preparations to start tomorrow for the Volcano. The Company will consist of about 20 besides servants &c &c.
Eve at Mr Coan's. In speaking of Wilkes's Ex[ploring]
Ex[pedition] Mr Coan mentioned the facts in reference
to certain matters where Wilkes does him gross injury
& injustice.
[Wilkes, Narrative of the U. S. Exploring Expedition, vol. 4,
Philadelphia, 1845, pp. 209-210, says:
"Mr. Goodrich, the missionary who preceded Mr. Coan, was
very desirous of introducing the culture of sugar-cane and coffee,
and became very active in promoting it. With the assistance of
the natives he planted a large number of coffee trees, and was
bent upon instructing them in the mode of cultivating both. He
also erected a small sugar-mill. I regretted much to hear that his
successor viewed all these improvements in a far different light,
and, not content to allow the trees to fall into neglect, he actually




86    Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)


took the trouble to root them up, in order to arrest the progress
of the improvement of the natives in their culture.
" I walked round the garden with the missionary, and saw all
the vines, fruit, and ornamental trees, to which his predecessor
had paid so much attention, and in which he had taken such
pride, going to waste. One would have thought that the spirit of
his calling would have dictated a more worthy and enlightened
course. I never was more satisfied with the folly of such a step,
than when the question was asked me by an intelligent native,
'Why the missionaries no like grow sugar-cane and coffee'...
"Being much engaged with the natives, I had a fair opportunity of observing their improvement in religious knowledge;
and I regret to say, that it is not such as I anticipated from the
accounts that were given me, or equal to what it ought to be from
the exertions of their pastor; for, while I cannot but condemn
the course he has pursued in rooting up the coffee plantations,
and overturning the good works of his predecessor, I must do him
the justice to say, he is untiring in his clerical duties, and his
field is one of constant labour, both of mind and body. "]
In regard to the coffee, he only rooted up a few dead
trees; there were more in his yard when Wilkes was here
than in Mr [Joseph] Goodrich's time. He never opposed
the raising of coffee, his wife always uses it & it is always
on his table. He furnished young plants to the natives in
great quantities & whenever they wished them. There are
trees now in his yard planted by Mr Goodrich, & from 10
to 20 ft high. Most of Mr Castle's coffee plantation was
taken from Mr Coan's yard. Wilkes's whole statement is
grossly false & his insinuations unmanly & unjust.
In reference to the sugar cane Mr Coan was urged by
the complaints of the natives [to] drop a line to Capt
W[ilkes] stating the facts. At Wilkes' request he undertook to investigate the matter & distributed the $10 remuneration to the best of his judgment, thus spending a
solid day in doing Capt W[ilkes] 's own work, & for which
Capt W[ilkes] sent him a note of thanks & afterwards
sent out the false insinuations contained in his book.
As to the men going up the Mt. on the Sabbath, the
people had too much conscience to hire themselves at all
till Mr Coan ascertained that it was professedly a case




To the Volcano


87


of necessity & gave them to understand that it was proper
for them to go. Instead of his hindering the party, they
could have done nothing without his assistance. He afterwards found he had been imposed upon. Instead of 10 or
12 as requested they took 50 men, & there was no necessity
in this case. The mountain party was in want of nothing
but tea sugar & such like articles.
Tues 30th June [1846]. Party all ready & started off
for the Volcano about 11 AM. The Company consisted of
12 young chiefs (4 females & 8 males) Mr Cooke & Mr
Douglass, Dr Rooke's wife, John Ii, Capt Newell, Mr
Andrews of Molokai, Mr Coan & his son Titus Munson,
myself, together with a train of 30 or 40 natives to carry
luggage &c making in all a procession of 50 or 60 individuals. There were in the Company about 15 or 20
horses those not mounted sharing horses with others
part of the way on the plan of "ride & tie."
The company were in fine spirits & set off at a good
pace. The young Chiefs had secretly brought with them
a national flag to be carried in front of Alexander, the
reputed heir apparent to the throne. But it was no sooner
displayed than Mr Cooke ordered it to be sent back. It
is a difficult task to restrain the impetuous spirits of
these youth[s] & keep them from improprieties & mischief. Tho for the most part well-disposed there is still
much pride among them, some haughtiness, & in some a
strong tendency to vice. The influence of foreigners on
them is in the main bad, & they sometimes apply to such
to aid them in their wicked schemes.
Just after leaving the village we passed the royal fish
ponds on the left. These are connected with the bay, &
contain the finest mullet in large quantity. They are tabu
to the natives & fish from the ponds cannot be purchased
at any price. The ponds are navigated by light canoes
made of bark & on our return we saw a large number of
them occupied by men engaged in fishing.
Our route for several miles was southerly, the first 5
or 6 miles through an oen level country richly clothed
with vegetation. On the left a part of the way was a beau



88    Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)


tiful dark & dense grove of breadfruit & other trees. We
now entered a piece of woods, thro' which the path was
somewhat hilly & rough. The woods extend about 4 miles.
In them are two cleared spots, & in the second of these
nearly through the woods we passed the boundary line
between the districts of Hilo & Puna, about 8 miles from
the former village.
Soon after leaving the woods we halted under the shade
of some young cocoanut trees & dined, the young Chiefs
mainly on poi & raw fish & the rest of us on the bread &
beef in our Calabashes which Mrs Coan had amply furnished.
We left this spot about 3 PM & at 7 arrived at our
stopping place for the night. It is a new halfway house
built by Mr Pitman, & very convenient except that food
for horses is scarce in the vicinity. The house is thatched,
native style, & has one half of the floor raised 2 or 3 feet
from the ground & matted as a place for sleeping. This
house as near as we could estimate is not far from 18 or
19 m from Hilo & about 15 from the Volcano, the whole
distance being somewhere between 30 & 35 miles. This
place is in the district or division of Olaa, & has been open
but a few weeks. The old house or stopping place, commonly called Olaa is about 3 or 4m back.
Turning out our horses we took our supper & about 9/2
got ready to retire. The natives made such a noise that
it was difficult to sleep notwithstanding our weariness.
The male portion of the company occupied the elevated
floor, reaching the whole length of the house, & the ladies
a platform curtained off at one end. The mosquitoes &
fleas, being obliged to divide there attentions among the
whole company, each individual escaped with a comparatively small share of annoyance. The only furniture was
a small table, a bench or two, & a cupboard containing a
few plates, bowls, knives, spoons &c &c.
Wed. July 1st 1846 After travelling 4 or 5m we stopped
for breakfast by a small pool of water, while the others
who had hastily breakfasted on fish & poi passed on ahead.
The path bore generally southwest, the surface mostly




At the Brink of the Crater


89


level, covered with a light soil with ferns & grass. Wilkes
remarks that after leaving Olaa his course was over an
old lava plain with no distinct path. [Wilkes, Narrative,
vol. 4, p. 119: "After leaving Olaa, we had no distinct path
to follow; for the whole surface became a mass of lava,
which retained all its metallic lustre, and appeared as if
it had but just run over the ground-so small was the
action of decomposition."] On the contrary the path all
the way is well trodden, & if one were to go out of it he
would soon be in difficulty from the numerous fissures by
which the lava is intersected. The whole face of the
country is a lava flow, but has every where become covered
with soil & vegetation. Tree ferns 20 to 30 ft high.
The last few miles before reaching the volcano the
country is rather more uneven & the last mile or two of
our course was along the southern side of an old volcanic
crater.
We arrived at the huts on the margin of the great
crater at 12, & suddenly took our first view of this worldrenowned volcano. It is a sunken pit about 3m in diameter,
in the midst of an apparently level plain. There is no cone,
no ridge around it, nothing to mark your approach, but
you come all at once to the very brink of a perpendicular
precipice 700 ft high, from which you look down upon the
black & apparently level bottom of the crater, which seems
like an extensive swamp of peat, with here & there smoke
& steam ascending & presenting very much the appearance of such a swamp just after being burned over &
before the fires are entirely extinguished. Our stopping
place was on the northern bank & from this place a full
view of the interior of the crater c'd be had. On first looking into this pit one experienced a strong feeling of disappointment. Can this be the famous volcano?, tho't I.
The distinction of its outline produces a false impression
as to its size, & if I had known nothing previously of its
extent I should have looked upon it as a sunken pit some
2 or 300 feet deep & perhaps /2a mile or so in diameter.
No fire was visible & only a little smoke & steam; the
bottom seemed quite even excepting a low ridge part of




90     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
the way around just within the inner margin of the black
ledge leaving a canal somewhat lower than the surface of
the latter. [Here follows a description of the volcano and
an account of how Mr. Coan, Mr. Cooke, Mr. Douglass,
and the narrator walked part way around it on the western bank.]
Passing a little more than half round the crater on the
upper bank, we descended on the south side, where for
some distance the slope is not more than 30 or 40~ into
the crater, in order to take the nearest way back to the
house as it was now getting late in the PM. The descent
here is very easy. The lava at the foot of the hill was
rolled up with an irregular surface, like a stiffened ocean
surf, or rather like a thick paste rolled & pushed up in
masses when too viscid to flow easily. We passed over this
for some distance towards the lake, then turned & followed the black ledge nearly in a straight line towards the
place of ascent to the house. What has been called the
black ledge is a horizontal uneven margin of recent lava
extending entirely around the crater & from 500 to 2000
ft in width. The junction between it & the bottom of the
perpendicular walls is very sharp & is covered with no
debris. This ledge is sometimes overflowed & of course
there is then formed a new surface & somewhat higher
than before. The ledge itself has been formed by the sinking down of the inner part of the crater, leaving this terrace with an irregular & nearly perpendicular margin
towards the interior. The distance from this ledge to the
bottom of the crater varies much at different times. At
present the whole interior of the crater is nearly on a
level with the black ledge. A little within the inner margin
of it on the East N.E. & NW sides is a ridge of angular
blocks of compact lava, heaped up in some way by violence to the height in some places of 150 ft or more above
the general level, & leaving a space between it & the black
ledge of from 10 to 40 or 50 yards wide which is called
the Canal. This canal is now nearly filled with lava which
has flowed at different times from the great lake, entering
the canal by two passages one on each side of the lake &




Lost on the Mountain


91


thus flowing at the same time on both sides of the crater
so as to meet on the northern side. The distance from the
top of the black ledge to the surface of this canal is in
some places 40 or 50 feet. The lava in it resembles that
of the black ledge & other parts of the crater.
About midway on the east side of the crater we passed
at a little distance the eastern sulphur banks but had no
time to give them a close examination.
We arrived at the foot of the ascending path on the
northern side of the crater about sunset, & after resting
a few minutes commenced our ascent. The first 3d or half
of the way was comparatively easy & direct, but it is a
path that proves very deceptive; when you suppose you
are nearly up you suddenly discover that a long crooked
rising path is still before you. This part of the volcano
is very irregular. The general ascent in going up is
towards the left, a perpendicular wall several hundred
feet high rising on the right; on the left of the path as you
ascend is a deep gorge or ravine densely wooded, with
trees of considerable size, with a high ridge between it &
the open pit of the crater. After ascending about half way
the dusk of evening came on & with it a drizzling rain &
mist, which rendered it difficult to follow the footpath
through the grass & shrubbery & soon we lost it entirely.
After searching for some time in rain & finding ourselves
in the midst of crevices & chasms into which it w[oul]d be
fatal to fall we began to despair of success & began to
think of spending the night supperless & in the rain among
these chasms & pitfalls. We shouted & screamed at the
top of our voices to rouse our friends at the house which
was almost directly above us, but owing to the noise of
the wind, without success. At length, after groping our
way in some places over passages not more than a foot
wide with deep chasms on each side Mr Douglass thought
he had hit on the path. On examination it proved to be
true, & with thankfulness for our deliverance we continued our ascent, & about 8 o'clock arrived at the house
weary wet & hungry. Our friends had become anxious for
our safety & were just preparing to hang out a lamp on




0


92     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
the cliff for our guidance. Mr Coan has visited the volcano
several times a year for a number of yrs & is familiar
with every part of it, yet on this occasion he was utterly
unable to find, the way. A stranger or one but little acquainted with the place w'd not have succeeded in reaching the top at all in such circumstances.
Thurs July 2d [They descend into the crater and make
their way to the "Great Lake."] While standing on the
bank Mr Andrew's panama hat was blown off & carried
directly on to the lake. The wind swept it along the surface
for some distance to where it was sheltered by the perpendicular bank. Altho' the lava was boiling & rolling up
within a few feet of it, it lay some 10 or 15 minutes before
it took fire. At length it began to smoke & soon burst into
a flame. In its charred state it perfectly retained its
form for several minutes till a breath of wind scattered
it in innumerable flakes over the surface. Passing around
the lake to the leeward side we found the fibrous lava or
Pele's hair everywhere collected in the holes & crevices.
It appears to be formed by the stringing out & sudden
cooling of the lava as it is thrown up in the process of
boiling, like the threads of melted sealing wax. These
fibres are borne by the wind & scattered all over the leeward side of the crater. On the eastern side I approached
the margin of the lake again, threw in a pole which took
fire instantly & as it was thrust into the liquid lava by
the rolling over of the surface occupied considerable time
in consuming. The crust on this side seemed to have little
or no motion to the southward but was nearly or quite
stationary. The northern bank of the lake is much higher
than the rest & a little beyond it a bluff rises a hundred
feet or more above the general surface. The space between
is much broken up, coated with sulphur enveloped in
steam & apparently inaccessible.
In the night the distant fires of the lake were brilliant
but by no means as much so as usual. Mr Coan says he
never saw the crater so inactive.
Friday July 3d 1846 Took lunch in hands and started
at 7 in the rain for Hilo, walked the first 10 miles & got




THE LAKE OF FIRE  ILAUEA ON THE SIDE OF MAUNA LOA




i
I
I




Native Service


93


thoroughly wet. Arrived about 3 PM at the old halfway
house about 3 or 4 miles beyond the place where we
stopped going up & about 15m from Hilo, having been
nearly five hours in getting twice as many miles. Had
got thoroughly drenched & found a change of clothes &
dinner very acceptable.
Sat July 4th 1846 After breakfast started in the rain
at 7 AM. Walked the whole distance. Under the coconut
trees where we dined in going up we found a gathering of
the people to see the young Chiefs. We reachd home at
11/2 AM & a good bath & change of clothes, with a warm
dinner did much to banish weariness. Mr Cooke's company which had stopped at the new halfway house came
in about 1~ hours behind us.
Sunday July 5th. Attended native service all day. AM
Mr Cooke preachd. Congregation large, 2000, house
crowded. PM John Ii preached, apparently very eloquent.
The people gave profound attention; his manner was
earnest & easy. The natives delight to hear him. In the
PM the Lords supper was administered, 12 deacons, 2
dozen small Brittania cups for the water & half the number of similar plates for the bread. The congregation
was larger than usual owing to the Communion, the clearness of the day & the presence of the young Chiefs.
At 4 PM conducted an Eng. service at Mr Coan's.
Several of the neighbors in & the meeting a pleasant one.
Monday July 6th Busy writing & getting ready to start
tomorrow with Mr Coan on a tour thro' Puna.
The native monthly Concert was held in the Church in
the afternoon. John Ii addressed them. Chained their attention. He was one of the first that saw the first missionaries on their arrival & was Mr [Rev. Asa] Thurston's
first pupil. He is a sterling Christian, a man of great judgment & weight of Char[acte]r. He has the oversight in
part of the Young Chiefs is often employed by the Govt
in important matters. He w'd have been Govr of Hawaii
had not his connection with the young Chiefs been deemed
more important. It has been remarked that he is a terror
to evil doers & that delinquent Govrs will run from him.




94     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
He has a fine countenance & is greatly beloved by the
missionaries as well as by the people. On this occasion he
alluded feelingly to the scenes of past years, & gave a
sketch of the progress of Xnty [Christianity] in the
Islands, urging eloquently on the people their obligations
to Xns [Christians] in the U.S. Mr Coan remarked that
it was the best address he had ever heard from any native,
that it made him both weep & laugh. The speaker after
talking an hour expressed fear of tiring the people; they
all cried out No!. This man has more moral power than
any other in the nation. Mr Cooke remarked that he had
lived with him 6 yrs & never [had] seen anything in him
the least out of the way.
Tues July 7th At 10 AM started with Mr Coan on a tour
through Puna, the southern district of his Diocese. These
tours he makes thro' his whole field, which is nearly 100
miles in length, about once a quarter, holding meetings,
baptising, marrying, attending to Ch[urch] discipline
&c &c. He calls the roll of the Church members & inquires
the whereabouts & char[acte]r of each individual. Puna
contains between 3 & 4 thousand inhabitants.
Our course the first part of the way lay about S.E. thro'
a level, lava country with a very light soil. The people are
necessarily poor. A bare subsistence is all they can obtain
& scarcely that. Probably there are not $10 in money in
all Puna & it is tho't that not over 1 in 500 has a single
cent. The sight of some of these potatoe patches w'd make
a discontented N.E. farmer satisfied with his lot. Yet I
have no where seen the people apparently more contented
& happy. And Mr C[oan] testifies that in morals they far
surpass the natives of the more fertile districts. They
have neither time nor means to be vicious.
At half past 2 PM we reached Keaau 12m from Hilo, on
a plain at the head of an indentation of the sea. Having
dispatched our dinner Mr Coan commenced his meeting
at 4~. Seven were admitted to the Church, some of them
baptized, & one child. The Lord's Supper was administered, the bread being distributed in a tin plate & the
cover of a tin pail from our stores & the water in two small




A Native Draughtsman


95


earthen mugs which we have with us. There were from
90 to 100 present, besides several dogs. All but the latter
were orderly & attentive.
After meeting we passed along a spot of smooth white
sand on the beach & were struck with the facility & readiness with which a lad drew with a bit of stick an off-hand
sketch of a full-rigged cutter. It w'd have done credit to
an accomplished draughtsman. On handing him a pencil
& requesting him to sketch a similar one on paper he became somewhat embarrassed & required more time to
work with the unaccustomed materials than on the sand.
His performance notwithstanding was a creditable one.
With proper advantages he w'd unquestionably make an
artist.
After prayers in native & Eng. a native leading in the
former we retired to rest at 9 & slept tolerably.
The native Ch[urch] members almost or quite without
exception maintain family worship.
Wed July 8th 1846. Started a little before 6 & walked
2m to a few houses on the shore, where we breakfasted in
the school house. The path most of the way was on a lava
bed immediately on the margin of the sea, the surf dashing beautifully at our feet. Five miles further on we came
to Makuu, a small scattered village at 9 o'clock AM. Mr
Coan held a meeting. Communion, bread in little earthen
mug, water in its mate. One infant was baptized. Left
about 11/2. Soon met a man who wished Mr Coan to visit
a woman who had been 3 or 4 days in child birth & was
in danger of her life. She was lying on a mat under the
shade of a bread fruit tree. Mr Coan ordered medicine
to be sent for from Hilo.
Went on 4m & stopped to bathe in the surf. While sitting
on a ridge enjoying the dashing of the water a swell a
little larger than usual came & unseated me & sent me
sprawling backwards, doing no other damage however
than bruising my head slightly.
Four or 5 miles beyond the Lava flow & 29 or 30 from
Hilo stopped for the night at a place called Koae, about
5m inland from the E. p[oin]t of the Island. The people




96     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
gave us a hearty greeting, especially Old Abraham, who
seems to be a warm hearted Christian & enterprising man.
He has a little plantation among the stones & rocks &
raises melons, gourds, potatoes, taro, &c &c. A water
melon, the first I had tasted on the Island, I found very
refreshing.
Thurs July 9th Breakfasted on some stewed fowl, which
the native cook had nearly spoild by burning & oversalting. At 9, went to meeting house a few rods from our
stopping place. The people had arrayed hastily for a
native feast when we sh'd arrive. We found them gathered
in the house to the number of 2 or 300, with their calabashes of poi & fish. After a blessing asked by Mr Coan
the people proceeded to the work of fingering these
articles with characteristic gusto. For appearance sake
we joined them, tho' we had just eaten a full breakfast.
A piece of a S[andwich] I[sland] Lobster we found very
palatable.
Several were admitted to the Church & an infant baptized. Mr Coan introduced me to the people & after meeting I was overwhelmed with handshaking & alohas. Meeting closed at one PM. Scandalized the natives by putting
on my hat in the Church.
Our stopping place for the night was Pohoiki, about 7m
from Koae & nearly the same distance S W from the
Eastern point of the Island. The natives bro't us the Ki
or Ti root baked. It is very sweet & juicy. There are fine
groves of cocoa nuts & the situation of the hamlet on
an inlet of the sea is very pleasant. Retired at 91/2.
Friday July 10th. Mr Coan began his meeting in the
Ch [urc]h at 8. There being much preliminary business I
did not go in till 9. There were several infants baptized,
& I noticed a greater proportion of old people than I had
observed before. About 200 were present, mostly seated
on the ground, as is usually the case, except in the larger
& more central churches.
At 111/2 we were again on our way, which still lay along
the Coast. Kauaea, a pleasant hamlet on a grassy slope
bordering on the sea we passed a little after noon.




A Natural Smithy


97


Here I was much amused at the ingenuity of a native
forge, which is now in disuse. Just on the verge of the
lava bluff forming the shore is a circular cavity 3 or 4
feet in diameter & about one deep. On the windward side
is a small orifice through the wall of the cavity [through]
which the strong draught of the Trade winds [blows]. In
front of this the fire was kindled & thus blown by nature's
bellows. A flat stone served as anvil.
Four or 5 miles from Pohoiki we came to Opihikao,
where we took dinner & were ready for a meeting in
a dilapidated schoolhouse or church or both or rather
neither (it was so nearly in ruins) where a few people
were assembled. The headman of the land at Kauaea was
introduced to me & seemed to possess the feelings of a
devoted Xn [Christian]. He had been a very wicked man,
prohibited his people from going to meeting, abused
sacred things without stint, called Mr. Coan to his face,
liar, thief, villain & all the invidious epithets he c'd
master. But towards the close of the great revival he became a convert & has since maintained the char[acte]r of
an active Xn [Christian].
We arrived at Keekee, where we were to lodge at 7 PM.
It is about 4 m. from Opihikao & consequently about 45
from Hilo. On our way we passed a dense & dark thicket
of Pandanus trees which was in former times infested by
robbers. A turkey or Kapa, or any other article of greater
or less value could never be taken thro' this place with
[out] running the risk of changing hands.
Sat. July 11th. Mr C[oan] held a little meeting at the
door before breakfast. Started on at 7.
After walking 21/2miles over a rough path we came to
Kehena where Mr Coan held a meeting in the school house,
but few present. Among whom was an old man who c'd
hardly express his joy at seeing me & learning that I was
from America. He thanked God that I had been preserved
to get here & expressed great regret that we did not speak
a common language. He repeated the text that he s[ai]d
converted him or killed him —' The hour cometh &c when
they that are in the graves &c & they that hear shall live."




98     Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
This he s[ai]d killed him & then made him alive. It was
preached from by Mr Coan at this place, at the beginning
of the great revival (1837 or 1838) & seemed to produce
a deep impression; several swooned & fell prostrate &
about 50 were hopefully converted & have all worn remarkably well.
In passing over smooth plains of lava we noticed various geometrical figures carved by the natives in former
times. A circle represented that the person had made the
tour of the Island. Two circles concentric that he had
been round twice. A semicircle that he had been half
round. A circle crossed thus 9 that he had also crossed
over it in two different directions. There was a great
variety of other diagrams many of which the natives with
us did not understand.
Stopping under the shade of a large Kukui tree to rest
we noticed little bundles of stones hung by small strings
from the branches. On inquiring the design we were told
that it was the work of mischievous boys in order to have
them fall on the heads of those who might stop under the
tree.
About 8 or 9 miles from our last night's lodging place
or about 53m from Hilo we came to Kalapana where we
are to spend the sabbath. About a mile before reaching
it we passed a long beach of black sand on which the surf
broke beautifully. <This was at Kaima?> Kalapana is
pleasantly situated on the shore, & near a bluff of 20 or
30 ft high which lies to the S. of it & extends along the
coast to the next village 3/4 of a mile beyond.
Sunday July 12th 1846 At Kalapana. Rose about 61/2.
At 8/2 went to Sabbath School at the Church, about 130
or 140 children present with their teacher. They looked
bright & were much more orderly than many sabbath
schools in N.Y. City. Many of them were only dressed in
a piece of cloth tied around them (the boys) while others
were in full dress. Mr. Coan talked to them, asking questions & they answering, promptly & apparently with intelligence.
At Y/ past 10 the Morning Service commenced. There




The Great Revival


99


were some 5 or 600 people present filling the house. The
daywasverypleasant. Mr C[oan] preachd from 2 Tim 2:6
His style is somewhat conversational & sententious. To
keep their attention he often puts questions which are answered by individuals of the Cong[regatio]n. This was
done this morning by the Children & he seemed to command their attention almost perfectly.
On returning from Ch[urc]h to dine a flock of children
came also & seated themselves in a semi-circle around
us, watching our operations while dining in respectful
silence.
It was in this place that the great Revival in the
S [andwich] Ids commenced as far back as 1836. Mr Coan
arrived at the Islands the year before, had but just got
a smattering of the language & was making his first tour
of the Island in company with other brethren. These he
left in Kona & came on thro' Kau & Puna alone. In Kau
he first began to extemporize in the native language &
rapidly improved. When he came to this place he preached
a plain sermon on the text "The Wages of Sin is death"
[Romans 6: 23]. The people became very much affected,
thronged around him for instruction, followed him from
village to village to attend the meetings & often were
clustered by the wayside to meet him as he came along.
The awakening extended from place to place until it
reached every part of the field. Mr Coan at first did not
know what to make of it. He kept preaching plainly &
the people manifested still deeper anxiety to hear. Soon
they gathered by thousands at the station from all parts
of the field & great numbers professed to be converted.
Knowing the general cha[racte]r of the people Mr Coan
did not admit any to the Ch[urc]h for a considerable time.
At length he marked those who seemed to give best evidence of piety & without their knowledge took their
names. These he conversed with & examined repeatedly;
others were gradually added to his list, till it embraced
several hundreds. At length he ventured to take a small
number into the church. Others appeared to give equally
good evidence of conversion & from time to time after
e  e
e' d ~




100   Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
long delay & repeated examinations they were gradually
admitted, until the numbers amounted to thousands. Most
of these were taken in after a delay of several months &
many of from 1 to 3 years. The preaching during this revival was plain, simple & pointed, & no extraordinary
measures were adopted nor anything done with a view
to producing excitement. The Church at the Station when
Mr Coan took charge of it numbered 23, & in proportion
to their numbers the new members have stood much better
than the original ones, a larger share of the latter having
fallen into sin & come under ecclesiastical discipline. One
reason doubtless is that in the early days of the mission
the natives were accustomed to use much craft & hypocrisy to gain admittance, seeming to expect from church
membership some great temporal advantage. One man in
particular afterwards confessed the way in which he got
in. He w[oul]d go to the missionary with a present of a
fowl, or a pig or some other article, at other times with a
"thought," or an expression of feeling or of penitence
which in some way he had heard was a preliminary; then
he w'd feign weeping & in this way carry on a deep &
protracted system of hypocrisy, till the missionary ignorant of the plot & deceived by the favorable appearance
gave him admission. Then he became the advocate & assistant of others. They found that he had got in & went to
him for the secret of the modus operandi & to engage his
good offices bringing him all manner of presents to secure
his assistance. He of course w'd introduce them to the
Missionary & tell a good story in their behalf knowing
all the while that he was telling falsehoods. This man was
called Peter & in a sense he truly held the keys. Some who
had joined Ch[urch] in that way have since been apparently truly converted & made confession of these practices. Of course such devices & the wish to become
Ch[urc]h members from mercenary motives have been
preachd against & denounced in the strongest manner &
the system has long since been broken up. This Peter is
now prowling about as a sorcerer & his wife died not long
since a very wicked woman.




A Cautious Bridegroom


101


One of these original members at a meeting in the
Eastern part of Puna was during sermon so strongly
impressed that he c'd not restrain his feelings & suddenly burst out. He said he felt as if the sword of the
Spirit was cutting him thro' & thro' & his flesh was flying
every way to the winds. The effect on the rest of the congregation, who were already many of them affected to
tears, was like an Electric shock; hundreds burst into
wailing so that for 1/2 an hour the preacher was unable
to go on with his sermon. At length they began to utter
ejaculatory prayer-"Lord have mercy on me." This
was sudden, under simple gospel preaching & unconnected
with any peculiar measures. This was the first outbreak
of excited feeling that had occurred & was certainly spontaneous as no example of the kind had been seen or heard
of to lead to imitation. The origin of it was doubtless the
same as that of similar [outbursts] in the Revivals of
Edwards' day & of later times in New England & elsewhere.
Mr Coan's church now numbers about 7000 of whom
300 die annually, which w'd give for the period of a generation about 23 yrs.
Mon. July 13th 6 miles from Kalapana we stoppd at
the little village of Komomoa on the sea shore for breakfast which we made much to our gratification on bread &
goat's milk a fine supply of which was furnished by the
natives.
At 9 AM went to a meeting in the native meeting house
or school house, it being used for both purposes. About
70 or 80 present. Communion.
A good-looking young couple presented themselves to
be married & yet seemed to be il doubt whether they were
ready to be or not. On being questioned the girl said she
liked the man & expected to marry him. The mother of
the girl was very anxious that the ceremony sh'd take
place immediately. The young man said he liked the girl
& expected to make her his wife, but was hardly ready to
do it just now. Mr Coan advised them to wait awhile. This
did not seem to suit-especially the mother. He asked the




102   Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
girl whether she wished to marry now or to wait. She
hesitated, but at the instigation of her mother answered
that she was ready now, & on conferring together they
concluded to go to the meeting house & be united. This
was at the native house where we breakfasted. On arriving at the Ch[urch] & being called upon to stand up they
hesitated & it was a large fraction of a minute before the
groom got upon his feet. Mr Coan was convinced that the
course of true love did not run smooth in this case if it
ran at all & told them plainly that he did not think it
proper to marry them & advised them to wait a while &
consider the matter & then if they wished to be united
they c'd go to Hilo & have it done. The Hawaiian damsels
seem to have as much taste in these matters as the ladies
of more polished lands & allow as large a sway to fancy.
They will not marry a man unless they fancy him, & many
unhappy matches are made here as elsewhere thro' the
interference of parents & friends. Indeed the same is true
of the matrimonial wiles at Lahainaluna & Wailuku on
Maui, where it is the endeavor of the teachers to bring
about matches between the pupils of the two schools. But
the machine does not work well. Several forced or contrived matches have turned out unhappily. One pupil at
Lahainaluna from Hilo took a wife at Wailuku, tho' not
the girl of his choice, as that one was useful, with her
needle & in other ways & the teachers c'd not spare her;
the consequence was that the wife he reluctantly took
proved false to him & ran away. The pupils at Lahainaluna at the motion of their teachers w'd visit the girls at
the other school, but those selected by them w'd not fancy
their choosers, & thus & in other ways unpleasant feelings
arose, so that at one time the young men banded together
& took a vow that they w'd not go to Wailuku for wives
at any rate. Matrimony seems to be a plant of spontaneous
growth & will not bear artificial cultivation.
We left this place at 11 AM & soon the country became
even more sterile than that we had passed. It is all one
lava plain with scarce a trace of vegetation, extending
from the sea 3 or 4 miles to the base of the Highlands,




The Salt Supply


103


which are also of lava but somewhat more susceptible of
cultivation. We proceeded over this plain not far from
the shore about 10 miles when we came to the little naked
village of Kealakomo, the first human habitation we saw
after leaving Komomoa.
Mr Coan's field extends about 10 miles beyond this,
tho' Kealakomo is usually his last stopping place as on
the present tour. There are but few people in this region,
scattered thro' the few poor villages that lie beyond.
They are miserably poor & for some time past have been
almost in a state of famine. They get their living by fishing, making salt & getting fern roots, & a few potatoes
in the mountains.
Their salt works are on the naked lava near the sea
the water of which is evaporated in little cups or vessels
made of the Ki leaf & holding of course but a minute
quantity of water. These are laid in parallel rows over
several acres & the water poured into them a little at a
time from Calabashes. The process is an extremely slow
one, tho' the salt is s[ai]d to be excellent for the table. It
is sold at the exceedingly low price of 25 cts a bag which
will contain I sh'd judge 1/2 a bushel or more.
Ellis speaks of Kealakomo as very "populous" in 1823.
[William Ellis, A Journal of a Tour around Hawaii, Boston, 1825, p. 150: "The village is populous, and the natives
thronged around us like bees.... Multitudes crowded
around our hut..  ] Its pop [ulatio] n must have greatly
diminished.
Just before reaching this place Mr Coan pointed out a
crevice in the lava by the pathway where a famous robber
was slain several years since. In the time of Kamehameha
Ist this region was infested by robbers, particularly by
one bold & athletic fellow who trained to the business was
the terror of defenseless travellers. Robbing at that
period was a kind of profession & the robbers trained
themselves to various arts of overcoming their victims,
by dislocating their limbs &c. An inhabitant of Kohala
at the N. point of the Island was waylaid by this man &
robbed & murdered. His brother heard of it & determined




104   Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
on revenge. He was a stout athletic man & skilled in the
arts of fighting & grappling with an enemy. Arriving in
Kau he made inquiry for robbers & found that the one he
was in search of lodged in this vicinity. On reaching
Kealakomo, he shaved his head close, anointed his body
with oil, threw a loose Kapa over him, took a large bundle
on his back & started on alone. He went with a stooping,
infirm gait & chewing some red berries which grow in this
vicinity he kept spitting the red pieces from his mouth as
if spitting blood. It was not long before the robber marked
him for his victim & loitering about gradually came
towards him. '"You seem to be feeble s'd he." '"Yes,"
replied the man "I find myself very weak under my
burden & am troubled with raising blood." The robber
sure of his booty let the man pass along. The man perceived however that the robber was following him, &
watching his opportunity when he was close behind him
he suddenly dropped his bundle, threw off his tapa & drew
himself up at full length before his antagonist. The robber was taken by surprise, but instantly clinched in &
endeavored to put in practice his skill in such encounters.
But he found he c'd get no hold of his oily opponent
& in the struggle he was soon thrown & his head fell, it is
said, into the crevice of the rock which I have noticed &
into which he was jammed & beaten by the victorious
avenger of blood till life was extinct, much to the relief
of the alarmed villagers & of all who travelled this desolate region.
This place, according to our estimates, must be 70 miles
from Hilo. Mr C[oan] 's field extends 10m beyond this or
80 from Hilo by way of the coast. It extends about 40 in
the other direction to Hamakua, making in all about 120m,
no inconsiderable parish to travel over on foot 4 times
a year.
Tues July 14th Started at 5/2 & walked an hour before
breakfast which we took on the lava. At 9 we reachd Kamomoa about 10 miles from our last night's lodging place
& were treated to a plentiful supply of goats milk.
About 2 miles from Kamomoa we stopped to examine




A Place of Human Sacrifice


105


the ruins of an ancient Royal Heiau or idol temple built
by Kamehameha I & dedicated to Kaili his war god
<Spelt Tairi by Ellis [A Journal of a Tour around
Hawaii, Boston, 1825] (p. 154)>, where human sacrifices were offered. It is situated a few rods to the East
of the path on rising ground. Nothing but the stone
walls remain. These were entire in the Heiau we
principally examined; they were 6 ft thick & from 6 to 8
ft high & built of the pieces of jagged lava which cover
the whole region. The dimensions of the Heiau within
the walls we found to be 117 by 57 ft. We saw the remains
of the principal altar at one end where human beings were
once sacrificed and their bodies exposed on a high platform which no longer exists.
The name of the place is Pulama, & of the heiau Wahaula, which signifies red or bloody mouthed, probably
so named in reference to the bloody rites formerly observed here.
There were two other Royal heiaus on this Island, one
at Kawaihae & another near Kealakekua in Kona.
A mile further on we reached the fine bathing place
where we had stopped before breakfast the day before.
Tho' tolerably drenched by a previous shower bath we
soon plunged in & enjoyed the luxury of its clear waters.
When we came out the children from a neighboring school
had gathered about us, & Mr Coan ordering them all to
be seated in a row, gratified the palates of the half-naked
urchins by distributing among [them] a loaf of cake,
which they rec'd as a very precious treasure & ate crumb
by crumb as they w'd a little sugar or some other rarity.
Not far from this place lived & died the last Priest &
Priestess of Pele, the Goddess of the Volcano. The
Priestess died at Opihikao. They were both members of
Mr Coan's church & active exemplary Christians to the
day of their deaths which happened not far from the same
time. The Priest was a tall, rawboned athletic man & confessed when he became a penitent that he had been a man
of blood, had offered human victims to the Goddess of
the Volcano, had robbed & oppressed the people taking




106    Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
whatever he wished whenever & wherever he found it; &
such was his authority & the fear of the multitude that
they durst not resist. Sacrifices of various kinds were
offered to Pele by throwing them into the Crater-tapa,
pigs, poultry, taro &c &c were thus disposed of in large
quantities. The Goddess was supposed to inhabit the fires
of the volcano, the fibrous lava was her hair thrown off
when she rose to shake her locks. When she plunged into
the fiery lake she made it boil with her breath, & whenever
she became angry she growled in her fiery recesses &
threw out the burning torrents for the destruction of the
territory on which her anger rested. There is a larger spice
of sublimity in the mythological char [acte]r and performances of this Goddess than of any other of the S [andwich]
I. deities. She was the terror of the dark-minded heathen &
her priest & priestess were personages of much consequence.
During the Great revival the Priest became another
man & made a profession of religion. His character was
the very opposite of what it once was. He seemed entirely
to forget his ancient dignity & power, was meek & humble
& eminently a man of prayer, maintaining the char [acte] r
of a devoted Xn [Christian] to the day of his death. The
Priestess, his sister was slower in making a profession &
seemed to find greater difficulty in ridding herself of her
former pride & idolatrous habits. After a time however
she united with the Ch[urc]h & maintained an unblemished char[acte]r to the last. Surely such striking changes
of char[acte]r from the wickedness of heathenism to the
meekness & purity of Xnty [Christianity] can be the work
of none but the Spirit of God.
An instance perhaps equally remarkable we had before
us in the person of our guide from Kahaualea (where we
bathed & lunched, & fed the 30 children with cake) across
the Highlands to Waipahoehoe. He is a good looking man,
tall & apparently from 50 to 60 yrs of age. He is a member
of Mr Coan's Church, very exemplary & very fond of
prayer & reading his Bible. He volunteered to conduct us
some 24 or 5 miles over a rough & uninhabited district, the




A Pious Murder


107


path which we proposed to take from this point till we
struck the volcano road at Kuolo being one that Mr Coan
had never traversed. This man was formerly a murderer.
Once returning to his house unexpectedly in the night
he found his wife in the embrace of another. Without
disturbing them he deliberately struck a light & seizing
the man by the throat strangled him on the spot & threw
his body into the sea. The other instance was without
provocation & connected with the rites of heathenism.
He was at Lahaina in the days of heathenism attending
a sacred festival where it was customary for each one to
eat a portion of human flesh. To procure it he must
murder a victim. Near Lahaina was a rill at which the
people were accustomed to fill their calabashes with
water. Taking his calabash, the string of which he had
previously formed into a slipping noose, he proceeded to
the rivulet. Soon a man made his appearance to procure
water. Marking him our man with the noose approached
& saluted him with the customary aloha & commenced
filling his calabash by the side of his victim. Suddenly
with one hand he threw the noose over the man's neck &
with the other throttling him thrust his head under water.
His victim struggled violently but in vain. After life was
extinct he proceeded deliberately to cut off the tips of his
ears & nose, a piece from each arm, pieces from each side
of the spine & from other parts designated by the rites
of cannibalism for his horrid feast. The rest of the body
he buried, & taking the fragments they were mixed with
certain herbs & eaten by him & his friends in honor of the
cruel gods of heathenism. I confess I c'd hardly realize
that the now warm-hearted and consistent Christian
whose steps I was following had been in days past such
a man of blood.
Hundreds & thousands of instances have occurred in
these Islands as remarkable as these, & yet some men will
say that the Missionaries are doing no good.
Our route from Kahaualea lay northerly, gradually
rising. By half past 2 PM we had reached a plantation in
an unsettled region where a good old man had been at




108    Oahu and Hawaii (Kilauea and Puna)
work all day putting up a small neat house of Ti leaves
in expectation that we would stop here for the night. As
it was so early we thought it best to go on further, so after
eating a pawpaw, we went on about 5 miles further or
10 from Kahaualea over an exceedingly rough & jagged
path & through a dense miry thicket to a small grass
shanty, open on one side & half of the two ends, & so low
that it c'd only be occupied in a sitting posture. This we
reached at 51/2 P.M., thoroughly drenched with rain &
with our feet sore & lame. We soon kindled a good fire in
front of the open side of our shelter & this with hot cocoa,
toast &c, soon put a cheerful face upon the matter notwithstanding the drizzling rain around us.
Wed. July 15. We had a comfortable nights rest on the
ground, our cheerful fire burning most of the night. After
a hasty breakfast we startd in a drenching rain at 61/2
for Hilo.
At 11 we stopped half an hour at the little village Waipahoehoe, about 13 miles from our last nights stopping
place. After taking a hasty dinner we again set forward
the rain pouring down in torrents & 3 miles further on
struck the road to the Volcano at Kuolo, about 2 miles
from the woods & consequently about 10 or 11 miles from
Hilo. The road all the way was very slippery & muddy &
the walking difficult & the rain continued at intervals all
day. In the woods we found large companies of men at
work on the road, straightening, leveling, "McAdamizing" & covering it with fern roots which are very durable
& make an easy path for the feet. The people are liable to
be drawn out on roads & other public works 3 days a week
for a month each year, or 12 days a year in all. This
amount of labor if properly used w'd in a short time fill
the country with passable roads & other improvements.
But thro' the ignorance & slugglishness of magistrates &
overseers very little is actually accomplished; 100 natives
will probably not accomplish as much work as 10 or even
5 Yankee laboring men furnished with proper tools. The
work in the woods however has advanced rapidly for a
native job. About a mile from the village I left Mr Coan




End of the Tour through Puna


109


(who stopped to unbachelorize his chin preparatory to
reaching home) & went on in order to put an end to my
wet painful walk as soon as possible & also enjoy a bath
previous to the arrival of Mr Coan. I reached Mr Coan's
at 41/2PM having been just 20 minutes in limping off the
last measured mile, which was probably below our average
rate of walking during the day. This w'd give 5 hours or
15 miles from Waipahoehoe & about 12 from Kaolo.
Mr. Coan arrived /4 of an hour after I did, & an early
supper with hot cocoa did much towards relieving our
fatigue, tho' to tell the truth, with parboiled, blistered
feet & aching limbs, we were pretty thoroughly "used
up.,,
The tour thro' Puna on the whole has given me much
gratification. The general appearance & especially the
apparent religious char[acte]r of the people exceeded my
anticipations.




sz~.cIwv  M'  *~,P'   *Q  e..5
I - A`.   k., -  




III.
HILO, KILAUEA, WAIOHINU, KEALAKEKUA, AND
KAILUA
JULY 16 TO DECEMBER 10, 1846




Z ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




III.
[Hilo] Thurs July 16 [1846]. Dined at Mr Lyman's.
Mr Arnold is now there, a young man from R[hode]
I[sland] (U.S.) who has been two yrs at the Islands, &
who is now making the tour of Hawaii. The day showery.
Mr Arnold took tea & spent the Eve at Mr Coan's.
Friday July 31. To day has been observed by the natives
as a sort of Fast day, tho' much difference of opinion
seems to prevail as to whether it sh'd be a fast or feast
day, the occasion of its observance being the surrender
of the Islands after their capture by Lord Geo' Paulet.
Two services were held in the church.
The day before a native came to Mrs Coan to get her
to write down on a slip of paper the times of the services
next day so that he might be able to ring the bell at the
exact hour as his watch was liable to stop & he c'd not
depend upon it. This is a fair specimen of the stupidity or
thoughtlessness of many of the natives. If he had the
times on paper he supposed of course he c'd easily be
exact in his observances.
Sat. August 1st 1846. Made a pair of wooden clogs shod
with iron for lava traveling, & gave them trial by walking
in them to the Rainbow falls. They answer a good purpose,
altho' from their rigidity liable to lame the ankles. There
is but one shoemaker in Hilo & he has neither leather nor
tools; of course some substitute must be found for shoes,
which are quickly knocked in pieces by a walk over clinker
& jagged lava.
Monday Aug 3d In conversation respecting the missionaries & their style of living it appears that it has been
gradually improving from the first. Comforts have accumulated gradually, & most of them now live & dress as
well as most ministers at home. They are obliged to conform in these respect[s] somewhat to the community in
which they live, especially where there is much foreign
society. Each man has a salary at this mission of 450$ with
an addition for each child. Some live comfortably on this,




114


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


while others find it difficult to make the ends of the year
meet without getting into debt. Much depends upon individual prudence & economy.
I did not know till told by Mr Coan why Mr Bliss returned home (Missionary at Kohala). It seems he was sent
home by the mission for misdemeanors & unministerial
conduct, particularly for a quarrelsome disposition & for
beating his wife, as occurred while on a visit at Mr Lyons',
whose first wife was his wife's sister. He was wild, indicreet, fickle nervous & wholly unfit for missionary or
minister & was known to be so long before he left home.
He could get no employment in the U.S. yet he was recommended to the Board & accepted. They make many mistakes in the appointment of missionaries under their
present system. It w'd be much better for them to consider
what kind of man they want for a particular place & when
they have fastened their eye on such an one give him a
call to go, just as churches call their ministers. The spirit
which leads men to offer themselves as missionaries is not
always the missionary spirit.
Sat. Aug 8th 1846 The Whale ship Morea, Capt. Cushman, came in this PM. full, & bound for home, New Bedford.
Sun. Aug 9th. Read the Circular of the S[andwich] I.
mission written 1836 by Messrs [Reuben] Tinker, [Sheldon] Dibble &c. It contains many ultra positions & was
suppressed in part by the A.B.C.F.M. [American Board
of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.]
Saturday, [Aug.] 15th Making preparations to leave on
Monday for the Volcano, Kau & Kona. Bros Paris & Hunt
are going to Kau for their furniture.
It is now nearly two months since I arrived here. That
time has gone by rapidly & delightfully. The place [Hilo]
is a pleasant one bating the extra rain. Mr Coan's family
is a most delightful one. They have been heaping all
manner of kindness upon me ever since I came.
[Monday, August 17 to Saturday, August 22, the narrator makes his second visit to the volcano, thence going to
Mr. Paris's headquarters at Waiohinu by way of Kapa



Island Millinery


115


pala, Keaiva, Makaka, Punaluu, and several seashore
villages.]
[Waiohinu], Sunday Aug 23d. Attended Br P[aris]s
meeting in the forenoon. The meeting house is a new one,
a few rods from his house. It is built of blocks of lava or
stone which being black contrasts strikingly with the
white mortar which fills the interstices presenting altogether a beautiful mottled appearance. It has a thatched
roof & is in all respects substantially built. It is not yet
plastered inside, but when finished will be a handsome &
commodious house. It will hold I presume a thousand or
more people. There were present today some 3 or 400,
the congregation not being as large as formerly, on
account of the establishment of meetings at several other
out stations.
The people appeared attentive, were mostly decently
dressed & some of the women had on hideous apologies
for bonnets. There is nothing so out of all manner of taste
as putting bonnets on the heads of these females. In their
native headdress of full curling hair bound by a cincture
of ribbon or a wreath of flowers they look free & in good
taste, but an old fashioned, rumpled, dirty cast-off bonnet
stuck crown up hat-fashion on the top of the head transforms them at once into hags, resembling the poorest
dressed negro wenches in the streets of our cities, or
rather in our country towns at home. If they are to have
a headgear it ought to be unlike that of the foreigners,
but adapted to their complexion & general appearance.
Something of the turban sort w'd be vastly superior to
the bonnet. Another absurd imitation of English or
American fashions now creeping in among the native
women is the tight dress. The simple loose dress, which
has been worn all over the Islands is easy, cool & very
becoming. But put these free buxom savages accustomed
to the unrestrained use of their limbs into corsets & they
appear like a monkey in small clothes in agony & ill at
ease till the offensive encasement is laid aside.
Thursday 27th Making Sundial for Bro Paris.
In conversation I have heard of many instances of the




116


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


native superstition respecting the power of one man to
pray another to death. That this power may be possessed
was formerly universally believed, & when anyone died
it was supposed that some enemy had prayed him to
death, & persons accused of having done so were often in
jeopardy of their lives. This superstition still continues
in many minds, especially those who are not professors of
religion, or well instructed in the truths of the Bible.
So late as last winter after the death of Rev. Mr.
[Samuel] Whitney at Kauai one of the first missionaries
to the Islands, a man & his wife who had lived in the
family 19 yrs, immediately left assigning no other reason
than that somebody had prayed Mr Whitney to death &
they were afraid if they stayed in the house, the same
man w'd pray them to death.
A member of the Church in Kona recently wrote to his
pastor that he was in great trouble & wanted his advice,
inasmuch as he had been accused of having prayed to
death a man who had just died, & was in danger of the
confiscation of his property & other punishment for the
supposed offense.
In truth the superstitions & habits of heathenism have
been so inwrought into the very texture of these people
that it will be many generations before they are wholly
rooted out.
Offerings to Pele are still occasionally made at the
Volcano. Bro. Hunt found one there a few months since,
consisting of a bundle done up in mats containing tapas
& various articles of food.
Sat. [Aug.] 29th In the eve. Jacob my host at Keaiva
made his appearance with his son whom a week before I
had seen so ill that he could not get up or sit down without assistance. They had walked all the way from Keaiva
about 20 miles since morning & the son seemed not to be
much exhausted by his journey. He had come for the
double purpose of getting medicine & a wife, the girl to
whom he was engaged living in a neighboring house. The
couple soon made their appearance neatly dressed & were
married in due form by Bro. Paris, Bro. Hunt & myself




Native Communion Service


117


& old Jacob being the only witnesses. The parents of the
girl, tho' living not a dozen rods off, felt too little interest
in the matter to honor the occasion with their presence.
This is somewhat illustrative of the general indifference
which marks the native char[acte]r.
Old Jacob is a firm & consistent Christian, & his pastor
always knows where to find him. Before his conversion he
was a hardened opposer, & hated every thing good.
Rec'd a line from Bro. Coan with an article or two
which I had left at his house.
On Wednesday eve of last week while I was at the Volcano, he saw the light of it very distinctly at Hilo. During
the two months of my stay there it was not seen once.
Sunday Aug 30th P.M. went to native meeting, the house
filled. It was communion season. Bro's Paris & Hunt
talked to the people. The communion furniture consisted
of a handsome set of brittania. The congregation consisted mostly of Church members. They appeared sedate
& were generally well dressed, bating the burlesque old
bonnets.
It was a pleasant sight after service to see the people
in their gay colored dresses wending their way home in
different directions, many of them slowly climbing the
paths up the steep hills on the N.E. One cannot help thinking of the wide difference between these times & those of
their old Pagan worship, when their Heiaus were polluted
with the blood of pagan offerings & even of human sacrifices.
Thurs. Sept 3d Took an early breakfast, mounted a fine
horse of Bro Paris (the same that I rode from Keaiva) &
started for Kona.
About 3 miles from Waiohinu we passed a small village
called Kau (pronounced kow). Two miles beyond we
passed Pueo (called the great owl) from the numbers of
owls that abound here, one of which I saw on the wing.
About 8 miles from Waiohinu we crossed a ridge of low
cones & old craters, with 2 or 3 villages in the vicinity.
At 121/ I stopped to dine under the shelter of a block
of lava about 16 miles from Waiohinu. While at dinner




118


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


a slight shock of an earthquake occurred there being a
momentary jar somewhat as if produced by the falling
of a heavy body near by.
Starting on at 1, I passed over a rough & sterile country
till I entered a forest of ohia & other trees & shrubs which
continued about 3 miles to Manuka where I arrived at
31/2 P.M. In the woods I found plenty of ohelos. It being
too early to stop for the night I concluded to push on for
Kapua on the coast. The road most of the way was no
road at all, but an exceedingly blind foot path, winding
in various directions among the grass & lava & utterly
impossible to follow by any but a native eye. It seemed
to grow rougher & rougher, & the path was very little
if any "worked" or improved by leveling & laying flat
stones to step on. The way seemed long & weary & when
the sun had disappeared behind the ocean & the shades
of night were thickening around we had but just attained
a rough eminence from which Kapua was visible still some
3 or 4 miles distant. This part of the journey which
seemed uncommonly uneven I was obliged to travel in
darkness, the moon the first part of the evening being
concealed by clouds.
At 8 oclock I reached Kapua, which is rather pleasantly
situated on a cove of the sea. It is on one of the clinkerflows & the region around is very rough. I proceeded at
once to the beach & enjoyed the luxury of a bath, after
which I went to the house where I was to stop near the
beach & took my supper & made preparations for sleeping
being pretty thoroughly tired.
The distance of Kapua from Waiohinu by the path
which is very crooked, must be 30 miles, perhaps more.
Friday Sept 4th A mile on from Kapua we passed the
little village of Koa & a mile or two further on passing
Honomalino we came to Milolii where there is an extensive & beautiful sand beach covered by a fine grove of
cocoanuts. Here I took breakfast under their shade.
Starting on at 71/ I passed the villages of Kalihi & at
8/2 reached Hoopuloa where I purchased some cocoanuts




A Launching in Surf


119


& found their water very refreshing, as the sun shone hot
& the morning was sultry.
In one of the villages in this region I noticed a neat
Catholic Church, built in native style with a small cross
erected on the front corner of the roof. Another of these
Churches I passed 3 or 4 miles from Waiohinu where
there are very few inhabitants & probably not half a
dozen enter the Church in a month.
After 2 hours & a half of laborious & hot walking I
reached at 111/2 Kipahoehoe, a small village in a rough
lava region about 9 or 10 miles from Kapua.
Here I found myself too lame to proceed with any
comfort by land & after taking a bath in the sea & eating
dinner I hired a canoe & two men for a dollar to take me
to Kealakeakua about 25 miles distant.
At a quarter past 1 the canoe was ready & we all embarked. The launching of a canoe in the surf is a difficult
thing & one which the natives perform with great skill.
Sticks of wood are laid down a few feet apart from the
canoe house to the water & over these the canoe is pushed
till it reaches the surf, where the luggage is put on board
& then at the right moment in relation to the rollers, which
a native thoroughly understands, it is shoved off & the
next moment is floating safely in deep water. The wife of
my canoe-man, a short fleshy woman, swam out several
rods to see us off & while the sail was got in order &
preparations made for sailing, she was swimming around,
till the light land breeze filling our white cotton sail we
shot out of the cove, & the last I saw of the woman she
was still in the water paddling towards the shore.
Our canoe was a nearly new one, finely made, about 20
or 30 ft long & in the widest part about 12 or 15 inches
broad. It had an outrigger as is always the case with Sandwich Island canoes & one man was stationed on the stick
joining this with the canoe to counterbalance the action
of the wind on the sail & prevent the canoe's oversetting.
My other Kau man with the two belonging to the canoe
did the paddling, while a light land breeze shoved us thro
the water at the rate of 5 knots or so an hour. The water




120


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


was nearly smooth & the trip a pleasant one, bating a little
feeling of seasickness which however was not sufficiently
violent for the entertainment of the fishes (in relation to
human gastronomy).
At Waikakuu there was a native schooner at anchor;
she had no name visible. There were here several considerable villages very near together & this part of the
coast seemed to be populous. Many of the villages were
ornamented with fine groves of cocoanuts & other trees.
At 3h 45m we passed Kalahiki, a long straggling village
with a beautiful sand beach & extensive cocoanut groves.
Hookena, Kealia, Keokea & other villages of some size
we passed before reaching Honaunau, which is an extensive & populous place about 6 miles from Kealakeakua
& celebrated for containing in idolatrous times the chief
temple for human sacrifices & affording a City of refuge
to fleeing criminals or warriors. Just before sunset we
entered the beautiful bay of Kealakeakua, shut in on the
north by a high steep bluff now green with vegetation &
on the south by a low projecting lava flow on which a part
of the village is situated. On the east the land rises gradually for a couple of miles as far as the mission houses &
then more abruptly to the high lands beyond. The view
of the landscape from the harbor, with the steeply sloping
hills covered with the bright green of a recent vegetation
& the white mission houses at their base, half hidden by
trees & shrubbery, was very delightful. Farther down the
slope or half way from the beach to the mission houses
stands the neat stone church with its plastered walls, a
conspicuous object at sea.
Just at sunset I stepped ashore & in half an hour over
a rather rough & ascending path reached the hospitable
dwelling of Bro Ives who is now the only missionary at
this station. A kind greeting, a shower bath, a change of
raiment, an excellent supper & after family worship a
good bed free from fleas & mosquitoes were all very desirable & delightful.
[Kealakekua] Sat Sept 5 [1846.] Being too lame from
my sore foot to stir about I have spent most of the day




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Benefits of Famine


121


in reading late Honolulu papers & visiting & writing. Find
Mr Ives with a pleasant but partially invalid wife & two
sons, one of them laid up by a wound which he had carelessly inflicted on himself with a jackknife. Mr Ives is a
native of Goshen Ct., & his wife of North Guilford.
Sunday Sept 6th. Went to Mr Ives's church in the P.M.
It will hold, I should judge, a congregation of 2500, tho'
the ordinary congregation at present 1 am told has
dwindled down to 100. There were not more than that
number present this P.M. although it was their communion.
One reason of the smallness of the congregation appears to have been the dispersion of the people in consequence of the great famine which has prevailed on this
side of the Island for a year past. There has been a continual drought during that time, reducing every vegetable
substance to tinder, in consequence of which the whole
country was overrun by fire.
The natives have suffered exceedingly for want of food
& have been obliged to subsist almost entirely on a species
or two of roots scarcely fit for food, & the few fish they
c'd get from the sea.
It has been remarked that during the famine the natives
have been unusually healthy, being obliged to be both
temperate in the use of food & industrious. A different
state of things is anticipated when food shall be plenty
again as the natives have no rule for the indulgence of
their appetites except the measure of their capacity.
Tues [Sept.] 8th Reading "The Missionary's daughter," or memoir of Lucy G[oodale] Thurston [wife of
Rev. Asa Thurston]. An interesting piece of Biography.
The natives employed by the family have to be put on
an allowance of food to prevent gluttony. If left to themselves with food in abundance [they] act with the indiscretion of a Boa Constrictor, eat irregularly & to excess,
producing laziness & disease. Travelers always complain
of the immense quantity of food consumed by their
natives. It was so with Wilkes. Douglass says he had 16
men, 5 to carry his luggage & the other 11 their own. He




122


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


says that a native will consume his own weight of food in
a week. They will however endure the want of food with a
good grace. When I have stopped by the way to dine I
have seen my men with a contented countenance take from
their pockets a piece of hapu or fern root and gnaw away
at it with as much apparent satisfaction as if it were a
lump of Poi; & they bear to be stinted without murmuring,
looking upon it as no indignity, but a thing of course.
Wed. 9th Sept. Reading "Hawaiian Spectator" two vol
of which were published quarterly in 1838 & 9, particularly Douglass' scientific travels in Oregon, N. California
& S[andwich] Islands.
Capt. Cummings breakfasted at Mr. Ives'; he has a
store in the village, has been here several months but
expects soon to return as this is prohibited by Govt from
being a trading post.
Thurs Sept 10th 1846 The way names are given by the
natives is fanciful & often amusing. The name of a person
or thing is usually given from some circumstance or characteristic of it. The name of this plain Kealakeakua signifies "The path of the God" from a tradition that a sort
of pathway up the precipice N of the Bay is where a god
ascended. The name of "Cotton" (the plant) translated
is Cotton Cloth while the name of Brown Cotton Cloth is
Fly dung, from the specks observed on it, & they know it
by no other name. A striped fabric of yellow & white much
in vogue here is called "Out of Breath" from the circumstance that when it first made its appearance people
ran to the store for it till out of breath, for fear it would
be all gone before they could get any.
Lava is Pele's excrement, & many other things are
named with a like disregard of delicacy, a thing which
with them has no existence. Children are generally named
from some personal mark or from some other circumstance. Boki former governor of Oahu [1819-1829] was
named from a dog "Boss" that being as near as the
natives could pronounce it. A woman recently named her
child "Four-inch" from the circumstance that another
woman a friend of hers had had a piece 4 inches large cut




Asleep at the Helm


123


from her breast. Some are called by such names as
"Little-mouth," "Big-belly," Big-navel & other names
often so indelicate & obscene that the missionaries are
obliged to refuse to baptize the children by them.
[The natives'] carelessness is proverbial-a week since
the native schooner Clarion ran on the rocks between
here & Kailua on a bright moonlight night. All hands on
board having quietly gone to sleep, the helmsman lashing
the Tiller to his wrist, even the striking of the vessel on
the rocks was not enough to awaken the stupid fellows.
The Capt. below hearing the vessel strike, ran on deck &
finding all asleep first with his fist very properly knocked
over the helmsman, effectually rousing him from his
dreams & then attempted to save the vessel, but in vain;
those on board got on to the rocks & the schooner was
driven & wedged into one of the numerous caverns on
the shore where she became a perfect wreck.
Saturday Sept 12th During breakfast David Malo came
in. He came in a sail boat & is on a pleasure excursion
with 2 or 3 Hawaiian Ladies. He appears somewhat advanced in years, has an intelligent countenance, skin
rather dark, & was plainly dressed.
I made inquiries of him respecting Hamapatoo the
Sandwich Islander who resided some time with Deacon
Landfear in Manchester Ct, about 20 yrs since. He had
no recollections of such a man. Thomas Hopoo, who was
also educated in the U.S. & is now in a store in Honolulu,
may know something of him. David Malo is a licenced
preacher & is an influential man, popular with the common
people, but rather anti Government.
Monday [Sept.] 14th Mr. Hall called at Mr Ives's this
PM. He is an American & has spent many years on the
Island, has been employed in beef-catching & is familiar
with the mountainous regions. When the death of Douglass [in 1834] was known at Hilo he was sent by the Missionaries to the pit to gather information. There had
been a heavy rain the day before he reached the place &
all tracks &c were obliterated. He obtained the head of
the bullock & took it to Hilo. The horns he says were blunt




124


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


& nearly an inch through at the extremities, the animal
being old. He thinks it impossible that the wounds on
Douglass' head especially on the temple, which was about
11/4 or 11/2 in. deep 2 in long & half an inch thick could
have been made by the horns or hoofs. Davis, at whose
house Douglass lodged the night before, affirms as Mr
Hall says that he saw Douglass have a large purse of
money which he took to be gold. None of any consequence
was found 'after his death. Mr Hall says he has no doubt
in his own mind that Douglass was murdered by Ned.
The pit he was found in was off from the road several
feet. [David Douglas, English botanist, see Dictionary of
National Biography, vol. 15, p. 291. See also Wilkes, Narrative, vol. 4, pp. 54, 204-205.]
Tues 15th Sept. My foot not getting any better & Mr
Ives with his family wishing to visit Kailua I thought it
best to go on to that place & get the medical assistance
of Dr. L L Andrews & return subsequently (DV) to finish
my visit at Kealakekua.
The morning was cloudy & threatened rain; a few stars
were visible & the light of day was just creeping over the
mountains. Some little delay was caused in launching
Mr Ives's double canoe, but at quarter to 6 we were all
on board & put off. We touched at Kaawaroa [Kaawaloa]
for Mr Ives to recall a notice of a meeting & also at
another village a few miles further on where a good
woman brought us some watermelons.
At 10/2 (43/4 hours) we landed at Kailua having had a
fair breeze the last 2/3 of the way. Proceeded to Dr
Andrews's house a few rods from the water & met with
a welcome reception.
Dr Andrews has a 2 story pleasant house, built of stone
& mortar & shingled. He himself has been an invalid &
obliged to keep the house for a year past or more from
chronic diarrhoea. He is now slowly convalescing & is
able to ride a mile or two on horse back every day.
Mrs Andrews was a native of Woodbury Conn. & with
her sister Fanny Pierce who attended school in New
Haven I used to be well acquainted in my college days.




