256 HEAD AND NECK ORNAMENTS. feathers, among which the blossoms of the purple globe amaranthus, was ingeniously and tastefully disposed. I have seen a few necklaces of shells, both land and sea. Those made of whale's teeth are very common. The only kind of bracelet that is worn, consists of two shells of various degrees of beauty, fastened on the back of the wrist by a small cord of cotton or silk — formerly of grass or hemp. The common people are as fond of ornaments of these kinds as the chiefs, and you scarce see the poorest of them of either sex, or of any age, without them. You seldom meet any one at work on his farm, bringing water from the interior of the settlement, or wood from the mountains, without witnessing some exhibition of his ingenuity and taste, in the arrangement of a wreath for his head. There is scarce anything in the vegetable kingdom produced on the islands, that is not made subservient to this purpose, either in root, branch, flower or fruit; and so great is the variety in the construction and combination of them, that on almost any public occasion, with but little aid of the imagination, one might at a single glance, recognize all the boasted crowns of republican Rome, from the rude civica, and humble obsidionalis, to the more dignified and graceful triumphalis. Red peppers, tomatos, the blossoms of the sun-flower, various arrangements of common Indian corn, either parched or in the state in which it is shelled from the cob, as well as the rich flowers of the amaranthus, and ohia leihua - a species of eugenia - form a decoration for the head. The American manner of dressing the hair is becoming common among the females of the higher ranks; but among the lower classes, especially among those advanced in years, the more customary mode is to wear the hair short in front and on the sides of the head, and to turn up the edges on the forehead and temples, with a wash made of white clay or lime. The manner of wearing anything on the head is universally the same, being immediately on the top, from the upper line of the forehead to the outer edge of the crown, like the circles of light often seen in engravings of saints. TEMPERATURE AND CLIMATE. 257 These bandeaus and necklaces, and the bracelets of shells constitute the entire dress above the waist, in which the females generally appear, unless there be the addition in some cases, of a silk or cotton handkerchief, tied round the neck like a sling, and to which are suspended a small circular or oblong looking-glass set in wood, and a copper, brass or silver-mounted tobacco-pipe. Thus ornamented, with a new pau, of plain crimson or orange, or of a variety of figures and colors, they walk out with as much pride of dress, as a modern belle at home in the full costume of fashion. Jan. 13. We cannot write even at this season, from these mild latitudes of "nipping frosts" and "drifting snow; still, even here winter comes 99 "to rule the varied year, Sullen and sad, with all her rising train In the summer, scarce a cloud ever floats in the brightness of our glowing skies; but in the winter, especially thus far in the present season, we have much dark and lowering weather, with occasional heavy rains. For several days past, all without doors, has been exceedingly gloomy; and when I first rose this morning, while a green and chilling surf was tumbling and foaming the whole distance between the reef and shore, such impenetrable darkness overspread the whole sea, that a vessel could not have been seen a dozen yards beyond the breakers. The climate of the islands is far more cool than might be supposed, judging from the latitude in which they are situated. This is partly owing to the vast unbroken body of water by which they are surrounded, but principally and more immediately to the prevalence of the north-east trade wind, which, during the larger portion of the year, sweeps over and about them with great velocity, and, from the direction in which it comes, and the surface over which it passes, possesses no inconsiderable refrigerative power. In the trade-wind, the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer in the shade- seldom rises higher than 80 and 82 deg., during the summer, and 72 and 74 deg., during the winter. 258 TEMPERATURE AND CLIMATE, From the very great height of the mountains, however, there are places and districts on the leeward or western sides of some of the islands, which are inaccessible to the regular wind, except when it becomes a gale, breaking over the lower hills, and rushing in strong eddies round the points and promontories, which at ordinary times form a barrier to it. Lahaina is situated on one of these spots, and probably is the hottest district in the group; the mercury usually rising as high in winter here as it does in mid-summer where the trades prevail; and in summer frequently to 88 and 89 deg. During the summer months, or from March to October, when the trade-wind is most strong and most regular, Lahaina enjoys a pleasant, and often fresh sea-breeze; but even then, there is not circulation enough to give it the ventilation received wherever the former wind reaches. In winter, when the trades are generally light, and often interrupted entirely by calms and south-westerly winds, the sea-breeze also becomes light and variable, and a much greater stagnation of air takes place, rendered doubly impure by exhalations from the kalo beds and fish-ponds, which are numerous