his dominions, he draws after him a train more destructive than locusts. Every thing is abandoned to follow the sovereign; and the country, deserted by all who have an interest in its cultivation, and in the improvement of the lands, becomes of course neglected. I have observed many fine tracts of land lying thus neglected, even in the fertile plains of Lahaina: the ruined enclosures and broken dykes around them were certain indications that they were not always in that state."

I well recollect on landing at Oahu, in 1823, to have had the uncultivated plain, to which Capt. Beechey probably alludes, pointed out to me by one of the older of the foreign residents, as an evidence of the rapid deterioration of the country since the accession of the young king Liholiho. While Kamehameha lived, he said, that extensive tract was covered with potatos and melons, sugar. cane and bananas; but since his death everything was going to ruin. The mission at that time had scarce become firmly established. Little change had then been effected in the habits and pursuits of the people; and it was too early to bring a calumny against them through this channel. But now, when thousands of the natives have become interested in learning to read and write, and have been prevailed on to devote the hours of every day, which they once spent in games and dances, to their schools, it is very easy and very convenient for the opposers of our instructions to say to a visiter, from whom the engagedness of the islanders in the objects of the mission cannot be concealed, "It is true the schools and churches flourish, but look at the desolation of that plain it is all in consequence of the influence of the missionaries the whole country is going to ruin in the same manner!" The true cause of the appearances in many parts of the country of a more extensive cultivation and improvement of land formerly than is seen at present, is two-fold. They arise first, and principally, from the rapid depopulation of the islands, from destructive wars and the crime of infanticide, which prevailed to a very great extent, and from the drunkenness and disease introduced by foreigners; and secondly, from a custom among the natives of frequently changing the location of their cultivated grounds — form. ing a new plantation where there had not been one, and leaving that which they had previously occupied to go to waste. This they frequently do from various inducements, such as that of securing greater advantage of water in irrigation, &c. &c.

As to the scarcity of provisions mentioned by Capt. Beechey, and the extremity to which the young king in consequence of it was driven for a crust of bread, I have some striking illustrations in a few statistical data, put into my possession by a gentleman just arrived in this country from a six years' residence at the islands, and who was at Oahu at the time of Capt. Beechey's visit.

Ships in considerable numbers, first began to frequent the Sandwich islands for refreshments in the years 1822 and 1823. In 1822 the number touching at Honolulu was 33; and in 1823 it amounted, at the same place, to 57. The mission at that time, had exert

ed no influence over the people in general; there were then but few religious services to call them from their work, and no school to interfere with the cultivation of their lands but provisions were scarce, the prices were high, and the ships were not readily supplied with the refreshments they required. In the year 1826, that of Capt. Beechey's visit, the number of vessels that called at Oahu, was 107 - some remain a week, some a fortnight, others a month, and others again three months. They were all abundantly supplied with provisions, such as hogs, goats, fowls, eggs, potatos, kalo, cabbage, onions, pumpkins, cucumbers, bananas, melons, &c. &c. while they remained in port; and each, on an average, carried to sea from 40 to 60 barrels of potatos, and other vegetables, besides live stock. The market was always full, and the demand so profusely supplied, that potatos and kalo, instead of being $3 per barrel as was the case in preceding years, sold in the public market for $2 and $1.50, and could be procured at private sale for $1. The rate of all other articles was proportionably lower than formerly.

The story about the young king and American consul, is too absurd for a moment's remark. Every person in the least acquainted with the despotic power of the government, knows that the whole nation would die with famine before the king's tribute would fail; and proof is not wanting that there never was a time, in the reign of the present monarch, when he could not in a day have collected provisions for a thousand men.

I think it unnecessary, sir, to pursue a refutation of the remarks on the Sandwich islands, extracted from the letters of Capt. Beechey, to a more tedious length. They are all equally open to exposure the apprehension of civil war and bloodshed, which he expresses, was as groundless as his fears of a famine. And the gratuitous charge founded on it, by the reviewer, "that the American teachers apply and expound the text of scripture which says, that in the kingdom of heaven none is before or after another, - none greater nor less than another, so as exactly to tell the poor creatures, that 'all men are equal;' and thus to have produced a visible insubor dination to the chiefs," is as ridiculous as his apocryphal text of scripture is untrue.

With these extracts from Capt. Beechey's letters, the animadversion of the writer ceases; and shortly after, the article is brought to a close by a speculation on the origin of the islanders. The author's decided opinion is, that it is oriental. In Pele, the god. dess of volcanos, he clearly recognises the Pel, Bel, or Baal, of the eastern world and in all the customs, habits, games, &c. of the people, traces the Asiatic character. As a finishing proof of the

"Their

correctness of his opinion, he adds the following sentence: dispersion over the Pacific is easily accounted for, by the constant easterly winds, which at various times and in various directions, may have blown fishing canoes from the Asiatic islands to those scattered over the Pacific, and from one of these islands to another which last accident, indeed, is constantly happening at the present day."

Unfortunately for this theory, the argument here adduced, instead of being the strongest in its favor, is the most conclusive of all others against its truth. The constant easterly winds of the Pacific, between the parallels of latitude including most of the clusters of islands, instead of facilitating the dispersion of an Asiatic race over the face of that ocean, would present the most formidable of existing impediments to such migration. The canoes of the South Sea islanders are peculiarly unfit for sailing against the wind; and with these rude boats only for navigation, it seems impossible that the inhabitants of the Marquesas, Society, and Sandwich islands, should have struggled against a regular eastern wind to their present abodes.

Had the argument been adduced to prove the islanders to be of Mexican or Peruvian origin, it would have been good; but as it stands, it is only an additional evidence of the error of the article from the beginning to the end.