A Native Legislator


125


Mrs. A[ndrews] is also a correspondent of F. T. Perkins
my seminary roommate. I find it extremely pleasant to
call up so many old associations. When in Putney Vt 2 yrs
ago it seems also that I chanced to call at the house where
Dr Andrews was born & brought up. His father was the
minister of the place many years.
Sun Sept 20th After morning service David Malo &
[Kapae] representative of the Island in the national
legislature called in. They were both well dressed, Malo
wearing gloves & straps on his pants. The rep[resentative] is a large fine looking man & sustains a fine char[acte] r. Malo is a man of mind & influence, but is always
looking on the dark side of things & complaining. Today
he was lamenting the condition of the people, the want
of care of infants & children, their improper feeding &
want of training to habits of industry. He seems to be
deeply impressed with the conviction that the nation is
destined to run out & give place to the whites. This conviction is growing in the minds of the more intelligent
natives, & cannot escape the observation of any reflecting
person.
In the afternoon we had religious exercises in the
family, it being Dr A[ndrews] 's custom, on account of his
children having no English service to attend.
Towards night the Amelia, a native schooner, arrived
from Oahu, bringing papers &c. A new paper called the
Sandwich Island News has been started at Honolulu,
edited by Abell De Fiennes & Janion. It is the organ of
the Foreign residents & anti-govt to a certain extent.
Tues. [Sept.] 22a Heard of some more characteristic
native names (See Sept 10th). The common people
often name their children from some circumstance connected with their chiefs. One was named "Four feet"
because Govr Adams went on crutches. Another "Two
Coffins ' because a chief was so buried. A man living with
Dr A[ndrews] is named "Cape Horn" because King
Liho liho went round it. A girl was named "Mrs-Coan-thewoman," another girl "Mr-Jonathan-S. Green," their
language & proper names knowing no distinction of sex.




126


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


A neighbor's child here is called "Dr. Andrews. " A chief
having chills, the child of one of his dependents was
named "Cold-sickness," &c &c.
Wed. 23d Sept. While at breakfast yesterday morning a
long & loud wailing was heard among the natives in the
village, which we soon learned was for joy in consequence
of the arrival of friends in a canoe. It was formerly the
custom & still is among the older people to set up a wailing both on occasions of sorrow & of joy, & an unpracticed
ear cannot tell them apart. On the death of a chief it was
also customary to knock out a couple of teeth, a thing
which has been practiced very recently at Kealakekua &
other places. These remains of heathenism however are
fast disappearing.
Thursday 24th Sept. The Amelia passed this morning
returning to Oahu. Dr A[ndrews] sent off a canoe with
a package of letters among which were several of mine
for friends in the U.S.
This morning the native cook burnt Dr A[ndrews] 's
chicken soup so as to spoil it, but hoping to escape detection she just filled up with water & stewed over again
making a mess which for bitterness exceeded any com.
pound on the doctor's medicine shelves. These natives are
rarely to be trusted. Mrs A[ndrews] had one who in cooking a turkey poured off nearly all the gravy & ate it herself. Mrs Ives's cook during her illness a few years since,
in making chicken soup was in the habit of taking the
whole soup himself & then filling up with water & presenting her a weak infusion of chicken hardly distinguishable from the pure element itself. When detected
they seem to have little conscience, & attempt to laugh it
off. Their sense of gratitude also is often very slight. Dr
A[ndrews] had been doctoring a man a long time & furnishing him much medicine gratis, when learning that the
man was going to Hilo he requested him to take a letter.
The man coolly asked him for carrying it $1.00. Having
hired a man to take a letter to Kau, the man demanded
equal pay for bringing back the answer. Innumerable instances might be mentioned of the same characteristic




A Last Illness


127


selfishness. The truth seems to be that their natural conscience & sense of propriety is very weak. They are proverbially a careless, heedless, improvident race. A native
can scarcely be taught to prick down a lamp wick; nothing
less than a flaming torch accords with their notion of a
light.
Sun 27th Sept. 7 AM. Mrs A[ndrews] very ill, much
fever. Babe very worrisome. Mary Thurston assisting
thro' the day. The two native girls, with characteristic
native heedlessness both went off to meeting, tho' they
were needed every moment in the house. Natives often
take the opportunity when a family is in sickness & distress to leave entirely, utterly regardless of consequences.
Mr Thurston came in the eve to watch part of the night.
Mon. 28th Sept. Foot if anything getting worse. Mrs
A[ndrews] very sick, some symptoms better, but still she
is in a critical state. Mrs Thurston & Mary helping, also
Mr T [hurston] during the night.
Tues. 29th Sept. Mrs. A[ndrews] worse this morning.
Early in the night, when her mind was clear, she left messages for friends, conversed on her religious state, & composed her mind for whatever might be the will of the Lord
respecting her. About 2 AM she sank rapidly & her mind
became wandering; some fatal symptoms also made their
appearance. Towards morning she seemed to be a little
better. Mr & Mrs Thurston were with her most of the
night. This morning her mind was still wandering; her
eyes & countenance gave ominous indications that she
might never recover. She took little notice of persons or
things, & her remarks were very incoherent, running upon
family & personal matters. Towards noon appearances
were more favorable tho' scarcely enough so for much
hope of a favorable issue. Soon after noon she was disinclined to take food or medicine & seemed to be rapidly
sinking. All hope was now over & we were looking forward to a speedy termination of her sufferings. By the
middle of the PM she ceased to recognize her husband or
children, breathed hard, & at just 5h 30m" PM her spirit
took its flight from the body. She died without a struggle.




128


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


Her disease was Dysentery. Mr Thurston's family, Dr.
A[ndrews] & little George & myself were present. All
were deeply affected, but for Dr A[ndrews] & his little
boy it was a bitter struggle. Mr Thurston led us in prayer,
& sought the Divine presence in this hour of trial.
Wednesday, Sept 30th Spent the forenoon in copying
a letter which Mrs A[ndrews] had written to the Doctor's
brother in Michigan. It was the last she wrote and Dr
wished to retain the original. Mr Hall arrived at 11 to
make the coffin, & at 3 PM Mr Ives & his family from
Kealakekua arrived, also Capt Cummings.
Thurs Oct. 1st It is just one year since I sailed from N.Y.
To day at 11 AM the funeral exercises were attended
at the house in English, Mr Ives making a prayer & Mr
Thurston making an address together with a prayer.
There was also singing.
A little after 12 the body was removed from the house
& further exercises in native held at the church where a
large number of them were collected. Dr A[ndrews] was
unable to follow the corpse to the grave & I also remained
at the house, together with Mrs Ives, all invalids. Soon
after the procession left we spent a little season in prayer.
After the exercises I wrote out a few verses headed
"Ah wherefore mourn"? which had suggested themselves in part while sitting at the crowded tho' silent
breakfast table.
Sat. Oct 3d 1846 Church fast here in view of communion
to morrow. This is a general custom I believe on the
Islands.
In the PM a meeting was held at the house for the
children of the 3 families here (6 in number). Mr Ives &
myself talked to them.
Eve Dr A[ndrews] & Mrs T[hurston] had a long
palaver with a native & his wife, endeavoring to strike a
bargain to get the wife to nurse Dr A[ndrews] 's infant.
As usual with the natives when they discover that their
services are in any case indispensable they demanded an
exorbitant price; after 2 hours talk the case was still
undecided.




Changes in the Volcano


129


Read in Mrs A[ndrews] 's MS. journal a description of
her visit to the volcano in 1837. It would seem that then
the black ledge was a great deal lower than at present;
she mentions that the last part of the descent was very
steep & difficult. Now it is as easy as any part of it. She
speaks too of the lava near the descending path on the
bank 1 or 200 feet above the ledge. This has either been
covered up by the ledge or is the lava still visible near
the path but only a short distance above the ledge. The
bottom of the crater was then generally but a few feet,
10 or 20 below the ledge, & contained several boiling lakes
besides the Great one at the SW. It had filled up some
200 feet since Mr Coan had visited it 2 years before. In
the eve she counted 100 fires visible in the crater. Now
there is but one & that a mere speck beside the fires of
the Great Lake. There were also at that time loud noises,
groanings, roarings, like the ocean surf.
Sunday Oct 4th 1846 At 11 AM Communion service was
held at Dr Andrew's, more particularly for his benefit,
it having been a year since he has been able to attend
church. Mr Thurston & Mr Ives' families were present,
together with David Malo & Kapae (representative of
the Island in the Parliament). Dr A[ndrews]'s infant
Chas Thurston was baptized. Mr Thurston conducted the
exercises.
In the PM a long conversation & discussion arose on
the Resurrection; glad to find that my vocal organs are
much stronger than they have been.
Mon. Oct 5th 1846. Mr Ives & family left for home about
noon. Towards night Mr Thurstons family returned to
their own house 1/3d of a mile back of Dr A[ndrews] 's.
Dr A[ndrews] & his two children went also, becoming a
part of Mr T[hurston] 's family. I also mounted my
crutch & for the first time hobbled up the hill to Mr
Thurston 's.
For 3 weeks I have occupied Dr A[ndrews] 's settee.
My foot seems to get no better; how long I shall be confined here is known only to God. I feel thankful that I am




130


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


where I can have all needed assistance & the society of
kind Christian friends.
My lodging room is a small chamber in the SW corner,
the same that Olmsted in his Incidents of a Whaling
Voyage speaks of as so oppressively hot. That however
was when the house had been closed for several months,
& before an addition was built on the south, which now
screens it in front from the action of the direct rays of
the sun.
Tues. 6th Oct. Hobbled a few rods back of the house to
the entrance of the cave called Laniakea. The mouth is
only 2 or 3 feet high, entering in a westerly direction.
Shall have to wait for my foot to get well before exploring it. Looked into [Charles Samuel] Stewarts Journal
at S. I. [Private Journal of a Voyage to the Pacific Ocean,
New York, 1828].
Reading some in Fitch W Taylor's "Flag Ship" [or
A Voyage round the World in the U. S. Frigate Columbia,
New York, 1840], a very soft writer.
The management of Mrs. Thurston in her family is
distinguished for order & regularity. At breakfast & tea,
the things are removed from the table by the children &
the Bibles brought on while the rest retain their seats.
The reading is then done in course & family worship attended. The Breakfast table is spread the evening before.
There is a particular place for everything about the house
& everything is in its place.
Wed Oct 7th Reading [Richard Henry] Dana's "Two
years before the mast" [New York, 1840]. The Capt.
[Thompson] spoken [of] who flogged the men so severely
& got the nickname of" Spreadeagle," was brother of the
Capt. Thompson who was my roommate in the Mariposa.
Friday. Oct 9th Reading the Journal of Daniel Wheeler
[Extracts from the Letters and Journal of Daniel
Wheeler, London, 1839] who in 1836 visited the Islands
of the Pacific as a sort of Quaker itinerant, having been
sent out by the Soc[iety] of Friends in England. He
visited nearly all the stations at these Islands & addressed
the natives, the Missionaries acting as interpreters. He




EARLY PREACHING N THE SANDWICH 
EARLY PREACHING IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS




C




A Quaker Classic


131


seems to have been a simple hearted, honest-minded
evangelical old man, but exceedingly tenacious of the
puerile peculiarities of his sect. He commenced his meetings by sitting a long time in silence till the Spirit moved
& gave him utterance. His discourses were mainly quotations from Scripture. The greatest cross he seems to have
encountered was attending some sessions of the general
meeting of the Missionaries, where he was compelled to
witness so many things that filled him with distress. In
his farewell note to the Missionaries he exhorts them to
follow Christ not only in deed but in "word" that is to
adopt the forms "Thee" "Thou" "yea," "nay" &c, &
quotes our Saviors declaration "He that denieth me &
my words" &c according to which interpretation to
neglect this form of expression is to deny the Lord Jesus
Christ & come under his threatened abandonment.
The book is a great curiosity. People are always called
by their full names without a title-e.g. Hiram Bingham,:
Titus Coan &c.
Saturday Oct 10th 1846, Kailua. Mr Thurston's.
Reading a fragment of a MSS journal kept by Mrs.
Andrews in 1821 when she was 14 yrs of age; she had
then just commenced her discipleship apparently & on
the first Sab[bath] in 1822 united with the Church. Her
journal exhibits great maturity of thought & expression
for one of her years. It breathes a deep anxiety to know
her duty, & exhibits a lively interest in the condition of
the heathen. She often speaks of them, rejoices in every
measure for their good, took great interest in a charitable
sewing society in their behalf to which she belonged, &
even at that early period seemed to be weighing the question of personal duty in regard to going among them. Her
mother was a pious woman & she had received a good religious training. She subsequently (about 1832) offered
herself to the board but for some reason was not sent
abroad; & when the opportunity occurred of going with
Dr A[ndrews] she seemed to look upon it as Providential
& turned her face towards the heathen with joy & thank



132


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


fulness. She was in many respects a woman of uncommon
character & worth.
Sunday Oct 11th Reading Mrs A[ndrews]'s Journal
from 1836 to 1841, full & interesting. Read an article in the
Biblical Repos[itor]y on Judges 10:12-15, in which the
ground is taken & sustained by some weighty considerations that the passage (relating to sun & moon) is no part
of SS. [Scripture] but a quotation by some transcriber
from the Book of Jasher.
Mon. 12th Oct. At 6, Ther. in my room 71~. Writing
letters &c-among the &c some rhymes on "Hawaiian
Fleas," by the bite of which I have so long been laid up.
Not very well to-day.
[The rhymes, as subsequently printed, read as follows:
HAWAIIAN FLEAS.
Written after six weeks confinement from the effects of their bite.
All "pizen sarpents," the Paddies say,
Saint Patrick from Ireland drove away;
And Rumor hath it, these 'Isles of the Sea"
Are from venomous creatures free.
Yet six long weeks have I kept "the shelf,"
Scarce able to hobble or help myself,
From the Dragon-like bite of what they please
To call in the Sandwich Islands-Fleas!
To be clawed by a Lion or bit by a Bear,
Or snatched by an Eagle aloft by the hair,
Or crushed by an Elephant's huge proboscis,
Or sucked by a Whale down his open fauces,
Or hugged to death by an Anaconda,
Would not be a matter of special wonder;
But thus to be vanquished, and left to bleed
By the dirk of a Flea-'tis strange indeed.
But the Flea of Hawaii is not the small
"Wee bit of a nothing," they elsewhere call
By the name of flea; 'tis, in every feature,
An independent and terrible creature,




Portrait of a Flea


133


Armed cap-a-pie, like a knight for battle,
With sword and bludgeon and harness of metal,
His weapons all burnished and needle-tipt,
And thrice in a mixture of venom dipt.
Let a wight once sleep in a native hut,
And not Gulliver, napping in Lilliput,
Was e'er so harassed by the evolutions
And nimble attacks of the Lilliputians,
As one so caught, by these trained battalions
Of cut-throat, skip-about, black rascalions;
If he gets off alive, though with wounds overpowered,
Lethim laugh and rej oice that he 's not quite devoured.
If the King wants troops that wont prove skittish,
But will fight like a bear, both French and British,
And raise the nation, head, neck and shoulder,
Above all the nations that bully and scold her,
Let a Bill at head-quarters be at once got through,
To enroll a Grand Army-as other Kings do;
But with the improvement-to enlist, if they please,
Instead of kanakas, these veteran Fleas!]
Tues. [Oct.] 13th Eve. Thomas Hopu called. He is over
50 & an interesting man. He went to the US he says when
a boy about 12 & was there 15 years, several of which he
spent in sailing from N[ew] Haven to the West Indies.
He was 5 times taken prisoner during the last war. He
lived sometime in central NY at Whitestown with Gideon
Granger. Saw Gen1 Jackson there, who asked him to go
with him to New Orleans, undertook to teach him the
sword exercise &c much to his discomfiture. At New
Haven his home was at Dr Hotchkiss' near the Bank. He
has been a consistent & useful man since he returned, & is
now one of the Deacons in the Kailua Church where he
resides.
I inquired of him respecting the S[andwich] Islander
that lived at Dea[con] Landfears. He has no recollection
of any one of the name of Hamapatoo, but thinks that




134


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


one called Paru might be the man, & that he has been
dead many years. The probability is that soon after his
return he went back to his old habits & died in obscurity.
Thos Hopu thinks his age is 56, but the ideas of the
natives as to years are very indefinite; he was in America
but 10 yrs, instead of 15/2 as he says-probably the 15
yrs is the whole time he was absent from the Islands.
Wed [Nov.] 11th This morning a native schooner
arrived from Honolulu & just as we had finished breakfast a great number of bundles & packages were delivered
for the Missionaries here. There had been two arrivals
from America (the Henry & Gen Harrison) & the AM
letters were numerous, but none for me. Besides the
letters there were files of the NY Observer & NY Mercury, the Eclectic Mag., Jour[nal] of Science & other
pamphlets, reading in abundance. After a general inspection I began with the latest no. of the Obs[erver] Mar.
14th 1846, & read backward during the day reaching as
far as Jan 1st. The Mercury is full of Oregon politics. The
day was chiefly spent in reading by all. Besides papers
pamphlets & letters a variety of other articles & presents
for the children came. Such arrivals at distant intervals
create great excitement at a quiet Missionary Station, &
I could not help getting somewhat into the spirit of it
myself.
Thurs. 12th Nov. This morn. after breakfast I mounted
Dr A[ndrews] 's Donkey & rode down to the village & then
about a mile down the beach to the south. This is the first
exercise I have been able to take in 9 weeks save the
hobble some two weeks since which made my foot so much
worse as to prevent my repeating it.
Mon. [Nov.] 16. Mounted Mr T[hurston's] old white
horse & rode down into the village as far as Mr Rice's.
Mr R[ice] came out as sailor in a fur-trader in 1811. The
Capt. by reason of the war sold his vessel here & discharged his crew. Mr R[ice] & another on Maui have
remained here ever since. He is now a church member.
Tues. [Nov.] 17th. Before breakfast limped on foot
down to Dr A[ndrews] 's house but was very glad to ride




Asinine Hydrophobia


135


back on the horse which was sent down for me. My foot
is very weak yet.
Took another ride on the old horse after breakfast as
far as the fort intending to follow the beach northward
but the stubborn animal thought proper not to go further
& after coaxing & whipping to the extent of my ability I
was forced to turn back.
Thurs [Nov.] 19. Took a ride on the little donkey, but
on reaching the fort he took it into his head not to go
any further in the same way & nearly in the same place
the old horse did. Two or three natives came to my assistance but coaxing whipping punching poking &c were all
in vain; he w'd n't budge an inch, & I was forced to turn
back-his mulish disposition was insuperable by all the
arts I could command.
Towards evening I made another trial at the same place
but with the same success. It appears that he is afraid of
water-a sort of hydrophobia-& has set up rebellion at
the same place before, there being here a narrow raised
path among pools of brackish water.
Wed [Nov.] 25. This morning I made a third trial on
Dr Andrews' donkey to pass the pools of water at the fort
in order to ride up the beach northward, but with no better
success than on the other two animals-the stubborn
beast would not "go it. "
Thurs. [Nov.] 26. Rose & breakfasted at 5, & at 61/4
mounted Dr A[ndrews] 's Donkey & started for Kealakeakua alone. The road for the first half of the way is
very good lying not far from the beach. About 3 miles
from Kailua I passed the pleasant village of Holualoa, in
the midst of a beautiful cocoanut grove. There is here a
small thatched Catholic Church with a little rude wooden
cross a few inches high on one end of the ridge, & at the
next village, Kaumulumalu, a mile further on I noticed
a square pile of rude stone masonry a few feet high near
the road with a similar cross attached, this I took to be a
tomb & Catholic burial place. Another 2 miles brought
me to the large & beautifully situated village of Kahaluu.
The cocoanut groves are very dense & extensive especially




136


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


on the level point of land forming the S. side of the little
harbor. At 9. I reached Keauhou 2 miles further on or
about 7 from Kailua.
Some 4 or 5 miles beyond Keauhou I reached Mr Hall's
place where he has an extensive coffee plantation. His
thatched house or rather houses is pleasantly located
among beautiful shade trees, among them the Pride of
India, Kukui, &c &c. He has many thousand coffee trees
& after 5 years labor is beginning to find it profitable.
He has a native wife & a family of several children. His
wife is a daughter of Mr Rice of Kailua. Mr R[ice] was
formerly intemperate & his family was left to go to ruin.
This daughter was particularly vicious. On his reformation from intemperance he set about the reformation &
discipline of his family. This daughter, before he could
bring her to submission to his authority he was obliged
to keep chained by the ankle in his house for some 3
months; at last she gave up & the effect on her subsequent life was very salutary.
After stopping an hour at Mr Halls & taking a bowl of
milk & bananas I again mounted my donkey & at 12
startd on for Mr Ives's. About 3 PM I reachd the hospitable dwelling of Mr Ives & was welcomed by his Lady,
he himself being about visiting some hamlet on the shore
to the northward. He returned early in the eve. The PM
was very pleasant & my whole ride cool & agreeable.
Took possession of my old quarters, the pleasant room
which I occupied when here before in the S wing of the
houseMon 30 Nov. Capt Winters & Pearson of the whale ships
cruising off the Bay were here at dinner. Both young men,
& regular Yankees, tho' from Sag-harbor L.I. Off this side
of the Island of Hawaii is considered good cruising
ground during the winter months, tho' these ships have
taken nothing yet, it being too early.
Tues Dec 1st 1846 Yesterday Mr Ives' double canoe was
sent to Kailua for Mr Thurston's & Dr Andrews families
according to previous arrangements. About 8 the canoe
hove in sight & Mr Ives went to the beach with mules to




Memorial to Captain Cook


137


conduct them up. None came however, the visit being postponed a week on acct of Mrs T [hurston] having a severe
attack of headache. The fine dinner which Mrs I[ves] had
prepared was not out of place however for the two whaling Capts. having lost their ships were here with Capt
Cummings to dine. The ships (the Ann Mary Ann & the
Columbia of Sag Harbor) were both in sight Mon Eve.
but during the night they drifted out of sight & the Capts
are both on shore anxious to get on board again. A strong
current sometimes set to the northward & ships are floated
down, unable to get back sometimes for a week or more.
(These had not been seen on Thursday.)
On the top of the bluff about half a mile from Kaawaloa
& some 500 feet above the bay we stopped to examine the
monument erected on the spot where Capt Cook's remains
were burned, or where his ashes were buried, I know not
which. In the center of a rude stone wall enclosure a few
yards square stands a single post 4 inches square & about
12 or 15 high, supported by a pile of stones at bottom &
bearing a small piece of board at the top, on which is
nailed a plate of copper containing the inscription"In memory of the illustrious Capt. Jas Cook who
discovered these Islands AD 1778 this monument is
erected by his countrymen. "
As I give this inscription from memory it may not be
perfectly accurate. Both the wooden support & the copper
plate are thickly inscribed with the names of ambitious
visitors.
The monument of Capt Cook is a few rods from the spot
at the waters edge where he was killed. It is the stump of a
cocoanut about a foot in diameter at top & 15 or 18 inches
at bottom & projecting some 3 feet above a raised circle
of earth & stones which is some 6 or 7 feet in diameter &
perhaps 2 in height. The stump has been tarred over, has
a copper cap, & several copper sheets containing inscriptions on its sides. In some of them the letters are formed
by dots pricked with a punch, & are almost illegible
especially that by Lord Geo Paulet.
The stump is said to be that of a tree near the spot




138


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


which was cut off by a ball from Capt Cook's ship at the
time of the fatal encounter.
The stone at the water's edge on which Cook fell was
some years since taken to England as a memento. All the
other rocks around are of the same kind & it will be as
easy to multi[ply] genuine relics as for the Catholics to
multiply the bones of departed saints.
The spot is one of interest as connected with the early
history of the Islands & the fate of a great navigator. But
when one thinks of the manner in which Cook allowed the
superstitious savages to pay him divine homage, &
profited by their credulity it is difficult to shed tears at
the sad result of his folly.
Thurs Dec 3d Started at 7 on Dr A[ndrews] 's donkey
for Kailua. The animal was so dull & Jackassy I made
but slow progress, occupying nearly 2/2hours in getting
the first 5 miles to Mr Hall's.
Found Mr Thurston's family as usual. Mrs T[hurston] had just recovered from a severe attach of headache
which had lasted several days.
Frid Dec 4th Towards evening visited at the prison near
the seaside the man who is to be hanged tomorrow for the
murder of a constable who had him in custody for stealing about a year since. The Governor arrived in the
Haalilio last Friday bringing his sentence & ordering his
execution. He is a tall good looking man, was one of the
earliest school teachers on the Island, at one time a member of Mr Lyons Church at Waimea & subsequently was
taken in by the Catholics. The Catholic priest on being
informed of his true character replied that "such men
made first rate Catholics." He was lying chained in one
of the rooms of the prison, his hands ironed, & his well
thumbed New Testament lying near his pillow. A large
number of natives who had come in to see him, were in
the room, the door being opend to everyone that wished
to enter. Three or four men were seated as guard on the
top of the wall, where the heavy iron chain to which the
culprit was fastened appeared to pass over into the next
apartment. The man said he had no fears of death, so




Public Execution


139


far as his body was concerned, but was only fearful he
had not exercised saving repentance for his sins. He
expressed penitence however & a hope of pardon, through
the Redeemer. He was perfectly calm & collected tho' I
could not but notice a peculiar restlessness in his eye.
The sun just sinking beautifully behind the ocean cast a
golden light thro' the grating of his room & he turned over
his head a moment to look at [it]. The thought was to
me solemn that tho' now in vigorous life, another sunset
he would never witness. Mr Thurston offered a short
prayer & we left.
The people have already begun to collect from the
neighboring districts to witness the execution.
Sat Dec 5th The bay has been whitened all the morning
by the crowded canoes coming from distant places along
the coast, & the village especially in the vicinity of the
prison was thronged with natives. The man was taken to
the old governors house in the fort at 10 AM & at 11 the
procession marchd to the cocoanut grove on the point
about a mile N W of the village where the execution was
to take place at noon, a piece of plank being spiked to a
couple of cocoanut trees to serve for a gallows. I rode to
the place on a donkey passing the prisoner just before
reaching the gallows. He proceeded slowly on foot with
his head uncovered, surrounded by a posse of civil officers.
I rode into the open space near the gallows. A dense mass
of natives in every form & color of costume extended in
every direction embracing many thousands. The Governor, acting Govr & other officers were on horseback just
in front of the gallows. When the prisoner reached the
ground the rope was adjusted about his neck the other end
of it after passing over a pulley attached to the cross
piece & through another block near the ground, being
held by 12 or 15 constables prepared to draw him up when
the order sh'd be given. The man said a few words to the
multitude in a firm tone of voice, leaving his love (aloha)
to the people & Chiefs & warning all not to do as he had
done. After a few remarks & a prayer by Mr Thurston his
[head] was covered. The order was given by the Govr &




140


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


in an instant he was drawn up till the back of his neck
reached the pully. He struggled feebly for a few minutes
& the scene was over. The crowd which had maintained
perfect order soon began to disperse. This place was
chosen for the execution because the natives were afraid
of his ghost if he sh'd be hanged in or near the village,
a superstitious belief prevailing among [them] that the
ghosts of persons executed haunt the places where [the
executions] occur.
Sun Dec 6th Went to Church this morning. Mr T[hurston] 's Church is a plain well built one of stone with a
steeple & small bell. It was one of the earliest erected on
the Islands. The congregation amounted to 300 or 400 &
most of the people were neatly dressed, a few of them
with elegance. Bonnets were more common than I have
elswhere seen them, which I presume is attributable to
the exertions of the late Govr Adams [Kuakini], he having
made it a law that no female should enter the Church with
her head uncovered. Most of the women were in loose
dresses, which are vastly more becoming to them as well
as more comfortable than tight ones, tho' the King in his
late visit expressed his desire that the tight dress should
be universally adopted. These & the bonnets unless of the
best sort & adjusted with more than native taste present
a sad spectacle to the eye. Bustles they have not adopted
yet.
Tues [Dec.] 8th. I went to the beach at 10 AM the men
having preceded me some time to get the canoe in readiness. The canoe however I found high & dry on the sand
& the men feeding on fish & poi at the house of the Deputy
Governors near by. It is a neat thatched house, & under
its piazza, in the cool sea breeze I took a seat till the canoe
sh'd be ready. The wind however was dead ahead & rising
so that the whitecaps soon made their appearance on the
ocean. The new deputy Govr had just been bathing in the
surf & was on the rocks a few rods off wiping and drying
himself-a boy acting as his attendant carrying him his
clothes, napkin &c &c. His wife meanwhile came from the
house, bade me aloha, & sat down on a low stone wall




Marine Picture


141


under the shade of a pine tree playing with a smart bigbellied urchin & talking & laughing with some natives
present & reclining in the same shade. She is a tall firmly
formed & noble looking woman with as pleasing & dignified a countenance as I have seen on any woman at the
Islands. She appeared comparatively young & was
dressed in a loose calico gown after the native fashion,
with large Gold ear-drops in her ears & a yellow wreath
around her neck; her full head of hair was loose & flowing.
The rocks near the house were soon covered by a troop of
bathers, mostly girls, who by the aid of calabashes in
their hands had swam across from an opposite point.
They soon, most of them, stretched themselves like seals,
on the black lava with their backs exposed to the meridian
sun in order to rest & dry themselves. It seemed to be to
them a great luxury. Some of them had slipped on their
single garment, & the others were still stretched at full
length on the rocks when I left.
As the wind seemd to be blowing almost a gale from
the south, so that it was impossible for the canoe to put
out I returned to the house, and immediately after dinner
/2 past 12, started on Dr A[ndrews] 's Donkey by land.
I succeeded in getting the animal along at a much
better rate than heretofore. I was 2 hours with good road
to Keauhou, 13/4 up hill & difficult, to Mr Hall's, 1 with
good road to Kaapahu & nearly another down the precipice to Mr Ives', where I arrived a little after dark. Here
I found Mr Forbes of Lahaina & a line from Mr Hunt.
Wed. 9th Dec. After breakfast went to the beach & had
my luggage taken from the canoe which had just landed
to Capt Cummings' store in the village. Capt C[ummings] with his vessel, a whaler, at the Marquesas Isls a
year or more since & has been here most of the time subsequently; he does a little business in a native storehouse,
but the shutting of the port by Govt has nearly destroyed
his prospects of doing much here & he is now waiting to
see whether the restriction is to be taken off as Dr Judd
has promised.
At his store I was introduced to the Deputy Govr Kapa



142


Hawaii (Kau and Kona)


cau who with the Govr came in a boat from Kailua &
landed this morning. He is a man of prepossessing appearance apparently about 35, & converses in English
with a good degree of fluency. While at Lahainaluna
where he spent 4 years he was distinguished for his skill
in engraving, & some of the maps & pictures published at
that place were executed by him.
From Capt C[ummings] 's I walked a few rods to the
village of Kealakekua strictly so called, a small hamlet at
the head of the bay & just under the bluff which rises from
the water towards the N. In a small grove of cocoanuts
I noticed 3 trees pierced with open holes 2 to 4 inches in
diameter, a few feet from the ground. These holes are said
to have been made by balls from the cannon of Capt Cook
planted on the Heiau a little to the North. That heiau still
remains & is the one which appears in the picture of the
Bay in [James Jackson] Jarves' History [of the Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands, Boston, 1843], which picture
was copied I suppose from that in Cook's voyages. At this
Heiau Cook was worshipped as the God Lono.
Thurs. [Dec.] 10th Ascertaining that the Keoua w'd
touch here & at Kailua today, Mr Forbes & myself started
this morning at 8 1/3 for the latter place, which on the
whole I was not sorry for as it gave me an opportunity
to pass for a few miles through a new region of country &,
especially, by the old crater on the coast. The road, which
is most of the way a very fair one for horses, passes just
in the rear of this hill, which is apparently 300 ft high &
60 or 80 rods in diameter. Just south of the hill is the
village of Nawawa, on the N side of it that of Hokukanu
& a little beyond Kainaliu where we saw our vessel the
Keoua putting in for passengers, this being the Capt's
residence. He is a deacon of Mr Thurston's Church.
About half way between the hill & Keauhou we passed
the battle ground [Kuamoo] where the forces of Liholiho
under Kalaimoku [or Kalanimoku] obtained the victory
over the rebel forces under Kekuokalani & decided the
fate of Idolatry in 1819. Some intelligent lads pointed out
the spot where Kekuokalani was killed, & where the




An Old Battlefield            143
bones of the slain were deposited. It is a rough region of
lava & would be a poor place for a battle for any but
Hawaiians.
We reached Keauhou at 11 1/2& Kailua at 1 PM where
we found the people all as well as usual & in a short
time a good dinner in readiness for us. The sky being
cloudy we escaped both sun & rain, though between Keauhou & Kailua the ground had been wet by a heavy shower.




P~~~~~~~~~~~
Y ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




IV.
MAUI, OAHU, AND KAUAI
DECEMBER 11, 1846, TO APRIL 25, 1847










IV.
Frid [Dec.] 11th This morn. the Keoua was off the
harbor & sent in her boat for us. Dr A[ndrews] concluded
go to Lahaina & by ten we were all in readiness & took
eave of our friends at Kailua.
I have been so long there & experienced so much Xn
[Christian] kindness & sympathy from them all that I
had become much attached to them & parted from them
with deep regret. Notwithstanding my lameness my long
stay in Mr Thurston's & Dr Andrews' families was very
pleasant, & I trust not unimproving. Dr A[ndrews] rode
to the beach. Mr T [hurston] accompanied us thither also.
At 10/2 we put off in the schooner's boat the vessel having
drifted several miles towards Kawaihae there being no
wind. In about 2 hours we reached her having rowed 7
or 8 miles.
Here we soon found ourselves pleasantly accommodated for a native vessel. The Keoua is one of the largest
of these vessels, some 120 tons, has a small house on deck,
furnished with a comfortable mattrass for sleeping & has
with all a very clever Capt. Capt Martin is Eng[lish] by
birth, his father having been the son of a Scotch planter
in the West Indies & his mother the slave of his grandfather. By her his father had other children & took good
care of them while in the W[est] I[ndies]. He afterwards
married in Scotland & when this son of his finding his way
thither, presented himself the father utterly disowned
him as is usual in such cases. He became a sailor & deserted at the Islands many years ago. He was formerly
intemperate, & for a year or more totally blind. He recovered however, reformed, became pious & is now one
of Mr Thurston's deacons. He by his own means & by
his influence built a church in the place where he lived
8 or 10 miles S. of Kailua, & preached in it himself. He
proves himself a consistent active Xn [Christian], has
prayers on board his vessel morn. & eve, & on the Sabbath
reads a sermon or gives a religious address. He is very


I




148


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


accommodating & kind to passengers & always gives up
his own house on deck to foreigners.
Sat Dec 12th By daylight we were within a few miles of
Kawaihae where the Capt was to leave us with a boat &
some passengers.
About the middle of the PM we were abreast of Kawaihae & the Capt & passengers left. About 4 PM we had
reached the west point of Kohala & took the sea breeze
shaping our course for Lahaina. By 2 AM we were under
the lee of the Island of Maui, & were soon standing in for
Lahaina which we were nearly up with by day break. But
the breeze being light the 2d mate a Kanaka who had
charge of the helm let the vessel fall off 2 or 3 miles after
she was within two of port. As soon as it was light Mr
Cooper the mate had the boat got out to send us ashore
with what baggage we could not leave till Monday. We
put off from the vessel at 20 minutes past six & having
5 or 6 miles to row did not get in till after 8.
As we landed on the beach we saw nobody but Mr Swinton the prefect of police who of course was on an official
look out. In a few minutes we were in the comfortable &
pleasantly located dwelling of Mr Forbes a few rods from
the water. Our arrival took Mrs F[orbes] quite by surprise.
I here found letters from Mr Trumbull of Valparaiso,
Mr Parsons of the Mariposa & Mr Dole of Oahu but none
from home. Mr D[ole] 's, dated a month ago, urges me
to undertake something in the way of teaching for the
benefit of the residents at Honolulu. But I find by the
papers that a Mr Wilcox from Conn. who came out recently in a whaleship has undertaken a school there.
Mon. Dec 14. Dined with Mr Baldwin whose domicile
joins that of Mr Forbes, & is equally pleasantly situated.
Mr B[aldwin] has a wife & 5 children, the eldest a lad of
12 or 13 apparently. Was gratified at finding here the
Jan & April Nos of the New Englander, which seemed
almost like seeing home, especially when my eye rested
on an article [in vol. 4, Jan; 1846, pp. 113-127] on the
Vestiges of Creation by my friend Strong of New Haven.




An Unofficial Revival


149


In the PM Mr Alexander kindly called for me & I rode
to Lahainaluna on a horse which Mr Hunt obligingly sent
down for me.
Was rec'd with great cordiality by Bro Hunt & his
excellent Lady.
In the eve. attended the usual weekly social prayer
meeting of the two families here at Mr Alexander's a few
steps distant. It was an interesting occasion, the more so
to me as I learned that there has been for some time a
work of grace going on among the boys of the Seminary.
It began several months since very silently, & became
known in this way-One of the boys became serious &
for a place of retirement went alone into the Chapel to
pray. Not long after another boy went there for the same
purpose. A mutual explanation led them to meet together
afterwards in the same place. Soon another boy came on
the same errand, & after a time the number increased to
10 or 12. They were conversed with by their teachers,
several indulged hopes, a regular meeting was established
& soon Mr Alexanders house was daily thronged by the
anxious. Mr Hunt was then absent on Hawaii (Sept).
The work has been gradually & silently going on since; 8
or 9 are now propounded for the Church at the next communion. This religious interest awakened in some of the
boys a spirit of opposition, & in two or three instances the
length to which they were led to go in scoffing & opposing
those who were serious produced alarm in their own consciences & was the means of their hopeful conversion. One
young man called to see Mr Hunt this eve in deep distress
of mind who a few days ago was very bold & open in his
wicked hostility. He had gone so far as to alarm himself;
had said to one who was serious that he did not wish salvation but expected to have his soul toasted in hell, &
immediately became alarmed lest it shd prove true.
Tues Dec 15th 1846. Rose soon after daylight & with
Messrs Alexander & Hunt took a delightful ride on horseback along the base of the hills back of the Seminary. We
first rode up the hill to the cottage formerly built & occupied by Mr Dibble situated on the side of the mountain




150


Maui, Oahiu, and Kauai


1500 ft above the sea (900 above Lahainaluna). This residence was doubtless the means of prolonging the life of
Mr D[ibble] while declining of pulmonary consumption.
The great objection to the residence is the difficulty of
procuring water which has to be brought from a distance
up very steep precipices. The hill which rises back of this
cottage on the flank of which it stands is called Mt Ball.
The top of it is 2100 ft above the ocean.
At 10 I attended a recitation of Mr Hunt's class in
Trigonometry at the Seminary. The class assembled in
the large school room in the center of the building to the
number of 15 or 20. They were all dressed in shirt & pants
& some with additional garments, their hair well combed,
& all of them neat in their appearance. They were apparently lads from 15 to 20 nearly full grown, & they exhibited much intelligence in their countenances. The
students of this Seminary being selected from all the
Islands are of course on an average above the ordinary
level of the natives as to char[acte] r & intellect. The recitation in Trigy so far as I could understand was very
creditable. They seemed to have a good theoretical knowledge of the methods of ascertaining heights & distances &
were very quick at figures & in looking [up] Logarithms
from the tables.
Wed Dec 16. Rode with Mr Alexander to Lahaina &
dined at Mr Forbes'.
One of the leading natives of the place & a public officer
was pointed out to me & mentioned as having been formerly cook in Mr Andrews family (Judge A[ndrews] 's).
Many other common natives who have been cooks &
servants in missionaries' families, have obtained a stimulus & acquired habits of enterprise, which have raised
them above their fellows & given them some of the highest
offices on their respective Islands.
Mr A[lexander] 's opinion is that licentiousness on the
Islands & especially in the ports can hardly be said to be
on the decrease, rather the contrary. There is a vast
amount of impurity. Hawaiians as a people have almost
no sense of shame or modesty & will do anything for




Prostitution in the Islands


151


money. Hundreds & thousands of girls, the finest in the
Kingdom, come to Lahaina & Honolulu from all parts
of the Islands solely for the purpose of prostitution.
Here in consequence of disease a great proportion of
them make their graves. Others go back to their homes,
& spread the infection in every direction. Such is the
drain of women for this object that some lands on Hawaii
it is said are entirely destitute of them. The public officers
are as vigilant as possible & do all in their power to
prevent their going on board ships or coming in contact
with sailors. But in many cases it is said husbands &
parents connive at the wickedness letting out for money
their own wives & daughters. Many of the foreign residents here are of the most corrupt class & act as pimps
for seamen & sea captains. Some of these are would-be
respectable merchants & are supposed by their friends
at home to possess char[acter]s above suspicion. But
their debaucheries are often carried on with the most
unblushing effrontery. Only 2 weeks since 20 girls were
taken from the house of one of the merchants here &
marched off to prison. Prostitution is carried on in the
houses of these men in open day. They themselves, when
implicated of course pretend utter ignorance of the whole
matter. One of these is E. S. B. of N.Y.; he has been dismissed from the Ch[urch] in Honolulu & is said to be
running a wild course of profligacy & debauchery.
Thurs Dec 17th Started from Lahainaluna at 614 AM
with Mr & Mrs Hunt for Wailuku. Stopped in Lahaina at
Dr. Baldwin's for his daughter Abby & were off a little
after seven taking our course eastward along the seashore. Three of the seminary boys accompanied us to
carry baggage & the baby.
Six miles out we passed the little scattered village of
Olowalu, & after a ride of 12 miles, at 9h20 we stopped
under the shade of a large tree to take our breakfast,
having taken only a lunch of bread & milk before leaving
Lahainaluna. There are no houses here but the place is
called Papalaau. A company of natives were under the
tree when we arrived. Here we waited an hour & a half




152


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


for the food & babe to come up, seating ourselves very
comfortably around the large stones that lay strown
about.
At 11 we again started on, commencing here the ascent
of the mountain. The route continues easterly, but is one
of the roughest & most difficult imaginable. It is all the
way, zigzag & winding, up steep rocky & barren precipices, being in places dangerous on horseback.
Once in ascending a steep pitch on the side of an abrupt
declivity my horse lost his foothold & all four of his feet
slipping from under him, brought him on his side against
the side of the hill. Springing instantly from his back &
holding on by the Bridle I assisted him in gathering himself. Had I retained my seat we should inevitably have
rolled down a steep declivity of several hundred feet.
We started from the top at 1 PM & reached a little
conical hill at the bottom on the plain at 2. From the top
of the mountain, Mauna Haleakala 10,000 ft high on East
Maui presents beautifully its broad dome, covered with
little projecting cones & partially enveloped in fleecy
clouds.
The distance over the mountain is about 6 miles. East
& West Maui are separated by a low & nearly level plain
about 7 miles broad from sea to sea & somewhat more
than this in the direction at right angles or between the
mountains. A carriage road extends entirely across, the
longest & levelest carriage road I have seen on the Islds.
Across this neck we galloped in 112 hours-7 miles. The
Southern part of it is entirely destitute of vegetation,
but within 2 or 3 miles of Wailuku it is covered with a
fine grassy carpet. Waikapu, a pleasant & rural looking
village on the plain we passed a mile & a half or two miles
before reaching Wailuku which we did at half past 3, the
whole distance from Lahaina being not far from 25 miles.
Wailuku is a village beautifully situated on the N W
part of the plain near a fine stream of water which issues
from a romantic valley in the mountains to the S.W. of it.
A warm welcome from Mr Bailey & his lady & a cold bath
seemd to divest us of half our fatigue. The Mission




Female Seminary


153


Premises are beautifully situated-large gardens &
yards filled with a great variety of flowers & shade trees
make the place attractive to the eye, & exhibit the taste &
industry of the occupants. Mr Clark's premises are separated from those of Mr Bailey by a single adobe wall. All
the walls here are of adobes= ie blocks of mud mixed
with dry grass. They are very neat, & last when well made
many years.
Mr B[ailey] has partly surrounded his lands with a
hedge of the Cactus. He has a workshop, with a water
power, for a turning lathe, mill &c &c.
The Buildings of the Female Seminary are built on two
sides of a beautiful grassy square, one side being a line
of one story sleeping apartments, the other embracing the
schoolroom which is neat & well furnished, together with
the dining hall & other rooms. The number of pupils is
about 50. They are a healthy good looking set of girls &
seem to appreciate & improve their advantages. I was in
at eve. prayers.
Friday Dec 18th In the PM Messrs Bailey, Clark, Hunt
& myself, with several of the Children took a delightful
ramble up the romantic valley of the Wailuku 3 or 4 miles
into the mountains. At the extremity of our walk we were
near a sharp steeple-like, isolated peak, running up some
2000 ft into the air, appropriately called the Needle.
As Mr Hunt & myself were to leave for Lahainaluna
on the morrow the girls of the School brought in a great
number of letters, many of them for their sweethearts
among the L [ahaina]luna scholars. The two schools were
originally designed to furnish partners for each other's
members, but for some reason or other the plan has not
hitherto been remarkably successful, not more than 15
or 20 couples having made matches in all. A few weeks
since Mr Alexander brought over the entire Senior Class
of the Seminary for them to make a selection of wives. In
the course of a few days 3 or 4 became engaged & many
more formed acquaintances & opened a correspondence.
Many of the letters which Mr Hunt now had to carry were
the result of this visit. The girls seemed to be in fine




154


1Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


spirits but hardly as timid in reference to such matters
as Yankee young ladies would be. They generally show
their love letters to their teachers.
Sat 19th Dec. Some appearances of rain in the morning:
nevertheless we ventured to start after breakfast for
Lahaina around the N & West sides of the Island. One
of the boys of the Seminary who came out with us accompanied us on horseback. Our route lay along the coast to
the N W. In half an hour we passed the fine stream & village of Waiehu & at half past 9 those of Waihee, after
which our path turned inland over the hills & became more
difficult. We crossed several ravines 2 or 3 of them very
steep & troublesome on both sides, obliging us to dismount & lead our horses.
At 20 minutes past 12 we reached Kahakuloa about 15
miles from Wailuku.
On reaching a high table land 2 or 3 miles in extent we
stopped & took our frugal lunch of bread & butter & some
bananas which a good old man at a little hamlet we had
passed had been so kind as to furnish us for the love which
he bore to missionaries & their friends. He seemed delighted to see Mr Hunt & pressed him to stop & preach to
them. When Mr H[unt] bid him aloha on leaving, the old
man said briskly, Stay till tomorrow & preach to us and
then it will be aloha. On being told that I designed returning to the U.S. he expressed his desire that I should stay,
& as he expressed it, Pray & pray & pray with them.
At 31/4 PM we reached the village of Honokohau on a
pretty little stream by the sea at the bottom of a deep
ravine. Here we met by a native house the French vice
consul at Lahaina whose first remark was that he had
come out to shoot ducks I Not knowing who he was I supposed him from his appearance to be some foreign runaway sailor, till we had passed & I had learned from my
companion his official char[acte]r.
In the next valley, two or 3 miles further on, were his
companions B, W —, &c &c. Their tent was erected
in a native yard. The truth is these men are in the habit
of coming out every week to this retired nook for the




A Hunting Party


155


purpose of hunting, but more especially for the purpose
of dissipation & licentiousness. On our way we afterwards
met natives carrying out their stores to them. They spend
the night here & ride back to town on Sat afternoon. Of
course among Hawaiian females with a profusion of
money they find little difficulty in obtaining objects for
their lust. Sometimes however they are foiled-Mr B.
on one occasion lately offered 30 dollars to a native in
vain. She spurned his advances. Considering the prevalent Hawaiian sin, it is not strange that with such foreigners to swell the current of vice it is difficult to
establish among the natives a high standard of morals.
The char[acte]r of these men & their wishes being known
among the natives abroad, those females who are disposed to profit by it easily make their way to Lahaina &
there add to the mass of corruption that already exists.
The village of Honolua, where the tent of these revelers
was pitched is beautifully nestled in the bottom of a
grassy valley through which runs a clear stream of water.
Honokahua a few miles further on is another place
similarly beautiful.
We reached Kahana the station where Mr Hunt
preaches on the Sabbath at a quarter past 5. It is a delightful place 7 miles from Lahaina. A little after sunset
we passed Honokowai where there is a stream of water.
The last 6 or 8 miles before reaching Lahaina our road
was near the sea, entirely level & excellent for horses. It
soon grew dark & the last 3 or 4 miles after passing a
singular conical mound or hillock by the water to the right
we were scarcely able to see our path. At length however
we entered the town.
A little after seven we reached Br Forbes' & after
stopping a few moments to deliver letters &c we proceeded up the hill to L[ahaina]luna where we arrived
tired & hungry soon after eight, having ridden during the
day not much less than 40 miles.
Sun. Dec. 20th 1846. Rode down to Lahaina to attend
meeting at the seamen's Chapel, a neat stone building, the
upper room of which is used for the Chapel, the lower for




156


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


a reading room. The audience numbered not more than 20
or 30, there being no ships in at the present time. Mr
Forbes preached from Acts 26-9. Mr Richards was present. Returned to L[ahaina]luna immediately after meeting. Read the Address of A A Phelps in a Syracuse paper
attacking the A B C F M, a tissue of misrepresentations
& the Speeches of Stewart & others in the convention still
more so.
Returning through Lahaina saw many natives coming
from the Catholic place of worship, which is an old bowling alley fitted over. The Catholics are working hard &
slyly. They have abandoned the threatening system, which
they pursued before the treaty with France.
A letter has just been rec'd from Mr Lyman of Hilo by
the teachers here which illustrates native ingratitude. One
of the students from Hilo who has spent 4 yrs here gratis
& become fitted to preach the gospel writes to Messrs
L[yman] & Coan that he will not go to Hilo to labor unless
they will pay his expenses down for himself & family &
even then that he should stay there but a little time. Of
course the missionaries will not comply with his demand.
He seems like most of the natives to take it for granted
that they are entitled to all they receive gratis & that the
missionaries are under obligations to labor for them. It
was gravely discussed by the boys in the School not long
since whether a teacher in the Sem[inar]y had a right to
be absent in term time? Ingratitude has always been
noticed as a trait in Hawaiian char[acte]r.
Mr. A[lexander] states that formerly at Honolulu before pants came into general use among the natives, those
who took in clothes of Foreigners to wash made quite an
income by hiring them out to unpantalooned & unclothed
natives to be married in, the owners of the clothes being
ignorant of the whole matter. Thus many a native who
had scarcely a shirt in the world was able for a small sum
to appear in a fine fashionable suit at his wedding.
Wed Dec 23 One of the judges of the Supreme Court
at tea, a good looking fat native & quite polished in his
manners.