throughout the settlement. These circumstances cause the climate of Lahaina to be rather unfavorable to health. As to clouds and rain, from March to October the atmosphere throughout all the islands is usually clear and bright, similar to the finest weather in June in the United States. On the windward or eastern parts, however, there are almost daily showers, and in the mountains not unfrequently continued rains, from the lodgment of clouds against their tops and sides. In most places on the leeward sides there are also occasional showers; but at Lahaina scarcely a cloud, except on the mountains, is during the summer to be seen, and a drop of rain, during those months, seldom falls. From September to April, the atmosphere is more or less hazy, obscure and cloudy, with frequent light rains in some places, and, in others, heavy storms of two or three days' continuance. We have had three storms only, at Lahaina, since our residence here, and they have been in December, January, and March. Monday, Jan. 17. Yesterday morning the native brig MR. HOFFMAN, MINERALOGIST. 259 Becket, arrived from Honolulu, and at twelve o'clock, our friends Dr. and Mrs. Blatchely, and Mr. Hoffman, mineralogist on board the Russian discovery ship, Capt. Kotzebue, now at Oahu, landed at the mission house. Mr. Hoffman is an interesting young man, apparently not more than twenty-two or twenty-four years old, of highly prepossessing appearance and agreeable manners. He makes his home with us while the brig remains; and we feel ourselves happy in entertaining a guest of so much intelligence and good breeding. Wednesday, 19. At noon yesterday, we discovered the pilot-boat Astor, bounding before a fresh breeze, over the waters of the Molokai channel, and, in the course of an hour, welcomed Mr. Chamberlain to Lahaina. He is on his way to Hilo, on the east of Hawaii, with supplies for Waiakea, and will spend a few days with us while the vessel is taking in a cargo of salt. Mr. Chamberlain, in his station of agent of the mission, with the superintendence of secular concerns, is a most invaluable and indefatigable fellow-laborer with us. In entering the situation he now occupies, he relinquished a partnership in a mercantile establishment of Boston, successfully engaged in business, with the most flattering prospects of affluence, placed his capital in the stocks, devoting the interest to the missionary cause, and, in contrast to his former situation, may now almost daily be seen at Honolulu, with a cheerful face and happy heart, driving a team of oxen, or drawing a porter's barrow, from the mission house to the village; or in a coarse carman's frock, toiling among the barrels and boxes of his store-house. For the last two days, Mr. Hoffman, attended by Mr. Richards, has been scouring the country in search of specimens in mineralogy; and this afternoon I accompanied him in a walk to the foot of one of the mountains immediately to the east of our settlement, for the same object, but without meeting anything new or particularly interesting. The mineralogical kingdom here presents little variety in its exhibitions; everything is almost exclusively volcanic, and in forms long familiar to the scientific world. The arrangement and combination of these forms, however, are frequently such as to create admiration and astonishment; especially on Hawaii, which in this respect, taken as a whole, including the sublime and fearful exhibitions of the great crater of Kilauea, is among the greatest phenomena of the Pacific. The Becket sails for Kailua to-morrow, and carries from us all our visiters, excepting Mr. Chamberlain. While at my writing-desk this evening, Mr. Hoffman left on a sheet of paper the name of his ship, and a list of her officers, as a little memento of his visit. This gave rise to some remarks on the character of Capt. Kotzebue ; among other things Mr. Hoffman stated, that he was a great admirer of Washington. During the morning, in looking over some papers preparatory to my visit to Honolulu, I had found in the folds of one of my pocket-books, a sprig of evergreen plucked from a tree on the humble tomb of our illustrious countryman, when I visited Mount Vernon, in 1821. I immediately handed it to Mr. Hoffman, saying, "If Capt. Kotzebue admires Washington, even this trifle will be thought acceptable by him; but the moment he knew its origin, with enthusiastic earnestness, though not without evident embarrassment at the liberty taken of directing it from the person mentioned, he exclaimed, "Non, non, Monsieur, non Kotzebue, moi-même, moi-mème;" 'No, no, sir, not Kotzebue, not Kotzebue; myself! myself!"-to which I most readily assented; and added as a testimony of my personal regard, what I had before designed for that purpose, a neat pocket edition of the testament in French, the language in which we had attempted to hold most of our conversations. 66 Saturday, 29. The Becket came to anchor yesterday afternoon, from Hawaii, and we are again favored with the society of the interesting young naturalist from the Pretpriatie. Tuesday next is the day fixed for sailing for Oahu. Monday, 31. For a year past, except in one or two instances, we have scarce heard the sounds of the native songs and dances. But an expected heir, in a high branch of the Pitt family, has filled the minds of some of the chiefs and people, not particularly interested in the palapala and the pule - learning and religion-with a desire |