It was doubtless thought by the author a most happy circumstance, that just as the Review was about to appear, a letter should arrive from the islands confirming the allegations against the American missionaries. This letter is introduced in a note, at the close of the number, and is so important a document, that I will place before you the whole of it, as published by the editors, together with their introductory paragraph.

"Since the preceding pages have been struck off, we have been favored with the following literal copy of a letter of Boki, (which we pledge ourselves to be genuine,) confirming what we have stated with regard to the conduct of the American missionaries at the Sandwich islands."

"Islands of Woahoo, Jan. 24, 1826.

"Sir, I take this opportunity to send you thes fu lines, hopping the will find you in good health, as bles god the leve me at present. I am sorrey to inform You that Mr. Pitt (Karaimakoo) has gon thro four opperashons since you sailed from here, but thank god he is now much better, and we ar in hops of his recovery, and I am verey sorey to tell you that Mr. Bingham the head of the Misheneres is trieng every thing in his pour to have the Law of this country in his own hands. all of us ar verry happy to have sum pepel to instruct us in what is rite and good but he wants us to be entirely under his laws which will not do with the natives. I have done all in my pour to prevent it and I have done it as yet. Ther is Cahomano wishes the Misheneres to have the whol atority but I sholl prevent it as long as I cane, for if the

have their will be nothing done in thes Islands not even cultivation, for their own use. I wish the peppel to reid and to rite and likewise to worke, but the Misheneres have got them night and day old and young so that ther is verrey little don her at present. The pepel in general ar verrey much discetisfied at the Misheneres thinking they will have the laws in their own hands. Captain Charlton has not arrived from Otiety which makes me think sumthing has happened to him. Mr. Bingham has gone so far as to tell thes natives that neither king George nor Lord Byron has any regard for God, or any of the English cheefs, that they are all bad pepel but themselves, and there is no redemsion for any of the heads of the English or American nations God send you good health and a long life.

'Mrs. Boki sends her kind love to Lord Biron and Mr. Camrone and the Hon. Mr. Hill.

I have called this letter an important document; and I believe that you, sir, upon examining it, in connexion with one or two facts in my possession, will be of the same opinion. The editor pledges himself that it is genuine if it is meant by that term, that the original letter is the composition and writing of Boki, I do not hesitate, on my part, to pledge myself that it is not genuine; and being thus at issue, I will present the evidence on which I stake the case.

The first proof I would offer, is in the spelling of the proper names: - Woahoo, Karaimakoo, Cahomano, and Otiety. All these words are in constant and familiar use; they are words of the native language, which Boki has had occasion to spell a thousand times since he has learned to write; and yet, not one of them is here spelled correctly; nor are the mistakes committed, in any instance, those into which a native would fall. Every letter in their language has one sound only, and every letter is sounded. Consequently their errors in spelling are all in the omission, and not in the substitution of letters. These words, however, are spelled according to the orthography in use among foreigners. Boki would have written them thus - Oahu, Kalaimoku, Kaahumanu, and Tahiti.

In the second place, the general spelling is such as no native, writing in English, would have adopted. The peculiarity of the native orthography is not betrayed in a single instance - which, in the midst of so much bad spelling, is truly singular. One great difficulty in such a case would have been, in stringing consonants together without the intervention of a vowel in his own language every consonant is invariably followed by a vowel: but in this letter, in many instances, vowels are omitted where they ought to have been introduced, and a row of consonants put together, which no native could pronounce for instance, in the word "sumthing." The third proof I would present, is the general style and idiom of the letter. In these respects it is exactly such a letter as an il

literate Englishman or American would write, and commences with a sentence which forms the beginning of almost every vulgar letter in the English tongue. Had the letter been of Boki's own composition, this would not have been the fact. A national idiom would have been manifested at least occasionally. But from the beginning to the end, there is not a thought, nor phrase, indicative of the Sandwich-islander. That you may judge of the force of this argument, I will give a translation of a letter to Mr. Bingham, written by Kalaimoku, brother of Boki, and regent of the islands, on hearing of the opposition of foreigners to the missionaries, and their accusations against them.

“Love to you, Mr. Bingham :

This is my opinion concerning all you missionary teachers of us. I know of no faults in you. If I knew of any I would mention them to you. No, ye are upright. When you gave us the pala-pala, (instruction in reading and writing) we learned: when you gave us the word of God, we obeyed. Our females are sacred. We have learned the word of God; but, foreigners come here and commit wickedness in our land- men from America and from Britain. Be not troubled; it is on our account you are blamed; it is not yourselves. Here is my mind with the word of Jehovah I have given my heart unto God, together with my body and my soul. I have become one of the church of Jesus Christ. Examine ye - Mr. Bingham and company-my sentiments, that ye may know, and, if ye desire it, transmit my com. munication to the United States, to our chief- the President. It is with yourselves to do it. Affection to our chief in America — love to him. KALAIMOKU.

Honolulu, Oahu, October 28, 1826.”

But it is not necessary, sir, to have recourse to the internal evidences of the production to prove that Boki never wrote it. The point is at once settled by the fact, that Boki could not at the time the letter is dated, either speak, write or understand English, nor can he at the present time. In all his intercourse with English and American visiters, he is obliged to resort to an interpreter ; and even so recently as last December, was incapable of detecting the misinterpretation of a single sentence in English, spoken before him, in an interview with Capt. Jones, of the U. S. ship Peacock, and wrongly interpreted by design. The letter cannot be genuine, for without a miracle, equal to the gift of tongues, he could not have written it.

If he did not write it - it is a forgery. If it is not the production of a native, and it is impossible that it ever could have been, then it is the attempt of a foreigner, ignorant of the genius and idiom of the language of the islanders, to write as he might suppose a native, imperfectly acquainted with the English language, would write. The manifest and only disguise of the whole piece is bad spelling: no man capable of writing at all, or who was