A Swimming Feat


157


Thursday Dec 24. Projecting the survey &c &c. The
stones & earth in this vicinity appear to be highly magnetic. At some points in making the survey, a deviation
of the needle was noticed to the amount of six or 8
degrees within a space of a few feet, the disturbance being
generally greatest in the vicinity of rocks. The rocks are
a blackish or reddish lava, decomposing; the soil very red.
The magnet will collect the earth & sand as it would iron
filings.
Mr Hunt left this morn. early for Wailuku; removed my
quarters to Mr Alexanders.
PM rode with Mr A[lexander] to Lahaina, called on
Mr. & Mrs Richards, their daughter very sick of fever.
Called on the Govr of Maui, John Young, Mr A[lexander] having some business with him. His father was an
English sailor, made a high Chief by Kamehameha Istthe Govr has much of the English look. He was in his
house in the fort. We found him seated at a table with 2
clerks in one corner of a large unfinished & rough looking
room, a native in another part of the room ironing clothes
& other natives being variously engaged in that & an
adjoining apartment of which the doors were thrown
open. The Govr is affable & pleasing in his address. Mr
Alexander speaking of me & mentioning the cause of my
lameness he seemed to think him joking or speaking
parables. We remained but a few minutes, & soon returned
to Lahainaluna.
Mon. Dec 28. A boat with natives going over to Molokai
to the New Year's feast was upset last Friday in the
Channel & 5 drowned. The natives are often very careless
on the water. Dined at Mr Forbes'. Mr Richards in after
dinner.
Tues. Dec 29th The natives are remarkable swimmers.
A girl and her father, an old man were among those precipitated into the Channel between Maui & Molokai last
week. The old man told her he could not survive & urged
her to save her own life; she w'd not leave him, but taking
him in her arms swam 6 or 8 miles & reached the shore in




158


M1aui, Oahu, and Kauai


safety herself, but the old man was dead, from chilliness,
& remaining too long in the water.
Mr Baldwin mentioned a woman now living in Lahaina
who many years ago swam & floated about 40 miles. The
case of those wrecked in 1840 between Maui & Hawaii was
remarkable, one woman having swam 25 miles.
It is noticed that in such cases the women are much
more apt to survive than the men.
A native sailor who had shipped on board a whaleship
had to be watch[ed] & guarded by the Captain till the ship
was several miles at sea. When 15 miles out the Capt told
the man that if he chose to go then he might. The words
were hardly out of his mouth before the fellow darted
over the ships side & paddled like a fish towards land, but
he was soon brought back by the boat, notwithstanding
the Capts promise. He had no expectation his offer w'd be
so readily accepted.
PM rode with Mrs. A[lexander] to Lahaina. Mr.
Forbes & family left this PM to go to Kahana to lodge
for the purpose of going by canoe tomorrow to Molokai.
The King went this morning in the Kamehameha, to be
present at the School festival New Year's. Were it not
for missing the chance of going to Honolulu in the Keoua
in which my passage is already engaged & which is expected every day from Hawaii I would go over myself.
But this consideration with the disagreeableness of canoeing decide me to postpone my visit to Molokai till my
return to Maui.
Thurs. Dec 31. At eve commenced a Dust blow, the
wind high, & the air filled with dust from the hills back
of Lahainaluna. All the region back of the Seminary is
barren, fine & of a red color. When I went to bed I found
the floor, bed & furniture of the room covered with a
thick layer of dust. Barricading the door, & shutting the
windows as tight as possible I turned in. The mosquito
curtains being rather thick diminished the evil somewhat.
But still great quantities of dust blew in by every crevice
in the room, & enough got within the curtains to irritate
my throat & nostrils, & make mud about my eyes; the




A Missionary School


159


pillows were covered & the roaring of the wind & the dust
kept me from sleeping many hours of the night. When I
arose in the morning of
New Years Jan 1st 1847 the floor & everything in the
room were almost concealed in dust, & in places it lay in
drifts about the room like snow when blown in through
cracks. Even the closets were filled; nothing escaped. I
found two or 3 waters necessary to clear my face of it, &
the lather on shaving was red enough for paint. In the
rest of the house I found all hands busy with brushes &
brooms clearing out the thickest of the dust preparatory
to breakfast, & so charged was the air with it that before
breakfast was over I could write in distinct char[acte]rs
in the dust settled on the plates & other dishes. The house
& everything in it looked as though it has just been dug
from the bowels of the earth.
The Seminary at Lahainaluna contains at present about
60 scholars. The regular course of instruction is 4 years,
many remaining 6 or 7 years especially those who study
theology.
A certain proportion of each new class is received from
each Island, the most promising boys being selected by
the pastors in their several fields. Of these many after a
few weeks trial are sent back for incompetence, & others
are sent away for various reasons.
Remaining wholly on Charity, they are of course wholly
subject to the authority of the School, & are a well behaved & docile set of boys, much more so of course than
the average of the native youth.
They raise much of the vegetable food they consume
themselves in a valley near the Seminary.
There is at present a class of eight in theology under
Mr Alexander; 3 of them will go out in April to try their
gifts at preaching. The lands of the Sem'y extending some
two miles along the base of the hills were given by Gov't
as an endowment of the institution. Otherwise it is supported by the A.B.C.F.M. & at great expense. A water
course is at present constructing to bring the water from
a stream at the bottom of a valley 200 ft deep or more to




160


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


water the lands back of the Sem'y in order to prevent the
dust which is now so annoying.
The Keoua came to anchor this noon & towards eve I
bade good by to Mr A[lexander]'s family & rode to
Lahaina. Took tea at Mr Baldwins & about 8 oclock went
on board with Dr A[ndrews]. The vessel was crowded
but the Capt. & Mate gave up their berths & we were quite
tolerably accommodated. The vessel set sail a little before
midnight & soon we were in the Channel with a fine
breeze; the vessel rolled badly & my feelings were anything but comfortable.
The house on deck which we had coming to Lahaina
was now occupied by a part of the Capt's family, his
daughter, a buxom bronze beauty of 20 being on her way
to Oahu to marry a husband a native of about twice her
age.
Sat. Jan 2a A little before 11 AM the vessel cast anchor
in the outer roads at Honolulu & soon Dr A[ndrews] &
myself engaged passage in a shore boat & put off with
our baggage landing about noon.
I soon made my way to Bro. Damon's & found a kind
reception.
My fare from Hawaii was 5 dollars + 25 cents for going
ashore.
Sun Jan 3d 1847. At 11 AM attended the Seamen's
Chapel. Mr Damon preached a new year's sermon from
the text "The time is short" [1 Corinth. 7. 29]. After
which the Lord's Supper was administered. There were
20 or 30 communicants present, & the occasion solemn.
Eve. attended sermon at the Chapel. Mr D[amon]
preached from 137th Ps. 5 & 6 v.
Read a Hist. of the Am. Episcl Ch [History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America, London, 1844] by
Rev Sam' Wilberforce, son of Wm W. It is such as might be
expected from a Churchman. The Church is all in all,
nothing but schism & weakness & impiety outside of it.
Its most important facts are drawn from the " [General]
Hist of Connecticut [London] 1781" by [Samuel A.]
Peters I suppose-a pure fiction. [Spoken of by others




Burglary


161


as "a remarkable tissue of misstatements and exaggerations."]
Wed. [Jan.] 6th. Called on Dr A[ndrews] at Mrs
Chamberlain's. Dined at Mr Armstrong's.
A bold attempt was made a few nights since to rob Mr
Armstrong's house by a native lad who had formerly been
employed in the family. He & an accomplice entered the
front door by a key, which Mr Ricord had lost in the street
some months ago; they then searched several rooms &
drawers, tried some trunks, & finally were disturbed in
the children's room by the children waking, when they
made a precipitate retreat, taking with them nothing but
a little dried fish & a few spoilt raisins. The principal
culprit was recognized by one of the children, & on being
apprehended made confession not only of this deed but
also of the attempt which was made a little before to
enter the Mission Depository.
It is a curious circumstance that after this attempt on
the Depository Mr Hall thought it necessary to employ
some one to stay about it as guard, & chanced to engage
this identical fellow. This was setting thief to catch thief
with a vengeance. Instead of taking him to the fort Mr
A[rmstrong] for the sake of reforming him has put him
under the charge of a good man to make adobes.
Called on Mr & Mrs Rogers. Went into his printing
office; keeps one press going constantly, sometimes two;
prints the Elele, a native paper edited by Mr Armstrong,
& is now about issuing a new native hymn book. Only
natives are employd in the office.
Over the printing office is kept the Depository of Medicines for the Mission.
Thurs. [Jan.] 7th. Called & dined at Mr Castles. Mrs.
C[astle] confined, child for a New Years gift.
PM rode with Mrs Chamberlain in a waggon to Punahou, to attend the examination of the School of the Mission kept by Mr Dole. The term closes tomorrow & this
PM many of the parents came to visit the School. The
scholars are of various ages, appear very well, & in the
Latin & Greek recitations which were the only ones I




162


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


heard did great credit both to themselves & their instructor. Mr D[ole] appears to be thorough in his method of
teaching.
Called with Messrs Rogers & Gulick at Dr Judd's, but
he & his family are gone. Eve called at Dr Woods;
pleasant chat with Mrs W.
Called also at Judge Turrill's, the US Consul. A pleasant fine looking man. Spent the eve with Mrs T[urrill],
Mr T[urrill] having an engagement out at a party at
Mr Penhallow's. Mrs T[urrill] a very sociable & agreeable lady. My letter of introduction was from her cousin
Mr Howe of N. York.
Frid 8th Jan. Dined at Mrs Chamberlain's. Mr & Mrs
Hall & Mr Gulick present. Called with Mr Rogers at Dr
Judd's. Mr J[udd] not in. Spent half an hour with Mrs
J[udd] & left to call again in the eve when Dr J[udd]
w'dbe in.
Went into the yard of Capt Dominis where he is building a splendid two story house with piazza all round in
the east part of the town. The house is to cost some 10,000
dollars & will be the finest in town. Called at Judge
Andrews. He is a plain man, with a plain wife & family.
They seem to be excellent people.
Took tea at Mr Rogers. Afterwards called at Dr Judd's,
found him at home but just getting ready to go to a
meeting at the palace. After conversing a few minutes he
excused himself & went to the palace which is immediately adjoining.
Sat Jan 9th A Peruvian vessel came in yesterday from
California bringing late news from the U.S. This morning
took a walk with Mr Damon in search of the news. At the
Govt printing office read the extra Polynesian issued this
AM. Major Swords who had crossed California with 100
men & had much hard fighting, came in the vessel for
supplies at this market. All the flour in town was immediately bought up, so that residents can now procure none
at any price. It has been scarce for some weeks, being $14
per barrel.
This PM a ship has arrived from Oregon but she brings




Commoners and Kings


163


but 150 lbs flour 100 of which were engaged previously
by the Chinese bakers. The war will greatly enhance the
price of stores at these Islands.
Took a walk up towards the valley, visited the burying
ground called the "Nuuanu Cemetery," just at the entrance of the valley of that name. A new tomb of coral
stone & mortar to receive the remains of the rich drunkard
who died last Sab. of delirium tremens-Capt S. who
had lived on the Islands 30 or 40 years.
Called & took tea at Mr Lowell Smiths. He has been
holding extra religious meetings this week preparatory to
the Communion tomorrow.
An instance of native stupidity occurred yesterday at
Mr Rogers's. Mrs R[ogers] had a jar of cream to churn
for Mrs Castle. She told her native man to take the churn
& wash it out, the churn being an article which he was well
acquainted with. The fellow however took the jar of cream
from the table, emptied it on the ground, & washed it out,
not stopping to think whether cream was of any value, or
whether a jar was actually a churn.
This was like Mrs Paris's native who made coffee by
pouring the hot water into the japanned coffee can holding
a quart of coffee & setting the whole on the fire to boil.
Sun. 10th Jan. At 91/2 went to the "Royal Chapel" (Mr
Armstrong's) to meeting. Entered at the S. door & took
a seat in front of the pulpit. The Kings pew was at my
left 3 pews off, & distinguished by crimson tapestry. In it
were the king, queen, another woman & Dr Judd. The
two pews in front of the king's were occupied by the
Royal School of Young Chiefs. The house was well filled,
galleries & all & must have contained over two thousand.
They were all well dressed, many of them genteelly. And
all seemed more or less attentive. Rev Mr Armstrong
preached. His manner is animated with much gesticulation. The natives I understand are very fond of hearing
him. The services concluded before 11, in season for those
who wished to attend the English service at the Seamen's
Chapel, whither I repaired.
Mr Damon preached from Luke 10:34, on loving our




164


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


neighbor. Eve. again, on the tribulations thro' which
Christians enter heaven.
Mon. Jan. 11th Called on Dr Andrews. Sent Hymn Book
to Mr Coan, Rogers, Campbell, Montgomery &c, to Mary
H. Thurston; & gave [Robert] Bairds Rel. in Am. [Religion in the United States of America, Glasgow, 1844] to
Dr A[ndrews].
Dined at Mr Armstrongs. Mr A[rmstrong] preaches at
the palace every sab. eve. The King is an attentive &
thoughtful listener, but appears to be stumbled by the
many poor specimens of Xns [Christians] that he sees
around him. Mr A[rmstrong] gave me an invitation to
attend with him next sab. eve.
Mr Cooke called on me to get me to assist in the Royal
School in place of Mr Douglass who goes to Maui today
for his health. I accept, though with great hesitancy on
account of my own health, yet I know not but it is my duty
both to myself & to others to do what little I can.
Tues. Jan 12th Commenced teaching in the Y[oung]
Chief's School, take the forenoon from 91/ to 12~ embracing reading, Arithmetic, Algebra, Grammar &c.
Commenced boarding & lodging at the School; occupy Mr
Douglass's room, N. end of school house.
Took tea at Judge Turrill's, US Consul. Mr & Mrs
Damon & Mr & Mrs John Ladd present & Mr Bishop. Maj.
Swords came in in the eve. He is direct from California,
& returns next week. Came overland to Cal[ifornia] in
Col. Kearney's detachment; had some hard fighting. He
is apparently 35 & slender. He describes a remarkable
tribe of Indians in Cal. after leaving Santa Fee, stout,
civilized. Whole day marching thro' their village. Remains of buildings &c &c.
Thurs. [Jan.] 14. Eve. Messrs [William L.] Lee,
Ricord, Dr Rooke, Mr & Mrs De Fiennes, & Hall called,
& spent the Eve. Mr Lee has been here but a few weeks;
he was on his way to Oregon but soon after his arrival
here was made judge of the courts in foreign cases with
Judge [Lorin] Andrews. He appears to be an excellent
man & gives promise of usefulness.




A Redoubtable Soprano


165


Mr Ricord talks of leaving when he gets the Ladd case
through to push his fortune in some other part of the
world. Mrs Defiennes has been here but a short time; she
is called by some a fine singer, but if the screeching which
she did in connection with Mr Cooke's piano is such I
never knew what it was before.
Sun. [Jan.] 17th Attended Seamen's Chapel. Mr
D[amon] preached from 2 Kings [5] on the little Israelitish maid as illustrating the overruling providence of
God.
Mr Armstrong at the King's Chapel preached all day
on Catholicism from the text "Come ye out" &c, some 12
or 15 individuals who had gone to the Catholics having
left them & returned to protestantism.
Eve. attended service at the palace. Rev Mr Richards
preached; about 35 or 40 present including the King,
Premier, John Young, Paki, some other high Chiefs &
their wives, Dr & Mrs Judd, the Young Chiefs &c &c.
The services were held in the South room of the palace.
It is a large double room with folding doors, very high,
plainly finished, with Chinese matting on the floor, 4 or 5
plain haircloth settees, chairs, mahogany center table &c
&c. 2 English prints in frames, & two portraits (one of
the King) adorn the plain white walls.
After services at home the Y[oung] Chiefs were questioned by Mr Cooke on the sermon. Their knowledge of it
however was not very profound.
Monday [Jan.] 18th W. South. P.M. called atMr [Robert
Crichton] Wyllies [Minister of Foreign Affairs] to consult his Library. Spent 11/2 hours among his books. He
has the last edition of the Encyclopedia Brittanica, in 21
vols, cost about $220. He lives just at the S corner of the
fort outside by the water.
Sun. Jan 24th Rev Mr Armstrong preached at the Seamen's Chapel from Luke 16:21 [19]-31, the parable of
the Rich Man & Lazarus. Mr Damon absent at Kaneohe,
Mr Parker's.
Sun. 7th Feb. Mr Damon preached on the personality &
divinity of the Holy Spirit. P.M. a man called at my




166


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


room to see Mr Douglass, not knowing that he was absent,
& bored me nearly 3 hours; he is from New London, a
mechanic by trade & came out as a whaleman.
Reading D'Aubigne's 4th volume [Merle d'Aubigne's
History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century; the
fourth vol. relates to the History of the Reformation in
England].
Thurs Feb 11th Yesterday the Hylon [?] came in 9 mos.
from N.Y. by way of California.
Rec'd a letter from Trumbull at Valparaiso but none
from home. Latest date from home Jan 18th 1846. The
Montreal sailed from N Y in Nov & the Mt Vernon Sept
25th expected soon.
Sat. Feb 13th Saw Mr B-   & delivered my letter of
introduction from his brother A. W. Spent a short time
with him; his course has been erratic at the Islands & his
char[acte]r low. Shall not care to cultivate his acquaintance.
Tues [Feb.] 23. Took tea & spent the eve at Mr Ten
Eyk's (U.S.Com.) 3 or 4 of the Miss[ionarie]s & their
ladies only there. Miss Johnson, who came out in company with his family is a talkative being, & apparently
intelligent.
Sat [Feb.] 27th Mr & Mrs Richards dined with us. Mr
R[ichards] mentioned an instance of native superstition
which occurred a week or two since. A man stole a shirt
from Mr R[ichards]'s yard; he was seen & two young
natives in his employ sent in pursuit. They overtook him
& secured the shirt, but in so doing tore the man's tapa,
which so enraged him that he told the lads that he would
have them prayed to death as he had a relative who possessed the power. The boys came back with the shirt but
terribly frightened by the man's threat, as this old superstitution of the natives is by no means extinct. The next
day Mr R[ichards] noticed that one of the boys was not
about as usual & missing him the day after, learned from
the others that he was sick; he found him lying down
under a tapa, asked what ailed him & was only told that
he felt sick & could not get up. On inquiring for symptoms




Superstition and Disease


167


Mr R[ichards] could not learn that any thing special was
the matter except that his pulse was quick &c, till one of
the others mentioned that the man they had offended was
having him prayed to death. As soon as this was ascertained Mr R[ichards] pulled off his tapas & ordered him
out to work, which with some reluctance he did, & he soon
recovered his usual health & spirits. Mr Richards has
little doubt that if he had been left to the influence of his
imagination he would have actually sunk under his fears
& thus become a victim of the old superstition. This illustrates the influence of the mind on the health.
Sun. [Mar.] 7th Mr Damon preachd from "For if the
righteous scarcely be saved, where &c &c?" [1 Peter 4:
18], a good sermon, in which he took occasion to condemn
Sunday whaling.
Wed [Mar.] 10th The "News" comes out to day with a
strange article in reference to some remarks in the Elele
(a native paper edited by Mr Armstrong) on the subject
of licentiousness, in which the editor in reply to a correspondent suggests half in earnest & half in hyperbole that
adultery &c be punished 1st by whipping, 2d by ducking in
the sea till almost dead, 3d by death.
The "News" seems to take the ground that all laws on
the subject are foolish & that the only way to prevent vice
is to introduce foreign capital & set the natives to work
(i.e. introduce the Belgian Company).
[Jules] Dudoit the French Consul it is said has made
or is to make the article in the Elele the subject of a communication to his govt, showing the bloody nature of the
protestant influence at these Islands. The simple explanation of the whole excitement seems to me to be found in the
adage that "Hit birds always flutter."
Sat [Mar.] 20th The Kamehameha this morning
brought from Lahaina Mr Douglass & Dr Andrews. Mr
A[ndrews] improving in health. Mr D[ouglass] apparently not much better than when he left.
Sat. [Mar.] 27th Mr Alexander came from Maui to go
to Kauai Monday or Tues. I design to go with him.




168


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


Settled with Mr Cooke & rec'd an order on the S[andwich] I Treasury for $125. for 2/2 months teaching.
My health is apparently about the same as when I commenced. I have spent about 3 /2hours a day in teaching
besides riding with the boys nearly every afternoon an
hour or more, which little excursions have been pleasant.
The school is as pleasant a one to teach as ordinary
schools in the U.S. saving that the branches taught are
nearly elementary ones.
[King Kalakaua, who visited the Diarist in New Haven
in 1874, was one of the boys taught during this period in
the native chiefs' school.]
Tues. [Mar. 30th 1847.] Purchased a compass & chain
of Judge Lee for $50 in view of going to Califor[nia] in
a month or two whither Mr [Hiram] Grimes offers me a
passage gratis. Mr Stephens had engaged me to survey
some land for him on Kauai & my tools were all on board
ship when just as I was going on board myself I was informed by Mr S[tephens] that Dr Judd had laid his veto
on my doing it & w'd not consider my survey legal. I
called on the Dr. when he gave me to understand that no
survey could be acknowledged unless made by the man
in the employ of Govt. So my compass & chain go to Kauai
on a tom-fools errand.
We found the Magnolia a fine ship of 400 tons, with an
elegant cabin & a most gentlemanly & obliging Captain
[Bezer] Simmons. Mr Alexander with Miss Maria Dibble
& Master Emerson were already on board.
In the morning we were off Kauai having had a fine
breeze all night, & at 9 AM we were all landed in a boat
at the mouth of the stream of Koloa. The water was so
high that we had to be backed across the stream by
natives. Mounting the shoulders of a brawny man I was
soon safely placed on the opposite bank. The water was
from 1 to two feet deep, very rapid & the bottom stony.
I could not but wonder at the surefootedness of the unshod
natives,-121/2 cents apiece paid them for their services.
All were carried over in safety except Capt Simmons; his
native slipped & he was plunged into the stream, & of




A Torrent in Action


169


course came out dripping & withal with a torn coat. A
walk of half a mile up the stream bro't us to the mission
houses of Mr. Pogue & Dr [James W.] Smith. On first
landing we were told by the natives that there had been
a great flood, that Mr Pogue's house had been swept
away & himself nearly killed. On our way up we saw
abundant proofs of a torrent having recently swept over
the whole plain & on reaching the premises we learned
that the report of the natives was but little exaggerated.
On Sunday night the 21st there was a heavy thunder
storm over the whole Island. Between 3 & 4 in the morning Mr P[ogue] hearing the water rushing into his house
sprang from bed & found it over ankle deep on the floor
with the mats, trunk & furniture all afloat. The doors burst
open & let in the torrent with resistless violence. Fearing
the house, which was of adobies w'd be carried away, he
threw a cloak around him & attempted to reach Dr
Smith's only a few rods distant. By clinging to trees &
shrubs he succeeded in reaching 2 thirds of the distance
when the torrent became too strong for him & he was
carried down by its violence amid rocks, trees, sugar cane
& shrubbery to the distance of half a mile or more towards
the sea, when he brought up nearly senseless against a
pile of stones, where he remained till daylight when he
succeeded in crawling into a native house near by.
Meanwhile his cloak all in tatters had been found &
brought to Dr Smith's & when on sending a native through
the water to Mr Pogue's house it was ascertained that
he was not there, the anxiety of Dr Smith's family was of
course extreme, till news came that he was found & yet
alive.
Dr S [mith] found him suffering extremely from bruises
& dangerous wounds, & for some days his situation was
regarded as critical. He is now comfortable however &
in a fair way to recover. His house was left a perfect
wreck.
Dr Smith was absent to visit Mrs Whitney at Waimea.
Mrs S[mith] however rec'd us with great cordiality & a
warm breakfast did much to relieve us of uncomfortable




170


M-aui, Oahu, and Kauai


sensation; I, for my part, not having taken anything since
leaving Honolulu. Dr S[mith] returned about noon reporting Mrs W[hitney] to be better.
The house in which Dr S[mith] usually lodges
strangers having been flooded Mr D[ouglass] & myself
took up our quarters for the night in the parlor on settees,
while Mr Alexander went to lodge with Mr Linsley, about
a mile away.
Thursday April 1st The rain ceased after dinner; at
5 past 1 PM we had mounted our horses & were on our
way towards Waioli. Our route lay over a rolling country
gently ascending a valley for 3 or 4 miles. We passed
the sugar works of Dr. Wood, & the famous Ladd & Co
plantation.
The valley grew narrower as we ascended till we arrived at what is called the gap, where we came to a descent
into a broad & beautiful plain of many miles in extent,
enclosed by ridges of mountains except towards the east
where the ocean bounded the prospect. We found the road
good till we reached a river about 5 miles from Koloa. It
was swollen by the rains & we were at a loss how to get
over when our Kanaka guide came up & with some difficulty rode through, the current being strong & the water
nearly to the horses back. Mr Alexander followed & succeeded in getting over tho' with so much difficulty that I
thought I would not attempt it on my low, fat horse. I
accordingly dismounted, had my horse led over, stripped
& swam the stream, while the Kanaka carried over my
clothes, which he came within an ace of losing in the
stream. Mr Douglass crossed in the same manner as
myself. In attempting to throw his umbrella over the
stream, it fell in & was lost.
We passed some other small streams with some difficulty, but the worst was a stream of moderate size, but
with a long name, it being called Kahoinakaunalehua.
Here the guides horse in attempting to cross got stuck in
the mud & it was with great difficulty that he was extricated. Mr D[ouglass] 's horse being light, went over with
less difficulty. But Mr A[lexander] 's being heavy sunk all




A Contemporary of Captain Cook


171


over in water & mud, & it was a long time before we succeeded in getting him out. Having come so near losing
this horse, we fell to work & built a bridge of timbers &
roots, over which we at last succeeded in taking him,
though not without his getting into the mud & nearly
foundering.
Our course was now NE over a level & fine country. We
passed on the right of the former residence of Dr Lafon
& saw where he & the Governor of the Island in his zeal
for promoting agriculture, raised perhaps a hundred
acres of sugar cane, which was entirely lost, because they
had provided no means of grinding & manufacturing it.
About sunset we reachd the mouth of the Wailua River
which is here deep & several rods in width. We were
ferried over in a canoe, leaving our horses to be swum
over by the natives in the morning.
We proceeded immediately to the house of Deborah, a
chief woman of rank & influence & formerly the favorite
wife of the King of the Island. Her husband was taken
from her by Kaahumanu & she has since been through a
variety of fortunes. Her house is a large thatched one
with curtains dividing it into several apartments.
Friday April 2d Early in the morning Deborah took
the arm of Mr A[lexander] & myself & conducted us to
a house near by to see her aged father, who is one of the
oldest men on the Island & best acquainted with their
ancient customs. We found the grey headed old man feeble
with disease. He had been married some years when Capt
Cook first visited the Islands & remembers him with
perfect distinctness.
After riding about 4 miles we reached the Kealia which,
dismounting from our horses, we swam just above its
entrance into the sea. The water was about 4 feet deep.
The Anahola a few miles further on we crossed with
no difficulty; at 113/4 we reached the village of Malowaa
[Moloaa] in a valley at the mouth of a stream of the same
name.
There we saw a small native popish chapel designated
by a cross. It is the stronghold of the Catholics on this Isd




172          Maui, Oahu, and Kauai
Two or 3 miles further on at 1214 we reached a beautiful
& extensive grove of large Kukui trees beneath the shade
of which Mr Alexander was formerly, when missionary
at Waioli, accustomed to preach to the people.
After passing Malowaa [Moloaa] we passed a small
settlement called Lepeuli where Mr Johnson has an outstation meeting house.
Our course was now somewhat inland 2 or 3 miles from
the sea, the land gently level & covered with grass. This
region is chiefly occupied by the heirs of Mr Dudoit, the
French Consul, though they range over a wide territory
to which he has no claim whatever.
After passing over the level highland we came all at
once to the bluff where we looked directly down upon the
charming valley of Hanalei, which sets up from the ocean
several miles & is from one to two miles in width. It is
beautifully fertile, perfectly level, interspersed with
clumps & rows of trees & splendid plantations of coffee
belonging to Mr Titcomb & Rhodes & Co
Descending, by a zigzag path we reached the level
bottom of the valley & half a mile further on forded the
River Hanalei where the stream was within 8 or 10
inches of the top of the saddle & several rods in width. A
ride of a mile more through the beautiful meadow land
of the plain brought us to the Mission Premises which are
at the S.W. extremity of it, near the Waioli river & just
under the verdant mountains just mentioned.
We arrived at 1/4 past 5 PM. Mr Alexander & myself
stop at Mr Johnson's [Andrew Johnstone's?], Mr Douglass with Mr [Abner] Wilcox.
Sat 3d April. About 10 AM we started on horseback
with Messrs Johnson & Wilcox to visit the remains of the
"Russian Fort" on the point at the N side of the harbor,
not more than 2 miles distant in a straight line from the
mission station, but making a ride of 4 or 5 miles by way
of the common route.
We ascended from Hanalei valley by the same path by
which we reached it, & proceeding towards the harbor
called at Mr Kellitt's, the pilot of the port. He kindly




Superstition and Finance


173


volunteerd to accompany us to the fort which we reachd
after a circuitous route of some two miles.
The remains of the fort are simply a breastwork of
earth, now not more than 3 or 4 ft high, of an irregular
oval of oblong form, & enclosing perhaps an acre & a half.
Some loose stones near the center marked the place of the
magazine. It is on a point or bluff some 200 ft above the
water and commands the entrance of the harbor which is
about 2 miles in width.
This fort is the work of the ambitious Dr Schoof
[Scheffer] familiarly known as the Russian Doctor.
There is no evidence that the Russian Govt or the Governor of Sitka ever had any design upon the Island. It was
probably the private project of a short-sighted ambitious
man clothed with a "little brief authority." The fort is
nearly due North from the Mission houses which are in
plain sight.
In the PM rambled with Mr D[ouglass] down the
beach, after which we visited Mr [Charles] Titcomb's
coffee plantation, situated in the midst of Hanalei valley.
He attempted a few years ago the cultivation of silk. But
after several years trial & sinking, he says, $15,000, he
was obliged to give it up. He attributes the failure to the
interference of the Govt or rather to the want of the
countenance of Govt in reference to the paper money
which he issued, & which as he says the natives refused
to take in consequence of a "sly-taboo" put upon it by
the Chiefs.
For the last 3 or 4 years he has given his attention to
coffee. His plantation of this article is extensive & beautiful. He has perhaps 50 or 70,000 trees growing, a large
portion of them from 2 to 4 years old. His trees he calculates will yield from 100,000 to 150,000 lbs of coffee per
year, which he thinks will yield a good profit at 6 or 7 cents
per lb. The price is now 15 to 20 cts. His trees are from
2 to 4 or 5 feet high & growing luxuriantly.
Mr T[itcomb] is a bachelor, lives in a grass house, &
seems to be indefatigable in the prosecution of his coffee
enterprise.




174


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


The Missionary premises are at the S W extremity of
the same level plain & contain some 50 acres of excellent
land.
The meeting house was built by the proceeds of sugar
cane cultivated by the natives on this land.
Sunday Ap'l 4th. AM went to the native church a few
rods from the house. It was well filled & the congregation
as well dressed as the average congregations which I have
seen on the Islands.
Mr Alexander preached. In the Afternoon the two mission families with us their visitors held a prayer meeting
at Mr Wilcox's.
Tues. Apl 6th Two or three miles out we passed a solitary point overlooking the sea which was formerly a
haunt of native robbers, they remaining concealed behind
the hill while one of their number kept a lookout from the
summit to ascertain the approach of travelers, when they
would rush out & murder & rob them for the sake of the
malo or other article they might chance to have.
Just after passing the Wainiha we saw an instance of
Hawaaian conjugal affection, in a woman whose husband
some years ago being driven out to sea, was picked up by
a ship with others & carried to China where he died. The
sight of Mr Alexander who was her pastor at the time of
her husbands death, revived old associations so vividly
that she immediately fell into a violent wailing, howling.
She has had another husband ever since.
Some five miles from Waioli several conspicuous conical spurs of the mountain attract the attention; one or
two of them bear a rude resemblance to the human figure.
One of them was formerly reverenced as an idol, being
called Pohakuakane [sacred rocks were called Pohaku o
Kane], the stone of Kane, one of the gods of the Islands.
Under the base of the mountain about 1/3d of a mile
from the sea are 3 remarkable caverns. The first or the
one nearest to Waioli is nearly on a level with the sea; the
floor is level & composed of earth & gravel. It is a low
arched apartment, 40 yards wide at the mouth, & extending back in a curved direction towards the left to the




Navigation in a Mountain Cave


175


distance of 100 yards. Half a mile further on is another
cave. The entrance to it is some 100 or 200 feet up the side
of the mountain. Its mouth is many yards wide, & proportionally high, there being a gradual descent of 1 or 200 ft
to the bottom where is spread out a pool of water which
is covered with a blue unctuous or powdery substance
giving it a peculiar appearance. This substance can be
gathered on the finger or in the hand. Beneath this the
water is chrystal clear. We got the natives to bring a
canoe in which we went to the back part of the cave, the
natives propelling it by swimming in the water. The pool
is 15 or 20 yards in diameter & of the temp. of 67~. The
water appeared to be fresh. A few hundred yards west of
this cave is another at about the same elevation on the side
of the mountain & similarly terminated by a pond of
water.
The water in the last cave has been ascertained to be
over 40 ft deep.
After taking our lunch we started on our return. Just
after passing the most easterly cave we called at the house
of a native of some rank & authority & were rec'd with
great kindness, they insisting upon our dining. The good
woman of the house soon spread a mat on the floor, on
which she laid a fine blue broadcloth figured table spread,
& this again she covered, probably to save it from harm
with a piece of very handsomely figured kapa. On this
our dinner was served in earthern plates & dishes, consisting of baked fowl, fish, taro & sweet potatoes.
After a hearty meal & a short siesta on the mats, with
lomilomiing by our entertainers, we resumed our homeward ride, fording the streams as before, & reaching
Waioli about 4 oclock, having had a very agreeable excursion.
Wednesday [Apr.] 7th. Rode this AM to visit Mr
Rhodes' plantation in the eastern part of the Hanalei
valley. It embraces the whole upper part of the valley
above Mr Titcomb's plantation & contains some 900
acres. He has 80 or 100,000 coffee trees growing, many of
them being from 2 to 5 years old.




176


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


Mr R[hodes] is an Englishman by birth but naturalized a Hawaiian. He lost his wife some years since who
was the daughter of a Spaniard-Manini, an old resident
on the islands. He finds trouble in procuring native labor
on his plantation & thinks that laborers will have to be
introduced from Europe.
Thursday, 8th Ap'l. About 101/2 AM Messrs A[lexander] D[ouglass] & myself got a canoe manned by an
old native & three young ones & took a short excursion
up the Hanalei river as far as the rapids of the stream
would allow us, which [is] half a mile perhaps above Mr
Rhodes' house.
The river is a beautiful one with verdant banks, a slow
current. It is from 3 to 10 or 12 rods wide, & from 2 to 10
or more feet deep. We everywhere observed the marks of
the last freshet, the waters rising 5 or 6 ft above their
usual level. The old man with us said he remembered 2
floods greater than this, one of which destroyed many
lives; one of them must have been 20 or 25 yrs ago, the
other much earlier. An aged native whom we saw yesterday, & who has always lived in this valley said that the
late freshet was the fifth he had witnessed, 2 in the days of
the old Chief or King Tamoree < (Kaumualii)>, & two
others about the time of the union of the islands under
one govt.
We inquired of this old man whether Vancouver ever
visited this island, or planted the orange trees here himself. He expressed his confidence that Vancouver was
never here in person, affirmed that the trees were planted
by natives, who brought the seeds from Hawaii where
Vancouver had left them.
Friday [Apr.] 9th Read [James Jackson] Jarves's
Scenes & Scenery [in the Sandwich Islands, Boston, 1844]
respecting Kauai. Spent most of the day at Mr Wilcox'.
Mr W[ilcox] is a native of Harwinton Conn. & Mrs
W[ilcox] of Norfolk.
Mr & Mrs Johnson are from New Hampshire.
Sunday [Apr.] 11th Went to the native meeting in the
PM. It being the communion season, 12 persons, 5 males




LMurder as an Artistic Cult


177


& 7 females were baptized by Mr Alexander & admitted to
the Church. They all appeared to be past middle life &
two or three of them were greyheaded.
Very many candidates for admission were examined
yesterday, but most of them put on a longer probation.
There seems to be a general desire to get into the Church
& the missionary's chief difficulty appears to be to keep
out those that are unfit.
There are many traces of heathenism & superstition
still noticeable even in the Church members. One of Mr
Johnson's Ch[urch] members confessed to have recently
offered sacrifices to the old idols & performed other
heathen rites, in order to get rid of disease.
It is remarkable that there formerly existed on this
island a class of men somewhat similar to the Thugs of
India. They formed an organized society & possessed a
peculiar skill in committing murders, which was taught
to the initiated as a special secret. This was by throwing
a rope or noose in a peculiar manner around their intended victim at a moment least expected, & then breaking his joints & limbs over their knees. This systematized
murder appears to have been connected, like that of the
Thugs with their religious superstitions. It was in existence since the arrival of the missionaries. Mr Whitney
came near falling a prey to the art; 2 men whom he had
refused admission to the Church afterwards confessed
that with a noose prepared they had been waiting for a
favorable opportunity to satisfy their revenge. Mr
W[hitney] in his daily rides with Mrs W[hitney] had
noticed these two men at the door of a house in a retired
place & seen them grinning at him with an air of malice.
They said they had fixed upon a definite time & were on
the point of executing their purpose when for some reason
their courage failed & they gave it up & came & confessed
the whole to Mr W[hitney].
Mr W[hitney] was at another time attackd by robbers
near Koloa & easily escaped by putting spurs to his fleet
horse.
At one time since the establishment of Protestant




178


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


schools, when there seemed to be a revulsion in favor of
idolatry, the people took it for granted that the old ways
were to be restored again & nearly all the teachers on the
island abandoned the palapula, or literary teaching &
commenced teaching the arts of this quasi-Thugism. It
required the arm of govt to set things right again.
Besides the art of murder with the noose, they taught a
peculiar art of wrestling or fencing, by means of which a
man might escape from or conquer an enemy of twice his
strength.
The former vices of these people are beyond all description, & it is probable that comparatively a small
portion of even the Church members are entirely pure.
In old times sodomy was a common thing especially
among the Chiefs & on days when by their heathen rites
their women were taboo. An equal beastliness prevailed
among the women.
Even among the Royal family & high chiefs at Honolulu, there is even to this day the most open licentiousness,
not 3 weeks ago a notorious woman who kept a bad house
at Honolulu being fined $50 by Judge Andrews & sent to
the fort. Govr K. sent up & paid her fine himself, she
being one of his mistresses. And not two years ago a
person calling to see the king found his queen standing
sentinel at the door of an apartment & was told by her
on enquiring that the king was within with the wife of
the Premier; & it is well known that the king & premier
have their wives pretty much in common.
One of the young Chiefs now in the royal school had
several intrigues with one of the girls, in consequence of
which she was obliged to be married. A match was made
up with a common Kanaka & they were privately married
at Honolulu. M. [brother of the young chief] just before
my connection with the school was detected in intrigues
with the queen. Yet instead of either of them suffering
any severe punishment, M. is petted by his father, & being
removed from the School was immediately taken by Dr
J. into his office as secretary-which M. manifestly looks
upon in the light of promotion.




The Seventh Commandment


179


Having roused the indignation of Bernice by some disparaging remark & become acquainted with her feelings,
he immediately wrote her a note, denying the alledged
remark & expressing deep regret that any "report derogatory to his character should get into circulation just
as he was entering the higher circles of society." This is
a good specimen of Kanaka brass & stolidity.
As to the Queen the king w'd do nothing with her, well
knowing that he was equally culpable himself. She was a
member of Mr Armstrong's Church & has been suspended
or excommunicated, though by no means publicly.
Such examples of unpunished licentiousness in the
rulers will do immense mischief in perpetuating vice
through the nation.
The truth is the whole nation is rotten with licentiousness. Men hire out their wives & daughters without the
least scruple, for the sake of money. It is computed by Dr
of Lahaina that at that port during the whaling
season there are upwards of 400 instances of intercourse
with sailors daily. W. & B.'s establishment at that place
is a perfect sink of iniquity. They are accustomed to have
dances of naked girls for the entertainment of their customers the whalemen. The most gross licentiousness is
practiced, & on one occasion the police took 40 women
from their house at one time.
The roads on the islands are mostly the work of persons
convicted of adultery or some like crime. Liliohoku
[Leleiohoku], deposed govr of Hawaii, one of the worst
debauchers in the nation, recently wrote Mr Thurston a
very penitent letter confessing his iniquities & requesting
to be admitted to church membership! Such Hypocrites
are numerous, & make great trouble in the churches.
Mr Lyons suspecting that many of his flock were guilty
of smoking, which was an excommunicable offense, made
enquiry of persons out of the Church & thus got at a list
of the delinquents. Calling a church meeting he read off
the list of offending members when they one after another
rose in indignation & left the house, full of hatred against
the minister. A thousand members in the vicinity of the




180


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


station immediately became only about a hundred. These
offended members seldom appeared at meeting, & when
they did came dressed all over in wreaths, or in some
other fantastic manner to annoy Mr L[yons].
In a similar manner a large portion of the Church at
Kealakekua were cut off.
Of the scholars at Lahainaluna who come professedly
church members Mr Alexander says that comparatively
few give any comfortable evidence of piety. Three of
them, members of the Waimea Ch[urch] on Hawaii, were
recently flogged 20 lashes each & condemned to work a
month blasting a watercourse for stealing horses & riding
them nearly to death during the night.
In fact the prospect of the native Hawaiian for the
future is extremely dark.
Mon. 12 Ap'l While taking measurements many natives
were looking on. One of them, an old man, observed to Mr
Alexander-They are measuring our lands & even our
mountains. They are all slipping from us, & where are
the Kanakas going to live? The remark seemed to be made
half in joke, half in earnest.
Tues 13th Apl. Left Hanalei valley at 91/ AM of bright
beautiful day, the same company of us as on our journey
up. The Kalihiwai we were ferried over in a canoe.
We reached Deborah's at Wailua at sunset & took up
our quarters with the ex-queen for the night. We found a
supper nearly ready for us, & soon sat down to a good
meal of fowl, fish, baked taro &c with tea & milk.
On turning in we found that we should be obliged to
contest our right to our lodgings with the fleas inside &
the mosquitos without. After doing valiant battle most of
the night, catching an occasional nap while the enemy
were thrown into confusion by our blows, we at length
heard the cock crow, & made an early turn out, but little
refreshed by our night's labors.
Soon after sunrise we embarked in a canoe of Queen
Deborah's & three natives rowed us rapidly up the romantic Wailua river. The stream is several rods in
breadth, deep & sluggish, being shut in by high precipitous




An English Planter


181


banks, between which it winds its serpentine way. About
3 miles up the stream we passed a fine ledge of Basalt on
the right, apparently very compact & crystalized into 5
sided perpendicular columns, like those of the Giants
Causeway in Ireland. After passing a gap of which this
ledge forms one side we entered a beautiful amphitheater
owned by Mr Brown, & which he is just putting under
cultivation. Landing on the westerly side of this basin &
ascending a steep hill we reached Mr Brown's house,
where we had rec'd a polite invitation to take breakfast.
It being too early to call, we passed on 1/ or 1/2 a mile to
the falls. The cataract is indeed grand. We found the
stream much higher than usual, & a sheet of water from
100 to 150 feet broad made a perpendicular plunge over
a ledge of rocks to the depth of 180 feet, into a basin
below. Not having time before breakfast to visit the foot
of the falls we contemplated them from above. While
there we were joined by Mr Brown who had come in search
of us.
He is an affable, middle aged Englishman, a horticulturist by profession, & with considerable property he has
come hither to establish himself for the benefit of his
health, which is good here, but was poor in England. He
has taken a plantation of some 600 acres, in fee simple
for a certain price provided he takes the oath of allegiance within a specified time. He has been here but a
few months & lives at present in a grass house, till he can
put up a frame one.
Returning from the falls we were introduced to Mrs
Brown, a fine looking accomplished lady, & a sister of
Capt. Rhodes of Waioli.
At 1 PM we were mounted & on our way to Koloa.
The day throughout was delightful & at 5 oc'k we were
again at Dr. Smiths where we found our friends well
except Mr Pogue who was fast convalescing.
Thurs Apl 15th. After breakfast took a walk with
Messrs Alexander & Douglass to visit the sugar works &
"mauna silika" on the famous Ladd & Co plantation.
The sugar works constitute an extensive & apparently




182


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


commodious & complete establishment for the manufacture of sugar.
At one end of a long building is the mill for crushing
the cane. It is one of the best that could be procured in
the U.S. & seems to do its work perfectly. The cane passes
between 3 cast iron cylinders, some 4 feet long by 15 or
18 inches in diameter which are set in motion by a breast
water wheel of the diameter of perhaps 10 feet. The juice
runs from the cylinders into a receiver from which it is
raised by a forcing pump 10 or 12 feet & passed into a
large tub to receive it. From the tub it is drawn by a stop
cock into a large oblong copper container where it is
scalded. From this it is passed in a similar way to the
boilers which are five or six in number, place [d] in a row
near to each other & all heated by the same fire. The
boilers are of copper & surrounded by high rims of copper
to prevent waste. The syrup is ladled from one to another
when at its proper stage, by ladles, made of buckets or
pails attachd to long handles. Adjacent to the hot boiler
are two large shallow wooden vats in which the sugar
granulates. From these it is taken to long ranges of square
boxes on the sides & along the middle of the building,
where the molasses is drained off, the boxes being furnished with a layer of straw at the bottom & placed over
a sort of trough or conduit of mason work, which conducts
the molasses from all the boxes to receivers set in the
ground from which it is dipped out.
The fuel for boiling is the refuse cane from which the
juice has been pressed.
The works were in operation while we were there.
About 40 cart loads of cane per day are required to keep
the mill busy. This is raised in part on the plantation &
partly purchd from natives & others who raise it in the
neighborhood.
From the mill we walked to the house & store occupied
by Mr Linsley, who is hired to superintend the plantation.
The storekeeper is Mr Morgan an Englishman. Near
these premises is a long range of stone barracks for the
natives employed on the plantation. They form two long




Experiment in Silk


183


buildings in the same line, one of them containing 10 & the
other 9 separate houses or apartments each having one
door & one window on the oppsite side. The floors being
covered with matting or strown with grass, they look like
dark unpleasant abodes & yet are much superior to most
of the common native huts.
Passing on a mile beyond, we reached what was formally christened "Mauna Silika" from the great silk
business which was attempted to be carried on here 6 or
7 years ago. The business proved an utter failure, & very
few mulberries are now to be seen, the sugar cane being
the chief article now raised on the grounds. The spot on
a beautiful eminence where Messrs Jarves & Marshall
formerly had their residence is only marked by the ornamental trees still remaining. The enclosure was pointed
out to us where a patch of sago was formerly sowed, the
article as it is prepared for commerce being the seed put
into the ground, a mode of raising sago as likely to succeed as would be an attempt to raise wheat by sowing
nutcakes or potatoes by planting potato starch. The
premises on this part of the plantation are entirely unoccupied. The house in which Mr Peck formerly dwelt we
found open. On the shelves of an otherwise empty bookcase lay as if in mockery a copy of the Silk growers
manual & another of Pollock's [Robert Pollok] "Course
of Time" [a poem, in ten books, London, 1827; it went
through many editions], as if to say, poetry & the art of
silk growing are here equally valueless. Mr Peck after
quitting the silk business has since made a handsome
fortune at Lahaina & is about to return to the US with his
family.
There were formerly here at Koloa 8 or 10 families of
foreigners, all of whom are now gone, with the exception
of Mr Linsley the present superintendent of the concern.
Most of them have gone to the U.S.
Near by we noticed the grave & monument of Mrs.
Brinsmade, wife of P. A. Brinsmade, formerly of the
Ladd & Co firm, now editor of the S[andwich] I. News.




184


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


The plantation is a valuable one, well adapted to sugar
cane, & embraces about one thousand acres.
Mr Linsley is of opinion that, with proper management
a yearly out lay of $12,000 on the plantation would yield
$18000 or a net profit of $6000. This however it has never
yet done. It is now chiefly in the hands of Dr Wood of
Honolulu who is said to make the sugar business a
profitable one
We returned in season for dinner.
Took tea & spent the night at Mr Linsleys. Mr L [insley]
is the son of a Methodist minister & left the Wesleyan University at Middletown to enter into the silk speculation
here, 8 years ago.
Friday 16th Apl. Two horses having been sent over from
Waimea for us I mounted one of them, a sober white steed,
& in company with Messrs Alexander & Douglass, Master
Emerson & Miss Maria Dibble, started at 10 AM for
Waimea, 15 miles distant towards the West.
Two or three miles out we passed the Lawai just above
where its two branches unite in one stream. It is but a
brook. At the Kalaheo we found bridge gone & had some
difficulty in getting our horses over. A little further on
we crossed the Waihaka & not long after the Wahiawa or
stony brook, just beyond which on the upland we stopped
half an hour to refresh at a small country house built by
Mr Whitney, a large tract of land in this region having
been given him by the Govr. It is now in charge of a
native named Eli. We left this place at half past 12 &
soon came to the beautiful valley & river of Hanapepe.
Our route hitherto was inland some two or more miles
from the sea, & then struck the Hanapepe a mile or mile
& a half inland. There being no crossing-place here our
path turned southerly along the margin of the valley till
we reachd the sea, where we were ferried over in a canoe
& our horses led across. This is little more than half way
from Koloa to Waimea. Our route from this place lay over
a rolling or rather level country not far from the sea, in a
direction a little N of West. We reached the valley of the
Waimea a little above its entrance into the sea.




Mirage


185


The river is here broad & 4 or five feet deep in the
channel. Here we were again ferried over, & at half past
3 we reached the Mission houses which are 40 or 50 rods
from the beach. We stopped first at Mrs Whitneys where
we were soon provided with a good Dinner. Mrs W[hitney] & her daughter Maria we found both invalids, tho
able to be about.
Mr Alexander & Master Emerson quarter at Mrs
W[hitney]s Mr D[ouglass] & myself & Maria Dibble at
Mr Rowels [George B. Rowell] a few rods distant.
As soon as we came into the place the natives began to
flock around Mr Alexander. Many fell to weeping & wailing, especially the women & some of them with loud
sobbing & wailing clasped him by the knees. Their sorrow
was aroused by the remembrance of their former pastor
Mr Whitney who had died at Mr Alexander's house.
Sat. 17th Apl. The horses having been got up Messrs
A[lexander] & D[ouglass] & Miss Dibble started at 11
AM for a ride to Manaa 12 miles distant along the coast
westerly, to witness the Mirage & the Musical Sand
[Barking Sands].
Our route lay over a level plain, scarcely at all elevated
above the ocean, & from 1 to 2 miles wide between the
sea & the inland bluff by which it is bounded. All along
the shore & throughout the plain a coarse sandstone
appears, composed chiefly of comminuted shells.
This plain in dry weather is the scene of a remarkable
exhibition of the mirage, like that seen by the French
soldiers in Egypt. The traveler sees spread out on the
plain what seems to be an extensive pond of water, so
perfectly resembling the real element as often effectually
to deceive the spectator. On approaching it however the
illusion vanishes & nothing [remains] but the dry sandy
plain. On passing this pseudo lake & looking back the
apparent water is again visible. Mr Rowell mentions
having often witnessed this & all the natives with whom
we conversed gave the same account of the matter.
After riding two or 3 miles over the plain, we came
indeed to what seemed to be a sheet of water spreading




186


M aui, Oahu, and Kauai


out for miles over the low level plain. This of course must
be the wonderful Mirage. To be sure it looked like real
water & on approaching it we could discern little rippling
waves raised by the wind which so thoroughly completed
the illusion that we could scarcely doubt that the exhibition before us was bonafide water. Nor were we more
undeceived when we saw a veritable canoe lying on one
of the seeming banks partly on land & partly on the
Mirage. Our wits were completely nonplussed when on
beginning to cross the Mirage instead of the vision vanishing the horses feet made a splashing & splattering &
some large drops of the Mirage in a substantial form were
actually thrown upon our clothes. The seemingly clear
lake also became to the eye muddled & dark where the
horses passed along, & we had not ridden many rods into
the phenomenon before we found that unless we lifted up
our feet & gathered them up under us on the saddle they
would become wet & soggy in the Mirage just as readily
as in a real pond of water. Moreover tall bulrushes grew
up from the bottom, & by the time we had reached the
opposite bank of 20 or 30 rods of troublesome & muddy
wading we were so impressed by the wonderful perfectness of the illusion that we came unanimously to the conclusion that if the phenomenon we had witnessed & felt
was not actual water we could not tell what it was.
It is proper to say however that the natives had forewarned us that in place of the Mirage we should now find
real water, the recent rains having covered the whole
plain with a shallow lake of water 5 or 6 miles long & in
places half a mile or more wide.
There is no doubt of the reality of the Mirage in dry
weather, but on the present occasion it was flooded, &
actual water had usurped its place.
Eleven or twelve miles from Waimea we reached the
sand hills at the western extremity of the plain, which
stretches off towards the N several miles further & terminates at the precipitous coast which extends along the
Western side of the Island to the Caves at Haena, being




Barking Sands


187


an almost perpendicular rocky bluff in places attaining an
elevation of 3000 or 4000 feet.
At the termination of the plain over which we had
ridden is a ridge of sand hill extending from the bluff on
the right a mile or more along the shore towards the left.
Some parts of this ridge reach to the height of 100 feet
or more above the plain, especially the southern extremity,
where we first came up to it. The sand here is famous for
its peculiar musical, or grunting quality. The natives
have observed it from time immemorial. The name of the
sand bank is Nohili.
It is a beautiful clean bank of white or reddish sand,
formed mostly of polished particles of seashells, & perfectly dry from direct exposure to the rays of the sun.
This bank is over 100 feet perpendicular elevation above
the plain, & the slope of it (30~ or 35~) is as great as the
particles of the sand will allow. It is steadily advancing
along the plain, & the strong breezes from the N. are constantly wafting along fresh supplies of sand, which
coming over the summit lie on this southern slope at as
steep an angle as possible. The natives say that this bank
was formerly [a] great way off, but that now it is coming
very nigh.
But the great curiosity here is the barking or grunting
property of the sand. On stirring it, or rather pressing
it together with both hands, it gives out an audible &
peculiar squeak, grunt or bark, more resembling the
barking of the little toy dogs which children play with
than anything else. We tried it at various places on the
sand bank, even on its summit & every where with the
same result, except where it was damp.
The particles of the sand view[ed] with a glass are
more or less rounded & highly polished, being comminuted
fragments of shells. It seems to be nearly free from finer
particles of dust, & the sound must in some way be owing
to this circumstance together with the smoothness & dryness of the particles. The natives say that they know of
no other sand that has the barking quality, but that this
when carried elswhere & dried in the sun still retains it.




188


Maui, Oahu, and Kauai


Sun 18th Ap'l. Attended the native church, a large
building of adobe plastered outside & in, a few rods east
of the dwellings of the missionaries.
Mr Alexander preachd. The house was tolerably filled,
perhaps 300 being present. Most of them were seated on
rude settees, others on the matted floor in native style.
Mr Rowell 's church numbers about 300, & his field extends
from the barking sand at Manaa 12m west to Hanapepe, 7
miles to the east.
I forgot to mention that the musical sandhill at Manaa
has been used from time immemorial as a burying place,
the corpses being deposited at the edge of the bank on the
plain. As the sand advances they are in a few years far
in the interior & a hundred feet or more below the
surface.
Some ages hence, should these corpses be discovered
beneath such a bed of super incumbent sandstone it may
exercise the skill of geologists to tell how they came there.
The most obvious inference doubtless would be that the
inhabitants of this early period were accustomed to dig
their graves 100 feet deep.
Mon. 19th Apl. Startd after breakfast to take a walk up
the valley of the Waimea, & had nearly reached the fork
of its two branches a mile or more above its mouth, when
a red-faced foreigner who was proceeding towards the
beach informed me that a whale ship on fire was coming in
towards the town, one or two of her masts being already
burned down. As I had seen the ship under full sail not
half an hour before & noticed no fire I was disposed to
discredit his statement & walked on.
I had not proceeded far however before a repetition of
the report from better authority convinced me of its
truth & I turned back.
On reaching the beach I saw indeed a noble ship under
a full swell of canvas coming in, but instead of any of her
masts being burnt down, not a sign of fire could be perceived. A pile of trunks, boxes, sextants &c belonging to
the officers, on the beach with boats putting off & coming
in, together with a crowd of staring natives standing




Arson at Sea


189


around, showed that something was the matter. The ships
colors too were flying at half mast as signals of distress.
The ship was on fire & it was said she was to be run
aground, the pilot Hobbes having sent off directions to
have her stand up abreast of the town & then run directly
in. She came up from the westward under full sail, but on
coming abreast of the town she came to anchor, the Capt.
having succeeded in getting up one chain cable by cutting
thro' the Deck.
The ship proved to be the Wm Thompson Capt A. G.
Ellis of New Bedford 5 months out, with 50 bbls oil. She is
a splendid ship of 500 tons elegantly finished, & worth
some $50,000.
She had touched at Lahaina & Honolulu & was now on
her way to the NW. Her crew seems to be a desperate one
as this is now the third time this voyage that she has been
set on fire. Two of the crew had formed a plan to run away
at Lahaina, but the ship sailing sooner than they expected
their scheme was frustrated.
At 10 oclock last eve. the ship was discovered to be on
fire, she being then 40 miles or more to the westward of
Kauai, & a stiff breeze blowing. It was the second mates
watch, & the alarm was instantly given. The Capt on
coming up found the ship full of smoke, coming chiefly
from the forecastle gangway. He immediately ordered the
ship put about towards land & then made an effort to
arrest the flames. It being found impossible to do this,
the hatches were put on & every thing made snug in order
to smother it.
The two hands who had been disappointed in their plan
of running away were instantly suspected, & a kanaka
shipped at Lahaina informed the Capt that they had proposed to fire the ship when off Oahu.
These two men were immediately put in irons & one
of them on being threatened with a flogging confessed to
having knowledge of the whole affair.
They had cut a hole through the forward bulkheads &
deposited a quantity of oakum among the stores inside,
to which they thus set fire. A large quantity of lumber was




190           Maui, Oahu, and Kauai
below near the fire, & the Capt had some 3 thousand dollars worth of goods of his own between decks which he
designed to take to California.
The ship came to anchor about 10 AM. At noon I went
on board with Messrs Rowell & Douglass in the double
canoe of the mission. All hands were busy, sending down
sails, & getting off whatever was on deck. A dense mass of
smoke was visible through the cabin skylight, & the deck
was hot to the touch. The two principal culprits were aft
in irons, one of them a decent looking fellow enough, but
the other wearing the countenance of a reckless villain.
The latter was shipped from the N Y house of Refuge &
the Capt regards him as one of the worst men he ever
knew. There has been great insubordination among the
crew ever since sailing. Before they had been out a week
an attempt was made to steal the ship's papers & the
Capt thinks a plot was on foot to take the vessel. At Pernambuco an attempt was made to set her on fire, & three
men were sent home, with the evidence, to be tried for
their lives; two or three others were disposed of elsewhere, & kanakas shipped in their place.
The bad character of the crew was manifest in the
peculations of property that took place after it was landed
on the beach & removed to a store house. Many articles
were missed, & search being made it was found that they
had been taken by some of the ship's crew & concealed in
the houses nearby.
Afternoon Mr A[lexander] & myself carried down a
dinner to Capt Ellis at the beach, he being too busy to go
after it himself.
At night a tow line from the ship was fastened to the
shore by which she might be towed ashore in case it
should be necessary before morning.
Tues. 20th Ap'l. The ship still lying at anchor & no signs
of fire visible from shore. Capt Ellis came up & breakfasted at Mr Rowell's. During the forenoon the after
hatch was opened & a large part of the Capt's goods got
out. It was ascertained that the fire had not extended as
far as was expected & hopes were entertained that it




Departure from Kauai


191


might yet be put out by throwing in water by means of a
hose. There being none that c'd be come at on board one
was made for the occasion & the experiment made, but
after throwing in a great quantity of water it was found
that the fire rather increased & the attempt was discontinued & all shut up again, to wait through another night.
Wed 21 Apl. Made preparations for returning to Koloa.
Started at 91/4, called as we passed to see Capt Ellis, but
he was on board the ship. One of his men who had just
come off said they would probably put out the fire.
On our return we took the beach road as far as Hanapepe to call on A — recently of the Royal School, but
now married ex necessitate & living in this vicinity.
During the PM. a man from Waimea called to tell us
that the fire in the ship was put out, & the ship not greatly
damaged.
Thurs 22d Ap'l. This morning the Amelia was in sight
& at 9 we sent down our baggage, Mr Linsley kindly furnishing an ox team. The vessel is to be at Nawiliwili on
the East part of the Island tomorrow, whither we are to
go by land.
Have had a delightful visit on the island, been favored
in all our excursions with fair weather & seen most that is
remarkable, with the exception of the Hanapepe falls, the
beach sand & coral said to be on the summit of Waialeale,
& the precipice said to be 4000 ft perpendicular on the west
side of the Island. Dr Smith's family kindly urge me to
stay some weeks longer at this place but my plans will
not allow me the gratification.
Friday 23d Ap'l. Started at 101/4 from Dr S[mith] 's
for Nawiliwili to take passage on the Amelia schooner for
Oahu.
At sunset went on board but the wind being light it was
9 before we set sail & left the harbor.
For myself I did not leave the cabin or take a morsel of
food, save a few swallows of tea till we reached Oahu on
Sunday evening. We came under the lee of the Island
Sunday morning & were all day beating up towards Honolulu. At 9 PM we were in the outer roads, the boat was got




192           Maui, Oahu, and Kauai
out & the passengers set on shore. We walked up town, Mr
D[ouglass] & myself to Mr. Cooke's, where we arrived
at ten & took possession of our old room after getting a
crust of bread from the pantry.
Passage $5.00. 2 days.




V.
OAHU; HONOLULU TO SAN FRANCISCO; SAN
FRANCISCO AND MONTEREY; SAN JOSE
APRIL 26,1847, TO JUNE 5, 1848








V.


[Honolulu] Wed. [Apr.] 28th Attended the opening of
the S[andwich] I. Parliament.
A few minutes before [the opening] I repaired to the
parliament Hall in a new building erected by the Kings
Chamberlain a few rods from Mr Cooke's. The upper
story of the house is occupied by the Chamberlain as a
dwelling.
The whole house & yard I found crowded. My entrance
was through a long double line of soldiers in uniform. On
entering the hall I found a seat near the door with many
of the missionaries & foreign residents. A large number
of native ladies occupied the back part of the room. On the
right of the Royal Seat were the Young Chiefs. On the left
the foreign dignitaries & their families. The walls were
adorned with a number of fine paintings & prints among
which I was pleased to see the" Declaration of Independence." Behind the Royal Chair was the King's portrait.
A band of music was performing in the veranda.
The procession formed at the Palace & at 12 entered the
hall. The King in full uniform with his queen took the
lead, next came Alexander & Lot & then the Ministers &
other officers of Govt also in their court uniforms. The
King wore a blue coat with red trimmings, cocked hat,
buff breeches & vest, the whole set off with abundance of
gold lace epaulettes &c. At his side hung his sword. The
Ministers displayed plenty of gilt buttons & red scarfs.
Alexander & Lot, the two oldest boys of the School, followed the King wearing beautiful red & yellow feather
capes & carrying in their hands highly polished spears.
Over the chair on which the King sat was thrown the
famous yellow feather cloak which was so many years in
making, & over the table before the King was another of
black & yellow feathers & almost equally splendid. The
King seemed ill at ease, & appeared not to know what to
do with the skirts of his coat. He is a portly fine looking
man, very dark & wearing a formidable moustache. But




196


California


by far the most dignified & best looking man present was
Judge Turrill the U. S. Consul.
When all was ready the King took from his pocket his
MSS speech, written on thin paper which he found great
difficulty in turning over, with his gloves on. He read with
great hesitation, being it is said not very well. It had the
appearance however of arising from the too great tightness of his regimentals, for he seemed to be continually
gasping for breath. While he read his speech the Ministers
continued standing. When it was through Govr Kekuanaoa
stepped out of doors & repeated the substance of it to the
people.
A committee was appointed to reply to it.
The original autograph I have obtained for preservation.
The whole exercise at the parliament house occupied
less than 3/4 of an hour. The Kings speech was little more
than 15 minutes long.
The reading of the ministerial reports was deferred till
the next day. I forgot to mention that two young natives
wearing feather capes stood behind the King each of them
holding a large & magnificent Kahili or flybrush of
feathers. They were some 15 feet in length & 10 or 15
inches in diameter, the feather part being something like
half the whole length. One of them was black, the other of
red & yellow feathers. These were formerly the principal
badge of royalty.
Friday 30th Ap'l. Attended the examination of the
Punahou School for the children of the mission. It is under
the care of Messrs Dole & Rice & Miss Smith. The scholars
appeared to good advantage, & evidently have a thorough
drilling, especially in the languages. In the PM the exercises were diversified by a couple of short dialogues.
Mon. [May] 3d This morning the long expected ship
Montreal came in & all the town were agog for letters &
packages. To my great joy I found one from my Sister
Mary, dated Oct 3d & containing the welcome intelligence
that at that date all were well.
Sat. [May] 8th After dinner called at the Palace by ap



An Interview with Royalty


197


pointment with Alexander, Lot, & Mr Douglass to see the
old regalia of the Kingdom, the two splendid feather
cloaks & numerous feather capes, used on public occasions
-the cloaks are very heavy, one of them yellow & the
other yellow & red. Their value, reckoning the labor of
taking the birds & making the cloaks is almost incalculable. They were made in Kamehameha Ist time, the
yellow one being begun long before. The feathers are
fastened to a kind of network, which is very strong. The
capes of yellow red & black are valued at from 10 to 100
or 200 dollars according to their size.
The large Kahilis we also saw. They are 14 or 15 ft in
length, the feather part 6 or 7. The feathers in little tufts
are fastened to the ends of little wires or branches of some
sort which are tied to the central stick. The handle is
plaited with alternate rings of tortoise shell & ivory & is
very elegently finished. The yellow & red Kahili is of the
same kind of feathers as the cloaks. The black one of a
different sort.
The King was present & rec'd us very affably; he was
in a dressing gown, without cravat & with his shirt bosom
open. When we went in he was in the verandah smoking
his segar, which he retained in his fingers until we left.
After remaining 15 or 20 minutes we took our leave.
Frid [May] 14th. Took tea at Mr Damon's. Called to
see Mr Stark at the mansion house & talked about California. He is supercargo of the Bark Toulon & came in
this morning.
According to his representations the opportunities for
business, especially in the surveying line, cannot be very
great. The Govt is at present military & accommodations
are scarce. Hope to see for myself before long.
[Wednesday to Saturday, May 19-22, are occupied by
a ride around the Island, of which journey a long and detailed account is given. In company with Mr. Rice, the
narrator visits Mr. Bishop's station at Ewa, the station
of John S. Emerson and Peter J. Gulick at Waialua, Mr.
Emerson's "out station" at Hauula, and Mr. Parker's
station at Kaneohe.]




198


California


Monday [May] 24th Flags flying & at noon cannon fired
in honor of Queen Victoria's birthday.
Rec'd an affectionate & characteristic letter from Mr
Coan enclosing an order for $10 by way of a present.
Truly I cannot be grateful enough for the kind friends
God in his Providence has thrown me among. I am on
every side overwhelmed with kindness.
Tues & Wed [May 25 and 26]. Busy in getting things
in readiness to depart.
Tues P.M. went on board the Montreal. She is a noble
Ship & has splendid accommodations. Seeing so fine a ship
just on the point of starting direct for the US by way of
China almost made me homesick. Mrs Nye whose husband
is a sea capt. now on the California coast takes passage
in her & two or 3 other passengers. I send a letter to sister
Mary by this ship.
Sat. [May] 29th. A.M. Went to the Palace with Alexander & Lot to purchase a Rifle of the King. Found his
Majesty in the veranda of his house with some of his attendants. He soon sent for 2 or 3 pieces, which were
loaded & fired in the Palace yard to try them. None that
he is willing to dispose of will quite answer my purpose.
The rifle is too heavy to carry, & the light double barrel
fowling piece is not fit for heavy game. The King rec'd us
kindly & was in fine spirits.
Eve. called at Mr Damon's & stumbled into a Church
meeting at his study, called by Mr. Brinsmade in consequence of a statement in todays Polynesian that he
had been refused communion in the Church whose rules
he had originally drawn up.
Monday 31st. Packing and making calls. &c.
Wed. Jun 2d. Finished packing boxes etc. & after dinner
got the natives of the establishment to convey them to
the vessel lying at the wharf.
I take with me the following letters of introductionFrom Judge Turrill to Com. Stockton, Walter Colton,
Capt. Dupont of the Cyane, U.S.N. From Mr Armstrong
to Com. Stockton & Mr Colton. From Mr [R. C.] Wyllie
minister of Foreign relations to J. A. Forbes Vice Consul




Aloha!


199


at San Francisco, & to Mr Hartnell of Monterey. From Mr
Ten Eyck, US. Com[missioner] to T. O. Larkin Esq late
US Consul. From Mr Stephens, Naval Agent, to Purser
Speiden USN. & Maj. Swords USA. From Mr Damon to
Mr Colton. From Dr Judd to T. O. Larkin Esq & from
Mr Richards to Lieut Halleck, of the Engineers.
Thurs. June 3d 1847. Instead of getting off this morning
as was designed the Euphemia does not sail till this afternoon, which gives me time to write letters & take my leave
deliberately. I find it exceedingly trying to part from the
many kind Christian friends whom I have found here.
The missionaries & many others have proved themselves
true friends by their numerous acts of kindness. I shall
have reason to remember the S[andwich] I.s with love &
gratitude as long as I live.
At 4 PM having taken leave of my dear friends, I went
on board the Brig Euphemia, Capt [Thomas] Russum, &
at 434 we were under sail & moving out of the harbor. A
number of Mr & Mrs Grimes friends went outside to see
them off, among them Mr De Fiennes Esq & his wife, Capt
Carter & his wife of the Mansion house, Mr Suerkron the
Danish Consul, Mr Pitman of Hilo & several others.
When the guns were fired Mrs De Fiennes clung to her
husband acting like a fidgetty baby.
When outside, the pilot Capt Penhallow left us with
all the rest of the company, and 3 cheers were given on
each side at separating. We went out with a fine breeze &
Honolulu & the Island had quite a different appearance
from what they did when I first came in a little more
than a year ago. Every thing now looks green-then it
was all barren. We steered off to the S.W. & the town
fast faded in the distance, till at sunset it was entirely
lost sight of & only the outlines of the mountains of the
Island remained.
Our cabin is a small one perhaps 10 or 12 feet square
& about 5 high. It contains 6 berths only 4 of which I
believe are occupied. The Capt has one, Mr Davis the
Supercargo the one opposite the Capt's. Mine is the after
berth on the Starboard Side, & the one opposite to it is




200


Californiac


occupied by a passenger, a mechanic, Mr Griffin I believe
by name.
Mr & Mrs Grimes occupy an apartment next to the
cabin, amidships, which was designed originally for a
store & salesroom & which makes them very comfortable
quarters. They have their furniture with them & a couple
of sofas placed together makes an excellent bed.
About 9 AM I mastered strength to go on deck where I
found we were off the east shore of Kauai, her course
being for Hanalei to get butter & other stores.
When approaching the harbor of Hanalei, a gun was
fired for the pilot Mr Kellet but he not coming up the Capt
brought the vessel to anchor himself off the mouth of the
Hanalei river.
The boat was immediately lowered & Mr & Mrs Grimes,
Mr Davis & myself went on shore. I landed at the mouth
of the river whither Mr Johnson & Mr. Titcomb came to
meet us, while the rest went in the boat up to Mr Titcomb's place 3/4 of a mile beyond.
After calling on Mrs Wilcox (Mr W[ilcox] has gone to
Honolulu) I rode over to Mr Titcomb's, & soon returned
with Mr & Mrs Grimes to Mr Johnson's where at 51/ we
took an early tea.
Mr & Mrs G[rimes] spent the night at Mr Johnsons,
I at Mr Wilcox's, it being determined not to sail till next
day noon on account of the potatoes which cannot be got
sooner; all the butter that can be had Mr Johnson furnishes, Mr Kellett, where it was expected to be had, not
having any.
Sat June 5th. At 3 PM a gun was fired from the ship for
us to come on board, & we soon made ready to do so, proceeding to the mouth of the river 3 of a mile distant to
take the boat which came off for us. Our provision boats
went off at the same time. We were soon on board & fresh
provisions & vegetables enough for a six months voyagea dozen hogs, plenty of turkies, duck & fowls, a milch goat,
nearly a hundred bunches of bananas, with taro, yams,
potatoes &c &c &c.




At Sea


201


Anchor was soon up & by 6 PM we were out of the
harbor under pilotage of Mr Kellett.
Friday June 18. Mr Grimes was taken violently ill on
Sunday & has been very low since, great pain, fever,
watchers every night; too ill myself to be of much assistance. Messrs Davis & Griffin have watched with him. Some
of the time we have considered him in danger. He is now
a little better.
His little boy Frank had been ill & was just getting
better. He was removed to the fore hold to prevent his
crying from disturbing his father.
The only medical book we have on board is the little
pamphlet accompanying the medicine chest, poor medical
help for a difficult case.
Mon June 21st We are now 18 days from Honolulu &
not half way to the coast. Our hope is to get in before
July 4th at least. Mr Grimes is gaining a little but is still
very feeble & requires watchers at night. It is well that
Mrs G[rimes] is here as it would have been very difficult
to take care of him without her assistance.
I am beginning to read a little & have begun to look
through [John] Millington's [Elements of] Civil Engineering [Philadelphia, 1839] which I procured of Judge
Andrews. Saturday, Capt Russum made me a present of
a nice pair of woollen gloves & part of a case of drawing
instruments embracing drawing pen, protractor &c, so
that with what I manufactured at Oahu my supply is now
tolerably good.
The Sabbath on board passes off merely as a day of
rest; all is quiet. I have no strength to perform public
religious exercises, even were I invited to do it, which has
not been the case.
Our ships company is a very agreeable one, very different from that of the Mariposa; every thing goes on harmoniously.
We have 6 at the first table in the Cabin-Capt Russum,
Mr Colbath the mate, Mrs G[rimes], Mr Griffin, Mr Davis
& myself.




202


California


Thurs June 24th Mr Grimes is slowly gaining, sits up a
little & begins to have some appetite.
To-day we had a fine dinner of baked pig, it being St
John's day, a day celebrated by the masonic fraternity of
which Capt Russum & Mr Davis are members. The Lodge
at Honolulu were designing to keep the day with great
splendor.
Tues [June] 29th Roused at 6 AM by Capt shouting
"Helm hard up. Up mainsail. Man overboard." In a
moment the brig cam  round, & a boat was let down to go
after Jim Brown New Zealander who had tumbled overboard while drawing water to wash decks. A Kanaka
jumped over & swam to hold him up till the boat reached
him which it did in a few minutes & took him in. He had
sunk 2 or 3 times but had taken in but little water. The
event produced considerable excitement on board as it
was quite doubtful whether he could be rescued. Mr Griffin
who had been a whaleman jumped into the boat as steersman without hat & barefooted.
Wed & Thurs. [June 30th & July 1st] Wind North, & on
Thurs. blew a gale. Sea very high, & thru night broke over
the brig often.
Frid. [July 2d] More moderate. Made land at 6 PM 30
miles or so north of the entrance of San Francisco Bay.
Stood off & on thro' the night.
Sat. July 3d, 1847. Land near. Stood for the entrance.
Weather cold as it has been for 3 or 4 days, like March
in N[ew] E[ngland].
The entrance to the bay is bold & striking. Its width
is some 3/4 of a mile, the shore on either side rocky &
precipitous. The tide, which rushes in with great velocity, & a strong breeze bore us rapidly into the bay. On
the right at the entrance & entirely commanding it is a
fort [Castillo de San Joaquin or Fort Blanco], which is
now undergoing repairs by the U.S. forces. The opposite
point is also ultimately [to be fortified] & also White
[Alcatraz] Island which lies just within the entrance, thus
rendering the place a second Gibraltar, commanding the




SAN FIANC SCO FROM THE BAY, 1847




I 
~c '




The Golden Gate


203


entrance of a bay 100 miles long, & receiving some of the
finest rivers on this side the continent.
The Indians, as I was informed by Capt [William
Antonio] Richardson, the present custom house officer
[he had arrived in California in 1822, and was captain of
the port from 1837 to 1844, and again in 1846-1847], have
handed down a tradition that the present outlet of the
bay was formed by the action of an earthquake & that
formerly this body of water was a fresh water lake having
its outlet at Monterey 120 miles down the coast. Capt
R[ichardson] mentions the rapid enlargement of certain
creeks around the bay in corroboration of this tradition.
But to my eye at a first glance it seems hardly possible,
that if such a thing ever took place it c'd have been within
the limits of Indian tradition. But of this enough here.
The anchorage of Sou Salito [Sausalito], 6 miles N.W.
of San Francisco, on the opposite side of the inner part
of the entrance, we passed on our left; The Columbus line
of battle ship & the [Congress?] are lying at anchor there.
A 2 PM we came to anchor abreast the town which lies
on the west side of a semicircular harbor, between two
small promontories, the bay opening from it towards the
East & South.
Soon after coming to anchor, we were boarded by Dr
[Alfred A.] Townsend, & an officer from the Congress
[Com. Stockton's ship] for letters, & soon after, Mr
[Hiram] Grimes being let down into the boat, we all went
ashore, rejoicing again to set our feet on Terra firma.
Mr G[rimes] being too ill to walk he was carried from the
beach to Capt Grimes' house, a few yards from the shore
by the natives. [Eliab Grimes, uncle of Hiram, had visited
California in 1838 and 1842, becoming a resident in
1844.] When we landed a piercing damp wind was blowing furiously down towards the water from the west, &
the appearance of the town with its shanty looking huts
was anything but inviting.
Mr Grimes was not at home having started a week since
for his farm 120 miles up the Sacramento, to be gone a
month or two. His house was open however, Mr [Richard




204


California


M.] Sherman who is left in charge of the store being there
to receive us. The disappointment of Mrs Grimes on
seeing the house where she was to take up her temporary
residence in California was quite manifest. Instead of the
fine mansion she occupied at Honolulu, she found a low,
one story brown, irregular, hut-looking concern, attached
to the W end of a still worse looking shop or store. It had
been occupied by a California sort of bachelor, & the black
dirty floor, the dark paperd walls, smoked ceilings, of its
small room came in strong contrast with the well furnished apartments she had left behind. The rooms consist
of a small front one with one window of a single sash, a
dining room adjoining & a kitchen adjoining that, together
with the poop deck cabin of a ship in the yard which she
is to fit up for the Parlor, & which is dignified with the
cognomen of "Kent Hall" from the ship to which it once
belonged. It was now filled with Capt Grimes trunks &c
& the other apartments mentioned with old furniture
boxes & dirt.
Two sofas were immediately placed together & a bed
prepared for Mr [Hiram] Grimes, & the house was soon
set in tolerable order for passing the Sabbath. Mr
G[rimes] was immediately visited by Drs Guillio [Chas.
F. B. Guillon] & [William J.] Powell, of the Columbus &
Warren, vessels of war, & by other officers of the C[olumbus] & Congress who happened to be on shore, they
having become acquainted with the family while at the
Islands. They all seemed astonished to see Mrs G[rimes]
in so rude a country, & their reports of [the] place did not
tend to excite in her very high expectation of enjoyment
from the society, or even the weather of San Francisco.
I soon learned that some of the officers of the Army
& Navy to whom I bore letters of introduction had left
the country to cross the continent for home. Gen Keanery
[Kearny] & Col. Fremont left early in June, & Con.
Stockton is just on the point of starting by the usual
northern route, a different one from that of Gen Kearney
[Kearny]. Had I been in season I should have endeavored
to join the party of Com. S[tockton] in doing which I




The Glorious Fourth


205


should doubtless have found little difficulty in consequence
of the several letters which I had to him personally & his
known liberality & kindness. His party is now some 40
miles up the bay & it is too late for me to think of making
the attempt.
I went on board the brig with Capt Spalding [Russum?] to sleep, having been refreshed by a good supper
of beef steak prepared for us soon after our arrival on
shore.
Sunday. July 4th After breakfast went on shore.
It being the 4th the day was nrade more than usual a day
of hilarity & dissipation. There is no religious service in
the place & an oration & public dinner were advertised to
come off in the afternoon at the public hotel [Brown's
Hotel]. The dinner I was told was attended by a large
number & the oration was delivered by Mr [Robert]
Semple editor of the Californian [the first California
newspaper], & one of the proprietors of a new city-site to
be called Benicia at the head of the bay. The performance
was described as resembling the stereotyped dish usually
served up on such occasions by stump speech makers &
small orators in the U.S.
Taking a turn through the principal street of the Town
nothing struck me so forcibly as the immense amount of
drinking & gambling & horse-riding done. Almost every
3d person you met was drunk. Passing the hotel, a drunken
fellow, just able to sit on his horse was attempting to spur
the animal to ascend the steps of the front piazza, while
Dr Townsend with a large stick was assisting in the rear
& a lot of drunken swearing gentry stood looking on and
applauding. But the horse, the only sober creature in the
group, showed more sense than them all & utterly refused
to submit to his drunken master. Among those standing
around & in the Hotel the officers of the navy were numerous & conspicuous. Not far from the hotel I passed a grog
shop & bowling-alley from which the sounds of drunken
revelry & awful profanity were issuing most hideously.
The streets were filled with drunken cut throat-looking




206


California


horsemen, riding at full speed, with oaths, shouting & the
rattling of huge Spanish spurs at their heels.
A little further on I met a company of horsemen in
masks & fancy white & red dresses riding full tilt into the
town from [Robert T.] Ridley's Ranch a little to the west.
I supposed them bent on some sort of frolic of course &
afterwards learned that they were practicing a favorite
mode of making money in the country, by stooping to pick
up a piece of money from the ground while riding at full
speed on horseback. Persons who choose throw a quarter
of a dollar or half on the ground & instantly, with unfailing accuracy, the horseman rises in his saddle with the
piece in his fingers which he retains for his pains.
A Californian on horseback is a curious object. He rides
at full gallop, & his conical, broad brimmed, glased black
hat, long black hair, & dirty bewhiskered & moustached
face, with his poncho, huge Spanish saddle, enormous
wooden stirrups & heavy, rattling spurs, give him a reckless cut-throat appearance, which cannot well be equalled.
The whole town has been one scene of uproar & confused dissipation, & gambling. The Sabbath is said to be
usually here a time of revelry, & this was perhaps worse
than usual by reason of its being 4th of July.
During the day a large number of navy officers & others
called on Mr & Mrs Grimes. Mr [Charles L.] Ross also
called. He has been here a few months, & is the first professing Christian I have met with. He keeps a store here &
has been in business in N.Y. He is member of the Baptist
Church, & seems to be zealous to do good. He informed me
that a small Sunday School has been established here
[organized in May, 1847, by Oregon Methodists, with J. H.
Merrill as superintendent], & a prayer-meeting, attended
by the few Christians here, is held every Sabbath eve.
I was sorry it was not in my power to be present on acc't
of being obliged to go off to the brig before night to sleep.
After what I had seen I could not help thinking, that
for any sane man to witness the effects of Rum here,
would of a certainty make a temperance man of him, whatever may have been his opinion previously. I went on




The Dances of '48


207


board with sad reflections on the state of morals here &
with a livelier apprehension than ever of the inestimable
blessings conferred on my native N.England, by the institutions bequeathed to them by the Puritans.
Monday. July 5th Assisted Mrs G[rimes] in putting
the house a little in order. In the eve there was a Ball at
Brown's Hotel, given by the Navy officers & citizens.
The Hotel is the largest building by far in the place &
rents for $2000. It was built & is owned by Capt Liedsdorff [William Alexander Leidesdorff], a Swiss who
owns much property here. [Leidesdorff was a native of
the Danish West Indies; he arrived in California in 1841.]
Mrs. Grimes attended the Ball & I slept in the room
with Mr Grimes to take care of him in case of need. The
little boy was also unwell. Mrs G[rimes] returned about
2 oclock, having been highly amused by the performances
of the hetereogeneous company of dancers, consisting of
navy officers, Americans, Spanish Californians, Mormons
etc etc, the elite of the place, yet among them was Jack
Mitchener a sot recently from Honolulu & others not much
better. The dancing & waltzing in particular were anything but respectable. The company mostly did not leave
till 4 AM & many of them by that time had become sufficiently mellow.
A Spanish Fandango which is said to be an immodest,
& rude kind of dance, blended with plenty of intoxication, came off on Sunday Eve at the "Mission" some 3
miles from town.
Tues. [July] 6th Took a ramble to the south, over sand
hills covered with thick & tangled shrubbery, through
which I noticed the paths cut for the lines of the Survey
of the town recently accomplished by Mr [Jasper]
O 'Farrel.
After dinner I called on Dr Powell, at whose room I
also met Dr Guillio [Guillon] of the Columbus.
In the eve, Dr L-   called. He is an episcopal clergyman, originally from Conn., settled in Western N.Y. Has
been a sort of missionary at the west, health failed, came
out as surgeon of the N.Y. Regiment in the Brutus [ar



208


California


rived at S. F. April 17, 1847] the appointment of Chaplain
not being obtainable. He has set up an apothecary shop,
& intends to practice. Has left his wife in the U.S. He took
occasion to say that he never visited the hotels, &c &c.
From others I have heard that he does occasionally take
a glass of brandy & water at the bar, & that he excused
himself from treating others on acc't of his clerical character. His influence if gossip speaks truth cannot be what
that of a Christian minister should be.
Lodged in the loft of Mr Ross' store, where I had
placed my cot.
Wed. July 7th Just a year since the U.S. flag was hoisted
in California [at Monterey] by Com. Sloat, since which
time, Coms Stockton, Shubrick, & Biddle & Gen Kearney
have successively been at the head of affairs. Differing
from each other in policy much difficulty has been produced, & great excitement prevails in refer[ence] to the
dealings of Com. Stockton & Col Fremont. As officers of
the U.S. they freely borrowed money & purchased horses
& stores of the inhabitants, & enlisted volunteers at a
stipulated price, & apparently in good faith with the full
promise of speedy payment; & yet they have sneaked out
of the country leaving their bills unsettled to the amount
of some half a million of dollars & to the great injury &
embarrassment of multitudes concerned. Messrs Davis
[William Heath Davis] & Grimes have claims against
Col. Fremont to the amount of $5000 for money lent,
horses &c, having Col. Fremonts express agreement that
the pay should be forthcoming in a few weeks. The prospect is that they will be obliged to await the action of
Congress before they will get their compensation.
Thurs July 8th Called on Mr O'Farrel the surveyor, &
had a conversation with him. Found him an agreeable
man, & apparently well skilled in his profession. He has
abundance of surveying to do, & proposes to let me survey, at halves, I doing the field work, he the draughting.
His price is usually $10 a mile, & from 4 to 5 or [more]
miles may often be done in a day. This at any rate will




A Wide-open Town


209


give one a support, & after visiting the south I think I
shall engage with him temporarily.
Friday. July 9th 1847 The chief article of food here
appears to be beef; vegetables are scarce. The potatoes
we have on the table are fine, & a few meals of green Peas
have been very delicious. I have not tasted any before
since leaving home. We have also had a taste of Beets &
turnips, which were very good. The beef is of a medium
quality. Milk is difficult to procure, notwithstanding the
abundance of cattle. Horses are not so plenty as before
the Revolution & command higher prices-from 20 to 50
dollars for a good one. To day we had some Pears. They
are rather small & only of a medium quality.
My lodging I have taken up in the house where Dr
Powell quarters. It belongs to Mr John C[offin] Jones,
the family being now absent & the Dr & myself the only
inhabitants. [Jones, who had arrived in 1830, returned to
Boston in 1846, and died there.]
Sat. [July] 10th This place is the most rowdy & dissipated one I was ever in. There is drunkenness at every
turn. Thurs PM while I was in Mr O'Farrells office adjoining the Hotel he was suddenly called in to help quell a
disturbance in the hall occasioned by a party of drunken
navy officers; knives & pistols were drawn & but for the
timely interference blood would doubtless have been shed,
Mr. McDougal being just on the point of shooting Mr
Whitaker a navy officer when the pistol was knocked from
his hand by Mr O'Farrel. Towards night there was
another row, a party of drunken seamen from the Congress having been shut up in the watch house began to
break down its walls although guarded by a line of
soldiers, & had to be taken aboard ship for safe keeping.
Sun [July] 11th At 4 PM Rev Mr [J. W.] Newton chaplain of the Columbus preached on shore in the new building of Mr Ross to an audience of 30 or 40 collected on
short notice. He gave us an excellent sermon from the 19th
Psalm. He spent the rest of the PM at the house with Dr
Powell & myself, & seems to be a most excellent man.
In the eve I attended a prayer meeting at Mr Ross'




210


California


store; there were but few present, Mr Ross Dr P[owell]
Mr Oliver & his wife & two others, the last four being
Methodists. Dr P[owell] is an episcopalian & Mr R[oss]
a baptist.
The day has been far more quiet than the last Sabbath,
there being very little stirring [on] the streets & little
noise; occasionally a Californian at full gallop or a
drunken sailor w'd arrest the attention. The stores however are nearly all open on the sab[bath] & much business
is transacted. The day seems to be principally devoted to
pleasure & drinking & gambling.
Tues. 13th July. This morning Mr [William Heath]
Davis returned from the other side of the Bay with his
"ladylove" her sister & mother. The young ladies are
elegant & even handsome, of medium size & figure, rather
slender, black hair & eyes, & light complexions. The elder
almost perfectly resembles Mrs Dr Babcock of New
Britain. They had been since Sunday at midnight getting
over, having high wind, & being driven far down the bay.
They suffered much from wet & cold, as it was a cold night
& the spray dashed over the boat continually.
They are unable to speak English & none of our household but Mr Davis speak Spanish. Capt. Richardson, who
married their aunt [Maria Antonia Martinez] was in &
Capt Cooper & some others who had a long chat with
them. Such fair young ladies w'd be attractive teachers of
Spanish & were I to remain with them I sh'd have to make
great proficiency. Their family name is Estudillo. The
eldest's name is Conception, the other Maria [de] Jesus.
This PM at 4, Mr Ward next house to us gave Con.
Biddle a Dinner. Mr & Mrs G[rimes] Mr D[avis] & his
ladies were invited. I did not get honored with an invitation & of course can say nothing from observation. It was
an excellent dinner however & the ladies did not return
till about 7 PM.
Wed. July 14th During the AM Dr Powell & myself took
a walk westward beyond Ridleys calling at severl tents &
shanties in that region. A Swiss family we found in a
low tent. The woman was large & fat & resolute & seemed




The Mission of Dolores


211


in good spirits. She had been 15 yrs from Switzerland &
came last fall from Missouri by land. Her husband was
just commencing a house. They complained that snakes
entered their tent, two or 3 having been found under their
bed. The families in the shanties are chiefly Mormon.
They appear to be steady & industrious. Their houses are
very small, consisting of but one room. They may be built
in a day. Mr Lincoln's where Mrs G[rimes] & I called this
PM was built day before yesterday & yesterday they
moved into it. Notwithstanding it was a very comfortable
habitation.
Thurs July 15th Got a horse of Mr Ridley, & at 101/2 AM
started on a ride with Mrs Grimes, Mrs [Andrew J.]
Grayson & Mr [John C.] Cash, Lieut of marines on board
the Columbia. We rode first over a very sandy road to the
Mission of Dolores about 3 miles south or S.W. of the
town. It is at present in a dilapidated & ruinous state. The
buildings were originally extensive & built in long ranges
around an extensive court. Most of them are now in ruins
& untenable. Some portions are yet occupied, & the
Church or Chapel is kept in repair. The Priest of the
Mission, an Indian, was out & we did not see him. The
Chapel was open & a little dried up old woman acted as
guide. The Chapel is long & narrow, built of heavy adobie
walls, paved with square bricks or tiles, & painted over
head in gay colors. The part of the floor next the altar is
a little raised & made of boards. The interior of the
Church is used as a burial place. Near the door on one
side was the grave of Mr [Thomas] O[liver] Larkin's
child which died a few months since & on the opposite
side that of Capt Hinkley [William Sturgis Hinckley]
who died here a drunkard. Nothing marks these graves
but the slight displacement of the paving stones. On
opposite sides of the hall, were two coarse paintings
representing Heaven-& Hell. Heaven was filled with
various winged figures flying amidst clouds &c &c. The
picture of hell was in two distinct compartments an upper
& a lower, both of which were filled with various implements of torture & devils putting them in operation.




212


California


The upper story was exclusively devoted to the men &
the lower to the women. Some were being broken on
wheels, some pierced thro' with darts, others hanging
by the heels, others roasting over fires &c &c. The collocation of the two sexes w'd seem to indicate that the
female sex was the worse of the two inasmuch as they
are thrust into the lowest depths.
Near the buildings are extensive & flourishing gardens
belonging to Capt Leidesdorff. They were filled with all
kinds of vegetables & must be very profitable. We entered
the hut of the Irish gardener adjoining; his wife & two
little ones were at home. They came across the mountains
last fall. Helping ourselves to a few onions & radishes, we
mounted our horses & in company with Dr Moseley
[Samuel Mosely, of the U. S. Congress], Lieut [Theodore
P.] Green [U. S. Congress], & Mr [E. St. Clair] Clark
[U. S. Columbus], Com Biddles secty we rode 2 or 3 miles
southward towards Mr Andrews Rancho. But finding the
wind very troublesome we turned back, stopped half an
hour or so at the mission & obtained some refreshment,
with salt & vinegar for our onions. A sort of hotel or refreshment house is kept here in a dark gloomy apartment
by Mr & Mrs [Horace A.] Skinner, who are Mormons.
The bar, filled with liquors, seemed to be the principal
attraction.
Mrs Grayson we found to be a lady-like intelligent
young woman, who came last fall over the Mts. They are
from Louisiana. Mrs G[rayson] describes the journey
across the Continent as by no means disagreeable or difficult. They enjoyed excellent health, slept soundly in their
waggons or in the open air, had plenty of fresh provisions, no rain, no heat, but a pleasant temperature. They
traveled from 4 to 20 miles a day & were 5/2months
getting over. The Californian Mts. presented the greatest
obstacle. But Mrs G[rayson] & her husband crossed them
alone in four days-they extend from 75 to 100 miles.
They expect to locate in this place. [Mr. Grayson later
became widely known for his descriptions and drawings
of Pacific Coast birds.]




A Famous Beauty


213


Spent the eve at Mr Grimes'. Besides the Seniora &
Seloritas Estudillo, there was present the daughter of
Capt Richardson of Sou Salito [Sausalito]. This young
lady is the one Capt Wilkes speaks so highly of. Her
mother he says was one of the handsomest women in all
California & the daughter was the inheritor of the beauty
of the mother. Her mother & also Sefiora Estudillo were
daughters of Sefior [Ignacio] Martinez one of the first
families in the country. Wilkes speaks of them at some
length. [Narrative of the U. S. Exploring Expedition, vol.
5, Philadelphia, 1845, pp. 194-196.]
Miss Richardson is of rather more than medium size &
height, with a fine figure, a dignified lady-like carriage &
a full fine face, & expressive dark eyes. She is certainly
very handsome & is said to have been formerly much more
so. Wilkes calls her 17, which w'd make her now 23 or 24.
Notwithstanding the suitors which she is described as
then having she is not yet married, tho' I understand it
is from no lack of candidates for her hand. She does not
speak English but understands it well. She is lively in
conversation & the eve passed very agreeably, much
entertainment being produced by Mr Davis translating
Wilkes remarks into Spanish for the edification of those
most interested. All the ladies present are mentioned in
Wilkes work, & they seemed much entertained by his remarks. Miss R[ichardson] in particular of whom most
was said took the matter very coolly as tho' accustomed
to flattery, & made many lively remarks respecting the
author & his account of her family. She spends the night
here.
I am told she has a strong aversion to foreigners in
consequence of her lover having been killed by Col Fremont or his party during the late revolution. He was a
Californian, but a man whom her parents w'd not give
their consent that their daughter should marry. He was
a dashing, reckless fellow. His sister was at the ball here
July 5th.
Seforita Richardson it is said will hardly treat the
American officers with civility. No wonder.




214


California


Sat. [July] 17th At 3 PM I went with Mr Newton on
board the Line of battle ship Columbus. Her complement
of men & officers is over 700. Many have been discharged
here at their own request to set up in business. A Law office
has just been opened by a couple of sailors from before
the mast; Yankee like they take up all branches of business. Indeed it is curious to observe in this place the
transitions men have made from one employment to
another. From the Columbus I passed to the Frigate Congress lying near by in order to call on Purser [William]
Speiden to whom I bore a letter from Mr Stevens of Oahu.
I found Mr S [peiden] confined to his bed by Rheumatism.
He was comfortable however & I spent an hour with him
very pleasantly. He was connected with the exploring
expedition & of course has been in these parts before.
Dr Ebersfield [Charles Eversfield], whom I had seen
on shore, kindly conducted me about the ship.
Sun. July 18th The Independence ship of war came to
anchor this PM, being a week from Monterey. Rev Mr
[Chester] Newell the Chaplain we met on returning from
service. He had come up by land.
T[homas] O. Larkin Esq. dined & took tea with us; he
has just come from up the Sacramento & goes to Monterey
about the middle of the week.
Tues [July] 20 The auction Sale of Beach & water lots
in front of the town of S. Franco commenced to day. Tho'
there were not many present the competition was considerable & lots of 50 yds by 16 sold for from $100 to $6
or 700, some of them being 30 ft under water. The spirit
of speculation seems to be rife & many have doubtless
purchased with a view to sell at an advance. Before night
however some who had bought backed out, by pay[ing]
the 5 per cent required by the conditions. The remaining
lots will doubtless be cheaper. Writing today most of the
time for Mr Davis, bringing up his Leeward accts.
Wed July 21st Sale of lots continued; went as high as
yesterday. Much dissatisfaction at the fee charged by the
Alcalde Mr [George] Hyde for bond & deed &c, amounting to 6.12 per lot of 50 yds long by 17 broad.




To Monterey


215


July 22d Thurs Rose early & got ready to start with
Mr Larkin for Monterey, Mr L[arkin] having been so
kind as to offer me a passage with him in his waggon. He
had purchased this establishment, a fine pair of mules &
a covered waggon up the Sacramento whither it had been
brought across' the continent.
We left St Francisco at 91/2 there being of our company
Mr L[arkin] Mr Read of S[anta] Clara & myself in the
waggon & Capt [William G.] Marcy & Mr Fairfax on
horseback. Capt. M[arcy] is son of Ex Govr Marcy of
N.Y. & belongs to the Regt of volunteers.
We reached the Mission of Dolores 3m in /2 an hour
notwithstanding the sandiness of the road. Here we
stopped a few minutes for Mr L[arkin] to see the priest
about the grave of his child in the Chapel, the pavement
over it having settled. Mr L[arkin] gave the Padre $5 to
have it repaired, & rec'd a hint from him that the $25 paid
at the time of the burial was for the Church & that more
money w'd be acceptable for himself. Mr L[arkin] accordingly gave him $16. The Padres I understand have
no salaries but depend for support upon their own [exertions] & the fees they get for marriages, funerals &c. The
expense of a marriage in this country especially when a
foreigner marries a Catholic Californian often amounts
to from 500 to 2 or 3000 dollars, this being exacted by the
priests, for the dispensations & other operations required
on the occasion.
Leaving the Mission at 10h 20m our road lay through a
rolling country for several miles, over which the chilly
damp winds swept with great violence. A high bleak point
around which we passed has been appropriatly called
Cape Horn.
Our road soon turned to the left towards the Bay &
entered a fine open plain. The Ranch of the Sanchez
family we passed about 18 miles out, & 5m beyond the
farm belonging to the Mission of Dolores, the building
being in ruins & untenanted.
At 3. we stopped by the way to lunch on some pies &
pears which Mr L[arkin] had provided; we started on at




216


California


334. At this point the plain begins to be covered with wild
oats which continued till we reachd Santa Clara some 20m
with the exception of a few miles where the plain is
densely covered with wild mustard. The plain in many
parts is covered with scattered groves of a species of oak,
which has a short trunk with a full spreading top & makes
a beautiful appearance, there being no underbrush. Near
one of these trees we saw a carcass over which were scores
of vultures contending for the titbits, while 2 or 3 Chiotas
[coyotes] or Foxes were standing at a little distance
anxious for their portion, but not bold enough to take it
from the birds. We also started on the plain a couple of
fine Deer which bounded across our path with great
agility & soon disappeared. With a rifle 2 fine shot[s]
might have been had at them.
At 7. we reached the Mission of Santa Clara which is
situated on the same unbroken plain not far from the
extremity of the Bay. This Mission like the others seems
to be in a ruinous condition, the chapel being the principal
part kept in repair. The house of Mr Forbes (Jas. Alexander) is in the Mission building just E of the Chapel &
contains commodious rooms. Here Mr Larkin & myself
stopped for the night while the rest of the company with
the waggon went on to the Pueblo of San Jose 2 or 3 miles
beyond. Mr Forbes is the British Vice Consul & I had a
letter of Introduction to him from Mr Wyllie. He remarked that he had heard of my coming before & rec'd
me with apparent cordiality.
Supper of steak, stew & lentiles was served about 9 &
at 10 Mr L[arkin] & myself retired. Our lodging room
which was on the ground floor having previously been
swept to diminish the number of Fleas, we undressed &
got into bed as quickly & carefully as possible; but it was
all in vain on my part. The night seemed extremely long.
At last however Mr F [orbes] rapped at the door & called
out to awake us. I sprung up though it was perfectly dark,
& then for the first time discovered that the apparent
length of the night was in part occasioned by the window
blinds being closely shut so that all light was excluded.




The Forbes Menage


217


On opening the blinds & looking at my watch I found it
full 8 oclock, the sun being already high in the heavens.
We dressed in all haste, as it was time we had been an
hour or two at least on our journey. The sheets in which I
had attempted to sleep looked like calico from the amount
of blood scattered over them & I was sore from top to
toe; never was I more glad to leave a lodging room than
I was this.
Mrs Forbes (a Spanish lady [Ana Maria Galindo]) &
two or 3 children were at the table both at supper &
breakfast but neither of them were introduced. Indeed
Mrs F[orbes] seemed to have nothing to do with the
arrangements of the table, spake not a syllable, & apparently had no higher rank than head servant of the establishment. Mr F[orbes] has been long in the country [he
arrived in 1831], is fine looking & intelligent, but apparently tinctured with pride.
He is at present active in procuring the expulsion of
the emigrants from one [of] the missions where they
have temporarily taken up their abodes for want of other
shelter, the mission buildings being otherwise entirely
unoccupied. An order has been rec'd from Govr [Richard
B.] Mason to drive them out. This is a matter which seems
likely to make trouble.
Our road from the Mission to the Pueblo was a beautiful one finely shaded by two rows of a species of willow.
The land thro' all this region is a fertile plain & is equal
to any in the country. Near the Pueblo is a fine tract
belonging to Mr Forbes which Com Stockton has been
negotiating for at $10,500; the bargain however may not
be closed on acet of the refusal of Mr F[orbes] to give a
guarantee deed which Com S [tockton] wishes.
The Pueblo [San Jose] consists of a few miserable
houses with one or two exceptions, tho' it is a place which
must grow in consequence of its location & its fine land.
At 103/ we startd on, our route lying over the same
beautiful plain already described. This plain is shut in by
ranges of hills from 3 to 6 or seven miles apart at the
base, & extends uninterruptedly from the Bay of S. Franco




218


California


as far as Monterey nearly 100 miles & how much further
I know not.
The plain is every where covered with wild oats which
afford nourishment for grazing animals of all sorts. It
grows about 6 foot high & very thick. It ripens soon after
the close of the rainy season in the spring & the kernel
immediately falls out. Food enough might be gathered
on these plains to support cattle without number. At 2
PM we stopped a few minutes at Fisher's Ranch a dirty
place, where Com. Stockton spent a night. The water was
horrible & every thing about the premises looked filthy,
tho' it is at present owned by an American. Its occupants
are yet natives however, the proprietor being engaged
elsewhere.
Murphy's ranch we passed on the left about 19 miles
from the Pueblo. Mr [Thomas] Douglass who has been
rusticating here I wished to see. But hearing that he
designed to go to Monterey with us & not having a saddle
on which to ride to the Ranch I sent a note to him by
Messrs Marcy & Fairfax who were to call there, expecting
to see Mr D[ouglass] at our stopping place at night. These
gentlemen however did not see Mr D[ouglass] & even
forgot to deliver the note. Mr D[ouglass] had gone out
to ride.
About 5 we passed Carlos Castro's Ranch, in a nook
of the hills at the right. Here we left most of our horses,
they being too tired to proceed further. Near the house
was a grizzly Bear tied by a rope to a tree, & at a little
distance a young fawn. The bear was partially tamed.
At 7 we reached Mr Larkin's Soap Factory which is
about 45m from Monterey & 5 or 6 miles out of the usual
route to that place.
The establishment is an extensive one & employs several
hands. The building is a good frame one, & the concern is
now in charge of a young German, who manages it at
halves. Mr L[arkin] says he may make $2000 a year if
he chooses.
Instead of ashes, a natural product is used for making
the lye, obtained from the plain some 4 leagues distant. It




Serenade


219


resembles ashes & is said to be some salt of soda. It is
deposited on the plain during the dry season & is easily
gathered. Nearly all the California soap is made from it.
It does not make so strong a lye as ashes. The boiler in
the factory holds 400 Bbls or about $3000 dollars worth.
Tallow is obtained at 1.50 for 25 lbs & the profits on the
soap are large. It sells at present for 10ets per lb.
Our beds we made on the floor, but little sleep did most
of us get, at least I can speak for myself. The fleas were
very troublesome & then there was an incessant howling
of the 70 dogs belonging to the establishment in answer
to the cry of the Chiotas [coyotes] in the neighboring
woods. Such a variety of howling I never heard before.
It seemed as if all the wild beasts of the forest had united
to give us a serenade.
We rose at 5, had breakfast at 6 of beef & bread & coffee
& at 61/2 were on our way towards Monterey.
Sat. [July] 24th For 5 or 6 miles our path was across
the plain, till we reach[ed] the hills on the right or west
side which lay between us & the town. The plain itself
extended off to the left as far as the eye c'd reach. Our
road now for 20 miles or more lay through a rolling, hilly
country & was not as good as it had been, tho' here by
no means particularly bad.
At 101/2 we stopped by a little pond or laguna to lunch
& remained till 12.
After leaving this place we soon entered the Silenus
[Salinas] plain another extensive level tract several miles
wide & stretching off to the south 18 or 20 leagues. Crossing this we reached St John's or Monterey river about 10
miles or so from Monterey. It is a pleasant stream & at
this season easily fordable tho' high in the rainy season.
From this place our road was over a higher sandy tract
for the most part till we reached the town. The soil is poor
& mostly covered with brush & stunted trees.
When 6 or 7 miles off came in sight of the harbor, the
town & the shipping at anchor. The Warren, Erie & some
smaller vessels were lying there.
We reached the town at 41/ PM & drove to Mr Larkins




220


California


house, the mules giving a most cacophonous salute as they
entered the place. The town has a neat appearance & most
of the houses appear large & commodious. Mr Larkins is
a large two story adobe house with a double pizaza
[piazza] in front & at the W. end. I immediately called on
Mr [Walter] Colton & delivered my letters. Took tea &
lodge at Mr Larkins. Have the honor of occupying Govr
Mason's room, he having left a few days since to see to a
mutiny among the troops at St. Barbara.
Sunday 25th July. There is no worship on the Sab [bath].
Dinner of Fish & Mutton we had at 11/ PM.
Mr Larkin brought with him from the Sacramento a boy
named Hook 14 or 15 yrs old who came across the Continent last fall from Illinois. The boy lost his Father
Mother & brother in the California Mts but survived himself with his sister & another brother; his feet were badly
frozen, & he became emaciated to a mere skeleton. It
snowed 18 days in succession; traveling was excessively
difficult, & he lived for 14 days without food, chewing only
the pitch of the pine tree. He slept on the snow, & says he
kept up good courage. [Solomon Hook was one of the
survivors of the Donner Party.]
Eve. called on Mr. Colton. He is Alcalde of Monterey &
Judge in Admiralty. His year of Office expires Sept 15.
The post is a very laborious & responsible one, as many
knotty questions of law are constantly coming up, which,
especially in the present transition state of things are not
easy to settle. The Govt is in fact a military one, while
the laws in force are wholly Mexican. And tho' the two
nations are at war one case has occurred of a Citizen of
the U S prosecuting a Mexican before the court here for
stealing, & another of a Mexican prosecuting an American
for libel-the latter being the Case of Mr Gardner [William R. Garner] Clerk of the Court here vs Mr [Thomas
J.] Farnham a lawyer here who slandered Mr G[arner]
in a book which he wrote not long since. [The objectionable remarks were printed in Farnham's Life and Adventures in California, New York, 1846, p. 90: "After all
had passed this ordeal, a Botany Bay convict, by the name




The Mormons in California


221


of Garner, was called in evidence on behalf of the government. His testimony removed all lingering doubts. He
established the unqualified guilt of all. Graham, in particular, who had been preferred over him as commander
of the foreign riflemen in Alvarado's revolution, and
whom he had previously attempted to kill, he declared to
have formed a scheme of ambition, which, had it not been
discovered, would have dug the grave of every Spaniard
in California! This man's testimony was written out and
signed by his murderous hand. It may be in time a blister
on his perjured soul."]
Mr Colton mentioned to me an instance of the strong
prejudice which exists on the part of the Californians
ag[ainst] the Mormons.
A woman came to him & complained against a man
that he had struck her boy & called him Mormon & she
wished the culprit hauled up & punished. The striking
part she said she cared nothing about, but to have her son
called a Mormon was more than she could put up with.
This feeling is quite general & the impression seems to
be that the Mormons will not be able to form a distinct
political or other party. They seem on the whole to be
gaining a fair reputation for industry & sobriety. 400 of
them who had volunteered were discharged at the South
July 16th & many of them will probably remain there, as
they had gained the good will of the inhabitants.
As a general thing the Californians seem reconciled to
the change of affairs tho' there are individuals who express strong antipathy to the Americans. A young lady of
this place utterly refused to attend any ball where
Am[erica]n officers were present or rather said, she w'd
not attend one till she c'd go to it wearing a necklace composed of their ears. She deserves a pension from the
Mexican Govt for her patriotism.
Mon 26th July. Called on Mr [William Edward Petty]
Hartnell at the Govrs office, he being Govt translator, &
delivered the letter of Introduction which Mr Wyllie gave
me.
Also called this AM on Lieut [Henry Wagner] Halleck




222


California


of the Engineer Corps [afterwards General Halleck],
with a letter from Mr Richards. Was much pleased with
him; he is a young man & has a high reputation.
Was introduced to Mr [Elijah] Snyder who is appointed surveyor for this district.
Wed [July] 28. Saw a man who was attacked a day or
two ago by the Californian Lion, or panther. The animal
sprung upon him suddenly when out hunting about 2
miles from town & seized him by the leg. Having no chance
of using any weapon he seized the creature with his hands
& after a hard struggle, in which his leg & hands were
badly bitten & torn, he succeeded in strangling him &
brought his prize with him to town. He also heard bears
in the same vicinity.
Sat [July] 31st Eve took tea at the fort with Mr Halleck's mess at their tent. There were present Lieut
[Edward O. C.] Ord, commandant of the post, his
brother Dr [James L.] Ord, Mr Halleck, a Spanish gentleman & an officer whose names I forget. Waffles shortcake
& cold beef, with Tea & Coffee formed the repast.
Called also with Mr H[alleck] on Lieut [William H.]
Warner of the Engineer Corps & was introduced to Mr
Bester [Norman H. Bestor] of the same department.
Bought of Mr Warner a pocket sextant, which had belonged to an officer who had gone home.
Returning from the fort Mr H[alleck] & myself with
another officer went to the Indian gambling places just
back of the village. Near a large fire, seated on the ground
was a group of Indians young & old, male & female engaged in their peculiar game. One individual held in each
hand a stick, his hands being under a blanket. While a
rude kind of song or chant was kept up by himself &
others, he kept his hands & whole body in motion, apparently changing the stick from the one to the other till the
opposite party had guessed which hand contained a particular stick, when the hands were held up & according as
the better hand lost or won a tally was kept by laying
down sticks on the ground. Presently the chant & the gesticulation were taken up by the other party & the game




Civilization among the Indians


223


went on, both those interested & the spectators of the
group manifesting the most lively interest. A few rods
distant was another fire with another group just entering
on the business of the night. Nearby was an extensive grog
shop filled with Indians & Californians.
Gambling is an amusement of which the Indians are
passionately fond. They go at it in this manner every Sat.
eve & keep it up all night & often till Monday morning,
staking not only their money but also every rag of their
clothes & even their wives & children. Meanwhile they get
intoxicated & before morning usually fall to fighting &
make a great disturbance. The loud chant is heard in
various parts of the town & next morning the resulting
shouts of quarreling & fighting are equally noticeable.
They are often brought before the Alcalde to be punished for breach of the peace & Mr Colton was proposing
the other [day] to try the effect of putting switches into
the hands of the combatants when brought up, & compelling them to whip each other till they got tired of it.
If entirely deprived of the privilege of getting drunk
& gambling the indians quit the town & none can be hired
to do work. They are a dissolute, degraded set.
Sun. Aug. 1st The first thing I saw on stepping out this
morning was a group of Californian boys before the door
pitching dollars. A man on horseback was looking on.
A few rods off, proceeding from an enclo[sure] I heard
the loud savage chant of some company of gamblers who
had been at the business all night & in another direction
the uproar of indians engaged in quarreling & fighting.
The Alcalde does what he can to diminish the evil but he
cannot prevent it at present. Liquor is the curse of Californians of all classes.
This morning our breakfast was not ready till half past
nine, in consequence of the indian cook being off on a
drunken frolic; for the same reason there is today no
dinner at all. The fellow has such a blow up regularly once
a week, & often his debauch lasts so long that he is unfit
for his duties till past the middle of the week. In this particular there is very little choice among them. They are




224


California


all alike & those who are obliged to employ them are compelled to put up with it.
The sand plain in front of the town is every where
covered with bones & fragments of slaughtered cattle,
cattle which emit a most noisome smell. The Alcalde has
ordered all such offal to be burned, & to a certain extent
it is done. But the smell of putrifaction is still very strong
& undoubtedly must be detrimental to the health of the
inhabitants. At least, so thinks the army physician whom
I saw last eve. There is now much sickness in town, principally an intermittent fever of the typhoid cast. It is very
severe & generally runs 3 or 4 weeks; 60 of the soldiers
are now confined by it & many of the town people are
suffering likewise.
Thurs 5th Aug. Took a ride on horseback with Mr
Larkin up the Valley of the Carmel 10 or 12 miles. We left
the town over the hills toward the south & about 2 miles
out turned aside to see a new stone quarry from which
building material[s] are obtained. The stone is of the
same kind generally used in town, a cream colored fine
grained stone, so soft as to be easily shaped with an axe
or saw & yet very durable. The hills about Monterey
appear to be composed of it almost entirely.
We had to descend into a deep ravine at the bottom of
which we found an encampment of wood sawyers consisting of a Spanish family & two or three Americans. At this
place is a scattered growth of Redwood or California
Cedar which makes the best lumber in the country; the
trees grow to a great height taper rapidly, & contain only
short meager branches. The lumber is sawed by hand, an
arduous employment.
The dwelling of these people was made of branches of
trees loosely interwoven. In one corner stood a bed with
a curtain of mats, & in another part of the concern were
several other beds made of boards & raised 2 feet above
the floor. A very young looking mother sat nursing a sick
child. While the mother & another buxom daughter were
busy cooking dinner outside, the men [were] taking their
noonday rest under the shades of the trees around.




Monterey


225


We reached the Mission situated on the East side of
the stream just at the head of tide water, & not more than
2 miles or so from the ocean at 4 oclock, & we rode thro'
fields of potatoes which had sprung up spontaneously
from the leavings of last year. We noticed also several
fields of corn, but it was low & did not seem to be doing
well.
The Mission buildings are mostly in ruins like the other
missions, the Chapel & apartment of the priest being
almost the only portions kept in any repair. We saw a
padre in the fields with a Chinese umbrella over his head.
From the Mission we soon rode to town 4 miles distant
mostly by the same route by which we had left it.
The day had been extremely beautiful. In crossing the
hills however between Carmel & the town we were enveloped in a dense driving [fog] which we passed through
before getting in. We reached Mr L[arkin] 's about 6 PM
having had a very pleasant ride of 20 or 25 miles.
Friday 6. Aug. Took [dinner] at Lieut Warner's tent
with him & Mr Bestor. Plain stew of Beef hard bread &
rice, served in a tin pan & eaten from tin plates, in camp
style, with water to drink, a pleasant meal.
Eve. called at Mr Hartnells & spent the eve. His
daughter a very pretty girl of apparently 17 or 18 was in
the room holding an infant the youngest but one of Mr
H[artnell] 's family of 19 children 13 of whom are now
living. Mrs H[artnell] is now sick of the fever which is
so prevalent in the place. Offered me liquor & water.
[Hartnell, who arrived in 1822, had married Maria Teresa
de la Guerra in 1825; they had 20 sons and 5 daughters.]
Mr H[artnell] is an excellent linguist, speaks several
languages, & is now translator for the Govt. He has been
in business on the Coast 25 yrs, but has been unfortunate
& is now poor.
Sat. Aug 7th 1847 Fine day, have been trying to find
horses to go to San Francisco, but in vain. Have concluded to start on Monday with two of the family of
Escobars who are going to Santa Clara to the festival of
that Saint. They give me a ride on their [horse?] as far




226


California


as the Pueblo or S. Clara for $10. Mr [Josiah] Belden
with whom I wished to go starts tomorrow. Of course I
will not travel on the Sabbath & consequently must wait
& go with the Californians on Monday.
There is almost no Sab[bath] in Cala. Business is
transacted as usual, or if there is any difference it is in
business giving place to amusement, hunting fishing &c
& with the " baser sort" gambling & drunkness & the like.
Men bred in Yankee land are as bad or worse in this
respect as any. The absorbing object of all is to make the
most money in the least time. The land is full of speculators. In fact many persons who come here are those
who have left home in consequence of some prominent
failing of char[acte]r & the like exhibits itself here.
Particularly is this true in reference to intemperance.
Everybody here drinks & makes no scruple about it. The
municipal authorities have just been enacting some new
laws to check the grog shops in town-such as raising
the license from $5 to $10 per month, requiring a bond of
$1000 for keeping an orderly house & laying a duty of $8.
per barrel on the Spirit purchased. The effect it is hoped
will be to break up the low shanties set up by Tom Dick
& Harry just to make money by selling grog.
Sailors & others have found it so profitable a business,
that they would immediately go into it, a few dollars only
sufficing to put up a rude shanty & buy a small quantity of
liquor to commence with. Many of these establishments
have cleared from 20 to 50 dollars a day. The curse of the
country in fact is liquor. There are now 16 or 18 grog
shops in this little town. The new regulations may diminish this number a little.
Sun. Aug 8th To day Senor Escobar came to tell me that
he could not take me to the Pueblo short of $12, tho' he
had yesterday offered to do it for 10. I told him I would
have nothing to say about it, & wd not go with him except
at the original price. After much talk which Mr Larkin
interpreted he s[ai]d he w'd take me for $11. I told him
I w'd not go; he then came to his original terms. This is




Two Ranches by the Way


227


a specimen I am told of the way in which Californians are
in the habit of extorting money from travelers if they can.
Mon. Aug 9th 1847 Started a little after nine for the
Pueblo & San Francisco. The horse which my guide Sena
Escobar furnished me was soon equipped with my yankee
saddle & Mexican bridle & loaded with my saddle bags &
blankets. In half or 3/4 of an hour we reached Escobar's
ranch, at the door of which sat his wife on a bullock's hide
sewing. My companion soon changed his garments, put
on his finest for the Festival, swallowed his eggs & bread
& was ready for the start. His wife was a pretty enough
woman; 2 dirty urchins were playing about. In the one
apartment was one bed, a musket, a few trunks, & dirty
picture of the Virgin ornamented with flowers & in one
corner were a number of bottles.
The morning was very hot. At 101/4 we started on, by a
route different from the one by which I had come to
Monterey. Crossed the Monterey river at 113/4, 15 miles
from the town. The Silenus [Salinas] plain spread out
before us. At 123/4 we stopped at a Ranch on the farther
side of it. At 21/4 stopped again by a little stream to rest
our horses & refresh ourselves a half or 3/4 of an hour.
Soon after starting again we overtook Capt Thompson
with a drove of cattle from Santa Barbara. Capt T[hompson] was my ship mate from the U.S. We soon passed him
& reached our stopping place at Senr Castros, at 434.
Senr Castro & his wife at the door rec'd us kindly, &
as they saw that I was somewhat tired with my ride of
some 45m a bed was soon spread under the corridor on
which I was invited to rest myself. But not feeling sufficiently weary to indulge myself we all walked into the
fine fields of corn etc near the house. Onions, peppers,
turnips, cabbages, melons, squashes etc were growing in
perfection. The lady was quite disposed to be talkative
& with my scant knowledge of the Spanish I contrived to
hold quite a chitchat with her, for the conversation went
on even tho' I c'd not understand what she said.
The house is of adobes with the earth for floor, a dismal
looking place. On the mud wall on one side of the room




228


California


was a picture of Santa Barbara in a gilt frame & another
of Our Savior bearing his Cross. On the opposite was a
small crucifix & rosary, picture of the Virgin etc, etc. In
the same part of the room were two beds; a table, bench
& trunk or two completed the furniture of the house. Half
a dozen children were playing around which the good
matron seemed to take much honest pride in. They all had
scripture names, such as Trinidad, Santa, Presentation
&c &c. Such names are very common in the country. I have
already met with such as Maria Jesus, Concepcion,
Espiritu Santo, Encarnacion, etc. Even an old Canon of
1675 at the fort in Monterey bears in large letters the
name of Jesus.
Preparation for supper commenced soon after we
arrived-several vessels were heating over a large fire
out of doors, a quantity of Green Corn was brought from
the field, & just at night a fine fat sheep was slaughtered &
dressed at the door. Being tired & hungry I was in dismay
when I found that the animal w'd have to be dressed &
cooked before I could have supper it being near eight
oclock before it was dressed. At length however a cloth
was spread on one side of the table where the bench stood,
several plates were placed, & the smoking ribs appeared
fresh from the fire. They were divided into small portions
& distributed on the plates by the good lady; a large dish
of boiled green corn & another of cheese were bro't on &
we were invited to take our places. Another & myself took
seats on the bench, the rest stood up. Looking for my
knife & fork I found none & a glance showed me that none
were necessary for all took hold with their fingers, an
ear of corn in one hand, & a rib of mutton in the other.
I of course did the same. The mutton was very sweet
& the corn delicious, the first I have tasted in the country.
When we had done justice to these two dishes, the plates
were removed, washed by the landlady & her daughter
& sent back filled with a stew of squash, called here Calabasa, which was indeed very excellent; to eat this we had
iron spoons. This was followed by a dish of stewed dried
pears & the meal closed with coffee in large bowls with




The Castro Family


229


large iron spoons. On the whole I made a most excellent
supper, tho' it was after 9 before it was finished. There
being 4 strangers present I had some curiosity to know
how we were to be disposed of. Presently however I was
directed to my bed spread on a bench outside the house
under the corridor, & a large bed which our host &
hostess usually occupied was brought & spread by the
door for the rest of the strangers, our kind entertainers
spreading some sheeps wool on their wooden bedframe
& preparing a rude sleeping place for the night. Tho' I
had little but the bright starlit sky above I wrapped myself in the blankets & had a good nights sleep.
Before supper I was much interested in seeing the little
children of the family 5 in number all kneel down upon a
hide of leather on the floor in the house & go through their
evening devotions which lasted some 15 or 20 minutes, &
consisted of chants, responses, prayers &c &c. They
seemed to have been exceedingly well drilled, & the impression the sight made on my mind was a happy one. As
they closed with chanting a hymn the Mother with conscious pride came to me & asked if it was not "buena"
good. What a pity so much apparent devotion should not
be combined with more of the real than is usually the case.
At break of day, the father with the children commenced
their morning worship; their voices were clear, the chants
& responses musical, & it was really delightful to see a
family that greeted the first rays of dawn with ascriptions
of praise [to] the Creator & preserver of all things tho'
as far as I c'd understand the Spanish the main burden of
the worship was addressed to the Virgin Mary.
The morning was clear & beautiful, with a bracing air
of about 62~. Taking a hasty breakfast of roast corn &
fried mutton, at 7 ock we started on our [way], a brother
of Escobars & another Californian accompanying us a few
miles till their route separated from ours. In 21/ hours
we reached Murphy's ranch 20 miles distant, where I
found Mr Douglass, & took a lunch with a bowl of milk.
Our principal entertainer was Miss Ellen M[urphy] a
girl of much good sense. The family was originally from




230


California


Canada via Missouri [reaching California in 1844]. They
have been 2 yrs in the country & possess a fine farm. At 12
we started for the Pueblo, Mr D[ouglass] accompanying.
The weather was very hot the Ther. standing at 93~.
The Pueblo 18m distant we reached at 31/ pm, stopping
at Capt [Charles M.] Webers who is a German & keeps
a store & hotel here. Inquiring for horses to take me to San
Francisco I found I could not procure any unless at an
exorbitant [price]. I accordingly set out on foot just at
night for Santa Clara 3 miles off in hopes of getting an
animal from Mr Forbes the Eng[lish] Consul. Greatly
fatigued I reached his house at dusk & found it impossible
to procure a horse here at any rate. The night I spent at
Mr Forbes, in the same room I occupied 3 weeks ago but
was much less annoyed by the fleas. At daybreak I was
aroused by the ringing of the Church bell, the beating of
drums & the firing of little mortars, a row of which each
4 or 5 inches long with a calibre of an inch or inch & a
half, I afterwards saw in front of the Church on a piece
of plank. They appear to be fired perpendicularly up. At
sunrise there was another concert of the same sort, &
several afterwards at intervals of half an hour or so,
bating the firing. These little guns in connection with a
Church festival are I presume what are called the Ecclesiastical Canons-or Canons of the Church.
The Chapel being open I stepped in. It resembles very
much that of the Mission at San Francisco, being plentifully adorned with pictures, wax figures, streamers crucifixes, altars, confessional chairs, etc. The indian choir
was rehearsing some pieces of music in preparation for
the festival of Santa Clara tomorrow, that being the day
of Santa Clara, the patron saint of the mission. I could
not learn that much more was anticipated in the way of
celebration than the performance of high Mass. Many
Californians were gathering from the neighboring
country, but the object of most w'd seem to be dissipation
rather than devotion.
Being disappointed about a horse I footed it back to
the Pueblo in season for breakfast at Capt Webers. The




A Lodging for the Night


231


walk between the two places, beneath the overarching
rows of willows is delightful.
At the Pueblo I was fortunate in finding a party just
in from the Sacramento & from one of them I procured
a good horse at a cheap rate to ride to San Francisco, & at
101/2 Mr Douglass & myself started on, taking the road
to the right of the mission in the direction of Alien's
farm where we intended to stop over night. Four or 5
miles out we crossed the creek which runs thro' the Pueblo
& stopped long enough to bathe in its cool waters beneath
the bridge, the weather being very hot. After a detention
of half an hour we rode on much refreshed & at 112 PM
reached Allen's which is only 10 or 12 miles distant from
the Pueblo instead of 18 as we had been told. The road
lay over a perfectly level plain & some 3 or 4 miles from
the bay. Tho' our ride had been short & it was early in the
day, we thought it best to stop for the night for want of
any good lodging place further on.
This part of the plain furnishes, it is said, the finest
wheat land in all the country. The soil is rich & here sufficiently moist. The grass is rank & tho' somewhat dry
affords abundant food for stock. Mr Allen himself was
absent at Sonoma, but a son & daughter with her husband
Mr [William M.] Mendenhall were at home, with 2 or 3
smaller children. They were living in a house of 1 room
12 or 15 ft square & partly finished, the doors & windows
being all open & a wide space at one end reserved for a
chimney, so that there was no want of fresh air.
About sunset Capt [Joseph Libbey] Folsom of the
army made his appearance to stop for the night with
several horses. Capt. [Folsom] is just returning from an
expedition up the Sacramento, & had with him the equipments of Major [J. H.] Cloud who was killed [Aug. 3] at
Suters [Sutter's] Fort by being thrown from a horse.
At night Mr D [ouglass] & I occupied one of the two beds
in the room, the other being that of Mr Mendenhall & his
young wife, the rest of the family making their beds on
the floor. Capt Folsom & his attendant slept on the ground




232


California


in the open air. In the morning 4 of his horses were
missing & he was detained to search for them.
Thurs 12 Aug Mr D[ouglass] & myself started at half
past 7 for San Francisco 40 or 45 miles distant.
We reached Sanchez at 1 & stopped an hour to bait
horses & get a drink of water. Saw 2 or 3 rather pretty
girls one of whom is to be married in a day or two. This
family is hostile to the Americans, & do not much like to
be troubled with their company, tho' they treated us with
civility enough, inasmuch as it was amply paid for.
Our route the rest of the way was thro' a rolling hilly
country & we had not proceeded far before we began to
feel the San Francisco climate. First I buttoned up my
coat. Then as the wind blew stronger put on my heavy
overcoat. Soon a handkerchief around my neck became
necessary & lastly my thick woolen gloves; notwithstanding all which defences the cold blustering wind rendered
the riding very uncomfortable especially in passing the
promontory called Cape Horn where the foggy blasts
sweep up from the open sea without let or hindrance. We
reached town at 6. PM cold & hungry & at my old stopping
place Mr Grimes I met a hearty reception. Mr G[rimes]
had gone to S. Clara & reached there a few hours after I
left.
Sun. Aug 15th 1847. This forenoon went with Mrs
Grimes on board the Independence to attend divine service, Capt [Eric A. F.] Lavalette of the Congress sending
his boat to take us off. The boat touched at the Georgian,
recently from Valparaiso to take Mrs Walsh & Mrs Kelly
with her husband [William H. Kelly] the Capt of the
vessel; also at the Congress for Capt Lavalette. Reaching the Independence a little too early for service we
passed a few minutes in the Commodores Cabin where I
was introduced to Com. [William Branford] Shubrick &
several other officers.
The service was read & a sermon preached by Rev Mr
Newell the Chaplin. His sermon was on the necessity &
nature of the atonement. It was injured by his faulty
manner.




A Surveying Project


233


Soon after service I came on shore, having previously
taken a hasty look about the ship while the boat was
getting ready. The ship is a noble one & mounts 55 or 60
guns.
Tues [Aug.] 17th Find no launch going to San Rafael
where I wish to go to meet Mr 0 'Farrel & engage in surveying with him. In order not to lie idle I have half a mind
to go to Monterey with all my things & set up with Mr
Snyder. Capt [John B.] Montgomery of the Sloop of War
Portsmouth, thro Dr Powell has kindly offered to take me
down on board his vessel, which is to sail tomorrow. In
walking this PM with Mrs Grimes we met Capt M[ontgomery] & he expressed his desire that I should accompany him. I was extremely pleased with his gentlemanly
affable manners. He is said to be a most excellent man &
member of the Presbn Ch[urch]. He thought he should
sail early in the morning or at least drop down a few
miles to wait the best tide. I concluded not to get my
things on board tonight, as I was not quite ready, &
wished to make further search for a passage to San
Rafael.
This eve Mr [William Davis Merry] Howard [his wife
was the adopted daughter of Capt. Grimes] Dr Powell &
Mr Ward being in, Mr H[oward] sent to his store for
some oysters in tin cases which were cooked & made us a
fine supper at 10 PM reminding me strongly of New
Haven.
Wed [Aug.] 18. This morning the Portsmouth dropped
down 2 or 3 miles, & while I was making preparations to
be off I fell in with Capt [William] Fisher of the Pueblo
[San Jose] who wished me to go down & survey his
Ranch of 4 leagues.
Consequently I let the Portsmouth go without me &
am making preparations to go to the Pueblo by the first
launch sailing that way. AM busy in getting etceteras
together, sticking pins, Inks &c. &c.
Bot a 6 barrel revolving Pistol, tho' I hope never to
use it.
Have had a lost horse to pay for, the one I rode in from




234


California


the Pueblo last Thurs. I had done the best I c'd to deliver
him into the hands of Mr McDougal at the Hotel as directed
by the owner, & do not feel at all responsible for his being
stolen from the Hotel where I tied him. Yet to satisfy the
owner I paid him $10-in addition to the three which I
had paid for the use of him.
Today Sefior Estudillo & his daughter Concepcion
arrived by way of the Pueblo the daughter designing to
remain some time with Mrs G [rimes].
Thurs 19th Aug. This eve. Mr Smith & 2 or 3 others
happening in Seinorita Estudillo & the Spanish gentlemen
present gave us some specimens of Spanish dancing &
waltzing, accomplishments in which the Californians
excel. Mr Smith played upon the guitar, Senor Estudillo,
the father, danced with great grace & effect. I was much
amused with the Spanish dances, having thus an opportunity of seeing them without being obliged to go to a
ball or fandango for it.
Dr Powell also amused us by an exhibition of ventriloquism, a faculty which he possesses in a high degree.
Sat [Aug.] 21st Getting ready to start on Monday for
the Pueblo in Mr Howards Launch.
Eve. writing letters to Alexander & Bernice, young
chiefs at the Islands. Mrs Grimes & Donna Conception
gone to a Ball at the Hotel from which they returned
before 11. Took up my lodgings in the house with Dr
Powell, Mr [Nathan] Spear having come from Nappa
[Napa] I resign to him Kent Hall, which I have occupied
for a few days, he being an old occupant of it.
Sun. 22d Aug. No service today on board the Independence, & Mr Grimes house being full of company I
found it difficult to get a place to be by myself. The Sab[bath] is the general day for visiting here. The house
was not free from company all day.
Mon. [Aug.] 23d Got my things on board the launch &
at 4 oclock started for the South extremity of the bay,
tho' it was after 5 before we actually got on our way,
being detained an hour or more at the Georgian to get
some freight.




River Navigation


235


The launch is a small craft, or large sail boat with one
mast, having a little cabin at the stern about 6 ft by 4 &
3 ft high. The fleas & the seasickness prevented my taking
much rest. The night was a bright moonlight one & with
a fair breeze, we were in the mouth of the creek a few
miles below the embarcadara [embarcadero] by 10 or 11
oclock, where we cast anchor & remained till morning for
a tide to take us up the tortuous windings of the stream,
which makes over 30 bends in the course of 8 or 9 miles
& flows in places towards every point of the compass
except some 4 or 5, so tortuous is its course through the
low plain which borders it. Our progress up the stream
was slow, but by 10 oclock we had reached the landing
place, where we found the Santa Cruz just ready to start
for San Francisco, with Mr Grimes on board. Landing my
things I remained for Capt Fisher to send a cart to take
them up. A good breakfast I made with the kanakas on
roast corn & fried slapjacks. An honest old gardener
came up with us who was originally from England, has
lived in the U.S., the last 4 yrs in Oregon & now has come
to Cala. Capt Fisher takes him into his service.
Tues. Aug 24th 1847 Rode to the Pueblo [San Jose]
6 or 8 miles from the embarkadara [embarcadero] in an
ox waggon sent down by Capt Fisher to take up some
goods of his together with my baggage. The team was a
yoke of American oxen yoked in the Am1 fashion, but so
little used as to have become rather wild, requiring all the
skill of Jimmy, an old English man-of-war's man in
Capt Fishers service, to drive them. We reached Capt
F[isher's] sun an hour high.
Wed. Aug 25th Set about searching for chainmen in
order to go to the ranch tomorrow. Could hear of none
for some time except at $2 per day, that being the price
paid by the Pueblo during its survey. At length a rough
looking American who had been a sailor presented himself & seemed very glad to get employment at the wages
I offered ie $20 per month, that being the general price
for chainmen. At night 4 other ex-seamen came & I engaged one of them, the old gardener who came on in the




236


California


launch agreeing to serve as the third. They engaged to
be in readiness to go down tomorrow morning.
To morrow morning Aug 26th came, but no chainmen
except the gardener who was already at hand. The cattle
also could not be found & the horses came in late. We
waited till near noon for the cattle & men, but neither
came. The cattle however arrived about noon, & I had
made several ineffectual searches thro' the town for
either the men I had engaged or some other. I learned
that there had been a great drinking & gambling blowout
at Webers during the night in which my men were engaged, & probably they had either turned in somewhere
to sleep off their debauch or left the place. I could find
no men who wished to go, & concluded to proceed to the
farm & run the rick of finding men there, Meanwhile
Capt F[isher] engaged for me a Californian lad & at
one oclock Capt F[isher] & myself set off on horseback,
the waggon going down to take the men & my baggage.
Reached the Ranch & had time to reconnoiter a large
portion of the boundary & reached Murphy's house on
the Southeastern part of the Ranch, where we spent the
night. The family rec'd us kindly, the old man being a
clever, generous hearted Irishman. We had a good supper
of eggs, bread & milk, & retired at 10, one of the three beds
in the room being assigned to Capt F[isher] & myself.
The house being made only of poles stuck perpendicularly
in the ground was exceedingly open & the wind being high
there was as strong a breeze indoors as out.
After breakfast we mounted our horses & rode along
the foot of the hills on the East side of the valley to the
other house on the Ranch 5 or 6 miles above, where my
trunk &c had been left. Here we found another Spanish
boy, for whom we waited till after dinner & then proceeded to the northwest corner of the Ranch near the
Lagoon to make a beginning. This we did & ran a line
along the plain nearly two miles before sunset.
My quarters for myself & 3 men I have engaged at the
house on the Ranch which is occupied by Mr Wilkes an
Englishman & brotherinlaw of Capt Fishers having




Surveying the Fisher Ranch


237


married a Spanish woman a sister of Capt F [isher] s wife.
For our fare I pay him $9. per week. Our supper was of
fried beef & stewed squash with tortillas instead of
bread, water to drink, & no forks, a knife & spoon being
furnished. For myself I had fortunately brought a knife
& fork with me. Our fare I expect will be generally of the
same sort with the addition of beans.
Sat. 28th Aug. We had an early breakfast of coffee &
beef, & proceeded to the field on horseback, an arrangement having been made to take us out & bring us back.
Our dinner of beef & beans was also brought to us. We
ran today about 5 miles over most fertile, & some of it
well watered land, so much so as to be swampy even at
this driest season of the year. Our old man the gardener
complained bitterly of thirst, the latter part of the day
there being no water in the vicinity.
Mon. Aug 30th One of my chainmen returned this morning but the other remained sending word that he did not
design to work any more. The other two also struck for
higher wages, the old gardener refusing to work for less
than $2 per day.
To add to the vexations of the morning, it was ascertained that all the horses 100 in number had been driven
off during the night by the indians-of course I have no
horses to go to work on. Spent the AM in plotting. In the
PM Capt Fisher came from the Pueblo with another man
& they with Mr Wilkes & an Indian all well armed started
in pursuit of the horse thieves, designing to push their
way into their very lurking places unless they got the
horses without.
Spent the eve. in trying to bargain with a Spaniard for
chainman, neither he understanding much English, nor
I much Spanish. He wrote his Spanish on paper & I
translated it by means of my dictionary. Could not get
him to work for me.
[Extracts from letters of this date, and of dates Jan.
30, Aug. 6, Nov. 6, and Nov. 17, 1848, "Observations on
California," in American Journal of Science, 2d series,
vol. 7 (1849), pp. 290-292, 305-309.]




238


California


Wed Sept 1st. 1847 Started with the old gardener
Nicolas & a lad 9 or 10 years old to run a line down the
east side of the valley. Had been out but an hour or two
when we saw a huge grizzly bear looking down from the
hills upon us. It being the first I had seen I did not feel
altogether easy especially as he was as large as an ox &
seemed to be hesitating whether to come down the hill
or go up. If he had come down we had none of us any
arms but a hatchet. We kept on our measuring however
& were soon out of his sight. They are said seldom to
attack a man unless provoked. We measured to day some
seven miles, or nearly to the south end of the farm &
returned to pass the night at Murphys which is a mile
or more within the boundary. The Murphys are to dispute Capt Fishers title to this part of the farm on condition that tho' the writings are clear there was some fraud
or iniquity in the sale of the land before Capt F[isher]
bought it.
Thurs. [Sept.] 2a Just as we were starting off to our
days work an Indian who had been of Capt Fishers party
that started after the stolen horses on Monday, rode up
saying that the half of the company which was driving
the extra horses had got separated from Capt Fisher &
his two companions, & not being able to find them had returned for more horses & men to go in pursuit, Capt
F[isher]'s party having thus been left in the indian
region on tired horses. The party started back in the
course of the day. They came up with some of Capt
F[isher] 's horses that had been shot by the indians.
To day we measured a couple of miles on the hills at the
S.W. side of the Ranch.
Sat [Sept.] 4th Went on to the hills west of the house.
Triangulated perhaps two miles. The old man got angry
because he had to go down the hill for water & quit off
drawing a straight line for the house. I was glad to get
rid of the querulous creature especially as his deafness
rendered him of little use to me.
Just at night Mr Douglass rode up, having come from
Monterey to assist me.




Surveying under Difficulties


239


The Govr refuses me an appointment as surveyor on the
ground that there has been already one appointed for this
District. It will make little difference however about my
surveying.
Tues. [Sept. 7th] At work triangulating on the hills
which bound the valley on the west. They are very steep
& almost impossible to chain over. I find my pocket sextant a great help.
The company that went after the horses returned yesterday after being in the Tulares a week. They could find
neither horses nor Indians; over 300 horses have been
stolen from this region within a few days.
Friday [Sept. 10th]. Three of us mounted our horses &
rode around on the ridge of the hills to locate the eastern
line of the ranch.
Sat. [Sept. 11th] Commenced measuring the eastern
boundary; was much troubled for want of a flagman.
Mon. [Sept.] 13. Started this morning to run the
southern boundary of the ranch.
Stopped at Murphys over night. Slept in a waggon
body, covering it over with boards; prevented from sleeping much by the fleas.
Tues. [Sept.] 14th Ran the line across the ravine thro'
which the Coyote runs & returned to the Laguna house
about dark, having taken the wrong track to get down
from the hills.
Frid. [Sept. 17th] Went on to the hills to run the line
to the Peaked Mtn.
Sat 18th Sept. Was called upon by Mr Murphy &
ordered to stop the survey in the name of the authorities
at Monterey, in consequence of the conflicting claims of
Capt. Fisher & himself.
Mon. 20th Sept. PM rode with Capt F[isher] around
part of the West boundary. Returning fell in with Capt
Nigley [Henry Morris Naglee] & his company on their
way to the Tulares to see to the Indians.
Tues [Sept.] 21st Ran some new lines on the western
hills. Returning at night fell in with Govr Mason & his
suite, who spent the night at the Ranch, sleeping under




240


California


the trees near the house. The company consisted of the
Gov., Maj. [William] Rich, Paymaster, Lieut [William
Tecumseh] Sherman & Mr [James D.] Hutton. They all
took breakfast in the house. I asked the Gov for an appointment as surveyor & he readily gave it me. There is
nothing like attending to ones own business. The appointment is for the middle district of upper California.
Thurs. 23d Sept. Finished the field work of the survey.
Frid. 24th Sept. Rode with Mr Douglass to visit the
quicksilver mine 5 or 6 miles distant from the Ranch.
Called at Mr [Grove C.] Cook's on the way. At the shop
at the foot of the hill in which the mine is situated saw
Mr [Fernando] Alden the Superintendent, who has been
engaged many years in Mexican mines. Found him a
pleasant man, but somewhat disappointed respecting
California. He says the mine has been greatly overrated.
It will yield 18 or 20 per cent of quicksilver. A half pound
which he showed me was obtained from half a dozen
pounds of ore. The working has not been commenced
extensively for want of funds, the vessel in which they
were embarked having been siezed by the Americans &
confiscated.
Mr Alden walked with us up to the mine which is
reached by a winding & steep ascent of over a thousand
feet, the mine being a mile & a half or so from the houses
at the foot of the hill. Most of the rock of the Mt is
greenish, containing much talc. That about the mine is of
a darker color. The veins of ore are near the top of the
hill & several places are to be seen in the neighborhood
where they appear at the surface. The best ore is of a red
color & heavy; it occurs in thin beds or veins which are
nearly perpendicular, & the bed which contains them is
several feet in thickness. The veins are separated by
bluish stone or clay & is accompanied by a great quantity
of yellow ochre which contains a small percentage of
mercury. A hole has been dug several yards into the hill,
& the bed is doubtless very extensive. It runs in a S.E.
& N W direction.
Sat. [Sept.] 25th Mounted Mr Douglass mule & started




A Casual Assault


241


for the Pueblo by way of Cooks Ranch, Mr D[ouglass]
taking a seat in the waggon. I found Mr Snyder at Mr
Cook's just commencing the survey of the Ranch. Stayed
a few minutes & rode on. Mr S[nyder] appeared to be a
little disappointed on learning that I had an appointment
as surveyor in the same district with himself. Reached the
pueblo a little after noon, day hot. Took up my quarters
at Capt Fishers.
Mon. [Sept.] 27th Rose early & started before sunrise
on Mr D[ouglass]s mule for Santa Clara to see Mr
Davis who has just returned from the south. The fog was
so dense when I started that I c'd see but a few yards &
it soon collected on my hair & beard so as to fall off in
drops.
Found Mr Davis & Capt Simmons, in whose vessel I
went from Oahu to Kauai last spring. Breakfasted with
Mr Davis at Don Ignacio Alvisos one of the oldest
families of California. Every thing was in good style &
the house well furnished.
Thurs 30th Sept. Mr Snyder here, interrupted most of
the day.
Friday Oct 1st 1847. Two years today since I sailed
from New York.
Saw purser [Rodman] Price of the Cyane who told me
he brought plenty of letters from the Islands for me &
left them with Mr Larkin.
Sat Oct 2d Finished map of Fishers Ranch, for the
survey of which I receive $350. of which 100 goes for expenses chainmen &c. PM went with Mr [James] Stokes
to hunt up a piece of land of his on the plain, which I am
to survey.
Sun. 3d. Oct. In the AM Capt Fisher acting alcalde for
a day or two during the absence of that officer, was called
upon to go & see to a disturbance in the village, the messenger saying that a man had just been killed. It turned
out that a drunken Californian for a wager had undertaken to beat some harmless Americans whom he saw
passing in the street & accordingly rode up & struck one
of them a sick man over the head so as to stun him, when




242                California
a young man with him seized a stick & struck the assailant
over the head a blow which knocked him from his horse &
stunned him, so that he was unable to speak.
Tues [Oct.] 5th Went with Mr Douglass to look up the
bounds of Mr Stokes Land. The man died who was struck
on Sunday.
Thurs [Oct.] 7th Finished Stokes land, of 2000 varas
square.
Frid & Sat. [Oct. 8th & 9th] Mapping Stokes land &
drawing a plan of the Pueblo.
Mon. [Oct. 11th] Finished the Map of the Town for Mr
Stokes, which he has let the Town have & I am to make
him another for $25. Also have engaged to make a map of
the pueblo lands for the same price. They were wretchedly
surveyed & as wretchedly mapped by Mr [James D.]
Hutton.
Friday. 15th Oct Finished Stokes map, & found he had
pocketed the money for the other & gone off to Monterey.
But I shall collect it of him in the way the law will enable
me. I do not like knavery.
Sun. [Oct.] 17th. At home, heard of much drinking &
gambling at Webbers, a terrible place; at night an Indian
killed another not far from there in a drunken fit.
Tues. 19th Oct. Finished the map of the Pueblo Lands
of the Pueblo; found the survey was wretched in every
respect.
Wed. [Oct.] 20th. Measured Mr [Isaac] Branhams 500
acre Lot & found it 300, the surveyor having run some of
his lines with a variation of 8~ or 9~, or 40 rods in a mile.
While on the field a fire came sweeping over it among the
grass & mustard & we were obliged to seek shelter from it
in the creek, where the smoke was nearly suffocating. In
the eve the fire on the plain N of the village & on the
ridge of the mountains East presented a splendid appearance.
Just as I returned into the village in the PM a small
redwood house took fire & burnt to the ground like tinder
in 5 minutes.
On Fishers ranch last night an American sleeping out




Surveying


243


was attacked by Indians & over 30 arrows were shot at
him without hitting. They killed one of his horses & took
off the other 3.
Thurs [Oct.] 21st. Rode with Mr [Robert B.] Neligh
agent of Cor Stockton to Mr Forbes at Santa Clara to
ascertain respecting the boundaries of Corn Stockton's
farm & also to take a general look at the farm. Engaged
to make a survey of it for $160.
The fires on the mountains again brilliant at night.
Friday [Oct.] 22a Started after breakfast with Messrs
Douglass, Campbell & Wilkes for assistants to survey
Cor. Stockton's farm lying NW from the Pueblo towards
Santa Clara. Ran the boundary as far as that place 3
miles; got a quantity of pears to eat from the orchard &
footed it back to the Pueblo.
Sat. 23d Oct. Continued the survey from the mission to
the East side of the river 3 miles. The fires that burnt off
the mustard the other day have facilitated my operations
much.
Mon. Tues. Wed. & Thurs. [Oct. 25th-28th] Surveying
Cor. Stocktons farm, find it to contain but 1949 acres
instead of a league & a half as had been represented.
Mon. Nov 1st 1847 Surveying Mr Grimes lot No 2, South
of the Pueblo.
Tues. Nov 2d Finished Corn. Stockton's Survey.
Wed. [Nov.] 3d. Finished Mr Grimes Lot No 2. It falls
short of the 500 acres by 135.
Thurs [Nov.] 4th Surveyed Capt. Fishers 4 lots of
Pueblo land, & found the lines very irregular & the contents only 1275 instead of 2000 acres.
Frid [Nov.] 5th Surveying Mr Belden's 500 acre lot;
it will fall short like the rest.
Sat. [Nov.] 6th Surveying Mr Belden's & Mr Branham's lots.
Sun. 7th Nov. Staid in the house. Mr Belden & Mr Farnham called at Capt Fisher's.
Tues. [Nov.] 9th Surveying for Mr Branham.
Frid 12th. Nov. Started on Mr D[ouglass] mule with
Mr Belden on a horse of Mr Wests to Pacheco' ranch




244


California


some 45 or 50 miles down the valley. We left at 10 AM &
reached the Ranch about dusk. The house is on the East
side of the valley, 8 or 9 miles below [John] Gilroys; it is
a large 2 story house & for a Californian tolerably furnished.
There being no chimney the room was warmed in the
eve by a dish of coals. The old gentleman we found kind
& hospitable. Capt Nagle [Naglee] had just arrived with
his company from his tour among the Indians. He had
taken the 3 chiefs of the worst tribe & shot them in the
presence of the rest. He had suffered much from cold &
hunger, there having fallen a great deal of snow & rain
in the last fortnight.
Sat. [Nov.] 13th. At half past 9 we had breakfast of
beef & beans, & started at 10 to return having made a
partial arrangement to survey his ranch which consists
of 36 square leagues.
Reached Fisher's Ranch at dusk & our horses being too
tired to go to the Pueblo we stopped till morning, making
a supper of beef & atole & getting a comfortable nights
sleep on the floor. We could find scarcely a morsel for the
animals to eat & accordingly in the morning before sunrise we started for the Pueblo, reaching it before breakfast time.
Thurs 18th Nov Surveying the Lots of Salvador Castro
& J. M. Sesefia [Cesenfa] of Capt Fishers family, who this
day are married.
Frid. [Nov.] 19. Same survey; troubled to find the
corners. Wedding dinner at the house at four PM. Mr
Douglass & myself did not get back till it was over. In the
eve went into the Fandango a few minutes at Mr [William] Gulnacs. The men had their hats on, danced in their
shirt sleeves or in shirts & pants without vest or suspenders. Both gentn & ladies smoked segars & spat on the
floor at random. Saw a few dances & went home, the house
being but a few steps off.
Capt [Roland] Gelston of the Barque [ ] an old friend
of Capt Fishers who came yesterday was with me.
Monday [Nov.] 22d. AM went with Mr Neligh to show




The Ynigo Ranch               245
him the bounds of Cor. Stocktons farm. PM fixing the
Corner of Mr Branhams Lot No 45.
Tues. [Nov.] 23d. Writing letters for the U.S. Write to
Mr Coe of N.Y. to get me a Theodolite. PM went gunning
for geese, shot nothing. Geese very abundant.
Wed. [Nov.] 24th Capts Gelston & Fisher started for
San Francisco. Surveying Mr [Joseph L.] Ruckel's Lot
No 2 & No 53 which turns out 206 acres instead of 564
which Huttons field notes make it.
Thurs 25t Nov On Mr Ruckel's Lot No 30 which has
197 7/10 acres instead of 500. Took a bath in the Coyote.
Mon. Tues. & Wed. [Nov. 29th & 30th, Dec 1st] Busy
chiefly in mapping. Wed PM took a walk to Sta Clara to
see Mr Forbes British Consul about the Inigo farm. He
had rec'd a letter for me from Mr Wyllie but had mislaid it.
Sat. 4th Dec Laying off corner of Mr Beldens Lot &c.
Sun Dec 5th 1847 Preaching at Mr [Zachariah] Jones
by Mr [Elihu] Anthony a methodist preacher, a very
good meeting. 30 or 40 present.
Wed. [Dec.] 8th Rode to Ynigos Ranch 10 miles from
the Pueblo to make a survey of it; arranged with Mr West
to pack my luggage down on a horse. Obtained quarters
for myself & company (of Mr Douglass & Mr West) at
Mr Harlan's, who lives in a redwood house, only clapboarded & very open. Find Mrs H[arlan] an excellent
housekeeper.
Thurs [Dec.] 9th Rode about the farm with Mr Consul
Forbes to reconnoitre.
Frid [Dec.] 10th Commenced surveying & ran nearly
8 miles.
Tues & Wed. [Dec. 14th & 15th] Waiting for Mr Forbes
with Sefior Pefia the principal witness as to the boundary
lines. Mr F[orbes] & P[enia] came on Wed.
Mon & Tues. [Dec. 20th & 21st] Warm. Finished the
survey, & sent in my baggage by a team from the Redwoods.
Wed. 22d Dec Walked to the Pueblo, stopped on the way
to see Olivers New Flouring Mill on the San Jose. A fine




246


California


piece of workmanship, built by a Mormon, a Mr Fisher,
wheel 3 ft Diam, reaction on the Barker principle; reached
the Pueblo at noon.
Mr Wests horse which got away at the ranch not found
yet. Took up quarters at Capt Fisher's again. Mr [John]
Ricord & Mr Belden called, & took tea. Mr R[icord] is this
way on mining business, he with a company of 8 having
denounced the one on Cooks farm, not far from that of
Forbes & Co. There seems to be quite a mining fever
raging.
Sat [Dec.] 25th Christmas. While at the Ranch got a
letter from Mary A. dated Feb 20th 1847, also one from
Rev D Trumbull of Valparaiso.
Sun 26th Dec. 1847. Meeting at Mr Jones at 12. Spoke,
good meeting.
Eve went with Capt Fisher & family to Juan Berkealis
in the village to see the performance called the Pastores
or representation of the Shepherds going to adore the
infant Savior. Found 20 or 30 people in the principal room
dancing to a guitar. Soon after our arrival two men on a
horse rode into the room they & the horse seeming to be
quite at home; after riding about the room stopping to
converse with individuals & making an ineffectual attempt
to ride into the bedroom they departed, sundry individuals
catching the horse by the tail as they rode out of the front
door. After waiting an hour or so for the Shepherds to
appear it was announced that they were tired out by their
previous performances that day & that their visit at that
place would be on the morrow. Upon this we went home
having witnessed a good part of a Spanish Fandango
consisting of a great variety of complicated dances
waltzes &c, very much in the jump Jim Crow style.
Mon. [Dec.] 27th In the afternoon the Shepherds made
a visit to Capt Fishers. They appeared in a company of
10 or 12, dressed in masks & other fantastic disguises &
bearing in their hands staves trimmed with lace & ribbons.
2 men were masked as Devils with horns etc. Another as
a hermit in a grey friars gown with a wool sheepskin
mask, another as a clown or laborer with a black wool skin




A Modern Mystery Play


247


mask & a rod with a cow bell attached to it & his pocket
full of trumpery. A little girl dressed fantastically with
a huge blue wing behind personified an angel. A stand
was placed in the piazza with an image of the Savior. The
performers went through a recitative, interspersed farcical actions, jokes, tumbling down, whipping, &c &c after
the manner of a low clown comedy at a school exhibition.
After performing an hour or so in this manner, much to
the amusement apparently of a crowd of natives gathered
around & equally to the terror of the children present,
they partook of a treat of wines, liquors, cakes etc, & departed to repeat the tomfoolery at some other place.
Some of the actors I am told are among the most respectable men of the place. The keen relish with which the
Californians seem to enjoy such sports is a poor compliment to their refinement & intelligence, & the association
of such foolery with religious scenes is not calculated to
give one a very high opinion of the moral influence of
Romanism on the people.
Tues. Dec 28th. Mr Douglass returned from San Francisco bringing S[andwich] I. papers & letters to Dec 5, &
the N Y Obs[erve]r & Evang[eli]st to April; had a rich
treat over the letters & papers.
Wed. Dec 29th Surveying 61 & 60 of the Pueblo lots,
found half of each wanting, or other lots laid out on the
same ground, bad work.
Frid. [Dec.] 31st Was summoned before the Town
Council to give testimony as to Huttons survey of the
Pueblo lands. They resolved to send for him to the lower
Pueblo & have him tried for fraud & swindling.
Sun. 2d Jan 1848. Visiting at Mr Jones'. Mr Anthony
not [being] present was called upon to fill his place. Extemporized a sermon on "Whatsoever a man soweth that
shall he also reap &c &c". The house fuller than usual.
Monday, [Jan.] 3d. Finished Com Stockton's maps.
Frid 7th Jan. Rode with Messrs Ricord, Alcalde [James
W.] Weeks & Mr Douglass to Mr Cooks 10 miles out to
visit the new Quicksilver Mines of which Messrs Ricord,
Belden, Snyder, [William] Blackburn, Christie, Pitts,




248


California


Abrigo & one other are proprietors. We spent the night at
Mr Cooks & next forenoon rode to the mine some two
miles west in the same range of hills as the Santa Clara
Mine owned by Baron [Barron] Forbes & Co & about 3
miles north of it. The hill is of moderate elevation and
the ore has as yet only been found in the loose rocks on
the surface.
The Alcalde officially gave the company possession of
the mines & Mr Douglass & myself signed the document
as witnesses.
Frid. [Jan.] 14th PM mounted Mr Wests mule & rode
with Mr Douglass as far as Mr Harlan's on our way to
examine Prado Mesas ranch /2 of which has been purchased by Mr Ricord; wishes it surveyed.
Sat. [Jan.] 15th Got Jas Allen for guide & rode over
part of the ranch in search of the bounds, poor success.
Returned to the Pueblo PM stopping at Mr Forbes.
Sun. [Jan.] 16. Meeting at Mr Jones'. Mr Anthony
preached. Text 2 Kings 5:13.
Mon. 17 Jan PM rode as far as Allen's with Mr Douglass & spent the night taking along my surveying instruments, bed &c to commence the survey of the Ranch of
Prado Mesa of which Mr Ricord has purchased half.
Spread my bed on the floor & slept well.
Tues. 18th Jan Started with the addition of Mr Allen &
his son for Juana Briones near the Ranch to take up our
quarters, the house on the ranch being an unfit stopping
place. Made my arrangements with Madam Briones, got
dinner, & in the PM commenced at the N side of the
Chamisal & ran a line of nearly a mile, put up flags &c.
The ranch is hilly, brushy & bad to survey.
Wed. [Jan.] 19th. Putting up flag on the hills for the
angle of triangles. Find our quarters at Madam Briones
quite comfortable. The family is composed of the Widow
Briones 3 daughters (2 grown up) 2 or 3 boys, half a
dozen indians, 2 little pet pigs in the cook house & 15 or
20 dogs. The two older girls do the cooking; they are
rather pretty looking, but like most Californians dirty &
slovenly. There are two sick persons in the house, an




Dangerous Neighbors


249


indian girl, of fever, & a man, a sailor, apparently a
Portuguese, who has a very bad cough &c.
[Jan.] 20th Thurs. Sent Mr Douglass to the Mission 12
miles off to get a part of Madam Briones papers translated by Mr Forbes. Mr D[ouglass] returned towards
night.
Triangulating at the S. end of the ranch. Among the
hills & Chamisal there. Grizzly bears are abundant. One
was seen by an indian a few minutes before we reached
the place; & fresh diggings where they had ploughed the
ground for squirrels or other game were very numerous.
The hills & valleys were covered with their tracks. As we
had no arms with us except my small six-shooter, I did
not much care to meet one of these creatures, & very much
to our satisfaction they kept themselves out of sight.
Friday [Jan.] 21st Running lines on the plain & up the
Arroyo de San Jose Cupertino which bounds the ranch on
the south.
Sat. 22d Jan Surveying near the dense Chamisal at the
S end of the ranch. Mr Allen & his son only stayed one
day at Madam Briones finding that it was as near to go
home. Mr Douglass went to the Pueblo towards night &
I am here to spend the Sabbath alone.
Sun. 23d Jan 1848. Some of the family were up at half
past 3 AM & a Senr Pefia & his wife & the oldest daughter
started for the Mission.
Wed. & Thurs. [Jan. 26th & 27th]. Triangulating & running the lines along the Natadero & San Antonio, the
boundaries of Juana Briones Ranch.
Frid. [Jan. 28th] Juana & daughter & 2 sons & 1 or 2
others started for San Francisco.
[Sunday, Jan. 30. Extract from a letter of this date,
"Observations on the 'old crater' adjoining Kilauea,
(Hawaii), on the east," in American Journal of Science,
2d series, vol. 7 (1849), p. 287.]
Wed Feb 2d Returned to the Pueblo by way of Aliens;
reached Capt Fishers at dusk.
Frid [Feb.] 4th Mapped Ynigo Ranch for Mr Allen.
Sat. [Feb.] 5 Surveying Lot 14 for Mr Ricord.




250


California


Sun. [Feb.] 6th Meeting at 11, took charge of it.
Mon 7th Feb. Made preparations to go out to the mine
of New Almaden to make a survey of the lands granted
them. Started late & reached the hacienda at 71/2 PM.
Found Mr Alexr Forbes & Mr Walkingshaw [Robert
Walkinshaw] in a small house recently built. Mr Forbes is
of the firm of Baron Forbes & co of Tepic Mexico, &
British consul there. [He is to be distinguished from Jas
Alex Forbes.] He is an active healthy sociable man apparently 55 tho' in reality 70. We were kindly recd. The
Mexican servant took our mules. Tea was soon ready, &
about 11 we retired, our beds being made on benches in
one of the two rooms of the small house, the other room
being the sleeping apartment of Messrs F[orbes] &
W[alkinshaw].
Tues. 8th Feb Rode with Messrs F[orbes] & W[alkinshaw] to Mr Cooks to ascertain his boundaries. Mr
C[ook] not at home. Returned.
Wed. [Feb. 9th] Went again to Mr Cooks. Found he
had started by another route for the Mine. Took our
course across the hills towards the Mine. Saw Mr C[ook],
returned to the house below about 1 mile from the Mine.
Mr Cook came up with his titles, which were examined.
Thurs. [Feb. 10th] Seniora Berreyeza came up with her
titles, the word un sitio apparently altered by another
hand into dos sitios. Agreed to send her son to Monterey
for a certified copy. PM. Mr Douglass & myself went out
on the hills putting up signals-the Seinora Berreyeza
wishing a survey made of her Ranch in connection with
that of the Mining Company.
Frid. [Feb.] 11th Putting up signals around the Berreyeza Ranch, calld the rancho de Capitan Sillos [Capitancillos].
Finished observations on the top of a very high hill in
a mountainous region about sunset & then had 2 miles to
go to reach the house over hills & through deep ravines,
& by a way entirely new to us. It was dark before we
reached the hills that overlook the ravine in which the
houses are situated. Found much trouble in making our




Mining Quicksilver            251
way down the steep hills in the dark. Mr Douglass saddle
slipped over his mules shoulders & he was thrown upon
the ground but not seriously hurt. At last we made our
way out of the ravines & bushes, & entered a path leading
to the house where we arrived about 8 P.M.
Sat. [Feb.] 12th Rain ceased about 9. Our mules could
not be found & it was afternoon before we could get away
to work, to [ok] a lunch, & went to measure a base line on
the plain in front of Berreyezas house. Measured a line
21/2 miles long, finishing at 71/2PM.
Our practice in the eating & sleeping line at New Almaden has been to rise between 7 & 8, breakfast at 91/2, &
retire at midnight. Mr F[orbes] is fond of conversation
& we often get into long talks on Politics, Aristocratic
customs, American innovations, corruptions of the English language &c &c.
Mon. [Feb.] 14th There are 4 pots now in operation for
extracting the Quicksilver from the ore. The average daily
yield is from 100 to 150 pounds. The apparatus is imperfect & doubtless much of the metal is wasted. Mr Forbes
takes with him about 1100 lbs to Tepic in iron bottles of
25 lbs each. This morning 191 lbs were taken from the receivers for the last day's work.
Tues. [Feb.] 15. Mr J. A. Forbes came from Sta Clara
to see about the mining lands.
Wed [Feb.] 16. Raining nearly all day. Streams very
high. Mr F[orbes] attempted to cross the Arroyo by the
Hacienda but could not. So we all kept the House. Reading
the Mexican laws for measuring land. The form of giving
juridic possession very minute & explicit. Various discussions with Mr Forbes.
Thurs. [Feb. 17th] Surveying on the hills about the
mine.
Sat. [Feb.] 19th Went with Messrs [Alexander] Forbes
& Walkingshaw to see about the line between the mining
land & Berreyezas farm. They could come to no conclusion with the Lady, but send for Mr J A F[orbes] to
talk with her.
The 4 furnaces have yielded very well in Quicksilver




252


California


the last few days. The amount of ore put into the 4 pots
daily is 1600 lbs; the yield of metal yesterday was 268
lbs or nearly 17 per cent. Some of the pots turned out 20
per cent.
Mon [Feb.] 21st Running the course of the Arroyo de
las Allimetas.
Thurs 24 Feb On the hills, ascended half way up the
peak called by the Indians Umunhum.
Frid. 25th [Feb.] Running the Eastern boundary of the
Berreyeza Ranch. Mr J. A. Forbes & Dr [Richard Somerset] Den of Los Angeles at the Hacienda, staid over night.
Dr D[en] an intelligent educated Irish Physician.
Sat. [Feb.] 26th Rode with Messrs Forbes &c to Madam
Berreyezas; the boundaries adjusted on the hills between
her land & Bernalis.
Sun 27th Feb Discussion at breakfast on Catholicism
etc. Mr F[orbes] no Catholic except in name. A free
thinker. Mr W[alkinshaw] a downright infidel.
Mon [Feb.] 28. Finished the survey of the mining lands.
Tues. [Feb.] 29th Finished Madam Berreyezas survey.
Wed. Mar. ist 1848 Took leave of Mr Forbes & returned
to the Pueblo. Mr F[orbes] leaves for Monterey tomorrow.
Sat. [Mar.] 4th Sent Mr D[ouglass] to survey Mr G C
Cooks Lot No 66. Mr Ricord came. [Extract from a letter
of this date, on "Mines of Cinnabar in Upper California,"
in American Journal of Science, 2d series, vol. 6 (1848),
pp. 270-271.]
Wed. [Mar.] 8th Left with Mr Douglass after dinner for
San Francisco. Reached Harlans at sunset. Staid over
night.
Thurs [Mar.] 9 Messrs Coffin & Creighton came up at
/2 past 8 & we all rode on to San Francisco reaching town
about sunset. I went to Mr Grimes, where I made my
quarters, sleeping at Mr Howards.
Frid [Mar.] 10. Dinner party at Mr Grimes. Wine.
Some of the guests proved themselves to have become
rather mellow after they went out to ride. Capt Folsom,
Mr Howard, Mr Davis, Capt Hall of the Barnstable, Mr




Surveying and Mapping


253


Mellus, Mr Teschmaker [F. H. Teschemacher], Mr
Leidesdorf, with the old Gent. Mr [Eliab] Grimes, Mr
Hiram G[rimes] & Mrs. G[rimes].
Wed [Mar.] 15 Started with Mr D[ouglass] for the
Pueblo. Rain came when 10 miles out. Got soaked thro'
& chilled. To make it worse Mr D[ouglass] 's mule gave
out from eating too much corn, came near dying, had to
go on a walk the last 12 miles; reached Harlans 81/4 PM,
all abed, went to Allens, found fire & lodging, dried &c &c.
Thurs [Mar.] 16. Rode to Pueblo without getting wet,
arrived at 1 PM,
Mon [Mar.] 20. Finished map of Mr Ricords Ranch.
Tues [Mar.] 21. Mapping Mr Ricords Pueblo Lot.
Wed. [Mar.] 22 Put up box of mercurial ore for Prof
[Benjamin] Silliman, to go by water.
Thurs 23 Mar. Went with Mr Douglass to finish the
survey of Mr Cook's Lot No 66.
Frid 24th Mar. Mr Douglass started for San Francisco
to take the [S. F. Public] school.
Heard by a man from the Embarcadero that my Theodolite had arrived there, it having come to San Francisco
in the Providence from the S [andwich] I.
Sat [Mar.] 25. Pleasant, rode to the Embarcadero to
get the Theodolite. It had not come. But rec'd the invoice
of it, cost in Boston $225 -charges &c 25 = 250.00
Deduct 3 percent  6.75
243.25
There are about $50 Duties chargable on it, which at the
suggestion of Capt Folsom I have written to the Govr to
get taken off.
My letters & papers from the Islands are still behind.
Sun [Mar.] 26. Prayer meeting at Mr Jones, house full
as preaching had been notified. The preacher did not
come.
Tues. [Mar.] 28th. A package of letters from the Islands
arrived by way of Monterey whither they had been sent




254


California


by some heedless person at San Francisco a week ago.
The papers are still at Monterey.
Thurs. [Mar.] 30 Rode to the Embarcadero to get the
Theodolite, a fine looking instrument, but badly made.
Mon. [Apr.] 3d Rode with Mr Ricord & Mr [William]
Gulnac to Capt [Julian] Hank's ranch 14 miles towards
Santa Cruz, to survey a piece of land embracing a coal
mine. Reached the place at 1 PM. Took up our quarters
at Mr Hoppers in a log house. After dinner went out to
reconnoiter. In the bank of the stream beds of clay & shale
with their seams of bituminous coal are visible, dipping
nearly perpendicularly & running in a W N W direction.
Half a mile N Westerly another bank exposes traces of
coal & bituminous clay, which will not burn.
Tues [Apr.] 4. A little cloudy & warm. With my new
Theodolite triangulated & laid out 208a 2R 9rods of
land, embracing the hill in which the coal occurs.
Wed. 5. Ap'l Returned to town, reached home at noon.
Sun [Apr.] 9th Mr Anthony preached, 30 or 40 present.
Frid. [Apr.] 14th Rode to Mr Ricords Ranch with him
& L[ansford] W    Hastings Esq. Dined at Bellanys
[George W. Bellomy] at Sta. Clara, poor dinner.
Sat. [Apr.] 15. The Govr writes me he cannot remit the
duties on the Theodolite because it would be a bad precedent when he had remitted them in a dozen similar cases.
Wed. [Apr.] 19. Surveying Lot No 40 for Capt. Fisher.
Frid [Apr.] 21. Mapping the Berreyeza Ranch.
Sat. [Apr.] 22 Rode to Cooks ranch. Met Mr Walkinshaw & gave him the maps I had made of the mining lands
& the Berreyeza ranch. Mr [William] Wiggins at Mr
Cooks returned after dinner.
Wed. [Apr.] 26. Survd. Capt F [isher] s garden lot.
Frid. [Apr.] 28th Survd Lot 49 for Mr West.
Sat. [Apr.] 29th Visited Capt F [isher]'s quicksilver
mine with Mr Taylor.
Mon May 1st '48 Surveyed Mr [Charles] Whites Suerte
lot.
Wed [May] 3d Capt. F[isher] & myself went to select




Prospecting for Coal


255


Burial Grounds on the School Lot 3 miles East of Town
by direction of the people at the public meeting yesterday.
Thurs [May] 4th Began the Town Survey.
Sun [May] 7th At 11 AM Mr Anthony preached, meeting not large. At 3 P.M. Mr Hickok preached, "The Love
of money &c &c." A sort of temporary religious soc[iety]
or class was formed on the Methodist basis; about a dozen
joined.
Sun. 14th May. The last week engaged on the town survey. The weather warm, with cool nights, dews moderate.
Mornings cloudy or foggy, the rest of the day clear.
Prayer Meeting at Mr Jones, afterwards a class meeting
after the Methodist fashion.
Tues. [May] 16th Rode to Capt. Hank's ranch 12 miles
out to measure an excavation for coal made by Mr
[Henri] Cambuston & others, the mine being claimed by
Mr Ricord & others. Our company consisted of Mr Ricord,
Mr [Charles] White the Alcalde, Capt Fisher, Mr Roland
an old miner & 2 or 3 others. We found on the spot, Mr
Walkinshaw, Mr Cambuston & others. The hole was found
not to be such as to allow the Alcalde to give possession
according to the Mexican laws. From this excavation we
visited several others which Messrs Ricord & Co have
opened where the indications of coal are very promising;
in one place the bed appears to be about 3 feet thick. After
dinner at Mr  -   we returned to the Pueblo reaching
home about sun an hour high.
Wed. [May] 17th. Went with Messrs Ruckel, Garner,
Capt Fisher & others to run a dividing line thro' the
ranch of the Caniada de la Pala 10 or 12 mile from the
Pueblo among the hills that separate the Pueblo & San
Joaquin vallees; reached the place a little after noon.
Took a lunch & went to work, with the Theodolite measured a base & took the angles. Capt F[isher] went elk
hunting & brought home a piece of Elk which we roasted
for supper & ate with great relish, & then rolled ourselves
in our blankets & composed ourselves to rest around a
huge fire with nothing but the canopy of the clouds over
us. Towards morning the fog amounted to a mist.




256


California


Thurs. [May 18th] Roasted more Elk meat for breakfast, it is delicious; finished the measurement & reached
the Pueblo before noon. PM on the town survey.
Mon [May] 22d. Finished the field work of the town,
except numbering the stakes.
Thurs [May] 25 Mapping. Lieut Warner with his party
came in town. He is making a general survey of the
country. Rode with him to visit Mr Ruckels silver mine &
Capt Fisher's quicksilver mine.
Frid [May] 26 Finished the Map of the Town.
Sat. [May] 27. Surveyed Lot No 50 for Mr Taylor.
There is a great gold fever raging. Mr Jones & Dr
Corey [Benjamin Cory] have returned from the gold
region & are preparing to go there to dig. Nearly all the
Americans & many of the Californians are preparing to
go. Mr Foster my Chainman goes & I am left without
hands & my business is at a standstill. Half San Francisco
has already gone.
Mon [May] 29. Large companies starting for the Gold
mines.
Got a draft on the Town Treasurer for $37-the balance due me for the survey. Take also 4 Town Lots Nos 1,
4, 5, 8 in Block 3 range 2 South. Cost $53.00 < (Sold next
year for $1200. in gold coin)>
Tues. [May] 30th Concluded to start next week with
Capt Hanks, Willis & Foster for the Gold region taking
an ox team.
My business here has come to a dead halt & no hands
can be had at all.
Wed. [May] 31st Making preparations, buying sugar
&c &c &c.
Frid. June 2d Rode to Sta Clara to see Mr Forbes, respecting Mr Howards Ranch. He wants a survey of it
immediately, but I can get no hands on acc't of the Gold
fever, which increases daily. Waggons & pack animals are
constantly passing thitherward.
Sat 3d June. Turning wooden bowls & making other
preparations.
Sun. [June] 4th Two Sermons. Mr Anthony AM. Mr




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The Gold Fever


257


Hickock PM. Eve. a Temp[erance] Meeting. The Town so
depopulated by the Gold fever not many present except
people from Sta Cruz on their way up. Mr Hickock & Mr
Dunlevy [James G. T. Dunleavy] spoke, nothing great.
Mr H[ickock] mouthed & murdered the Queens English
horridly; the other was a decent speaker, but people could
not help thinking all the while how shockingly he beat his
wife a short time since, a thing which he is in the habit
of doing. Meeting too long, left at 103/4; 15 signed the
pledge.
Mon. [June] 5th. Preparing to get off tomorrow, in
doubt whether to go by the straits where we may have to
wait 2 or 3 weeks, or by the San Joaquin where we will
have to ferry the river at flood on bullrushes, & cross
interminable & bottomless mudholes (almost!)
Sent off $324. by Mr Howards launch to Mr Grimes at
San Francisco to pay for the Theodolite.




I8




VI.
THE GOLD MINES; SAN JOSE AND SAN FRANCISCO;
SAN FRANCISCO TO NEW HAVEN
JUNE 6, 1848, TO JUNE 20, 1850




I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




VI.
Tues 6 June [1848] Started at 8 from Pueblo, reached
Mission of San Jose at 12, having passed Higueras ranch
at 11, where one waggon of another company was overset
in crossing a gulch. The Mission premises are very extensive but much in ruins. The orchards & vineyards are
extensive & good, pears particularly, fine water. At 21/
stopped in the hills & lunched, passed through hills by a
gentle ascent to a stream passing thro' Siunoll's [Sunol]
ranch & encamped near the stream. Traveled today about
20 miles, road mostly good. Killed a bullock, supper coffee
& roast beef, spread tent & slept well, rose at 4/2, started
at 6. Passed through a beautiful & fertile plain claimed
by Dolores Pacheco many miles in extent & well wooded,
8 or 9 miles on our way stopped under a tree some time
for the team to come up, passed [Robert] Livermores a
mile further on. Leaving this place we crossed another
plain 5 miles or so in width, but barren & dry, then entering the hills wound through a crooked ravine for several
miles till we came to a small spring of water just beyond
where the hills begin to slope towards the San Joaquin.
Passing the hight just before reaching this place we had
a fine view of the plain of the San Joaquin.
Our encampment a wretched one, but little water & bad,
no wood & no shelter, & grass not abundant, but we could
do no better without traveling several miles on.
Thurs 8th June Started at 51. Two or 3 miles on entered the plain of the San Joaquin. Passing up stream
several miles over an almost barren & heated plain we
came to the Tulares now overflowed with water, skirted
these some miles, stopped to bathe, halted to dine & rest
at a slough or deep channel setting out from the river.
Drove on at 3 PM a few miles, spent some time in passing
a slough & encamped 3/4 of a mile beyond & about 1 from
the river; found the plain so overflowed as to prevent
reaching the river to day. Weather very hot & mosquitoes




262


The Gold Mines


innumerable. Slept but little, in fact very little sleep in all
the camp. Rose at 4.
Frid [June] 9. Spent the day in trying to find a better
place to cross the river than the usual one. Mr Wilks &
Mr York crossed on a raft of Bulrushes; found no good
passage, Tulae [tule] swamps beyond. Encamped at the
same place.
Sat [June] 10th. Rose at 4/2, prepared to decamp,
doubled & trebled the teams, passed 2 or 3 sloughs, water
4 ft deep, several teams mired down; after much trouble
reached the river at night having spent the day in making
11/2 miles, bridged one of the sloughs with brush, 6
waggons & cart.
Encamped at river, beautiful place, cool, few mosquitoes. This is called the Piscadero [Pescadero] crossing
place, the usual crossing place in dry weather.
Sun [June] 11th Fine day, river rising, felt it necessary
to cross as soon as possible, prepared a boat by covering
a waggon body with raw hides, fitted it with mast & sail
& nearly all the waggons & baggage were over before
night, only our party left. Don Jose Noriega from the
Pueblo arrived & stopped with us.
Mon [June] 12 Rose early. Boating over the rest of
the baggage & crossing the horses & cattle, which were
towed two at a time by the boat. A ships yawl was also
used by us a short time, it having been brought down the
river by a company of rough fellows who were taking on
a drove of 50 horses. On the other side of the river every
thing had to be carried several hundred yards up a slough
to a hillock or knoll where we are encamped [at] an old
Indian rancheria.
Tues June 13th All the animals & luggage having been
passed over the river & landed on the knoll last eve, we
rose early, & prepared to go on. After passing several
bad places of mud & water we came to a deep slough 3/
of a mile from our last camp which occupied us till the
middle of the PM to pass, the waggons having to be unloaded, & the vehicles taken across in the leather boat,
which was brought in on wheels. Traveling on upon dry




Toward the Gold Region


263


land 7 or 8 miles we encamped at the head of a slough
setting back from the river & passed a comfortable night.
The land we passed through was destitute of wood, some
of it a good soil, but much sand & apparently unproductive. Here oaks commence. This place is called the French
Camp from the circumstance that some Frenchmen had
their camp or attempted a settlement here some time ago.
Wed. [June] 14. Started about 6, & traveled over the
plain in a N. E. direction about 10 miles to the Calavaras
river a stream of clear cool water a few yards in breadth
& flowing into the San Joaquin. Dr [James C.] Isbells
Ranch is on this river & his two houses a little distance
above the crossing. After dining & resting here awhile we
drove on 10 or 11 miles further to the Mokelemy or Mokelerny [Mokelumne] which we reached long before
night. The river is about 150 ft wide & deep; it is fordable
I believe at low water but the stream is now up though
but little out of its banks. It has a bottom 14 of a mile or
so in width which in some places was under water; the
stream has been this season 6 or 8 feet higher than at
present. On the flat near the stream & surrounded by
water & mud are two log houses occupied by a Mr Piles
whose wife, a strapping dirty looking creature informed
us about the passage & at the same time brushed off the
mosquitoes which were very numerous. At the rivers
bank they swarm in myriads & are almost insupportable.
We selected our camping place on the upland 1/4 of a mile
from the R[iver] to avoid the mosquitoes as much as
possible. The land over which we passed today is of
ordinary quality & much of it very poor. We passed thro
considerable oak timber with which also this stream as
also the Calavaras are lined. We rose early & prepared
to cross the R[iver]. The raw hide boat cover which we
had brought from the San Joaquin was again fitted to
a waggon body, & by the aid of a line stretched across the
stream, the ferrying was all accomplished & the waggons
reloaded by 12 oclock. An oak canoe was also of some
assistance. The day has been very hot & the mosquitoes
at the R[iver] very annoying. After dining on the farther




264


The Gold Mines


bank we started on & traveled over a thinly wooded
prairie with poor soil about 8m to the dry creek, which
afforded a beautiful camp ground under large oaks with
fine water in the bed of the stream & plenty of grass &
oats. The stream is not a flowing one at this season. Oats
we have only seen in small spots occasionally over the
plain of the San Joaquin & the grass is generally very
coarse. Pitts, Murphy & others came up with us while we
were crossing the Bohelemy. Murphy & co with Annador
[Jose Maria Amador] & company with some others encamped with us at the Dry Creek. The afternoon was very
hot partly probably from extensive fires which are running over the plain occasioned most likely by the carelessness of parties who have preceded us.
Frid [June] 16th Rose at 2/2 had breakfast at 31/ &
started at 4 on our way, our course northerly. From Dry
creek the plain is almost entirely destitute of wood & the
grass has just been entirely burnt off leaving a black
dreary surface. After riding nearly 20 miles we came to
the River Cosumnes, a fine mountain stream a few yards
in width, & a foot or two in depth. Half a mile before
reaching it we entered fine groves of oaks. We halted on
the river under some oaks about 9 & waited for the waggon
which came up about 11/2. Here we took dinner & rested
till 21/2 PM.
At 21/2 started on, following the stream to the mill about
a mile from our halting place. Mill small, one run of stone,
fall of the river small, much water; on the West side a
beautiful fertile plain spreads out furnishing the most
eligible farm I have yet seen. This plain must be /2 a mile
wide & several in length.
Here the eye ranges over a tract of country more
strongly resembling old Conn. than any other I have seen;
low rolling hills, well wooded, & fertile vallies extend as
far as the eye can reach, & in the back ground 60 or 80
miles to the East rise the snowy mountains covered with
their white mantle.
Leaving the stream to the right we rode on 4 miles be



A Meager Yield


265


yond the Mill & encamped by some standing water with
oaks near by.
Sat [June] 17 Drove on about 11 miles & halted by some
water in a valley till the teams came up at 11. Capt
H[anks] & myself meanwhile rode on to reconnoiter, &
after returning & dining &c, we started again & went to
the lower Diggings at the Mormon Camp about 4 miles
distant. Weather excessively hot. Had the misfortune to
lose the Ther at the Diggings. The Island on which is the
Mor[mon] Camp crowded. Get $16 to 25 a day, people
washing all along the river, ferry 1 mile up. Saw many
acquaintances. Returned in the PM. Teams came on 1/2 a
mile & encamped by the main road from Sutters up the
river at about a mile or more distant from it.
Night very hot slept ill. Rose at 21, for 2 mornings
past, & get ready to move at 4. Moved up towards the
upper digging about 10 miles & stopped under some
shades till near night & then went on a few miles further
on & encamped. Day very hot.
Mon. [June] 19th Rose early. Started on. Cattle much
heated. Capt H[anks] & I rode on to explore, reached
Sutters sawmill, had camp past the turning off place to
go to the digging below the mill which we had decided on
trying; returned, & late PM came on with the team as far
as the river, turning off about 11/2 or 2 miles below the
mill & winding to the left down the stream. Too late to
cross over. Encamped on the sand.
Tues [June] 20th AM Capt H[anks] & I crossed & went
prospecting two miles down the river, decided on a place
& went back, passed the waggons & baggage & PM moved
down a mile below the ferry.
Wed [June] 21st Finished making a machine for washing & commenced operations. Little gold yielded.
Thurs. [June] 22. Dug & washed several hours, poor
yield, only a few dollars worth of gold. Started off Prospecting. Capt H[anks] found a better place a few rods
above, at a rocky point projecting into the river. Moved
the machine thither. Washed out 16 or 20 dollars worth
in about an hour.




266


The Gold Mines


Frid [June] 23d. Rose early. Worked the machine 5
hours AM & 4 PM obtaining about 11 oz of gold or 32
dollars apiece for the company of 5 individuals.
Sat. 24th June. Washed out 12/2 oz in about 11 hours,
making $40 apiece reckoning $16 to the oz.
Sun. [June] 25. Fine day-& day of rest. Sat in shade,
did some reading & writing.
Sat July 1st 1848 Have kept our machine going at the
same place working about 9 hours a day-i.e. from 5 to 11
AM & from 4 to 7 PM, blowing out the black sand during
the noon intermission. The days works were as follows
Mon all day 20 oz 14 dol
Tues "      14 " 2"
Wed AM      6" 2 "
Wed noon to Thurs noon 10" 4"
Frid noon  11 " 1 "
Sat noon   25 " 8 "
[At this period in California the ounce was regarded
as a monetary unit, to which the dollar was subsidiary.]
The last was obtained from near the same place as that
of Mon, only nearer the river, the water having fallen 1
or 2 feet during the week. Our aggregate gains up to this
time (8 days) are about $1800 or $360 apiece. The
weather the last 2 or 3 days has been warmer & the water
of the river grows warm as the snows become more
melted.
Sun 2a July Mr D[ouglass] & myself went to Jones
Camp 1/2 miles above to engage in religious exercises.
Most of the party belonging to his camp were absent & it
was concluded to appoint a religious meeting there for
the next Sabbath.
On returning to our camp about noon I found Mr Wilks
Bro-in-Law Francisco had returned from above where he
had been doing extremely well, & that Mr Wilks & Capt
Hanks had resolved to leave our diggings & go there immediately. Of course I must go or be left in the lurch, so
I concluded to go.
Mon [July] 3d Up early, decamped at 8 AM. Crossed
the river by the assistance of a scow, or small boat, & pro



SJI~TTTER IS MILL




I
~7 -",- &~




Discouragement


267


ceeded 3 miles on the road up very steep & sandy hills, it
being the same road by which we had come down. Mr
D[ouglass] went to the store at the Mill & bought each of
us a shovel for $10. apiece. There are three teams in
company, Wilks', Capt Hanks' & Mr York's.
Tues July 4th Started early on our way. Weather very
hot; 2 miles on entered the road from Sutters to the Mill,
passed down it towards Sutters a mile or two & took the
trail for Webbers [Charles M. Weber] Camp on a creek
that runs into the Am[erican] Fork from  the S.E.
Reached the creek & crossed about 10 AM. The stream
is only a small rivulet. Webber had just moved his camp
8 miles up the stream to the place whither we were bound.
The diggings in this vicinity seem to be pretty much run
out, & the people were moving away. Nooned at the creek.
Started about 2 PM; ascended a very steep sandy hill
which occupied 2 hours & proceeded to within a mile or
two of the diggings, but night having come on we turned
down the main road to Sutters 2 miles to find water &
grass for an encampment. Reports of the diggings discouraging; have been extremely good but are now failing,
& people are crowding in by hundreds.
Wed July 5. Spent the forenoon in hunting for Wilks
oxen, which had strayed off; found by indians to whom
W[ilks] paid $30 in gold. PM rode in to the diggings 5
miles, poor encouragement. The company in doubt
whether to go on or go back. Decide to go on. Weather
hot, traveled today 13 miles.
Thurs July 6. Spent several hours in hunting the cattle
again, got off at 11 AM & reached the valley at noon.
Selected a camp. Tried several places for gold; found
some but not enough to pay for digging. Found gold in
gulches on the hills where we last encamped.
Frid [July] 7 Divided the provisions. Mr D[ouglass]
& I joined Mr [Bascom] Cases Camp, & spent part of the
day in prospecting. Not much success; the principle
Gulches in this region have been dug out, from one about
$30,000 were taken in 10 or 12 days-17,000 of it in 2
days. Other gulches turned out very well. The Gold here




268


The Gold Mines


is found most abundantly in the side ravines or gulches;
the excavations are generally from 1 to 3 feet deep &
about the same width following the bottom of the gulch &
the gold is found chiefly in the crevices of the slate rock
which lies just under the surface of the ground, the lamina
or strata standing nearly perpendicularly. Mr D[ouglass] & Mr Case started out prospecting.
About noon Gov Mason arrived with his party consisting of Capt [Joseph L.] Folsom, Lieut [William T.]
Sherman, Mr Borde the Purser of the Warren & Mr Suerkrop, Danish Consul at the S. I. Spent an hour or two
with them at Webbers Camp. They returned towards
night down the Creek. The Gov is collecting specimens &
preparing a representation for Washington in order to
get a branch Mint established at San Francisco.
[Colonel Richard B. Mason's Report, dated Monterey,
California, August 17, 1848, was published in 30th Congress, 2d Session, Executive Document, No. 1, Message
from the President, December 5, 1848 (Washington,
1848), pp. 56-64. He says (p. 59): "Mr. Neligh, an agent
of Commodore Stockton, had been at work about three
weeks in the neighborhood, and showed me, in bags and
bottles, over $2,000 worth of gold; and Mr. Lyman, a
gentleman of education and worthy of every credit, said
he had been engaged, with four others, with a machine on
the American fork, just below Sutter's mill; that they
worked eight days, and that his share was at the rate of
fifty dollars a day, but hearing that others were doing
better at Weber's place, they had removed there, and
were then on the point of resuming operations."]
Sat [July] 8. Dr Corey & Mr Beebee & myself went
prospecting to a Ravine 4 miles North, where an Irishman named [Michael] Murray obtained about $3000 in 3
or 4 days. Passing two ravines & two high ridges from
which the snowy mts were visible we reached the valley
& found the crowd had preceded us; the ravine was full
of diggers, & the finding of gold had become quite uncertain. We tried several places, but did not get much.
John Murphy trading with the Indians was taking in gold




Pay Dirt


269


very fast selling glass beads for their weight in gold,
Serapas [serape] at $60 &c &c. Returning examined a
ravine & picked about $2 of gold from the rocks in a short
time; reach Camp sun 2 hours high.
Mon [July] 10th Mr Case returned about noon, reported
good digging about 4 miles to the north on dry creek. Mr
Douglass had remained there. We immediately packed up
& moved our camp thither, picking our route over the
high hills & encamping in dry creek before sunset, near
a gulch which had been opened two days before & from
which many thousand dollars had been taken.Weather
moderate & pleasant.
Tues 11th July Commenced digging in the gulch, Mr
Douglass & I taking a spot about a rod in length & digging
towards each other. In the course of the day we picked
out about 7 oz each, besides collecting dirt to wash. The
gulch full of people.
Wed [July] 12th. A.M. Finished our place in the gulch
& commenced packing dirt to our camp to wash, our camp
being half a mile off in another ravine leading to the
Am[erican] river.
Pack saddle broke and the PM was spent in repairing
it, it being a borrowed one.
Thurs [July] 13th AM Finished the pack saddle &
washed considerable dirt. The mending of the saddle cost
about $100-ie, I should probably have collected that
amount of gold while mending it.
Friday [July] 14th Mr D[ouglass] & myself washing
the dirt collected, which yields about 2 or 3 dollars of
gold to the shovel full.
Sat [July] 15th. Mr Douglass went over to a gulch running into dry creek & obtained a pound of gold, nearly in
the course of the day. I dug in the AM near camp & in the
PM in the gulch with Mr Douglass; obtained but little,
precarious business. Mr Douglass & myself have obtained
since Tues morning 60 oz of gold, which with 3/2 which
Mr D[ouglass] collected on Monday gives us in all for
the weeks work 631/2 oz or $1016. or $508 dollars apiece.
Mon. 17th July It being reported that rich diggings had




270


The Gold Mines


been discovered about 20 miles up the river Mr D[ouglass] & myself packed up provisions for a week & started
about noon to ascertain the truth of the matter, somewhat
suspecting at the same time that it might prove a wild
goose chase, yet glad to avail ourselves of the opportunity to examine the country farther mountainward.
Proceeding to Webbers camp 4 miles distant we took to
Mormon trail leading to the Salt lake & proceeded as far
as the Mormon Camp 10 or 12 miles up the Creek. We
found a few Mormons remaining at the Camp but could
obtain no information from them respecting the new diggings. We encamped a little below their camp.
Tues July 18. Soon after starting fell in with Mr Reed
with a party of 7 others (Conner, 3 Pyle's &c) on the
same errand as ourselves; concluded to proceed together.
Struck in from the Mormon trail a couple of miles or
more northerly & took an indian trail leading up the
dividing ridge between the River & Webbers creek. Following this 5 or 6 miles we met several people coming
back, after searching for the diggings in vain. Mr D[ouglass] & myself resolved to turn back, the rest kept on.
We had returned but a mile or so when we met Dan
Murphy & others who were on the same pursuit & had
what appeared to be more reliable information. So we
turned back resolved to go far enough to satisfy ourselves. Rejoining Reeds party we went on 5 or 6 miles
& again entered on the Mormon trail. Proceeding 6 or 8
miles on this we encamped by a clear cold mountain rivulet in a ravine on the right having traveled about 20 miles
up from the Mormon Camp.
Wed July 19th Slept soundly, again started on continually rising. Traveled till noon bearing towards the
S.E. Satisfied that gold was not to be found in this region
& that it would be extremely difficult to penetrate to the
main River on account of the tremendous ravines or
Canyons which intersect the mountains, we halted on the
top of a hill, with the snowy mountains in full view not
more than 8 or 10 miles distant, the whiteness of the
snowy mantle causing them to appear much nearer. The




Prospecting


271


atmosphere was cool & refreshing at noonday & the
weather beautiful. The mountain scenery around was
grand, & we felt pretty well paid for our journey, tho' no
gold had been found. After leaving the Mormon Camp,
Quartz almost entirely ceased & the geology of the country changed; from the Slate rock of the upper gold diggings we passed over varieties of gneiss & the last part
of our ride the principle rock was Granite. All the way we
passed thro' most beautiful forests of fine Fir, Redwood,
Cedar & Oak. The pines, firs, & redwood were many of
them of extraordinary size & height, being often 50 or 80
feet to the branches & from 150 to 200 or more feet high,
many of them being from 6 to 8 or 9 feet in diameter. We
now resolved to return to our last nights camp, about 12
miles, which we did, reaching it a little before night.
Thurs. July 20. Started early; it was resolved that half
our party should penetrate to the river on foot & explore
for gold, while the rest proceded along the ridge with the
horses. Following the road 3 or 4 miles the foot party
turned off & the rest of us kept on about 4 miles & halted
for the foot men to come up, at the same time 3 of our
party descending to the River to intercept them. About
5 PM the foot party made their appearance thoroughly
tired having found tremendous Canyons but no gold. The
stream was a considerable one & must be a main branch
of the river. We found a good camping place a short distance from where we halted.
Frid July 21 Satisfied that further search for the reported diggings was useless we resolved to proceed directly back to camp, Mr Reeds party departing before us
& Mr D[ouglass] & myself taking the trail leading down
the dividing ridge towards Webbers Creek leaving the
Mormon trail on our left. A few miles on we turned in
towards the river to explore, passing some deep & difficult
ravines, till meeting a fire sweeping thro' the forest we
turned back into the trail to avoid it & proceeded directly
back to Camp, reaching it about sunset having stopped to
take tea a mile back at Mr Neligh's Camp. Mr Belden
spent the night with us, & left in the morning for the




272


The Gold Mines


Pueblo. We found that many who had left on the same
search as ourselves had returned equally unsuccessful.
We had had the pleasure of the trip but were minus the
amount of gold we might have dug had we remained
behind, many of our friends having made from 300 to 1000
dollars during our absence.
Sat [July] 22d. Went to work in the creek or ravine in
which we are encamped, not successful, both of us obtaining but about 3 oz.
Mon [July] 24. Water at our camping place having got
very bad we moved to a fine spring 3 miles from the diggings down Dry Creek where we have good pasturage for
cattle & horses, a fine shade all day & a good place for
washing with a machine. Dug but little gold.
Tues. 25 July Dug in the Gulch or Ravine in which Mr
Neligh & Dr Corey are encamped. Moderate success.
Wed. [July] 26. Dug in the same place. Mr D[ouglass]
being unwell remained in camp.
We have obtained the last 3 days nearly 6 ounces or
but 10~ a day apiece. The poorest work we have done.
Thurs [July] 27. Mr D[ouglass] & myself digging dirt
from the next ravine west to cart & wash with a machine
at our camp having made an arrangement with Mr Case
for that purpose.
Frid [July] 28 Digging in same place. Mr Case has
drawn to camp 5 small loads of earth. Not much gold to
be picked out, or visible in digging.
Sat [July] 29th. Washed out the earth brought down
the last two days; it yielded 17 oz or 81/2 oz for Mr Case &
the same for Mr D[ouglass] & myself. Mr Case's boy
staid to keep camp yesterday & day before. This gives
each of us $23 per day for the last 3 days.
Sun 30th July Spent the day in Camp. Mr. Matthews
& son & Rev Mr Anthony came & spent the Sabbath with
us, had religious exercises, agreeable & profitable.
Mon & Tues [July 31st & Aug. 1st] Digging earth to cart
from the same ravine we worked in last week, 3 loads each
day.
Wed & Thurs [Aug. 2d & 3d] Digging in lower part of




Prices at the Diggings


273


the old ravine in which we did our best weeks work a fortnight ago (nearly opposite the last), picked out several
large pieces, 3 or 4 oz in all, & carted 4 loads of earth.
Frid & Sat. [Aug. 4th & 5th] Washing out the 11 loads
of earth (1 was obtained on Frid.) & obtained 460z & 2/3d,
giving for my share (one fourth) 11z ll1dols or $187. for
the weeks work = to $31 per day.
Mon [Aug.] 7th Digging in same place as last week, 3
loads of earth, picked 1~z or 112.
Tues [Aug.] 8th. Horses not to be found this morning;
instead of going to our digging place, washed yesterdays
earth, finished at noon, result 1202 5dol in all, my portion
3oz idol = $50 -Sat [Aug.] 12th Mr D[ouglass] myself & Bascom Case
washing the dirt with the machine. Mr Case carting 2
loads. Did not finish the washing. The earth we have
washed the last 2 weeks yields about 40z the load, which
is small.
Mr Douglass went to the Mill 10 miles off for groceries.
Prices here are high, at present at follows


Sugar
Rice
Coffee
Manteca [Lard]
Figs & Raisins
Shoes
Flour
Beans
Molasses      I
Shovels
Butter
Spades
Crowbars


$ 1.00.33
1.00
1.00
1.00
$10. to 16.
25. to 35
15 to 25
$3. to 6. gal
10.00
1.50 lb
$10.00
10. to 40


Saleratus
Thin Cot. Pants
Milk pans
Wooden bowls
Picks
Beef fresh


1.50
10.00
5. to 10.00
5. to 10.00
10. to 30.00


12 to 25<50>cts
4"  "     $8 to 12 per qr
Carting from fort
$10.00 per cwt.
Shirts 10.00 [to] 25.00 each
Dried pears    25. to 75.Potatoes per lb      1.00


Almost every other camp is a store, goods are abundant,
but business dull. Everybody cannot get rich trading.
Made 7oz & lldols this week = $20 per day. Earth not so
good as expected.




274


The Gold Mines


Sun 13th Aug 1848 Messrs Anthony, Cospar & Miller
spent Sab[bath] with us. Had religious exercises. Spent
the day pleasantly & profitably.
Mon Aug 14, 1848 Washed out a load or two of earth
left last week. Yielded but poorly. Mr Douglass digging,
ditto myself PM.
Tues. [Aug.] 15. Digging at same place. Carted 2
Loads.
Wed. [Aug.] 16th. Digging in same place. Carted one
load. Cattle lost found early.
Thurs [Aug.] 17th. Washed out our earth. Small yield.
Frid 18th Aug Digging in same ravine a few rods below,
hope for better success, 3 loads.
Sat [Aug.] 19. Washed out. Earth was not so good as
the former. With the interruptions & poor diggings this
week have made but 40o 5 dols = $11/2 per day.
Mr Case has concluded to leave for home next week.
Think some what of going with him. The profits of digging are but moderate comparatively. Many people are
sick of fevers & fever & ague. The weather is hot at midday, grass for horses scarce. My horse I now have safe,
tho' others are losing them every day. On these & other
accounts, especially as I am now in good health, & furthermore may get business below in the way of surveying I
think it about as well to go home to the Pueblo with Mr
Case.
Since I came to the mines 2 months ago I have collected
about 86~z of gold or not far from $1380. at $16 the oz.
This is better than I could have done surveying. My health
has been uniformly good, improving, if anything. Appetite good, eat heartily sleep soundly. Live chiefly on a farinaceous diet, flour in griddle cakes, short cakes, & atolae
[atole] or thick gruel, rice boiled, together with dried
pears stewed, jerked beef now & then & occasionally fresh
beef varied with stews of hares & quails, both the latter
excellent eating. Besides these wild game in these mountains is very scarce. A few stray deer are seen occasionally but I have heard of none being shot.
Our camp for the last 3 weeks has been a very quiet &




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A Rich Vein


275


pleasant one, with a good spring of water. The great objection to it is the distance to the diggings - 3 or 4 miles.
Sun Aug 20. Messrs Anthony, Cospar, Miller & Chance
spent the Sab[bath] at our Camp to engage with us in
devotional exercises.
Mon [Aug.] 21. Mr Case concludes to remain till Thurs
so as to have the company of Anthony & Cospar. Mr
D[ouglass] & myself tried digging in the Log Cabin
ravine a little below our former Camp where within the
last week or two a great amount of gold has been taken
from the southern bank of the stream, a flat being there
formed between the foot of the hill & the bed of the stream
from 10 to 20 yards in width. This has already been dug
back nearly half way to the hill & continues rich. Mr
Cospar gets from 2 to 10 ounces per day, others as much
or more. One man averaged over $100 for 8 days. I dug
near Cospar & obtained about 3/2 oz. Mr D[ouglass]
being unwell did not work much.
Tues [Aug.] 22. Dug in same place & obtained about the
same as yesterday. The am[oun]t for the two days for
Mr D [ouglass] & myself is 70~ 41/2dols or 30 101/4d for each
of us.
Wed. [Aug. 23d] Spent the day in camp preparing to
depart this P.M. Mr D[ouglass] moves his camp to the
place where we have dug the last two days. He sends down
by me to San Francisco nearly $1400 of Gold. The amt
of all the gold I have dug the last two months or since I
arrived in the mines is not far from $1440 at $16 the ounce,
which with $160 in gold collected of Mr Neligh for surveying Corn Stockton's Ranch makes $1600 which I take
down with me, or just 100 ounces, or 8 % pounds Troy.
Our cattle having gone astray we did not get off as early
as we intended. We started an hour before sunset &
reached the diggings at Webbers Creek about 5 miles
distant soon after eight. Here we encamped for the night,
with no grass for our animals.
Several camps are still here & among them Mr York's
with a large assortment of goods. Webber has moved his
camp to the new diggings further south.




276


The Gold Mines


Thurs 24 Aug Rose at 31/ & started on with out breakfast. Morning very cold. Chilly with two overcoats on.
Sleep interrupted last night by a horse treading around
my bed, the former being tied to the tongue of the waggon
& the latter being spread on the ground beside it.
Reached a watering place five miles out at which we
encamped 2 nights on our way up about 61/2AM. Here
too took breakfast, & then drove on to the forks of the
road 8 miles further where we stopped an hour & a half
or till a quarter before one to rest & feed our animals, &
take dinner. Here was the first good grazing we had
found. Our route thus far has been about W S W.
Started at a quarter before one & drove on 12 or 13
miles, to a place where we halted for the night; there being
grass but no water, we reached this place at dusk. Our
supper we took about 3 miles back at a fine rill of water.
Frid Aug 25 Rose at 33/4 & started on, the morning
being beautiful & not so chilly as we had been accustomed
to in the Mts. At about 9 AM reached Daily's [William
Daly] on the Cosumnes, where we halted for breakfast &
rest, having driven about 12 miles, which would make
the distance by our estimate, from Webbers Diggings to
Dailys About 38 miles.
At Daily's we were joined by Messrs Anthony & Cospar
who had gone by way of Sutters Mill.
Here we obtained a gallon of milk at a real (121/2 cts) a
pint which was a rich treat so long had we been destitute
of it.
At 11 AM started on. Messrs A[nthony] & C[ospar]
& the Portuguese Sailor on horse back. Mr Case & his
son in the waggon. 3 miles down the river we stopped to
bathe. We are now out of the hills & the country presents
the appearance of a rolling prairie, or plain rising into
gentle declivities. A strong breeze has been blowing from
the N which makes the weather cool & I have worn a thick
coat most of the P.M.
The road all the distance thus far is good & well
traveled.
Near Daily's met Mr Montgomery returning from an




On the Trail Again


277


exploration of the various new diggings. He had been as
far as the Stanislaus & reports gold in greater or less
abundance on that & all the intermediate streams from 30
to 50 miles in from their mouths or midway in the Mts
as on the Am[erican] Fork. But as yet the gold tho beautiful does not seem to be so abundant as at the dry digging.
It is more water worn & consequently smoother & more
rounded. He showed some specimens which he had obtained; himself & his companion dug 6~z in 2 or 3 hours.
This was in a ravire 4 or 5 miles from the river Stanislaus. There are not many digging yet besides Indians.
Reached Dry Creek 16 miles from Daily's at about sunset, encamped for the night.
Sat [Aug.] 26 Cattle missing. Sun an hour high before
we started. 8 or 9 miles on reached the Mukelemnes [Mokelumne] which is now fordable. Several companies are
encamped here temporarily, among them Mr Neligh &
Dr Cory. Dr C[ory] is sick of fever, but getting better.
Remained here till after Dinner which we took at Mr
Hopper's table. 8 miles further on we reached the Calavaras, which is now dry except standing pools; crossed
below Dr Isbels. Stopped awhile to bait our horses.
Reached French Camp 11 miles on at the head of a
Slough setting up from the river at 9 PM & encamped for
the night; 2 or 3 other parties encamped here on their
way to the Stanislaus.
Sun [Aug.] 27th No grass for animals. Mr Anthony unwell, & considering all things we found it necessary to
move on, so as not to remain in the pestilential vicinity
of the San Joaquin longer than we might be obliged to do.
Ten miles bro't us to the River & in an hour we were
over, a boat being ready for the use of travelers. After a
little refreshment on the bank of the R[iver] we drove on
7 miles to a slough where we encamped. The River we
found low but not fordable. This crossing was very different from what we had experienced 2 months & a half
ago when we went up. There is now no water in the
sloughs. Saw the grave of Mr [William] Whiteman who
was drowned in one of the sloughs 2 months ago.




278


The Gold Mines


The Wests were camped at the same place with us. Mosquitoes very numerous, no sleep. Took my bed & carried
it some distance from the timber into the plain, but all
of no use. Could not get a wink of sleep. Stood it till 1 AM
then got up & went to cooking. Ate breakfast at 31/2.
Started out at 5. 10 miles bro't us to the base of the hills.
8 more to a large rock near the "Divide" under the
shadow of which we slept some 3 hours to make up for last
night. Stopped 2 miles before reaching Livermores to
bait, & get dinner, passed Livermores at dusk & reached
a fine grassy camping place at 10 PM, having travelled
about 35 miles-viz 10 to the hills, 12 thro hills, 5 over
plain to dining place & 8 to camp.
Tues. 28 Aug Started at 5 went on 3 miles & breakfasted. 8 more brought us to the Mission of San Jose
where we filled ourselves with some most delicious pears.
No melons were ripe; we got some green corn 3 miles on
& took along to roast.
Left the Mission at 121/2. Stopped at the Sta Clara
bridge to roast our corn & take a lunch, & Mr Anthony &
the sailor took the road to San Francisco & Mr Cospar &
myself that to the Pueblo which we reached at dusk.
Thurs [Aug.] 31st Making a pair of Scales for weighing
gold.
Frid 8th Sept. Have done little this week but miscellanies, somewhat unwell with the cold. Weigh by Mr Beldens scales 146 pounds which is 8 or 10 more than I
weighed last Spring or at any time since I left home.
Capt Fisher returned last eve from his trip to the upper
part of the San Joaquin Valley. Others of the party returned last week. They found no gold; indeed did not
make a fair search for it.
Capt F[isher] has the Fever & ague: Capt Hanks, Mr
Cook, & all the rest of the party are more or less ill of
Fever or fever & ague. Capt Hanks on Monday accidentally was shot thro the thigh by a charge from an old
musket barrel which he was heating in a forge. The wound
is doing well.
Rode out to Mr Cooks to get Quinine of Mr Wiggins




An Impromptu Wedding


279


for Capt F [isher] Went on to New Almaden & passed the
night with Mr Walkinshaw.
Sun [Sept.] 10th Meeting at Mr Youngs at 12. Read Dr
[Horace] Bushnels sermon on Barbarism the great danger [published, New York, 1847]. An original & valuable
discourse. Prayer Meeting at 4/2 PM at same place.
Sat 16 Sept. The past week have been reading, writing,
& tinkering making scales, bed to cheat fleas, tending the
sick etc, being half sick with a cold myself. Weather moderate.
Wed [Sept.] 20th PM started alone for San Franco.
Rode to Aliens 12m & put up for the night.
Thurs [Sept.] 21st Started at 8 AM rode slowly &
reached San F [rancisco] at sunset. Put up at Mr Grimes'.
Found Mr & Mrs Stephens & Capt Hayes from the Islands
there. Saw also many others from the Isld.
Frid & Sat. [Sept. 22d & 23d] About town. Much business doing.
Sun 24th Sept. Episc[opal] Service read at the School
house by Capt [William C.] Stout agent for the Steamers;
15 or 20 present. On returning to Mrs G[rime]s found a
note requesting me to marry a couple in the eve. Was
persuaded to do so. So at eve I tied the knot for Mr
[George] Eggleston & Miss Phebe Moses, at Mr Lincoln's, a Mormon family, the lady's father [Ambrose T.
Moses] being also Mormon. The ceremony was in the
usual Yankee style 2 couples supporting the bride &
groom. The house was full 60 or 80 being present, the
principle people of the place. This is the first wedding
solemnized by a protestant clergyman, since California
became a U. S. Ter[ritor]y. I left soon after the ceremony. The company generally broke up I am told about
11.
Mon. [Sept.] 25th Rec'd this morning by Lieut [Edward] Gilbert from Mr Eggleston 2 gold eagles & a half
as wedding fee. Mr E [ggleston] is a butcher & keeps the
Washington Market.
Tues & Wed [Sept 26 and 27] Greatly rejoiced to meet
my old schoolmate at Ellington, Bethuel Phelps. Spent




280


The Gold Mines


several hours most agreeably in talking up old times. He
is purchasing much property in Cala $65,000 worth of
Capt [Stephen] Smith of Bodega, &c &c.
Thurs. [Sept. 28th]. 11 AM Started for home. Stopped
to reconnoitre Mr Howards ranch at the old Mission &
put up for the night at Chino Sanches', a boorish miserable place; got a few corn stalks for my mule & had supper
of fried beef, boiled corn & some beans at 9 PM & went to
bed on the earth floor not to sleep but to be eaten by the
fleas.
Frid [Sept.] 29th Rose at sunrise. The woman of the
house up, but no stir about breakfast, waited half an
hour & asked for some cold meat, no satisfactory answer;
finally saw a cob of corn left on the table last eve, ate
that paid a dollar for my entertainment & started at 7 AM
for the Pueblo, got a watermelon at San Francisquito &
had nothing else to eat till supper time at Capt Fishers.
Twenty-five vessels at San Franco many of them unable to get away from desertion of crews. On board one
ship the Capt's wages are $50 per month, the Cooks $751
Met Capt Spring of the Huntress, brother of Rev Dr
S[pring] of New York.
Mon Oct 2d, 1848 Mr Phelps came, spent the eve with
him. Have concluded to go to the Stanislaus with F.
Wilkes & take goods from Mr Belden to all.
Tues. [Oct.] 3d Mr P[helps] left at noon. Mr Ricord
left last eve without giving me security on his debt as he
promised, except verbally putting his Library into my
hands, which I have authorized Mr Phelps to sell.
Wed [Oct.] 4th Packing & getting ready to be off.
We take with us 10 cwt of Flour, 200 cwt onions, & an
invoice of Goods amounting to $2147.50 at Pueblo prices.
Thurs. [Oct.] 5. Dug some onions before breakfast to
take with us to eat. Started about 11 AM. Passed the Mission at dark & encamped a mile or two beyond among the
hills. Slept under the waggon.
Frid. [Oct.] 6. Started at 8; a little way on the waggon
got stuck in crossing a gulch & hindered till 10. Went on
about 4 miles & stopped to dine. Cattle very slow. Started




Back to the Diggings


281


at 3 1/2went 3 miles & camped, this being the best grass
with water this side of the San Joaquin.
Sat [Oct.] 7th Rose before the sun; night cold, frost.
Some tea left in the kettle was frozen solid. Started at
8/2 AM reached Livermores 81m at 11~2. Got some grapes,
2 clusters for a Real [121/2 cents]. Stopped to water &
dine at the Sausal 11/ miles beyond.
Started at 31/2 & reached the watering place in the hills
at 8 PM 10 miles, no grass, water as plenty as last June,
no dew.
Sun [Oct. 8th] Started at 7, cool & pleasant. Reached
watering place at slough 15 miles at 2 PM. Thousands of
antelopes, elks, & horses on the plain. Encamped at slough
5 miles further on & two from Piscadero [Pescadero]
crossing of the San Joaquin. Not troubled with mosquitos.
Mon [Oct.] 9th Crossed the river & encamped a mile &
a half beyond, this being the last water for 15 miles.
A company of men have started a ferry at the crossing,
have now two common boats, designing to put on a flat
bottomed ferry boat as soon as practicable. Fare $1. for
man, $8. for waggon & load.
Tues. [Oct.] 10th Took a direct course across the plain
for the Stanislaus 15 miles or more, sandy & hard wheeling. Cattle heated, stopped several hours on plain to rest,
reached the river at 8 PM. Grass plenty.
Wed [Oct.] 11th Passed up the river over a sandy bad
road 9 or 10 miles to the ford which we reached sun 2
hours high; could not ford with the waggon without wetting goods; carried things over by hand & up the steep
bank, camped on the other side, good grass, some horses
of our company lost.
Thurs 12th Oct. Started at 7. Road mainly up the river
for several miles then diverging to the right, it became
hilly & bad. A few miles further on came to an ox waggon
belonging to Savage & Co. which had remained 4 days in
the same place the oxen having been lost. Not coming up
with our traveling companions, we encamped here for the




282


The Gold Mines


night there being now of our company with the waggon
only Wilkes & a Californian with myself.
Friday 13th Oct Started in good season, still the rock
is sandstone, had bad hills to ascend, traveled slowly,
stopped in the eve where there was some grass but no
water.
Sat. [Oct.] 14. Went on 4 or 5 miles & breakfasted at a
spring where there was considerable grass; I went 5 miles
to explore & returned, remained till PM & then went on
to a plain where we found considerable grass & good
water. This is a romantic & secluded place 2 miles or so
in width & nearly surrounded by walls of trap or basalt
presenting the appearance of a huge volcanic crater,
which the ignorant seem to regard it. The road enters it
as well as makes its exit thro' a deep notch, in the bottom
of which the rock appears to be a sort of slate. Several
miles before entering this place the rock is slate, similar
to that at the Dry Diggings on the Am[erican] fork, dipping nearly perpendicularly & trending N W or N N W.
Sun [Oct.] 15. Our travelling companions, some Italians with a country cart, being essential in assisting us
up some difficult hills we were obliged to go on a few miles
to day, extremely against my inclination; we went on 4
or 5 miles, passed the first camps & a mile further on
crossed over a high ridge of basalt, just beyond which we
encamped, no grass but plenty of water.
Mon [Oct.] 16. Rose early, had several difficult miles
to ascend. Four or 5 miles on reached an Indian Rancheria, where Dan Murphy has a camp selling goods for
Webber. Early in the forenoon we broke the tongue of
our waggon in crossing a ravine & spent 3 hours in repairing damages. Waited at the Rancheria an hour. Sold
71 lbs of flour for $1.50 a pound, some sugar at $3.00 & Tea
at $4.00, also some flour & sugar to the Indians. 2 miles on
had a bad hill to ascend at which the Cattle "baulked"
obliging us to push up most of our load on my mule.
Reached Gulnacs camp at dusk.
The day cloudy & threatening rain. Spread my blanket
on the ground & turned in. About midnight awoke & found




Trading at the Mines


283


it raining but only slightly. Hoping it would stop hauld
my blanket over my head & went to sleep; at 4 woke again,
raining quite fast, rose, put up my bed & went into Gulnacs tent. It rained but little & only a few sprinklings after
daylight.
Tues. [Oct.] 17 Day cloudy & damp, put up tent, many
people buying goods flour onions etc. Did not sell very
much however. Many camps in this valley, little gold dug
at present. Most people trading, market overstocked.
Wed 18. Oct. Sold most of our flour at $14 per 25 lbs;
onions & dry goods almost no sale.
Thurs & Frid. [Oct. 19th & 20th] Very little trade, people leaving, diggings poor, few getting more than 1 or 2
oz per day.
Examined the rich ravine where a piece said to weigh
15 or 20 lbs of pure gold was taken out. The rock on which
the gold lies appears to be a species of gneiss, very hard
& resembling basalt. The strata running about N N W &
dipping 75~ or 80~ easterly. In passing down the creek to
the lower camps 5 or 6 miles various successive strata of
slates present themselves with about the same direction
& inclination. The gold is found here as elswhere only in
the drift or diluvium. In this region most of the gold is
taken from dry ravines setting into the main creek which
runs into the river Tuallomy [Tuolumne], in south westerly direction. 5 to 6 miles below where the deposit has
been found very rich the gold occurs in the main stream
resting on the same kind of rock mentioned above. Quartz
is abundant in the region, & I noticed some dykes or beds
of it several yards in thickness, between beds or strata of
the slatey rocks.
Sat 21st Oct. Lost my mem. book with Mr Ricord's note
of $350. on the path to the lower camps.
Sun. 22a Oct 1848 Staid'in camp, reading. Much noise
& drinking in neighboring camps. A great deal of gambling done here. Gold sells for $5 to $8. per ounce.
Wed. [Oct.] 25. Made sale of the remains of our invoice
at cost to Mr Den, this being the best disposal we could
make of it. Our expedition has not been as profitable as




284


The Gold Mines


we had hoped. We have cleared however about $400
apiece. While we have done this others have done 10 or
20 times as much, especially those who sell grog, which I
would not be engaged in for all the gold of the Plaero.
One man tells me that since he opened his grog shop 7
days ago he had made $7000 or over $1000 a day. Last
Sunday he took in $2000 half of it in cash; the first day he
cleared more than the whole cost of his stock. A dram
costs on an average $2. or more.
As a specimen of the prices at the Plaero I mention the
following, which have been the prices at this place within
the month past
Flour per lb  $.50 to 4.00  Onions-per 100 lb  64.Sugar " "     1.00 "4.00 Butcher Knives- 3.00 to
Tobacco       2.00 "4.00                     8.00
Tea-per oz-   1.00       Shoes               16.00
Coffee-       1.00 to 3.00  Candles tallow.50 sperm
Bullocks-     $50 to 100.                    1.00
Salt-per lb         3.00 Dried pears per lb  2.00
From the Indians all sorts of prices are taken & much
deception is practiced. [James D.] Savage used an ounce
weight which counterpoised 11 silver dollars. A common
practice is to use a two oz weight for an oz &c. Gold sells
for 6 to 8 dollars an oz in cash. It has been down to 3 & 4
among the gamblers, who have been very numerous here.
For the last two days several hundred people have left
this valley, & it now looks quite desolate.
Thurs [Oct.] 26. Started at 9 AM for home, with 4
sailors in company who had just arrived & being sadly
disappointed in their expectations had applied to us for
passage down. We traveled from 20 to 30 miles a day &
reached the Pueblo Wednesday Nov 1st, the distance being
not far from 135 or 140 miles.
One eve in approaching the Stanislaus Wilks went on
ahead to find the road leading to our intended camping
place. After finding it & before reaching the waggon his
horse gave out & he was obliged to take up his lodgings
under an oak without coat or blanket. Meanwhile we




"WHERE THE GOLD COMES FROM"




: a 
IQ 




The Return Journey


285


reached the place of encampment with the waggon. Wilks
came up in the morning & informed us that 3 bears had
followed on our track the night before, & had been very
near where he was lying. We at the waggon did not get
ready to turn in till 2 past 12.
We saw many poor horses on the road which having
been worn out with hardships were turned adrift to die of
starvation. One poor creature on the wide plain out of
pure charity we undertook to lead to water 4 or 5 miles
distant. He was made fast to the waggon to lead behind,
but on arriving at the watering place in the eve the horse
was missing, & was found a few rods back near the water
to which we had been bringing him to drink choked to
death, having been dragged by the neck nearly a mile
behind the waggon.
The Stanislaus where we crossed it, several miles above
the usual crossing, was fordable the water not being over
18 inches deep,
The San Joaquin was also fordable at the Piscadero
[Pescadero] crossing being much lower than when we
went up, the water about half filling the body of the
waggon. My trunk & other articles I took over in one of
the boats.
Not having reserved a sufficient supply of provisions
for our large family we were obliged to buy flour & beef
at the San Joaquin. The ferrymen keep flour for sale at
$20 per cwt.
The weather was beautiful all the way down, nights
cool, days comfortable & pleasant. The plain of the San
Joaquin was covered with wild geese; many Ducks,
Cranes also made their appearance. Likewise many wild
horses & antelopes.
Notwithstanding the lateness of the season we met great
numbers of people on their way to the Plaero. At a small
pool of water just at the entrance into the hills we found
a modest appearing lad of Dutch origin, a recently discharged volunteer. He was alone, his saddle & blankets
lying on the ground, & his horse, which appeared to be in
the last stage of starvation, grazing the almost barren




286


The Gold Mines


ground near by. The poor fellow said he had nothing to
eat, had been separated from his companions two days &
with the rest of his company had subsisted for the last
10 days on horse flesh, still he was bent on reaching the
Mines.
The evening before reaching home I got sadly poisoned
with the yedera [yedra] or Ivy in searching for wood
after dusk for a campfire.
Wed Nov 1st 1848. Reached the Pueblo at noon washed
& shaved & changed. Had not shaved since I left, four
weeks.
Thurs. [Nov.] 2d Employ the four sailors to help me in
surveying. Furnish the provisions & a tent & they camp
by themselves back of Capt Fishers by the pond.
Scores of volunteers from the South have passed
through town today on their way to the Plaero. They go
prepared to spend the winter.
Frid. [Nov.] 3d. Violent wind from the NW, air filled
with duSt, could not go out surveying as I had intended.
Settled accounts with Mr Wilks & found I had cleared
on the recent trip to the Gold Region $450.00.
[San Jose] Sat 4th Nov 1848 Surveyed Suerte Land of
L. C. Coffin Esq.
Mon [Nov.] 6th Started about 11 AM with my four
sailors as assistants for Mr Howards Ranch of San Mateo
on the road to San Franco in company with Messrs Young
& Jones who go to San F [rancisco] with a team for winter
stores. Mr J[ones] & I stopped at Mr Mendenhalls & got
dinner, albeit it was 3 or 4 PM.
Encamped for the night 3 or 4 miles beyond at Secundino Robles.
Tues [Nov.] 7th. Reached San Mateo at 3 PM. Left my
men in camp, & went on with the team to San F [rancisco]
to see Mr Howard. Encamped at the willows 5 miles
beyond Sanches.
Wed [Nov.] 8th Went to Mr Howards; 4 PM attended
Capt [Eliab] Grimes Funeral. Mr [Timothy Dwight]
Hunt officiated. Mr H[unt] has just arrived from the
S[andwich] I. & $2500 have been subscribed to hire him




Surveying Again


287


for a year in San F[rancisco]. Eve at Mr Stevens room
at Mr Hunt's. Wrote some verses for Mrs S[tevens].
Spent the night at Mr Howards.
Thurs. [Nov. 9th] About noon started for the Ranch &
reached camp at Dusk.
Sat 11th Nov Surveying along the shore of the Bay. Air
damp and chilly; returned to camp about 4 PM. Got
potatoes & pumpkins of Chino Sanches.
Mon [Nov.] 13. Spent the day mostly with Mr. Bassham at the Sanches endeavoring to get sight of their
papers and ascertain the bounds of Sn Mateo.
The four Bros Sanchez viz Jose [de] la Cruz, Francisco, Chino & another agreed to have me survey their
ranch and measure up its 4 leagues for $600.
[Tuesday, November 14-Monday, December 18. This
period is occupied by a trip to San Francisco after provisions and by the survey of the Sanchez ranch.]
Tues [Dec.] 19th Packed up & started at 10 for the
Pueblo, packing the Mule & horse & riding a horse sent
for by Mr Belden. Reached Secundinos [Robles] about 20
miles from Sanches at dark. Stopped over night.
[Wed. Dec. 20] Started at 10, left the men behind with
the animals & reached the Pueblo at 1 PM. Went to Mr
Cooks who has purchased & occupies the house recently
owned by Capt Fisher.
Sun [Dec.] 24. Meeting at 11 at Mr Youngs conducted
by Mr Ramsdell, a Methodist exhorter recently from
Oregon. But few people present.
Mon [Dec.] 25th Christmas. Give my men a holiday.
Extra dinner today, pies etc.
Mr Phelps here this morning; lent him $1600 in gold at
3 per cent per month, taking his note with J L Ruckel as
surety.
Wed [Dec.] 27. Went to survey Lot 55 for Dr Cory, &
found that but a small fraction of it exists.
[Thursday, December 28-Sunday, January 21, 1849.
This period is occupied by surveying and mapping. The
diary for these days consists largely of comment on the
weather.]




288


The Gold Mines


Mon. [Jan.] 22d. Mrs Cook nearly recovered of Measles.
Mrs Weyman quite ill yet. Some 200 cases of Measles in
town. Many children dying. Some hooping cough also.
Wed [Jan.] 24th Rec'd letters from the Islands. Bernice
mentions the death of 826 natives from Measles in Nov.
on Oahu. The disease has made great havoc at the Islands.
It is proving very fatal to children in this place. One day
I am told 9 died. This is mainly for want of proper care
& nursing.
Thurs 25th Jan 1849. Finished Dr [William H.] McKee's map; am now up with my mapping & ready to go
into the field again as soon as the weather permits.
Tues. [Jan. 30th] PM rode to New Almaden. Mule broke
away in the night.
Wed. [Jan. 31st] AM leveling for a watercourse. Mule
not found till towards night. Stay till tomorrow.
Thurs. [Feb. 1st] Returned to Pueblo. Eve, Mr Belden
married to Miss Margaret Jones by Mr Dimick [Kimball
H. Dimmick] Alcalde; awkward affair, hands not joined,
very stiff. After the ceremony full supper, table cleared
7 times. Married in the bar room. Large crowd. At 9. adjourned to Mr Cooks & had a fandango. Did not attend
this but went to my room upstairs. At 10/2 began to think
of retiring when the room being too scant below my room
was requested & I adjourned to Mr Beldens store & turned
in. The... [?] dance was then in the Chamber. Oceans
of wine & brandy drunk, & most of the company drunk
too. Broke up at 5 morning.
Frid. 2d Feb Gave up my room for the wedding 3 days.
Sat [Feb.] 3d Did a little surveying for P[eter] Davidson.
Mon Tues Wed [Feb. 5th-7th] Laying out lots for P.
Davidson & Mr Bacbauer
Thurs Frid Sat. [Feb. 8th-10th] Draughting &c &c. Sold
4 Town Lots for $1200-, cost me $50- Sold Lot for $400
which I took of P. Davidson for laying out his lots this
week. Earned $500 by surveying this week.
Mon. [Feb.] 12. Started at 12 for San Francisco, fine




Surveying at San Jose


289


day; reached Sanches after dark. Stayed at Jose de la
Crus Sanches.
Tues. [Feb.] 13 Started at 7, & reached San Francisco
at 11. Found quarters with Capt Naglee. Dined at Mr
Grimes. Eve at Mr Gillespies.
Wed. [Feb. 14th] Attending to some business. Dinner
at Mr Grimes. Eve at Mr Gillespies.
Thurs. [Feb. 15th] Dined at Mr Howards. Eve Mr Gillespies & Dr [J. Henry] Poetts, an Eng[lish] physician from
Valparaiso, pleasant family.
Frid 16 Feb. Started at 9 with Mr [William R.] Bassham for Pueblo, reached Sanches at 12 got dinner.
Reached old Mr [Andrew] Whismans at dusk, put up for
the night.
Sat [Feb.] 17. Reached Mission at 11 AM. Stopped an
hour at Mr Forbes & reached the Pueblo before 1 PM.
Tues. [Feb.] 20th Bargained to survey Cook & Branhams Lot 14 into 50 vara by 115 vara lots for 2/2per cent
of the lots, & 4 dols per lot cash or gold at cash value; they
furnish stakes, I place them.
Agreed also to lay out Mr Whites land in similar lots,
for 2 lots east of the 4th (7th) Street, & $5 a lost cash or
gold at cash price, he furnish stakes & man to set them.
Wed. 21st Feb. 1849. Began boarding at Mr Youngs this
day noon with my two hands, at $7 per week each.
Sat. 24 Feb 2 PM Public Meeting held at Court room.
Four additional delegates were chosen to the [Constitutional] Convention-viz [Joseph] Aram, Belden, Reed &
myself. But as I think it doubtful whether the Convention
will ever assemble the office is rather an honorary than an
onerous one. Capt Dimmick, Mr [Jacob D.] Hoppe, & Dr
Cory had been previously appointed.
A corresponding Com[mitte]e of 7 was also chosen.
Mon & Tues [Feb.] 26 & 27. Tues. had $100 in gold coin
stolen from my writing desk.
News reached us of the steamer at Monterey, 300 passengers. About 1000 have landed at San Francisco the last
fortnight.
Wed. 28 Feb Survey a piece of Suerte Land & began




290


The Gold Mines


the laying off of Town lots North Town for Messrs White
& Cooke. The old mustard very thick & troublesome.
Sat. 3d Mar. At dark Mess[rs] Douglas, Rev J[ohn]
W Douglas & Rev T. D. Hunt arrived. Rev Mr Douglass
came on the steamer from N. Y. Brought a letter to me
from Henry Olmsted. Got letters from E Strong, Prof
Silliman & B[enjamin] S[illiman] jr.
Thurs. [Mar. 8th] Rode to Sta Clara to begin the survey
there of Town lots. PM Mr Hunt started with me on his
way to San Francisco.
Mon. [Mar.] 12. Surveying on Lot 14.
Eve. meeting held to see about hiring [Rev.] Mr Douglass; was Chairman of the meeting. $1400 were subscribed
on the spot. $2500 were voted to be raised. The Committee
app[ointe]d were Messrs Dimmick, Cory, Bassham,
Campbell, Hoppe & myself. Three School Trustees were
also appointed <elected> viz Dimmick Hoppe & myself.
Sun 18th Mar. Preached in Town Hall from Job 2:4
["Yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life."] Mr
Douglass not having returned from San Francisco.
Thurs. [Mar. 22d] PM rode with Mr Phelps & Mr J. A.
Forbes to the New Almaden Mine. Spent the night.
Frid. [Mar.] 24th [23d] Visited the Mine, descended
into the several pits or branches of the excavation. Magnificent bed of ore, depth 70 ft, below level of the mouth,
500 tons of ore piled up at the entrance. Visited also the
San Antonio & Guadelupe Mines, only traces of the metal.
Reached Pueblo at 4 PM.
Sun 25th Mar. Rev Mr Douglass preached; is out of
health, arrived from Sn Fran'co yesterday. Eve Mr
D[ouglass] preached.
[March 27. Extract from a letter of this date, "Notes
on the California Gold Region," in American Journal of
Science, 2d series, vol. 8 (1849), pp. 415-419.]
Sat 31st Mar. Finished laying out Cook's & Whites
Lands.
April 1st 1849. Sun. Preached for Mr D[ouglass] who
has been unwell thro' the week. Throat sore; should not
stand it to preach regularly.




News from Home


291


Tues. [Apr.] 3d Saw Col Mason from Mont[ere]y on
his way to San F[rancisco]. 2d steamer at M[onterey] on
Sat. & reached San F. yesterday Morn. News to Feb 1st
nothing of much importance but the gold excitement.
Wed. 4th Apl. Surveying burying ground 3 miles S of
Town. Laid out 2514 acres for Prot & Cath. cemetery &
nearly 4 acres for a Potters field.
Thurs. [Apr.] 5th. This morn Prof Forrest Shepard of
New Haven arrived from San Fran[cis]co having come
out in the steamer Oregon. Rec'd also letters [from]
Sister Mary & Cousin Martha & Mr Pratt of Meriden.
Great excitement at home about the gold. Everybody
coming.
Frid. [Apr.] 6 Busy every leisure moment preparing
letters for home. Sent some specimens of Gold 15 dwts to
Father, 4 specimens to E Strong & 24 dwts to Cabinet of
Yale, 612 dwts to D W W  [Delia Williams Wood]. Sent
them all to Rev E. Strong Care of Rev Mr Hallock at the
Tract house N.Y. to be taken by Capt Thomas. Mr Douglass started this PM for San F. taking the letters.
Sat. [Apr. 7th] Mapping. Yesterday morn at 3 AM Mr
Stones' excellent dwelling house & store burned down.
PM Prof Shepherd returned from New Almaden.
Mon Apl. 9. Prof Shepherd & myself started after
dinner for San Franco by land, having sent John & our
luggage & the instruments by launch. Going to Suisun to
lay out a town.
Stopped at Whismans over night, good fare, beautiful
day.
Tues Apl 10. Started at 7, lunched at Chino Sanches,
reached San Franco before sunset. Put up at Mr Grimes.
Town crowded. Many tents. Much business.
Sun. 15th Apl. Rev Mr Lyman preached. Mr L[yman]
arrived in the Bark Whiton on Thursday, bound to
Oregon. The Whiton brought several packages of papers
& some letters from home.
Found Mr Boardman at Sn Franco, just arrived from
the Islands, brought over my Theodolite which came out
in the Serampan. Poor instrument of Pikes make, prob



292


The Gold Mines


ably not the one purchased by Prof Loomis & Mr Coe, but
a poorer one substituted in the packing up. Cost 130$.
Frid 20 Apl. The launch with my baggage did not arrive
till last Sunday, & thus far in this week I have been waiting for a good conveyance to Suisun.
Started at 3 PM, on the brig Apu[?] capts Wyse &
Waterman. My company, Mr Douglass, Mr Boardman,
John & Alfred my chainmen; paid 25$ each for our fare
to Suisun & find ourselves & sleep on deck.
Reached Benicia at dusk. Capt Wyse with a drop too
much ale.
Sat [Apr.] 21 Rose at Daylight & went on shore. Roused
Prof. Shepherd, who went on board with us; saw Rev Mr
[Sylvester] Woodbridge at Maj Coopers. Mr Shepherd
took passage with us up the river. Got off at 7 ock, tide still
flowing down, made slow progress, at 10 AM in Suisun
Bay got aground, remained till midnight when with high
tide the brig was got into the channel. Channel very
narrow.
Sun. [Apr. 22d] Started again this morn but in 10
minutes went aground again & did not get off till afternoon, when we got afloat & in a short time passed the beautiful bay of Suisun; noticed the site of the new town
called N York at the mouth of the Sn Joaquin, pretty good,
a gentle slope back from River.
Passed Montezuma on our left, commands fine prospect
of the bay.
About 15 miles further up reached the site of Suisun,
the view of the river & adjacent country most beautiful,
the site a magnificent one as seen from the river.
The brig anchored at the bank. Went ashore sun an
hour high; pitched tent & encamped.
1st night out slept on Cabin floor by special favor, next
night on deck, the vessel high & dry in the mud & lying
over at angle of 30~.
Thurs 3d May Finished laying out town. Mr Knight &
family stopped on their way down the river in a launch &
remained the PM & night. Towards night Prof Shepherd
also arrived from above. This PM also Mr C. F. Reed an




Suisun


293


Engineer recently from the States landed from a vessel
bound up, wishing to get employment with me; invited
him to remain in camp with me for the present. Had a fine
supper of salmon which we got of Mr Knight.
May 4, Frid. Breakfast of salmon. Mr Knights party
left. Soon after Prof S[hepherd] also [left] with the
party with which he came down the river in a whale boat,
the rest of the party having encamped a little above.
Very windy this PM.
Bad news from above, collisions between the whites
(chiefly Oregonians) & indians, 30 or 40 indians killed,
5 or 6 whites. Dangerous to be in the Mtns except in large
parties well armed, the whites doubtless the aggressors.
Will probably result in a general indian war, & great
interruption of gold digging.
Sat. [May] 5. Running lines up the river & Ulpino
creek, wet & swampy. Immense rush marshes extending
out of sight towards the N.W.
Mon [May] 7th Mr Reed left to go to the mines. Surveyed north end of the Ranch.
Tues. [May] 8. Plotting &c., fine day. Vessel going up
announced letters for us but did not leave them.
[May] 11 Frid Mr Boardman kept camp. The rest of
us continued the survey towards the south about 7 or 8
miles from camp. Returned at sunset very much fatigued,
no horses. Mr Douglass & John saw a bear & 3 cubs.
Mon [May] 14th Finished the field work of the Ranch.
Walked about 20 miles.
Wed. [May] 16. While at Breakfast the Louisa came
down with McDuffie. Messrs Howard, Buckler, Hooper
&c &c on board. Took passage down. In a few hours
reached N. York at the mouth of the Sn Joaquin, a fair
site for a town. Remained all night on acc't of tide. Capt
Hammond of the Coast Survey laying out the town.
Thurs. [May] 17th Ran aground in Suisun Bay & lay
from 11 AM till 7 PM, got off & anchored for the flow of
the tide. Started early in the morn & at sunrise were off
Benicia, where being obliged to wait the next tide we went
ashore & spent 2 hours. A mint there coining $5 pieces of




294


The Gold Mines


Cala gold. Corn [Thomas Ap Catesby] Jones, Mr Larkin
& others there. Half a dozen vessels also, two, the Janet
& Mercedes, with Lumber (Phelps'). 20 or 30 houses to
be put up immediately. Lots $1000 each.
Frid [May] 18th Started at 111/2 AM & reached San
Francisco about dark, remained on board over night. A
forest of shipping in the harbor; 5 vessels we saw enter
the harbor from the ocean after we came in sight of the
town a space of two hours.
Sat 19th May. Went ashore, beautiful day. Spent it in
endeavoring to find a room. Got one of Mr Cooke in the
P.O. building. Went on board the Huntress just in from
Valp[arais]o to see the family of Mr Flint surveyor. An
estimable man apparently. Eve at Mr Gillespies.
Sun [May] 20th. AM house crowded. Mr Hunt preached
a fine sermon from "How long hold ye between two
opinions &c. "
PM Rev Mr [Albert] Williams preached on Brotherly
love, & organized the first Presb[yteria]n Church of 5
members, 4 male & one female. The Ruling Elders to be
ordained next week.
Eve. Rev Mr [0. C.] Wheeler Bapt[ist] preached an
excellent sermon from Rev. [2:10] "Be ye faithful unto
&c" ["Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee
a crown of life"], extemporized.
Mon. [May] 21st Can get no paper yet & am delayed in
my draughting. Board at Mr Ross next door to where I
room. Shopping, buying coat.
Thurs 24 May Mr Boardman & myself purchased of Mr
Douglass 4 lots in Benicia, for $4000.
Sat. [May] 26. Sold Mr Grimes 10 lots at the Pueblo in
block 4 North section for $3500 took his note for 60 days
on 2 per cent per mo interest.
Sat. June 2d. Mapping all the week. Mr Flint assisting
me.
Wed. the Edith arrived; Mr Hoar of Mass called on me
with a letter from [William M.] Evarts [a classmate of
the Diarist at Yale]; is cousin of Evarts-out of funds.
Mon. 4th June Steamer Panama arrived this morn, 300




SAN FRANCISCO IN 1849




I - rk
/




Benicia


295


passengers. Mail 12000 letters, letters & papers about 150
bushels. Worked in the PO to help assort till 2 oclock
AM to get my letters. Reed 6 or 7 letters from States.
Frid. 8th June. Nearly finished mapping. Started at 4
PM on board a launch for Pueblo. Stuck in the mud in
the creek, worked passage almost. Reached town Sunday
PM. Eve at meeting.
Mon. [June 11th] Doing business &c &c. Eve. meeting
of school trustees, to see about reading Bible & praying
in school, taught by Mr H Lyman. Cath[olics] object.
Concluded not to omit prayer on any acc't; reading may
be dispensed with for the present if the teacher pleases.
Tues. [June] 12th Started in Mr Stokes carriage for Sn
Franco, pleasant ride to Whismans 12 miles; stopped over
night.
Wed. [June] 13th Beautiful ride to Town, arrived 5
P.M. Steamer Oregon arrived this morn, about 300 passengers, no mail.
Sat 23d June Have done some mapping this week, some
humbugging & some nothing.
Cut foot on stone while bathing yesterday; obliged to
stay in the house.
[June] 24 Sun. Rev. Mr Roberts, Meth[odist] from
Oregon preached. PM Rev Mr Wheeler pr[eached] funeral ser[mon] of man killed 2 days ago, Mr Beatty. 3 different murders last week in town.
Sat. [June] 30th Temp[erance] meeting at Sch[ool]
house, put me in chair, meeting small.
Mon. 2d July Steamer sailed at 12. 12 vessels arrived
since Saturday, nearly 1000 passengers.
July 4th 1849. Wed. Hired Alfred. PM I sailed for
Benicia in sloop Caroline; arrived at 7.
Much disturbed last night by firing of swivel about
town. Mr Eggleston at head of the party. Many windows
broken.
Mr Cheney & Mr Phelps to B [enicia].
Sun July 8th Rev Mr Woodbridge preached at 11 & 71/2,
excellent sermons, extemporaneous.
Sun [July] 15 Laying out lots in Benicia the last week.




296


The Gold Mines


The Leonore & Ed Everett arrived with New England
Companies. Each brings a steamer. AM Rev Mr Williams.
Eve Rev Mr Bradbury, full congregation in school house,
75 or 100.
Tues [July] 17 Started in beautiful little pleasure boat
for Feather R[iver] with Mr L E Treusdale & 4 men to
survey. Reached mouth of Sacramento in 21/4 hs, dropped
anchor a few miles above Merrits slough, not many
mosquitoes.
[July] 18 Wed. Forenoon hot. Reached Sacramento at
noon, astonished to find so large & growing a town, many
buildings going up much business done, buildings extend
over a large area. Very hot, saw Prof Shepherd, slept on
board the Whiton.
Steamer California reached Sn Francisco Sun Eve.
Sorry to leave Benicia without my letters.
Thurs Morn 19th July Sailed up the River to Vernon
at Mouth of Feather R. Saw Mr Crosby, Col Grant, Capt
Savage & others.
Three or 4 sea captains had got the variations of the
needle the wrong way West for East.
Sat. [July] 21st Surveying. Moved camp 3 miles down
the R[iver] on the East bank. Pitched tents &c.
Mon 23d July. Cool morn, rest of the day hot. Broke my
thermometer in hanging it up. Laying out new town for
Mr L E Treusdale. Mosquitoes abundant at night.
Tues. [July] 24. Still laying out the town. Suffered
from heat, but more from mosquitoes at night; got but
little sleep. Boat with Mr Treusdale & Mr Stevens went to
Sacramento Monday, ought to be back today, has not
come.
Wed. 25 July. Finished the survey for the present.
Waiting for the boat, does not come. Mosquitoes very
bad.
Frid 27th July. Waited about, & got passage to Sacramento; 4 or 5 miles down met our boat coming up. Transferred ourselves to that & reached Sacramento in the eve.
Slept on board the boat.
Sat. [July] 28th Bot some fragments of lots with Prof.




"San Sanfrisco"


297


Shepherd. 2 PM. started for Benicia, no wind, floated
down 2 or 3 miles & stopped for the night.
Sun [July] 29th Stopped at Webster & cooked breakfast; no wind, got through Merrits slough & stopped for
the night at the mouth of the Estero de Ulpino 3 miles
above Suisun. 14 of us slept or tried to sleep on board our
small boat. Made out better than I expected.
Mon [July] 30th Started early, blowing a gale. Reached
Montezuma PM, blowing too hard to cross Suisun Bay, &
put up for the night at Mr Hastings house now deserted.
Cooked supper & slept well. Had 8 passengers. General
Cohoon an ignorant man from Utica, amused us by hailing
every boat or vessel to know if they were from "San Sanfrisco" & if the "John G Costar" had got in, Mr Batton
from Warehouse pt, Mr Buckeye from Baltimore, Mr
Cole, & several others were the passengers.
Tues. July 31st Blowing a gale. Started & in 6 rods ran
aground & lay two hours for the tide. Crossed Suisun Bay,
wind blowing a gale, heavy nasty sea, all got wet with
spray & water dashed in. Reached Benicia 4 PM. No breakfast or Dinner. Out of Provisions. Greatly disappointed
in finding no letters.
Wed. Aug 1. Wrote two or 3 letters for the States. Sent
Alfred for my letters to San Francisco.
Thurs. Frid. Sat. [Aug.] 2d, 3d, 4th Mapping Springfield
&c. Alfred returned Thurs Eve, found no letters for me
from home, brought but one, from Prof Wooney at San
Diego.
Mon [Aug.] 6th Finished Map of Springfield.
Tues 7th Aug Morn cool. Met Hon T B King of Georgia,
interesting conversation with him respecting the mines,
Caln interests, public lands, his plan for draining & irrigating them &c &c. ["T. Butler King's Report on California," in 31st Congress, 1st Session, House Executive
Document, No. 59. March 27, 1850.]
Eve called at Mr Wetmores. Saw Mr & Mrs W. Mr W.
father, & Mrs Gray his daughter. Rev Mr Woodbridge
also present.
Wed. 8th 1849, Aug. AM   at Mr Phelps office. Mr




298


The Gold Mines


P[helps] unwell of Dysentery. Com. Jones & son, Hon
T. B. King, Capt. Handy of the Southampton, & others
present.
At Dinner Messrs Truesdell & Stedman made a bet,
the latter that I would not be married within one year
after my arrival home next spring, the former that I
would, the forfeit to be Supper & fixings for 25 persons!!
Mon. [Aug. 13th] 10 AM went on board the Mary Stuart
for San Francisco. Capt & Mate sick with fever & ague.
All hands landsmen. Capt Frisbie, an Irishman of education, a physician & several other passengers. Mr McDonald of Glens Falls do. Lay to for tide in San Pablo
bay.
Tues. [Aug. 14th] Went ahead with fine breeze till within
4 miles of Sn Franco where at 3 PM jib halyards parted;
some greenhorn let loose the staysail sheet & it tore in
two & we had to drop anchor till morning for repairs.
Wed 15th Aug. 10 AM landed at San Franco. Streets
full. Great change in the last 6 weeks.
Mon [Aug.] 20th Went for letters. P.O. crowded. Got no
letters from home.
Wed 22a Aug. Went to Benicia on board the Emily &
Jane, fare for self & 3 men $21; arrived at 41/2hours at
dusk.
[Aug.] 23 & 24th Surveying. Set Jas Northup to finish
the work, & myself John & Mr Kingsbury got on board the
Manuelo del Fierro (Cor Shubrick) for San Franco at
dark. Slept on board. Made but little progress.
[Aug.] 26th Sun. Reached Sn Franco at dusk. Slept in
Phelp's office. P [helps] not returned from Bodega.
[Aug.] 27th Mon Eve put baggage on board launch for
Sn Jose, with John & Kingsbury.
28th Tues. Aug. Started at 9 AM with Mr Beebee for Sn
Jose. Rode Mrs Gillespies Archy. Reached Whismans 5
PM.
[Aug.] 29 Wed. Fare & lodging $3. Rode to Embarcadero & Pueblo. Slept at Mr Cooks.
[Aug.] 30 Thurs. Busy at Pueblo, preparing for survey
at Embarcadero. Slept at Rev. Mr. Douglass room.




Two Deaths by Violence


299


[Aug.] 31 Frid. Returned to camp at Martins. Making
tent etc.
Sun 2d Sept. Mule gone, no conveyance to Pueblo to
attend divine service. Remained in camp.
Mon 3d Sept. Surveying creek. Pleasant weather. Eve
an American was stabbed by another at the Embarcadero
/2 a mile from here.
Tues. [Sept.] 4. Surv[eyin]g, passed the Embarcadero.
Saw the man who was stabbed in great pain, moved to
Pueblo in a cart. The culprit arrested & secured. Man said
to be of respectable connections in State of N. Y.; altercation with the man, drew his knife & ripped up his bowels.
Frid. [Sept. 7th] PM rode to Pueblo with Capt Marvin
to see Judge Burnett respecting the town. Staid at Mr
Douglass room. The stabbed man dead & buried. Last
night Mariano Hernandez a notorious gambler stabbed
over the gambling table. Died 24 hours after.
Sat. 8th Sept Rode to Alviso, reconnoitered for bridge,
boundaries etc.
Thurs [Sept.] 13. Running boundary of the tract on
Martin's side of the River, less than 300 acres.
Frid [Sept.] 14 Sat 15th Running boundary on North
side.
Messrs Arnold & Lewis called. Mr A [rnold] from Haddam, brot letter from Trumbull.
Sun. [Sept.] 16th Made effort to get to Pueblo to
church; sent boy to catch horse, did not succeed & obliged
to give it up.
Sat. 22d Sept. Laying out the town.
[Sept.] 23d Got a horse of Mr Smith & rode to Pueblo
to church. Mr Campbell (Meth) preached. Mr Douglass
had been to Monterey the past week to marry Mr [Rev.
Samuel Hopkins] Willey, & did not reach home till last
eve.
Eve. Rev Mr Loveland preached (Meth).
Sat. 29th Sept Finished field work. Rec'd letter from
Holkins to go to San Frco as witness in case of Phelps &
Treusdell.
[Sept.] Sun 30th No means of getting to Pueblo. Eve.




300


The Gold Mines


start in boat for Sn Frco. Steamer Oregon arrived last
Thurs 21st but brot no mail. Left mouth of creek at 10
PM, no wind, rowed most of the night & forenoon, some
wind as we approached San Francisco, reached town at
4 PM, tired. Law suit put off. Set myself at work to effect
a settlement. Trial to come on Thurs AM, after much
negociation compromise effected just as the case was
called in court, property divided.
Wed. [Oct.] 3d. Dr Judd with Alexander & Lot arrived
from the Islands on their way to U.S., Eng[land] &
France in reference to the recent French outrages.
Thurs [Oct. 4th] At work helping divide the lots.
Frid & Sat. [Oct. 5th & 6th] Commenced dividing Suisun
Lots.
Sun. 7th Oct. AM heard Dr [John L.] Ver Mehr, of
Ep [iscopal] Ch., at the Amn house. Good preacher & most
excellent man. He brought a letter to me from Mr Trumbull. Called on him last eve. His wife a lovely woman &
himself a man of excellent spirit.
PM heard Mr Hunt at Mr Wms tent. Schoolhouse made
a prison of & Mr Hunt turned out.
Mon. [Oct. 8th] Baggage & men arrived from Alviso;
commence mapping.
Thurs. [Oct.] 10th [11th] Rained nearly all day, the
first this season. Great damage to goods in the streets,
probably over 100,000 dols worth destroyed. Capt Simon
had 36,000 dols worth partly under water in Sacramento
Street. Little steamer Mint made her first trip up the
River, the first boat from this place thro' to Sacramento.
Steamer Cal[iforni]a arrived brot no U S Mail, a
private mail bro't 2000 letters. Reed one from DWW
[Delia W. Wood], others from other friends by private
hands. 430 passengers. Messrs Pratt & Paddock among
them.
People extra busy in raising up buildings, substituting
wood roofs for cloth &c &c, a new impulse to building
given by the Rain. City growing astonishingly.
Frid & Sat. [Oct. 12th & 13th] Two vessels the Selma &
Susan with companies of Conn. men have arrived this




Arrival of the Mail


301


week. Many calls with letters of introduction. Time
largely drawn upon. Mapping moves slowly.
Sun. 14th Oct 1849. AM Rev Mr Wheeler at Bap[tist
Church]. Sub[ject] Boldness in approaching the throne
of grace, house full. Counted over 200 vessels in harbor.
Wed. [Oct.] 17. Took stage for Pueblo at six, red bird
line; reached P[ueblo] at 3 PM dining at Moodys.
[Oct.] 20th Sat. Returned by stage to Sn F. Measured
distance 49 6/10m., to Moodys 10 6/10, Sanches 33.
[Oct.] 28th Sun Heard Rev. Mr [Flavel S.] Mines
Ep [iscopalian]. Excellent sermon on Naaman. Yesterday
the Steamer Senator came in, but brot no mail.
[Oct. 29. Extract from a letter of this date, "Gold of
California," in American Journal of Science, 2d series,
vol. 9 (1850), pp. 126-127.]
Wed. 31st Oct. Unicorn Steamer in but no mail. Great
indignation in town. PM 5 ock. Steamer Panama in, brot
the mails down to Sept 16. Great rejoicing.
Thurs. Nov 1. Steamer California sails this eve at 10,
full of passengers.
Mr Hoadly surveyor called on me with letter from Mr
H. L. Bidwell of Hartford.
Frid [Nov.] 2d, & Sat 3d. Cloudy, some rain thro' the
day & much at night with high wind causing several
vessels in port to drag anchor, & doing some damage.
Steamer Senator dragged several miles. Streets very
muddy. Many exposed goods damaged.
Sun 4th Nov. Rev Mr Wheeler p[reached] on Xn [Christian] unity.
Eve Prof Shepherd & Mr Doug[lass] at my room; drew
up form of grant for a University.
Frid 9th Nov Started for Pueblo at 6 in stage. Col. L. B.
Hanks went also. Reached Pueblo at dark. Staid at
Hoppe 's.
Mon [Nov.] 12th Rode with Capt & Col Hanks to New
Almaden 13 miles by measure. Not permitted to enter the
pit of the mine. Very hospitably entertained at Mr Walkinshaws by his daughter, a very attractive young lady.
Reached house at 8.




302


The Gold Mines


Tues. [Nov.] 13th Election, voted, wasted most of the
day.
Thurs. [Nov.] 15th Began surveying Capt Hanks place.
Sun. [Nov.] 18 Prepared to preach for Mr Douglass,
but the public room usually occupied on the Sabbath was
found to be locked & used as a carpenters shop, so no
meeting was held, except a small prayer meeting at Mr
D[ouglass] 's room.
Tues [Nov.] 20th. Surveying Branhams Lot, 34.
Thurs. 22d Nov Surveying Town lots. PM attended
funeral of Capt. H[anks] 's child. 1st burial in the new
ground at the SnJuan Baptista Hills 3 miles S of Pueblo.
Wed. [Nov.] 28. Went to Alviso 9 miles with Mr Hoppe
to lay out lots at the landing.
Thurs. [Nov.] 29th Thanksgiving. Beautiful day. Stopping at the Ranch of Berreyeza, Californians know nothing of our Thanksgiving. Laying out lots.
Frid 30th Nov Finished the lots at the landing.
Eve. Rev. Mr [S. V.] Blakeslee came from the Pueblo
& stopped over night, talked of a College.
Sun [Dec.] 2d The small Steamer Sacramento arrived
at Alviso this morning, the first steamboat on this route.
She is small, of light draft & found no difficulty in coming
up the creek at dead low tide; leaves tomorrow at 9 ock.
Mon [Dec.] 3d Took stage for Pueblo; arrived at 2 PM,
very muddy, fare $5. Thirty or 40 passengers went in the
steamer which left at 11 AM for San Frco.
Tues 4th Dec. Made arrangements for business with Mr
Day.
Wed. [Dec.] 5th Rode in stage to Alviso to finish the
survey, fare 4$ each for myself & man. Steamer Sacramento arrived from Sn Fran'co at 4 PM, left Sn F. at 8
AM. Reached the mouth of the creek at 1 PM.
Thurs 6th Dec. Laying out 10 acre lots of Alviso.
Steamer left for San Francisco.
Frid 7th Dec Finished survey. Eve. walked to Sn Jose.
Dr Lee called on me, had lost all he had in getting to the
Mines & spent the 100 dols I let him have, & now comes to
me as he says as his last resort to keep from starvation.




Project of a University


303


[Dec.] 8th Sat. Paid Dr Lees passage up & his board
for several days to come, & spent most of the day in trying
to start a school for him; can find scholars enough, but no
room. Must take him as chainman.
Sun [Dec.] 9th Rev Mr Brierly (Baptist) preached at
Mr Jones house. No fire, few present. Another meeting
(Methodist) at Mr Young's.
Mon. [Dec.] 10th Mr [Sherman] Day & myself conclude
to open an office together. Rainy.
Thurs. [Dec.] 13th Summoned on a jury to try the case
of Clement & Jones.
Frid. [Dec.] 14th At the court all day, little progress
made. Court in little Chinese house, very smoky stove,
very small & uncomfortable Room. Judge an ignoramus.
Mr Kincaid Judge of 1st instance.
Sat [Dec.] 11th Steamer Mint came up, bringing scores
of Legislators, office seekers etc.
Sun 16th Dec Rev Mr Douglass preached in Hall of
rep[resentative]s, few present.
Mon [Dec.] 17 Legis[latur]e organized. On Jury.
Wed. [Dec.] 18. On Jury. Eve Jury met to form their
verdict. Left at 9 PM. Dark & stormy. Got soaking wet &
very muddy. Rivers very high. No communication with
Sn Francisco.
[In his History of the College of California (San Francisco, 1887), p. 5, Rev. Samuel H. Willey records a memorandum, dated San Jose, December 18, 1849, which reads
as follows: "It is the understanding that Chester S.
Lyman, Sherman Day, Forrest Shepard, Frederick Billings, and S. H. Willey, become a corporate body according to the laws of this State, as soon as the Legislature
shall have passed the necessary acts, to hold property for
the foundation of California University or College, and
to be part of a Board of Trustees of such university or
college... "]
Thurs. [Dec.] 19. Jury gave verdict for the Def[endant]. Judge a numbskull. Jury paid $54 for 9 days.
Sat [Dec.] 20. Election of state officer. Voting viva voce,




304


The Gold Mines


candidates all present. Mr Whiting Sur[veyor] Genl. I
withdrew my name the day before.
Sun [Dec.] 21. Rode to burying ground to select a grave
for Mr Merrill a lawyer deceased.
[Dec.] 22d Mon Started at 4 AM in stage for Alviso.
Thick fog. Team tired. Driver half blind, lost road, went
round & round on the plain, an hour getting a mile. Overtook the Baggage waggon which also had lost its way in
the fog. Took the Baggage waggon the rest of the way,
team good, reached Alviso about 71/2. Waited on board
the Steamer Sacramento 11/2 hs for the other stages.
Steamer started about 9, left the creek at 11, reached Su
F. 4 PM, thick fog on the Bay till 1 PM. Water smooth &
pleasant passage.
Great fire in Sn F this morning. Parker house & 20 or
thirty other buildings burnt. Loss estimated 1,000,000.
Mr Phelps office in danger. Everything moved on board
ship Huntress. My 4 trunks among the rest. Slept on
board the Huntress, Capt Goodwin. Mrs G[oodwin] with
him.
Jan 12 [1850] Have been in San Francisco the last fortnight & over, arranging my business preparatory to leaving for home. It is very slow doing business here; have
now nearly made my arrangements, & concluded them as
successfully as I had anticipated. Made a map of Sacramento & did some other work enough to pay expenses.
Hope to leave by Feb 15 or Mar 1st.
Vessels arrive every day. In one day 12 came in. The
city grows as rapidly as ever. Money however is very
scarce.
Streets shockingly muddy, some of them almost impassable.
Wed. [Jan.] 16th Went to San Jose in Steamer Sacramento, 30 passengers. Mr [P. B.] Cornwall member of
Legislature from Saco with his beautiful & new married
young wife, a Miss Cutler, from over the Mtns this
summer. Reached Alviso at 4. Pueblo at 8.
Sat. [Jan.] 19. Sur[veyin]g Dimmicks suerte.
Sat 26th Jan. Mapping mainly during the week, rained




Montague and Capulet


305


nearly every day, arranged with the Governor respecting
my 1/10th of Alviso.
While at Govr Burnetts was called out by Mr Senator
Douglass & John Murphy & requested to go immediately
& marry Murphy & Miss Virginia Reed [one of the Donner
party]. Knowing the violent opposition of the parents,
declined. They went for the Lieut Gov. [John] McDougall, & married themselves before witnesses at Cooks. An
exciting time. [James Frazier] Reed had threatened to
shoot Murphy. They rode to the Mission & spent the night.
Mon 28th Jan. Left at 8/2AM for San Franco. Steamer
Sacramento left Alviso at 1 & reached San. F. at 8.
Sun [Jan.] 27. Mr Douglass preached AM, Mr Brierly
PM at the Assembly hall; 25 only present. [This entry,
in the original, follows that for the 28th.]
Wed & Thurs. [Jan. 30th & 31st] Busy arranging my
affairs, selling Benicia lots, &c. Sleep at Phelps office.
Frid Feb 1st. Steamer Panama sailed at 4 PM. Phelps,
Benton, Stedman & Dennison leave for home. Much disappointed in not being ready to go with them; (DV) shall
be ready for the S [teamer] of Mar 1st.
Sat. [Feb.] 2d. Sold Benicia lots $17,000-.
Sunday, [Feb.] 3d I heard Mr Hunt at Bap[tist] Ch
morn & eve. Clear bright day, as also the two preceding.
Mud just begins to diminish in the streets.
Tues 5th Feb. 1850 Steamer Unicorn arrived from
Panama. No mails or papers. She left Panama on the 11th
Jan. Crescent City disabled on the other side.
Wed. [Feb.] 6th Steamer Sacramento advertised to
leave at 9 AM for San Jose; went down at 81/2 to take
passage & found she had left.
Have slept in Mr Lords room, over Wright & Holkins
office.
Thurs. [Feb.] 7th Left at 9 AM in the Fire Fly for San
Jose. The F F is a small iron steam propeller, & runs very
steadily. At 3 PM when near the mouth of the Guadelupe
ran on a shoal & had to ly by for the tide to finish falling
& rise again.




306


The Gold Mines


Frid 8th Feb. Went with Mr Day to begin the survey of
Narvaes land.
Mon [Feb.] 11th Went to survey of Narvaes Ranch.
Staid over night at the old mans.
Tues. [Feb.] 12th Cup of Tea at 8. Breakfast at 11 AM.
Sent Lusk to town for chain. Got to work 111/. The way
the natives improve time! Returned to town at eve.
Sat [Feb.] 16. Rode to Alviso with Govr Burnett to
measure some lots; returned at dark.
Sun. [Feb.] 17 Rev Mr Brierly preached in the house of
rep[resentative]s AM. Mr Douglass PM.
Mon. Tues. [Feb.] 18. 19. Busy mapping & getting
ready to get away.
Frid [Feb.] 22. Washingtons B[irth] day, celebrated
by oration in the Rep's Hall by Mr Van Voorhies Sect of
State. Fair performance. Ball in the eve.
Sat 23d Feb 1850 No steamer up yesterday. All ready
to leave for San Francisco & home, but no conveyance.
Sun [Feb.] 24. Steamer out of repair & did not get off
till this morning-obliged to go. Pleasant day & very
quiet on board.
Mon [Feb.] 25. Found Dr McKee gone, who was to have
paid me 1500 dols on his purchase in Alviso.
Wed. [Feb. 27th] Sold my ticket in lower cabin & bo't
another in stateroom.
Frid. Mar 1st 1850. Went on board the Oregon with baggage about 1 PM. Found the state room a miserable one
next to the engine, the shaft passing thro' it, dark, unventilated, no better than the lower cabin berth which I
had sold. Must make the best of it. Noisy times in the
cabin, from parting of friends with singing & drinking.
Among others Com. Jones whose son goes passenger with
US.
Started about 6 PM & passed out of the Golden Gate at
dark. Turned in early & slept very well notwithstanding
the noise of the engine.
Sat [Mar.] 2d. In Monterey Harbor. Mr Larkin & family
came on board.
Sun. [Mar.] 3d. In the channel of Santa Barbara, be



Man Overboard!


307


tween the Islands of Santa Rosa & St Nicolas & the main
land. The Mission of Sta Barbara conspicuous.
During the night came to anchor in the harbor of San
Diego.
Mon Morning [Mar.] 4th About 9 AM went ashore &
spent an hour gathering flowers. The harbor is well enclosed, the ship is anchored just inside the entrance near
the Hide houses. A new Town called San Diego is here
laid out. $1000 asked for 1/2 a 50 vara lot. There is but
one new building going up. At the barracks are several
officers & their families.
The Town of San Diego proper is at the head of the
harbor 5 miles distant. It looks like a pleasant place
enough for a town from the water, but it is said to be
very desolate & hot in summer & going to ruins.
The high mtns in the distance are covered with snow to
their base & present a very wintry aspect, more so than
I anticipated in this latitude. They seem to be a spur or
continuation of the Sierra Nevada. Some of the Ladies
also went ashore. 3 or 4 vessels lie at anchor in the harbor.
A very quiet dull place.
Steamer started at 4 PM.
Tues. [Mar.] 5th. Ran 195 miles since yesterday, both
sails & steam.
Spent the eve. in the ladies saloon, very pleasant company.
Wed 6th Mar. Soon after sunrise before leaving my
berth heard the alarm-"a man overboardI" The boat
was instantly stopped but she was under such headway
it was impossible to save him. He sank before the boat
reached the spot where he had been. It was a boy belonging to the ship. He fell from the guard abaft the wheel
house.
Delightful weather to day. Not seasick but a little unwell with a cold. Lat 26~ 24' Long. 117~ 07' Dist[ance] run
224 miles, to nearest land 30 miles.
Frid. 8th Mar. Reached Mazatlan at 4 PM. Entrance of
harbor narrow & rocky. Town pleasant from water;
anchored near 2 miles distant. Most of the Cabin pas



308


The Gold Mines


sengers went ashore to be back at 8, as the Capt designed
leaving tonight. I did not go, thinking there w'd be little
time for observation.
Canoe of eggs & 4 Mexicans & a strange passenger
upset along side. Most of the eggs swam, so did the passengers.
Sat. Mar. 9th Plenty of oranges & Bananas brot off for
sale, 3 or[anges] for 121/2 cts, half a dozen bananas do,
eggs 4 for do.
Went ashore after breakfast, hot; walked the principal
streets. Did some shopping with Mrs Lount, bought some
tomatoes & oranges, & a Panama hat, the latter for $4 -Dined at the Canton Hotel, with Mr & Mrs Larkin, Mr
& Mrs Lount &c &c. Chickens, fish, tomatoes, potatoes &c.
Went off at 21/2 in the Capts boat. Feather fan thrown
overboard by Mrs Ellis I
Enjoyed the shore visit much. Streets of the town
narrow but very neat. Some handsome buildings but
mostly of one story, some extensive dry goods stores.
Mrs Lount bo't a Pena dress & scarf at $250. Mr Larkin a
sarepa for $160.
Started at 41/2 PM from Mazatlan.
Sun 10th Mar. At 3 AM steamer ran ashore on a sand
beach in the fog 10 or 12 miles above San Blas. Did not
get off till 7 oclock. Just before getting off a hawser
parted & 2 men were much hurt by a block on deck. I was
standing near at the time.
Reached San Bias about 9 AM. Did not go ashore.
Many trees & much vegetation visible, but few houses.
An old castle on a rock presents a romantic feature. Many
boats with oranges, onions, bananas, limes &c along side.
Left San Blas at 2 PM.
Mar 12. At 7 AM met Steamer California 350 passengers, remained near her half an hour, got papers &c,
little news. Entered Acapulco harbor & came to anchor
at 7 PM. The California had been 17 hours in steaming
from here to where we met her; we have made the same
distance in coming down in 11 hours. There must be a
strong current down the coast.




Affluence in the Steerage


309


Wed. 13th Mar. At Acapulco. Landed after breakfast,
rambled thro the town. Entered stores &c, walked up to
the fort, gardens; plantains, Bananas, oranges, Cocoa
nuts &c growing. Tasted many fruits in the market.
15. Frid. Mar 1850 Trunk in the steerage broken open
last night & robbed of $400 all the man had. The thief
c'd not be detected. The am't was made up by the passengers, subscribed $2.50. On examining the baggage
Capt P[atterson] says he is satisfied there is at least
$700,000 in the steerage, & $2,500,000 on board ship.
Several in the steerage have from 20 to 50,000.
Sun. 17 Mar. Capt read services at 11. Invited me to
officiate, but I was too unwell.
Mon. [Mar.] 18th Meeting in Cabin. Letter drawn up
complaining of Capt Patterson & officers.
20 Mar. Wed. Anchored at Panama about 1 PM. Situation of the town picturesque. Islands in the Bay beautiful.
Mr Lount went off to get quarters, found Mr Adams on
shore. I went off with Mrs Lount about 4 PM. Steamer
lies ly 1miles from shore. Have excellent quarters at
Sefior Arostemeno's. Had a private room myself. Sen A.
is a govt officer of rank & his family is of pure Castillian
blood. Two very fair daughters contributed much to the
pleasure of our sojourn. The elder Maria Teresa apparently about 18 is an interesting & accomplished lady,
understands a little English.
[Mar.] 21 Thurs. Spent the day rambling about Panama
& preparing to get off tomorrow.
Engaged 2 mules of Runnels for $30. Paid $1. for my
room, cheap surely compared with California. Walked
around the town wall, date 1703. Fine water at the Convent.
22d Mar. Frid. After great delay in getting the mules
we bid adieu to our kind hosts at 9 & started for Gorgona.
Hired an extra Muleteer for $6 just after leaving town,
on acc't of the apparent deficiencies of the one sent along
by Runnels. Reached halfway house 12m at 2 PM, got
dinner. Mr & Mrs Lount had arrived an hour earlier &
dined. Mr & Mrs Campbell & myself kept along with the




310


The Gold Mines


baggage. Started on at 3 & reached Gorgona at eight.
Whole dist[ance] from Panama about 25m. Beautiful
moonlight eve. Put our luggage in the iron house occupied by Mr Ellis & family. Slept in a native Bamboo
house.
Sat 23d Mar. Gorgona a miserable native town on the
S W bank of the Chagres River which is here shoal & not
many yards in width. Sun very hot. Hired a canoe for
Mr & Mrs Lount & myself for $30 & started for Chagres
at noon. An awning defended us from the sun & we found
the voyage on the river very agreeable. Stopped at eve
at a native half way house or hotel, where we got a very
good supper of ham eggs fried plantain &c &c with milk.
Another party, some of our fellow passengers crowded
down to the table set for us & robbed us of our supper,
till they had finished it & our landlord had prepared
another.
I slept in the boat on the river.
After breakfast at 81/2 started on; could hear of no
steamer at Chagres. Stopped at a house & cooked a fine
dinner of chicken &c. At 1 PM stopped at a village about
8 miles down from our last nights place. A Yankee establishment is going up here. Got good quarters in a native
house for our party of 3. At eve scores of our fellow passengers arrived & stopped for the night.
[Mar.] 25th Mon Rose at 4, got tea, & started at 51/2
down the river. Beautiful stream. Reached Chagres at 2
PM. Mr Adams had engaged good quarters for us at Don
Luis' a negro Lieut Col. under Bolivar & a unique fellow,
extremely honest, has good house & sets a good table.
[Mar.] 26 Tues. The Empire City & Cherokee which
arrived on Sunday sailed today about noon taking most
of the Oregon's passengers. Conclude to wait for the
Georgia. Rambled on the fort, took a fine sea bath.
[Mar.] 27th The Georgia arrived at 7 this morning, brot
1200 passengers.
Went on board at sunset, no rooms in readiness, after
some trouble got a stateroom.
Ship sailed about midnight, very hot, slept but little.




I:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CROS-ING  is1-F ISTHMUS 0 P NAMA DURIN TI  GOT D RUSH
CROSSING THE ISTHMUS OF PAMA DURING THE GOLD RUSH




I I




End of the Voyage


311


1 Ap'l 1850 Entered the beautiful harbor of Havana,
the landscape most charming all around the harbor. Took
a ramble in the city.
2a Ap '. Rode with Mr & Mrs Lount 4 or 5 miles out of
town among the beautiful gardens & orchards of the suburbs. The groves & orchards of the Gov Gen'l at Cerro
4 miles out delightful. Lines of omnibuses run here. Rail
road to Matanzas. Orchards loaded with Mangoes not yet
ripe. Passed several beautiful Plazas-the Tacon, Vapor
&c. Gone 21/4 hours, at $1 an hour. Got ice creams, icesoda &c.
3d Mar. [Apr.] Went with Lieut Whipple to the large
plaza El Vapor with Fox' Magnetic Dip apparatus to
take obsns; had but just commenced when Mr W[hipple]s
chronometer (200$) purse of $25 or $30 &c were stolen
by some of the persons around from the place where he
had laid them at the foot of a tree.
No knowledge of the thief. This robbery interrupted
our obsns. Went to Am Consuls. Did not finish our obss.
4 Apl. Thurs At 9 AM the Falcon from N[ew]
O[rleans] arrived. At 11 the Ohio from N. Y. 150 passengers. At 1 PM the Isabel from Charleston.
Sailed at 3 PM, were outside & under full steam at 4,
the view of the town & Castle Moro while leaving beautiful.
Not having reported to the clerk my design of going to
N Y my room was given to another & I am removed to
No 12 forward cabin, a better room.
Took on 31 Passengers from N. O. Cholera is very
prevalent in N. O. It is said on good authority also to have
broken out in Havana, 20 or 30 soldiers having died of it.
Mon. [Apr.] 8th. Weather quite cool, put on thick
clothes. Passed Sandy Hook about 5 PM. Air chilly.
Stopped at Quarantine at 51/2. In dock at foot of Warren
St at sunset. Took coach for the Irving House, found
plenty of Californians here. Room 62 with Lieut. Whipple.
Cherokee arrived on the 4th. Empire City on the 5th.
Thurs [Apr.] 11th Went to New Brunswick to see
Esther [the Diarist's sister].




312


The Gold Mines


Sat [Apr.] 13th Returned to N.Y. & took cars at 2 PM
for N[ew] Haven. The weather this week raw & wintry;
have taken cold. Reached N.H. at 5 PM. Eve called on
Delia [Wood, the "D.W.W." of the diary].
Sun [Apr.] 14. Went to Mr Strongs Ch[urch] AM,
heard Rev Mr Wright of W. Haven. P.M. went to Center
Ch[urch]. Eve accompanied D[elia] to the meeting of
the City Mission Soc at Center Ch.
Wed [Apr.] 17th Talked to the Senior Class in [Yale]
College, by request of Prof Silliman on Cala. Showed
specimens &c. Dined at Prof S[illiman] Jr. Eve. tea
party at Mr Strongs. Hotchkisss, Shermans &c.
Thurs. [Apr.] 18th. Became engaged to Delia W. Wood.
Spent most of the day with her.
Wed 12th June Mr & Mrs Wood returned from Illinois.
Wedding fixed for next Thursday.
Thurs 20th June 1850 Very hot, about sunset heavy
thunder showers, eve clear & cooler.
At 83/4 married by Dr [Leonard] Bacon at the residence
of Hon. Jos. Wood No 80 Geo. Str N Haven Chester S
Lyman & Delia Williams Wood, in presence of the family
(all except Wm) & about 20 or 25 other witnesses. Every
thing went off well. Company left about 10. Frances arrived just at eve from Olean. Cake & cards for 100.




INDEX


A-, of Royal School, marriage,
178, 191
Abel (Abell), -, Honolulu, 70, 125
Abraham, " Old Abraham," Koae,
Hawaii, 96
Abrigo, [Jos6e], San Jos6, Cal., 248
Acapulco, Mexico, 308, 309
Adams, -, Panama, 309, 310
Adams, -, Scotchman, house near
Honolulu, 66
Adams (Kuakini), Governor, 140
Akaka Falls, Hawaii, 80
Alden, [Fernando], superintendent,
New Almaden, 240
Alexander Liholiho, young chief,
Honolulu, 71, 195, 197, 198; Kilauea, 87; San Francisco, 300. See
also 234.
Alexander, [William P.], Honolulu,
62, 167; Lahainaluna, 149, 150,
153, 156, 157, 159, 160; trip to
Kauai, 168, 170, 171, 172, 174,
176, 177, 180, 181, 184, 185, 188,
190
Alexander, Mrs., 158
Alfred, chainman, Suisun, Cal., 292,
295, 297
Allen, James, ranch near San Jose,
231, 248, 249, 253, 279; family,
231
Allimetas, Arroyo de las, 252
Alsop & Co., Valparaiso, 26; Lima,
40
Alviso, Cal., survey, etc., 299, 300,
302, 304, 305, 306
Alviso, Ignacio, Santa Clara, Cal.,
241
Amador (Annador), [Jos6 Maria],
to mines, 264
Amelia, native schooner, Honolulu,
etc., 75, 125, 126, 191
American House, San Francisco, 300
American River, mining on, 269, 277
Anahola River, Kauai, 171
Andrews, -, Honolulu, 72
Andrews, -, of Molokai, visit to Kilauea, 87, 92
Andrews, -, ranch near San Francisco, 212




Andrews, Charles Thurston, son of
Dr. Andrews, 128, 129
Andrews, George, son of Dr. Andrews, 128
Andrews, Dr. S. L., Kailua, Hawaii,
124, 125, 126, 128, 129; Lahaina,
Maui, 147, 160; Honolulu, 160,
161, 164, 167
Andrews, Mrs., Kailua, 124, 125,
126; illness and death, 127, 128;
MS. journal, 129, 131, 132
Andrews, Judge Lorin, Honolulu,
72, 150, 162, 164, 178, 201
Angola, of Salem, Capt. Samuel Varney, Honolulu, 57, 64
Annador. See Amador.
Ann Maria, of Fall River, whaler,
sighted, 12
Ann Mary Ann, of Sag Harbor,
whaler, Kealakekua, 137
Anthony,  [Elihu], Methodist
preacher, San Jose, 245, 247, 248,
254, 255, 256; at mines, 272, 274,
275, 276, 277, 278
Apu(?), San Francisco, 292
Aram, [Joseph], San Jose, 289
Armstrong, [Richard], Honolulu, 65,
67, 72, 161, 163, 164, 165, 198
Armstrong, Mrs., 65
Arnold, -, from Haddam, San Jos6,
299
Arnold, -, from Rhode Island, Hilo,
113
Arostemenio, Sefior, Panama, 309
Arostemeiio, Maria Teresa, daughter
of preceding, 309
Arroyo de las Allimetas, survey, 252
Arroyo de San Jos6 Cupertino, 249
Atherton, -, Bowen & Atherton,
American merchant, Valparaiso, 27
B —, E. S., Honolulu, etc., 151, 154,
155, 166, 179
Bacbauer, -, San Jos6, land surveyed, 288
Bacon, Dr. Leonard, New Haven, 312
Bailey, [Edward], teacher, Wailuku,
Maui, 152, 153
Bailey, Mrs., 152




314


Index


Baldwin, Abby, daughter of following, 151
Baldwin, [Dwight], Honolulu, 68,
72; Lahaina, Maui, 76, 148, 158,
160
Baldwin, Mrs., 72
Ball, Mt., Maui, 150
Barking Sands, Nohili, Kauai, 185,
186, 187, 188
Barnstable, Capt. Hall, San Francisco, 252
Barron, Forbes & Co., of Tepic, Mexico, quicksilver mine, Santa Clara,
Cal., 246, 248, 250, 251, 252
Barton, -, of Chickopee, Mass., Valparaiso, 21, 27, 28
Bassham, [William  R.], San Francisco, etc., 287, 289, 290
Batton, -, of Warehouse Point, San
Francisco, 297
Beatty, -, killed in San Francisco,
295
Beebee, -, at mines, 268; San Jos6,
298
Belden, [Josiah], Monterey, 226;
San Jos6, 246, 280; land surveyed,
243, 245; at mines, 271; married,
288. See also 247, 287, 289.
Bella Vista, between Callao and
Lima, ruins, 38, 39, 46, 48, 49
Bellomy (Bellany), [George W.],
Santa Clara, 254
Benicia, Cal., survey of town site,
etc., 205, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296,
297, 298, 305
Benson, A. G. & A. W., owners of
Mariposa, 3, 30
Benton, -, San Francisco, 305
Berkealis, Juan, San Jose, 246
Bernalis ranch, near San Jos6, 252
Bernice Pauahi, young chief, Honolulu, 65, 71. See also 179, 234, 288.
Berreyeza,  Sefora,   Capitancillos
ranch, land surveyed, 250, 251, 252,
254, 302
Bestor (Bester), [Norman H.], Monterey, 222, 225
Biddle, Com. [James], San Francisco, etc., 208, 210
Billings, Frederick, 303
Bishop, [Artemas], Honolulu, etc.,
69, 164, 197


Bishop, Charles R., 65
Blackburn, [William], San Jose, 247
Blakeslee, [S. V.], San Jos6, 302
Bliss, [Isaac], former missionary at
Kohala, 114
Blumer, F., seaman, Mariposa, 55
Boardman, -, watchmaker, Honolulu, 65, 68, 70, 74; San Francisco,
etc., 291, 292, 293, 294
Bohelemy (?) River, 264
Bombay, from Boston, Valparaiso,
23, 27, 31
Borde, -, purser, U. S. S. Warren, at
mines, 268
Borgle, Geo. Aug., seaman, Mariposa,
55
Bowen & Atherton, American firm,
Valparaiso, 27
Bradbury, -, San Francisco, sermon,
296
Branham, [Isaac], San Jose, land
surveyed, 242, 243, 245, 289, 302
Brierly, -, Baptist preacher, San
Jose, 303, 305, 306
Brinsmade, [P. A.], Honolulu, 66,
67, 68, 183, 198
Brinsmade, Mrs. P. A., grave, Kauai,
183
Briones, Mme. Juana, ranch near San
Jose, 248, 249
Brooklyn, Honolulu, 85
Brown, -, Watson & Brown, tailor,
Lima, 44
Brown, -, plantation near Wailua,
Kauai, 181
Brown, Mrs., 181
Brown, [George], U. S. commissioner,
Honolulu, 67, 70
Brown, Jim, seaman, Euphemia, 202
Brown's Hotel, San Francisco, 205,
207
Brutus, to California, 207
Buckeye, -, from   Baltimore, San
Francisco, 297
Buckler, -, Suisun, 293
Burnett, Governor [Peter H.], San
Jos6, 299, 305, 306
Calaveras River, 263
California, plan to visit, 168
California, steamer, San Francisco,
etc., 296, 300, 301, 308




Index


315


California Constitutional Cqnvention,
election of delegates, 289
California Legislature, meeting at
San Jose, 303, 305, 306
California University, plans for
foundation, 301, 302, 303
Callao, Peru, 35, 36, 37, 38, 45, 46,
47, 48, 52; Marine Hotel, 37, 48;
Golden Bull Hotel, 45, 48
Cambuston, [Henri], San Jos6, 255
Campbell, -, San Jose, 243
Campbell, -, Methodist preacher,
San Jos6, 290, 299
Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. -, Panama,
309
Canada, from China, Callao, 37
Cafiada de la Pala ranch, 255
Canton Hotel, Mazatlan, 308
Cape Horn, near San Francisco, 215,
232
Cape St. John 's, Staten Land, 17
Capitancillos (Capitan Sillos), Berreyeza ranch, 250
Carmel Mission, 225
Carmel River, 224
Caroline, San Francisco, 295
Carter, Capt. and Mrs., Mansion
House, Honolulu, 199
Carter, O. E., Valparaiso, 21, 27
Case, [Bascom], at mines, 267, 268,
269, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276
Case, -, son of preceding, at mines,
272, 276
Cash, Lieut. [John C.], U. S. S.
Columbia, San Francisco, 211
Castle, Mr. and Mrs. [S. N.?], Honolulu, 161
Castle plantation, Hawaii, 81, 86
Castro, [Carlos], ranch south of San
Jose, 218, 227
Castro, Salvador, San Jose, land surveyed, 244; married, 244
Cesefa (Sesefia), J. M., San Jos6,
land surveyed, 244; married, 244
Chagres, Isthmus of Panama, 310
Chamberlain, -,    American  silkmanufacturer, Lima, 43
Chamberlain, Mrs., Honolulu, 161,
162
Chance, -, at mines, 275
Charles, to Honolulu, 66, 69
Cheever, [Henry Theodore], opinions
cited, 23, 53, 54


Cheney, -, Benicia, 295
Cherokee, at Chagres, 310; at New
York, 311
Childe Harold, Callao, 37
Christie, -, San Jos6, 247
Clarion, native schooner, Hawaii, 123
Clark, [E. St. Clair], U. S. S. Columbus, San Francisco, 212
Clark, [Ephraim W.], Honolulu, 62,
75; Lahaina, Maui, 76; Wailuku,
Maui, 153
Clement, -, San Jos6, lawsuit,
Clement vs. Jones, 303
Cloud, Major [Jeremiah H.], killed
at Sutter's Fort, 231
Coan, [Titus], Honolulu, 62, 63, 72,
75; Lahaina, Maui, 76; Waimea,
Hawaii, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82;
Hilo, 82, 83, 84, 93, 109, 113, 114;
visit to Kilauea, 87, 90, 92; trip
through Puna, 94-109; marriage
ceremony for natives, 84, 101, 102;
comments on Capt. Charles Wilkes,
85-87; account of the ' great revival," 98-101, 106; comment on
Mr. Bliss, 114. See also 117, 164,
198.
Coan, Mrs. [Titus], 82, 84, 88, 113
Coan, Titus Munson, son of Titus
Coan, 87
Coffin, L. C., San Jos6, 252; land
surveyed, 286
Cohoon, Gen., from Utica, N. Y., 297
Colbath, -, mate, Euphemia, 201
Cole, -, San Francisco, 297
Colton, [Walter], alcalde, Monterey,
220, 221, 223. See also 198, 199.
Columbia, of Sag Harbor, whaler, at
Kealakekua, 137
Columbus, U. S. S., San Francisco,
203, 204, 214
Conde, [Daniel T.], Honolulu, 64, 71
Congress, U. S. S., Callao, 49, 53;
San Francisco, 203, 204, 209, 214,
232. See also 56, 66.
Conner, -, at mines, 270
Conrad, Valparaiso, 27
Cook, Capt. James, monument at
Kaawaloa, Hawaii, 137-138. See
also 142, 171.
Cook, [Grove C.], ranch near San
Jos6, 240, 241, 246, 247, 248, 250,
254; lots in San Jose surveyed,




316


Index


252, 253, 289, 290; San Jose, 278;
house at San Jos6, 287, 288, 298,
305
Cook, Mrs., 288
Cooke, -, San Francisco, 294
Cooke, [Amos Starr], teacher, Young
Chiefs' School, Honolulu, 62, 65,
68, 70, 71, 164, 165, 168, 192;
visit to Kilauea, 85, 87, 90; Hilo,
93, 94
Cooke, Mrs., 65
Cooper, -, mate, Keoua, 148
Cooper, Capt. -, San Francisco, 210
Cooper, Major -, Benicia, 292
Cormorant, R. N., steamship, Capt.
Gordon, Callao, 47; Honolulu, 67
Cornwall, Mr. and Mrs. P. B., at San
Jose, 304
Cory (Corey), Dr. Benjamin, San
Jos6, 256, 289, 290; at mines, 268,
272, 277; land surveyed, 287
Cospar, -, at mines, 274, 275, 276,
278
Cosumnes River, 264, 276
Coxe (Cox), Ferdinand, of Philadelphia, passenger on Mariposa, 3, 30,
31
Coyote Creek, 239, 245
Creighton, -, San Jos6, 252
Crosby, [E. 0.], Sacramento, 296
Cummings, Capt. -, Kealakekua,
122, 141; Kailua, Hawaii, 128
Cushman, Capt. -, Morea, Hilo, 114
Cutler, Miss (Mrs. P. B. Cornwall),
304
Daly (Daily), [William], on Cosumnes River, 276
Damon, S[amuel] C[heney], Honolulu, 61, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70,
72, 160, 162, 163, 164, 165, 167,
197, 198, 199
Damon, Mrs., 164
Davidson, P[eter], land surveyed,
San Jos6, 288
Davis, -, supercargo, Euphemia,
199, 200, 201, 202
Davis, [William Heath], San Francisco, 208, 210, 213, 214, 241, 252
Day, [Sherman], San Jos6, 302, 303,
306
Deborah, "Queen," Wailua, Kauai,
171, 180


De Fiennes, [J. B.], Honolulu,
Sandwich Island News, 125, 164,
199
De Fiennes, Mrs., 164, 165, 199
Den, -, at mines on Stanislaus
River, 283
Den, Dr. [Richard Somerset], of Los
Angeles, San Jos6, 252
Dennison, -, San Francisco, 305
Dibble, Emerson, trip to Kauai, 168,
184, 185
Dibble, Miss Maria, trip to Kauai,
168, 184, 185
Dibble, Mrs., Honolulu, 65
Dibble, [Sheldon], (d. 1845), 114,
149, 150
Dimmick (Dimick), Capt. [Kimball H.], alcalde, San Jos6, 288,
289, 290; land surveyed, 304
Dimond, [Henry], Honolulu, 68
Dole, [Daniel], Punahou School, 64,
148, 161, 162, 196
Dominis, Capt. -, Honolulu, 75, 162
Dorr, -, U. S. consul, Valparaiso,
24, 25, 29
Douglas, [David], (d. 1834), circumstances of death, 74, 121, 122, 123,
124
Douglas, J[ohn] W., minister at San
Jos6, 290, 298, 299, 302, 303, 305,
306
Douglass, Senator -, San Jose, 305
Douglass, [Thomas], teacher, Royal
School, Honolulu, 65, 67, 68, 71,
72, 73, 164, 167, 192, 197; visit to
Kilauea, 85, 87, 90, 91; visit to
Kauai, 170, 172, 173, 176, 181, 184,
185, 190; San Jos6 and vicinity,
218, 229, 230, 231, 232, 238, 240,
241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 247, 248,
249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 290, 291;
teacher, S. F. Public School, 253;
at mines, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270,
271, 272, 273, 274, 275; Suisun,
292, 293; San Francisco, 294, 301
Dry Creek, American River, 269, 272
Dry Creek, San Joaquin valley, 264,
277
Dudoit, [Jules], French consul,
Honolulu, 167, 172
Dunleavy (Dunlevy), [James G. T.],
San Jos6, 257




Index


317


Dupont, Capt. [S. F.], U. S. S. Cyane, 198
Ebersfield. See Eversfield.
Edith, San Francisco, 294
Edward Everett, San Francisco, 296
Eggleston, [George], San Francisco,
married, 279. See also 295.
Elele, native paper, Honolulu, 161,
167
Eli, native, Kauai, 184
Ellis, Capt. A. G., William Thompson,
Waimea, 189, 190, 191
Ellis, Mr. and Mrs. -, on Oregon to
Panama, 308, 310
Ellis, William, description of Kealakomo (1823), 103
Ellsworth, O., Valparaiso, 26, 27
Embarcadero, San Jose, 235, 253,
254, 298, 299
Emerson, [John S.], Honolulu, 68;
residence at Lahainaluna, 76;
Waialua, Oahu, 197
Emily 4 Jane, San Francisco, 298
Empire City, Chagres, 310; New
York, 311
Erie, Monterey, 219
Ernstal (Ernestrall), -, passenger
on Mariposa, 3, 30, 31
Escobar family, Monterey, 225, 226,
227, 229
Estero de Ulpino, 297
Estudillo, Concepci6n, San Francisco,
210, 213, 234
Estudillo, Maria de Jesus, San Francisco, 210, 213
Estudillo, Senor, San Francisco, 234
Estudillo, Sefiora, San Francisco, 213
Euphemia, Capt. Thomas Russum,
Honolulu to San Francisco, 199 -203
Evarts, William M., letter from, 294
Eversfield  (Ebersfield), Dr.
[Charles], U. S. S. Congress, San
Francisco, 214
Ewa, Oahu, 197
Fairfax, [Donald McN., of U. S. S.
Columbus?], San Francisco, etc.,
215, 218
Falcon, Havana, 311
Farnham, [Thomas J.], Monterey,
220; San Jos6, 243




Feather River, 296
Fire Fly, steamer, San Francisco, 305
Fisher, -, Mormon mechanic, 246
Fisher, Capt. [William], San Francisco, 233; house at San Jos6, 235,
241, 243, 246, 249, 286, 287; ranch
surveyed, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240,
241; pursues Indians, 237, 238,
239; San Jos6, 241, 245, 254, 255,
278, 279, 280; lots surveyed, 243,
254; quicksilver mine, 254, 256;
ranch, 218, 242, 244
Flint, -, surveyor, San Francisco,
294
Folsom, Capt. [Joseph Libbey], San
Jos6, 231, 232; San Francisco,
252; at mines, 268. See also 253.
Forbes, Alexander, English consul,
Tepic, Mexico, at New Almaden,
250, 251, 252
Forbes, [Cochran], Honolulu, 67, 71,
72; at Kealakekua, Hawaii, 141;
at Lahaina, 76, 148, 150, 155, 156,
157, 158
Forbes, Mrs., 67, 148
Forbes, James Alexander, English
vice-consul, California, S a n t a
Clara, 216, 217, 230, 243, 245, 248,
249, 251, 252, 256, 289, 290. See
also 198.
Forbes, Mrs., 217
Forbes & Co. See Barron, Forbes &
Co.
Fort [Blanco], San Francisco, 202
Foster, -, chainman, San Jos6, 256;
to mines, 256
Foster, -, of Alsop & Co., Lima, 39,
40, 41, 45
Foster, -, Valparaiso, 26
Francisco, at mines, 266
Fr6mont, Col. [John C.], 204, 208,
213
French Camp, San Joaquin River,
263, 277
Frisbie, Capt. -, Mary Stuart, San
Francisco, 298
Frost, Joseph, seaman, Mariposa, 55
Garner (Gardner), [William   R.],
Monterey, 220; San Jos6, 255
Gaus, Edward, seaman, Mariposa,
killed by fall, 4, 5, 6




318


Index


Gelston, Capt. [Roland], San Jos6,
244, 245
General Harrison, Honolulu, 134
Georgia, Chagres, 310
Georgian, Capt. W. H. Kelly, San
Francisco, 232, 234
Gilbert, Lieut. [Edward], San Francisco, 279
Gillespie, -, San Francisco, 289, 294
Gillespie, Mrs., 298
Gilroy, [John], ranch, 244
Golden Bull Hotel, Callao, 45, 48
Goodrich, [Joseph], (d. 1836), missionary, Hilo, 85, 86
Goodwin, Capt. and Mrs., Huntress,
San Francisco, 304
Gordon, Capt. -, Cormorant, Honolulu, 68
Gorgona, Isthmus of Panama, 309,
310
Grant, Col. -, Sacramento, 296
Gray, Mrs. -, San Francisco, 297
Grayson, Mrs. [Andrew J.], San
Francisco, 211, 212
Green, -, 69
Green, -, store, Honolulu, 61
Green,  Lieut.   [Theodore   P. t],
U. S. S. Congress, San Francisco,
212
Griffin, -, mechanic, passenger on
Euphemia, 200, 201, 202
Grimes, Capt. [Eliab], San Francisco, 203, 208, 253; funeral, 286
Grimes, Frank, son of Hiram Grimes,
201, 207
Grimes, Hiram, Honolulu, 168; on
Euphemia, 199, 200, 201, 202; San
Francisco, 203, 204, 206, 207, 210,
213, 232, 235, 252, 253, 257, 279,
289, 291, 294; lots in San Jos6 surveyed, 243
Grimes, Mrs., on Euphemia, 199, 200,
201; San Francisco, 204, 206, 207,
210, 211, 232, 233, 234, 253, 279
Guadalupe Creek, 305
Guadalupe mine, San Jos6, 290
Guillon (Guillio), Dr. [Charles F.
B.], U. S. S. Columbus, San Francisco, 204, 207
Guizot, French minister of foreign
affairs, 74
Gulick, [Peter J.], Honolulu, 162;
Waialua, Oahu, 197


Gulnac, [William], San Jos6, 244,
254; on the Stanislaus River, 282,
283
Haalilio, 74
Haalilio, Kailua, 138
Haena caves, near Waioli, Kauai,
174, 175, 186
Hakalau, Hawaii, 80
Hale, Capt. -, part owner of Mariposa, 3
Haley, -, passenger on Mariposa,
3, 33, 35, 37
Hall, [Edwin O.], Honolulu, 161,
162, 164
Hall, Mrs., Honolulu, 162
Hall, -, Kealakekua, Hawaii, 123,
124, 128, 136; place near Keauhou,
Hawaii, 136, 138, 141
Hall, Mrs., 136
Hall, Capt. -, Barnstable, San Francisco, 252
Halleck, Lieut. [Henry Wagner],
Monterey, 221, 222. See also 199.
Hamakua, Hawaii, 104
Hamapatoo, inquiries concerning,
123, 133
Hammond, Capt. -, surveyor, New
York, Cal., 293
Hanakamalii, Hawaii, 78
Hanalei valley, Kauai, 172, 173, 175,
176, 180, 200
Hanapepe valley, Kauai, 184, 191
HEandy, Capt. -, Southampton, San
Francisco, 298
Hanks, Capt. [Julian], ranch, San
Jos6, 254, 255; at mines, 256, 265,
266, 267; San Jos6, 278, 301, 302;
land surveyed, 302
Hanks, Col. [L. B.], San Jose, 301
Harding, -, painter, from Boston,
Valparaiso, 23
Harlan, -, house near San Jos6, 245,
248, 252, 253
Harlan, Mrs., 245
Hartnell, [William E. P.], Monterey,
221, 225. See also 199.
Hartnell, Mrs., 225
Harvey, Capt. -, Mississippi, Lima,
40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 50. See also
37, 49.
Hastings, -,   house, Montezuma,
Cal., 297




Index


319


Hastings, L[ansford] W., San Jos6,
254
Hauula, Oahu, 197
Havana, Cuba, 311
Hayes, Capt. -, San Francisco, 279
Henry, Honolulu, 134
Hernandez, Mariano, killed at San
Jose, 299
Hickok, -, Methodist preacher, San
Jos6, 255, 257
Higueras ranch, 261
Hilo, Hawaii, 78, 82, 87, 93, 94, 109,
114
Hinckley, Capt. [William Sturgis],
San Francisco, 211
Hitchcock, [Charles E.], foreman,
government printing office, Honolulu, 64, 66
Hitchcock, [Harvey R.], Honolulu,
62, 64
Hitchcock, Mrs., 64
Hitchcock, Miss (Mrs. E. H. Rogers),
Honolulu, 64
Hoadly, -, surveyor, San Francisco,
301
Hoar, -, of Mass., San Francisco,
294
Hobbes, -, pilot, Waimea, 189
Hobson, -, of Alsop & Co., Valparaiso, 26
Hokukanu, Hawaii, 142
Holkins, -, of Wright & Holkins,
San Francisco, 299, 305
Holualoa, Hawaii, 135
Honaunau, Hawaii, 120
Honokahua, Maui, 155
Honokohau, Maui, 154
Honokowai, Maui, 155
Honolua, Maui, 155
Honolulu, Oahu, 56, 61, 75, 160, 168,
191, 192, 195, 199; Mansion House
Hotel, 64, 199
Honomalino, Hawaii, 118
Hook, [Solomon], Monterey, 220
Hookena, Hawaii, 120
Hooper, -, Suisun, 293
Hoopuloa, Hawaii, 118
Hope, Honolulu to Hawaii, 75, 76
Hoppe, [Jacob D.], San Jos6, 289,
290, 301, 302
Hopper, -, Mokelumne River, 277
Hopper, -, San Jos6, 254


Hopu (Hopoo), Thomas, inquiries
concerning, 123, 133, 134
Hotchkiss, -, New Haven, 312
Howard, [William D. M.], San Francisco, 233, 234, 252, 257, 286, 287,
289; Suisun, 293; ranch surveyed,
256, 280, 286, 287
Howell, [David], Golden Bull Hotel,
Callao, 45, 48
Hoyer, -, port pilot, Hilo, 84
Hoyer, Mrs., 84
Hunt, [Timothy Dwight], Honolulu, 68, 71, 72; Hilo, 114; Waiohinu, 116, 117; Lahainaluna, 149,
150, 151, 153, 154, 155, 157; San
Francisco, 286, 287, 294, 300, 305;
San Jos6, 290
Hunt, Mrs., 68, 149, 151
Huntress, Capt. Spring, San Francisco, 280, 294; Capt. Goodwin,
San Francisco, 304
Hutton, [James D.], surveyor, San
Jos6, 240, 242, 245, 247
Hyde, [George], alcalde, San Francisco, 214
Hyde, [George], U. S. S. Congress,
Callao, 51
Hylon (I), Honolulu, 166
Ii, John, Honolulu, 72; Kilauea, 87;
Hilo, 93; character, etc., 93, 94
Independence, U. S. S., San Francisco, 214, 232
Inigo. See Ynigo.
Isabel, Havana, 311
Isbel (Isbell), Dr. [James C.], ranch,
263, 277
Ives, [Mark], Honolulu, 62, 63, 68,
75; Kealakekua, 120, 121, 136,
141; Kailua, 124, 128, 129
Ives, Mrs., 121, 126, 128, 136
Jacob, of Keaiva, at Waiohinu, 116,
117
Janet, Benicia, 294
Janion, [Jouan, Henri] Honolulu,
Sandwich Island News, 125
Jarves, J[ames] J[ackson], director,
government printing office, Honolulu, 66, 183
Jimmy, San Jos6, 235
John, chainman, Suisun, etc., 291,
292, 293, 298




320


Index


Johnson, -, U. S. vice-consul Callao,
37, 48
Johnson, Capt. -, passenger on
Mariposa, 30, 33, 35, 37
Johnson, Miss, Honolulu, 166
Johnson   [Johnstone,  Andrew?],
teacher, Honolulu, 65, 75; Waioli,
Kauai, 172, 176, 200
Johnson [Johnstone?], Mrs., 65, 176
Jones, -, lawsuit, Clement vs. Jones,
San Jose, 303
Jones, John C[offin], San Francisco,
209
Jones, Miss Margaret, San Jos6, married to Josiah Belden, 288
Jones, Cor. Thomas Ap Catesby,
Benicia, 294; San Francisco, 298,
306
Jones, -, son of preceding, 298, 306
Jones, [Zachariah], San Jos6, 245,
246, 247, 248, 253, 255, 256, 286,
303; at mines, 266
Judd, Dr. [Gerrit P.], minister of
finance, Honolulu, 65, 141, 162,
163, 165, 168, 199; San Francisco,
300
Judd, Mrs., 65, 162, 165
Kaahumanu, 171
Kaapahu, Hawaii, 141
Kaawaloa (Kaawaroa), Hawaii, 124,
137, 138
Kahakuloa, Maui, 154
Kahaluu, Hawaii, 135
Kahana, Maui, 155
Kahaualea, Hawaii, 106, 107
Kahoinakaunalehua, stream, Kauai,
170
Kaili, "war god," 105
Kailua, Hawaii, 124, 135, 138, 141,
142, 143, 147
Kainaliu, Hawaii, 142
Kalaheo River, Kauai, 184
Kalahiki, Hawaii, 120
Kalaimoku  (Kalanimoku), victory
over Kekuokalani (1819), 142
Kalakaua, King, 168
Kalapana,  Hawaii,   98;  revival
(1836), 99
Kalihiwai River, Kauai, 180
Kaliki, Hawaii, 118
Kamehameha, Honolulu, 158, 167


Kamehameha III, Honolulu, 158,
163, 164, 165, 195, 196, 197, 198
Kane, god, 174
Kaneohe, Oahu, 197
Kapacau, deputy-governor, Hawaii,
139, 140, 141, 142
Kapae, representative in legislature,
125, 129
Kapapala, Hawaii, 114
Kapua, Hawaii, 118
Kau, Hawaii, 117
Kauaea, Hawaii, 96, 97
Kauai, island, visit to, 167, 168, 191
Kaumualii (Tamoree), chief, 176
Kaumulumalu, Hawaii, 135
Kawaihae, Hawaii, 76, 105, 148
Keaau, Hawaii, 94
Keaiva, Hawaii, 115
Kealakekua, Hawaii, 105, 119, 120,
122, 124, 136, 138, 141, 142, 180
Kealakomo, Hawaii, 103
Kealia, Hawaii, 120
Kealia River, Kauai, 171
Kearny (Keanery, Kearney), Gen.
[Stephen W.], 204, 208
Keauhou, Hawaii, 136, 141, 143
Keekee, Hawaii, 97
Kehena, Hawaii, 97
Kekuanaoa, governor of Oahu, Honolulu, 68, 178, 196
Kekuaokalani, killed (1819), 142
Kellitt, or Kellet, -, port pilot,
Hanalei, Kauai, 172, 200, 201
Kelly, Capt. [William H.], of
Georgian, at San Francisco, 232
Kelly, Mrs., 232
"Kent Hall," San Francisco, 204,
234
Keokea, Hawaii, 120
Keoua, Capt. Martin, 142, 147, 158,
160
Kilauea, volcano, 85, 87, 88, 89-92,
114; described by Mrs. Andrews
(1837), 129; Observations on, 249
Kincaid, Judge [Wm. M.], San Jos6,
303
King, Thomas Butler, of Georgia,
San Francisco, 297, 298
Kingsbury, -, Benicia, 298
Kipahoehoe, Hawaii, 119
Knight, -, Suisun, 292, 293
Koa, Hawaii, 118
Koae, Hawaii, 95




Index


321


Kohala, Hawaii, 148
Koholalele, Hawaii, 78
Koloa, Hawaii, 78
Koloa, Kauai, 168, 170, 181, 183,
191
Komomoa, Hawaii, 101, 103, 104
Kuakini (Governor Adams), 140
Kuamoo, Hawaii, battle    ground
(1819), 142
Kuolo, Hawaii, 107, 108
L —, Dr., San Francisco, 207, 208
Ladd, Mr. and Mrs. John, Honolulu,
66, 164
Ladd & Co., plantation, Kauai, 170,
181-183
Lafon, Dr. [Thomas], residence,
Kauai, 171
Lahaina, Mauai, 75, 76, 148, 150,
151, 155, 156, 157, 158, 160
Lahainaluna, Maui, 76, 149, 151, 155,
156, 157, 158
Lahainaluna School, 69, 102, 149,
150, 153, 159, 180
Laniakea, cave at Kailua, Hawaii,
130
Laplace treaty (1839), 74
Larkin, T[homas]     [liver], San
Francisco, 214, 215; to Monterey,
215, 216, 219, 220, 226; soap factory, 218, 219; Carmel valley, 224,
225; Benicia, 294; on Oregon to
Panama, 306, 308. See also 199,
211.
Laupahoehoe, Hawaii, 79
Lavalette, Capt. [E. A. F.], U. S. S.
Congress, San Francisco, 232
Lawai River, Kauai, 184
Lee, Dr. -, San Jos6, 302, 303
Lee, Judge [William L.], Honolulu,
164, 168
Leidesdorff  (Liedesdorff),  Capt.
[William Alexander], San Francisco, 207, 212, 253
Leleiohoku (Liliohoku), governor of
Hawaii, 179
Leonore, San Francisco, 296
Lepeuli, Kauai, 172
Lewis, -, San Jose, 299
Liholiho. See Alexander.
Liholiho (Kamehameha II), 142
Lima, Peru, 35, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43,
44, 49, 50; Morin's Hotel, 41, 49


Lincoln, [Seth?], Mormon, San Francisco, 211, 279
Linsley, -, superintendent, Ladd
plantation, Kauai, 170, 182, 183,
184, 191
Lippman, -, passenger on Mariposa,
3, 30, 31
Livermore, [Robert], ranch, 261, 278,
281
Lono, god, 142
Lord, -, San Francisco, 305
Lot [Lota Kamehameha], young
chief, 195, 197, 198; San Francisco, 300
Louisa, Suisun, 293
Lount, Mr. and Mrs. -, on Oregon to
Panama, 308, 309, 310; Havana,
311
Loveland, -, Methodist preacher,
San Jos6, 299
Luis, Don, Chagres, 310
Lusk, -, San Jos6, 306
Lyman, -, San Francisco, on way
to Oregon, 291
Lyman, [Chester], father of Chester
Smith Lyman, 291
Lyman, Chester Smith, signs pledge
on Mariposa, 55; mentioned in
Governor Mason's report, 268;
connection with project of California University, 303; married at
New Haven, 312
Lyman, [David Belden], Honolulu,
63, 75; Hilo, 77, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84,
113. See also 156.
Lyman, Frederick, son of preceding,
75, 80, 81
Lyman, Esther (Mrs. William Russell
Pease), 311
Lyman, H-, teacher, San Jos6, 295
Lyman, Mary A. (Mrs. Daniel B.
Smith), 72, 85, 196, 246, 291
Lyons, [Lorenzo], Kawaihae, 76;
Waimea, 76, 179, 180. See also 63.
McArdle, John C., seaman, Mariposa,
50, 55
McDonald, -, of Glens Falls, San
Francisco, 298
McDougal, -, San Francisco, 209,
234
McDougall, -, Lieutenant-governor
[John], San Jos6, 305




322


Index


McDuffie, -, Suisun, 293
McKee, Dr. [William H.], land surveyed, San Jos6, 288, 306
Magnolia, Capt. Simmons, Honolulu,
168
Makahanaloa, Hawaii, 81
Makaka, Hawaii, 115
Makuu, Hawaii, 95
Malo, David, Kealakekua, 123;
Kailua, 125, 129. See also 70.
Malowaa (Moloaa), Kauai, 171, 172
Manaa, Kauai, "Barking Sands,"
185, 188
Manini, -, old resident, Kauai, 176
Mansion House Hotel, Honolulu, 64,
199
Manuelo del Fierro, Corn. Shubrick,
San Francisco, 298
Manuka, Hawaii, 118
Marcy, Capt. [William   G.], San
Francisco, 215; Murphy's ranch,
218
Marine Hotel, Callao, 37, 48
Mariposa,  Capt. Spalding,   New
York to Honolulu, 3, 57. See also
201.
Marshall, [J. F. B. ], Honolulu, 69;
former residence, Kauai, 183
Martin, -, of Keoua, 147
Martin, -, San Jos6, 299
Martinez, [Ignacio], 213
Marvin, Capt. -, San Jos6, 299
Mary Stuart, Capt. Frisbie, San
Francisco, 298
Mason, Gov. [Richard B.], 217, 220,
253, 254; San Jose, 239, 240, 291;
at mines, 268
Matthews, -, and son, at mines, 272
Maulua, ravine, Hawaii, 80
Mauna Haleakala, Maui, 152
Mazatlan, 307, 308; Canton Hotel,
308
Meeks, -, Meeks & Taylor, Valparaiso, 26, 27, 30
Meeks, Capt. -, pilot, Honolulu, 57
Mellus, -, San Francisco, 253
Mendenhall, [William M.], San Jos6,
231, 286
Mercedes, Benicia, 294
Merrill, -, lawyer, San Jos6, deceased, 304
Merrill, J. H., Sunday School, San. Francisco, 206


Merrit's slough, 296, 297
Mesa, Prado, ranch, survey, 248
Miller, -, at mines, 274, 275
Miller, Gen. [William], English consul-general, Honolulu, 68, 70
Mills, Miss, at Honolulu, 66
Milolii, Hawaii, 118
Mines, [Flavel S.], Episcopalian
minister, San Francisco, 301
Mint, steamer, San Francisco, 300,
303
Missions: Carmel, 225; Dolores (San
Francisco), 211, 212, 215; San
Jos6, 261, 278, 280; Santa Barbara, 307; Santa Clara, 216, 217,
230, 289
Mississippi, Capt. Harvey, Callao, 37,
49
Mitchener, Jack, from Honolulu, San
Francisco, 207
Moin. See Morin.
Mokelumne (Mokelemy, Mokelerny,
Mukelemne) River, 263, 277
Moloaa (Malowaa), Kauai, 171, 172
Molokai (Morokai), island, 56
Monterey, Cal., 215, 219-227, 306
Monterey River, 219, 227
Montezuma, Cal., 292, 297
Montgomery, -, at mines, 276
Montgomery, Capt. [John B.], U. S.
S. Portsmouth, San Francisco, 233
Montreal, Honolulu, 166, 196, 198
Moody's, near San Jos6, 301
Moore, -, store, Hilo, 84
Moran, C., passenger on Mariposa,
52, 55
Morea, whaler, Capt. Cushman, Hilo,
114
Morgan, -, storekeeper, Ladd plantation, Kauai, 182
Morin's Hotel, Lima, 41, 49
Mormon Camp, 265, 270, 271
Mormon Trail, 270, 271
Moseley, Dr. [Samuel], U. S. S.
Congress, San Francisco, 212
Moses, [Ambrose T.], Mormon, San
Francisco, 279
Moses, Miss Phebe, married, San
Francisco, 279
Mt. Vernon, New York to Honolulu,
166
Mukelemne. See Mokelumne.
Murphy, -, at mines, 264




Index


323


Murphy, Dan, at mines, 270, 282
Murphy, Ellen, 229
Murphy family, 229-230
Murphy, John, at mines, 268; married, San Jos6, 305
Murphy's ranch, 218, 229, 236, 238,
239
Murray, [Michael], at mines, 268
Naglee (Nigley, Nagle), Capt.
[Henry Morris], pursuit of Indians, 239, 244; San Francisco,
289
Narvaes ranch, survey, 306
Natadero Creek, 249
Nawawa, Hawaii, 142
Nawiliwili, Kauai, 191
Neligh, [Robert B.], agent of Comn.
Stockton, 243, 244; at mines, 268,
271, 272, 275, 277
New Almaden, near San Jose, 250,
251, 279, 288, 290, 301
New Brunswick, 311
Newell, Capt. -, visit to Kilauea, 87
Newell, [Chester], chaplain, U. S. S.
Independence, San Francisco, 214,
232
New Haven, Conn., 312
Newton, [J. W.], chaplain, U. S. S.
Columbus, San Francisco, 209, 214
New York, N. Y., 3, 311, 312
New York, San Joaquin River, Cal.,
292, 293
Nicolas ("'Nick), boy on Mariposa, 52, 54, 55
Nicolas, "old gardener," San Jose,
235, 236, 237, 238
Nigley. See Naglee.
Nohili, Kauai, 187
Noriega, Jose, to mines, 262
Norman, Dr. -, Hilo, 84
Northup, James, surveyor, Benicia,
298
Nuuanu valley, Oahu, 65, 163
Nye, Mrs. -, Honolulu, 198
O'Farrel, [Jasper], surveyor, San
Francisco, 207, 208, 209, 233
Ogden, [Maria C.], on Amelia for
Maui, 75
Ohio, at Havana, 311
Olaa, Hawaii, 88, 89


Oliver, Mr. and Mrs., San Francisco,
210
Oliver's new flouring mill, San Jos6,
245
Olmsted's Incidents of a Whaling
Voyage, reference to, 130
Olowalu, Maui, 151
Opihikao, Hawaii, 97
Ord, Lieut. [Edward 0. C.], Monterey, 222
Ord, Dr. [James L.], Monterey, 222
Oregon, steamship, San Francisco,
291, 295, 300; San Francisco to
Panama, 306-309
Pacheco, Dolores, ranch, 261
Pacheco ranch, 243, 244
Paddock, -, San Francisco, 300
Page, Dr., of Philadelphia, Valparaiso, 27
Paki, Honolulu, 165
Panama, 309
Panama, steamship, San Francisco,
294, 301, 305
Papalaau, Maui, 151
Paris, [John D.], Honolulu, 62, 75;
Hilo, 114; Waiohinu, 114, 115,
116, 117
Paris, Mrs., 65, 163
Parker, [Benjamin W.], Honolulu,
65, 72, 165; Kaneohe, Oahu, 197
Parker House, San Francisco, burned,
304
Parsons, J. S., mate, Mariposa, 7, 8,
47, 52, 55, 148
Patterson, Capt. -, Oregon, 309
Pauahi. See Bernice.
Paulet, Lord George, 74, 113, 137
Pearson, Capt. -, Kealakekua, 136
Pele, goddess of Kilauea, 106, 116;
priest and priestess of, 105, 106
Pefa, Senor, 245, 249
Penhallow, Capt. -, Honolulu, 162,
199
Pescadero crossing, San Joaquin
River, 262, 281, 285
Peter, sorcerer, Hawaii, 100
Phelps, Bethuel, San Francisco, etc.,
279, 280, 287, 290, 294, 295, 297,
298, 299, 300, 304, 305
Pile. See Pyle.
Piscadero. See Pescadero.




324


Index


Pitman, -, Hilo, 84, 85, 88; Honolulu, 199
Pitts, [Williamt], San Jos6, 247; to
mines, 264
"Plaero," 284, 285, 286
Poetts, Dr. [J. Henry], San Francisco, 289
Pogue, [John F.], Honolulu, 64;
Koloa, Kauai, 169, 181
Pohakuakane,  sacred  rock, near
Waioli, Kauai, 174
Pohoiki, Hawaii, 96, 97
Portsmouth, U. S. N., Capt. John B.
Montgomery, San Francisco, 233
Powell, Thomas, seaman, Mariposa,
55
Powell, Dr. [William J.], U. S. S.
Warren, San Francisco, 204, 207,
209, 210, 233, 234
Powers, William ("Bill"), seaman,
Mariposa, 36, 50, 54, 55, 65
Pratt, -, San Francisco, 300
Price, [Rodman], of U. S. S. Cyane,
San Jos6, 241
Providence, San Francisco, 253
Pueblo of San Jose. See San Jose.
Pueo, Hawaii, 117
Pulama, Hawaii, 105
Puna, Hawaii, district, trip through,
94-109
Punahou, Oahu, School of Mission,
161, 196. See also Daniel Dole.
Punaluu, Hawaii, 115
Puumoi, Hawaii, 81
Pyle, -, house on Mokelumne River,
263; at mines, 270
Rainbow   Falls,  Wailuku  River,
Hawaii, 83
Ramsdell, -, Methodist preacher,
San Jos6, 287
Read, -, of Santa Clara, 215
Reed, -, at mines, 270, 271; San
Jose, 289
Reed, C. F., engineer, Suisun, 292;
to mines, 293
Reed, [James Frazier], San Jos6,
305
Reed, Miss Virginia, married to John
Murphy, 305
Rhodes & Co., plantation, Hanalei
valley, Kauai, 172, 175, 176
Rice, -, of Kailua, 134, 136


Rice, [William H. ], teacher, Punahou School, 196, 197
Rich, Major [William], paymaster,
240
Richards, [William], Honolulu, 62,
74, 165, 166, 167; Lahaina, 156,
157. See also 199, 222.
Richards, Mrs., 157, 166
Richardson, Capt. [William A.], San
Francisco, 203, 210
Richardson, Mrs., 210, 213
Richardson, Miss, 213
Ricord,  [John],  attorney-general,
Honolulu, 70, 161, 164, 165; San
Jos6 and vicinity, 246, 247, 248,
249, 252, 253, 254, 255, 280, 283
Ridley, [Robert], ranch, 206; San
Francisco, 211
Riley, -, Alsop & Co., Valparaiso,
26
Roberts, -, Methodist preacher, San
Francisco, 295
Robles, Secundino, 286, 287
Rogers,  [Edmund    H.],  mission
printer, Honolulu, 64, 161, 162
Rogers, Mrs., 64, 161, 163
Roland, "old miner," San Jos6, 255
Rooke, Dr. [T. C. B.], Honolulu, 74,
164; Hilo, 85
Rooke, Mrs., visit to Kilauea, 85, 87
Ross, [Charles L.], store, San Francisco, 206, 208, 209, 210, 294
Rowell, [George B.], Waimea, Kauai,
185, 188, 190
"Royal Chapel," Honolulu, 163, 165
Royal   School,"  Honolulu. See
" Young Chiefs; Cooke, A. S.
Ruckel, [Joseph L.], San Jose, etc.,
245, 255, 256, 287
Runnel, -, Panama, 309
"Russian Fort," Kauai, 172, 173
Russum, Capt. [Thomas], Euphemia,
199, 200, 201, 202, 205
Sacramento, Cal., 296; map, 304
Sacramento River, 296
Sacramento, steamer, San Francisco,
302, 304, 305
St. John's, or Monterey, River, 219
Salinas (Silenus) valley, 219, 227
San Antonio Creek, 249
San Antonio mine, 290
San Bias, Mexico, 308




Inc


Sanchez, Chino, 280, 287, 291
Sanchez, Francisco, 287
Sanchez, Jos6 de la Cruz, 287, 289
Sanchez ranch, near Mission Dolores,
215, 232, 286, 287, 289, 301
San Diego, Cal., 307
Sandwich Island News, Honolulu,
125, 167, 183
Sandwich Island Parliament, Honolulu, meeting, 195
San Francisco, Cal., 202, 214, 215,
232, 234, 252, 253, 279, 280, 286,
287, 288, 289, 291, 292, 293, 295,
298, 300, 301, 304, 305, 306; public
school, 253; great fire, 304
San   Francisquito,  between  San
Francisco and San Jos6, 280
San Joaquin River, 261, 262, 277,
281, 285, 292, 293
San Jose ("Pueblo"), Cal., 216,
217, 230, 231, 233, 234, 235, 241,
242-257, 261, 278, 280, 284, 286,
287, 288, 289, 290, 294, 295, 298,
299, 301, 302, 304, 305, 306; map,
242; burial ground survey, San
Juan Baptista hills, 255, 291, 302;
town survey, 255, 256; election of
delegates to Constitutional Convention, 289, of school trustees,
290; investigation of Hutton's
survey, 247
San Jose Cupertino, Arroyo de, 249
San Jos6 Mission, 261, 278, 280
San Juan Baptista hills, cemetery,
302
San Mateo, Cal., Howard's ranch,
286, 287
San Pablo Bay, 298
San Rafael, Cal., 233
Santa Barbara channel, 306
Santa Barbara mission, 307
Santa Clara, Cal., 216, 230, 241, 245,
248, 256, 289, 290
Santa Clara bridge, 278
Santa Clara mission, 216, 217, 230
Santa Cruz, San Francisco, 235
Sausalito (Sou Salito), 203
Savage, Capt. -, Sacramento, 296
Savage [James D.] & Co., 281, 284
Scheffer (Schoof), Dr., "Russian
doctor," Kauai, 172
School of the Mission. See Daniel
Dole; Punahou.


lex                          325
Scott, Capt. -,   American, Valparaiso, 26
Selma, San Francisco, 300
Semple, [Robert], editor Californian,
San Francisco, 205
Senator, steamship, San Francisco,
301
Serampan, to Honolulu, 291
Sesefia. See Cesefia.
Seymour, Admiral [Sir George],
family at Valparaiso, 23
Shepard, Forrest, of New Haven,
San Jos6, Suisun, etc., 291, 292,
293, 296, 297, 301, 303
Sherman, -, New Haven, 312
Sherman, [Richard M.], San Francisco, 204
Sherman, Lieut. [William T.], 240;
at mines, 268
Shubrick, Com. [William B.], U. S.
S. Independence, San Francisco,
232. See also 208, 298.
Silenus. See Salinas.
Silliman, [Benjamin], New Haven,
253, 290, 312
Silliman,  [Benjamin], Jr., New
Haven, 290, 312
Simmons, Capt. [Bezer], Magnolia,
Honolulu, 168; Kauai, 168; in
Cal., 241
Simon, Capt. -, San Francisco, 300
Siunoll. See Sufiol.
Skinner, Mrs., -, at Honolulu, 68
Skinner, Mr. and Mrs. [Horace A.],
Mormons, San Francisco, 212
Sloat, Corn. [John D.], 208
Smith,-, San Francisco, 234
Smith, -- San Jose, 299
Smith, Dr. [James W.], Koloa,
Kauai, 169, 170, 181, 191
Smith, Mrs., 169
Smith, Lowell, Honolulu, 163
Smith, Miss [Marcia M.B], Punahou
School, 196
Smith, Capt. Stephen, of Bodega,
280
Smith, Stephen H., American, Valparaiso, 27
Snyder, [Elijah], surveyor, Monterey, etc., 222, 233, 241, 247
Soost, Jos., seaman, Mariposa, 55
Sou Salito. See Sausalito.




326


Index


Southampton, Capt. Handy, San
Francisco, 298
Spalding, Capt. -, Mariposa, New
York to Honolulu, 3, 5, 6, 13, 15,
28, 30, 32, 33, 36, 37, 49, 50, 51,
52, 53, 54, 61
Spalding, Josiah C., son of preceding, clerk of Mariposa, 3, 32, 37,
40, 52, 55
Spear, [Nathan], at San Francisco,
234
Speiden, [William], purser, U. S. S.
Congress, 199, 214
Spring, Capt. -, Huntress, at San
Francisco, 280
Springfield, Cal., survey, 297
Stanislaus River, 277, 280, 281, 284,
285
Stark, -, Honolulu, 197
Statira, of New Bedford, passed, 18
Stedman, -, San Francisco, 298, 305
Stephens, -, land on Kauai, 168
Stephens, -, naval agent, Honolulu,
199
Stephens, (Stevens), Mr. and Mrs.,
from Islands, San Francisco, 279,
287
Stevens, -, of Oahu, letter from, 214
Stevens, -, Sacramento, 296
Stockton, Com. [Robert F.], 49, 198,
203, 204, 208, 218; land at San
Jose, 217; survey of, 243, 245,
247, 275
Stokes, [James], San Jos6, 241, 242,
295
Stone, -, San Jos4, house and store
burned, 291
Stout, Capt. [William   C.], San
Francisco, 279
Strong, E., of New Haven, 65, 85,
148, 290, 291, 312
Suerkrop (Suerkron) [Suwerkrop,
E. A.], Danish consul, Honolulu,
199; in Cal., 268
Suisun, Cal., survey, 291, 292, 293,
300
Suisun Bay, 297
Sufiol ranch, 261
Susan, San Francisco, 300
Sutter's sawmill, 265, 273
Swinton, -, prefect of police, Lahaina, 148


Swords, Major [Thomas], Honolulu,
162, 164; mentioned, 199
Tairi (Kaili), 'war god," 105
Tamoree (Kaumualii), chief, 176
Taylor, -, Meeks & Taylor, Valparaiso, 26
Taylor, -, San Jos6, 254, 256
Taylor, Mrs. -, Honolulu, 68
Ten Eyck (Ten Eyke, Teneycke),
A[nthony], U. S. Commissioner,
Sandwich Islands, Callao, 49;
Honolulu, 166, 199
Teschemaker, [F. H.], San Francisco, 253
Tewksbury, Miss, Honolulu, 69, 75
Thayer, Capt. -, Bombay, Boston to
Valparaiso, 23, 27, 31
Thomas, Capt. -, San Francisco, 291
Thompson, Capt. -, passenger on
Mariposa, 3, 29, 31, 32, 42, 48, 50,
51, 52, 55; Honolulu, 64, 130; in
California, 227
Thurston, [Asa], Honolulu, 64, 75;
Kailua, 127, 128, 129, 131, 138,
139, 140, 147. See also 93.
Thurston, Mrs. (Lucy Goodale),
Honolulu, 62, 64, 65; The Missionary's Daughter, 121; Kailua,
127, 128, 130, 137, 138
Thurston, Mary, 127, 164
Tinker, [Reuben], Circular (1836),
114
Titcomb, [Charles], plantation, Hanalei valley, Kauai, 172, 173, 175,
200
Todd & Co., owners of Mariposa, 3
Toulon, Honolulu, 197
Townsend, Dr. [Alfred A.], San
Francisco, 203, 205
Treusdale, L. E., to Feather River,
296; San Francisco, 298, 299, 300
Trippit, Daniel, seaman, Mariposa,
55
Troy, Callao, 37
Trumbull, D., American Evangelical
Society, Valparaiso, 21, 23, 24, 27,
28, 29, 30, 53. See also 61, 148,
166, 246, 299.
Tuolumne (Tuallomy) River, 283
Turrill, Judge [Joel], U. S. consul,
Honolulu, Callao, 49; Honolulu,
162, 164, 196, 198




Index


327


Turrill, Mrs., 162
Ulpino Creek (estero de Ulpino),
293, 297
Umunhum, peak, near San Jose, 252
Unicorn, San Francisco, 301, 305
University of California. See California University.
Valparaiso, Chili, 20, 22, 30, 31, 32
Vancouver, Capt. [George], 176
Van Voorhies, [William], secretary
of state, California, San Jose, 306
Varney, Capt. [Samuel], Angola,
Honolulu, 64
Ver Mehr, Dr. [John L.], Episcopal
minister, San Francisco, 300
Ver Mehr, Mrs., 300
Vernon, Cal., 296
Volcano. See Kilauea.
W —, Maui, 154, 179
Wahaula, name of heiau, Hawaii, 105
Wahiawa River, Kauai, 184
Waialua, Oahu, 197
Waiehu, Maui, 154
Waihaka River, Kauai, 184
Waihee, Maui, 154
Waikakuu, Hawaii, 120
Waikapu, Maui, 152
Waikiki (Waititi), Oahu, 57, 66, 73
Wailua River, Kauai, 171, 180, 181
Wailuku, Maui, 152, 153, 154
Wailuku Seminary, 69, 102, 153
Waimea, Hawaii, 76, 77, 180
Waimea valley, Kauai, 184, 188, 191
Wainiha River, Kauai, 174
Waiohinu, Hawaii, 114, 115, 117
Waioli River, Kauai, 172, 175
Waipahoehoe, Hawaii, 106, 108
Waititi. See Waikiki.
Walkinshaw, [Robert], Santa Clara,
250, 251, 252, 254, 255, 279
Walkinshaw, Miss, daughter of preceding, 301
Walsh, Capt. -, American, Valparaiso, 20, 21, 26
Walsh, Mrs. -, San Francisco, 232
Walsh, Robert, Irish priest, Valparaiso, 25
Ward, -, San Francisco, 210, 233


Ward, A ---, American, Valparaiso,
27
Ward, H. V., American, Valparaiso,
27
Warner, Lieut. [William H.], Monterey, 222, 225; San Jose, 256
Warren, U. S. N., San Francisco,
204; Monterey, 219
Waterman, Capt. -, Apu( $), San
Francisco, 292
Watson & Brown, American tailors,
Lima, 44
Weber, Capt. [Charles M.], San Jos6,
230, 236, 242; at mines, 267, 268,
270, 275, 282
Weber 's (Webber's) Creek, 270, 271,
275
Webster, Cal., 297
Weeks, [James W.], alcalde, San
Jos6, 247, 248
West, -, San Jos6, 243, 245, 246,
248, 254, 278
Wetmore, -, San Francisco, 297
Weyman, Mrs. -, San Jos6, 288
Wheeler, Daniel, Quaker, visit to
Sandwich Islands (1836), 130, 131
Wheeler, [O. C.], Baptist preacher,
San Francisco, 294, 295, 301
Wheelwright, -, school teacher, Valparaiso, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30
Wheelwright, Mrs., 23
Whipple, Lieut. -, Havana, 311;
New York, 311
Whisman, [Andrew], near San Jose,
289, 291, 295, 298
Whitaker, [John G.?], navy officer,
San Francisco, 209
White, [Charles], alcalde, San Jos6,
254, 255, 289, 290
White Island, San Francisco Bay,
202
Whiteman, [William], death mentioned, 277
Whiting, [Charles J.], surveyor-general, California, 304
Whitney,  Miss   Maria,  Waimea,
Kauai, 185
Whitney, [Samuel], (d. 1845), 69,
116, 177, 184, 185
Whitney, Mrs., at Waimea, Kauai,
169, 170, 177, 185
Whiton, San Francisco, 291; Sacramento, 296




328                            In
Whittlesey, [Eliphalet], Honolulu,
68, 75
Whittlesey, Mrs., 68
Wiggins, [William], San Jos6, 254,
278
Wilberforce, Samuel, History of the
American Episcopal Church criticized, 160
Wilcox, [Abner], teacher, Honolulu,
148; Waioli, Kauai, 172, 174, 176
Wilcox, Mrs., 176, 200
Wilkes, Capt. Charles, U. S. N.,
Narrative cited, 24, 38, 47, 52, 56,
85-87, 89, 121, 124, 213
Wilks, -, San Jos6, 236, 237, 243;
at mines, 262, 266, 267, 280, 282,
284, 285, 286
Willey, [Samuel Hopkins], 299, 303
William Thompson, whaler, Capt.
A. G. Ellis, Waimea, 188, 189, 190,
191
Williams,   [Albert],  Presbyterian
minister, San Francisco, 294, 296,
300
Willis, -, to mines, 256
Winters, Capt. -, Kealakekua, 136
Wood, Delia Williams, 291, 300, 312
Wood, Frances Wolcott (Mrs. Sylvester Cowles), [sister of the preceding], 312


dex


Wood, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph, New
Haven, 312
Wood, Dr. [R. W.], Honolulu, 65,
67; plantation, Kauai, 170, 184
Wood, Mrs., 162
Wood, William Cowper [brother of
Delia Williams Wood], 312
Woodbridge, [Sylvester], San Francisco, 292, 295, 297
Wooney, Prof. -, of San Diego, 297
Wright, Rev. -, New Haven, 312
Wright & Holkins, lawyers, San
Francisco, 305
Wyllie, [Robert Critchen], minister
of foreign affairs, Honolulu, 165,
198, 216, 221, 245
Wyse, Capt. -, of Apu(?), San
Francisco, 292
Yale University, gift to, 291; lecture at, 312
Ynigo ranch, 245, 249
York, -, at mines, 262, 267, 275
Young, -, San Jose, 279, 286, 287,
289, 303
Young, John, governor of Maui, Lahaina, 157; Honolulu, 165
Young Chiefs," 62, 65, 71, 73;
visit to Kilauea, 85, 87; Honolulu,
163, 164, 165, 168, 178, 195












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