IN HONOLULU.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 264, 31 July 1908, Page 3

IN HONOLULU.

WITH CHIEF LIBRARIAN BAILLIE. Mr. H. Baillie, Chief Municipal Librarian, had a bright timo. at Honolulu, where he was taken in hand by the secretary of tho Promotion Committee (which controls ' tho local library). ."I had a chat with tho librarian and a look round," writes Mr. Baillio. "Tho library is very full of books, but they liavo not nearly so muelv space as we have, and the reading room .tables are full of magazines. . . . When I returned to tho office, Mr. Wood had given instruction's to Mr. Cooper to take me round the town m a hack—a two-seated vehiclo with an adjustable cover. Ho drove mo first to Pali, a very pleasant drive through a valley, at tho end of which is an immense cliff surrounding a lurgo plain, some hundreds of feet below. The wind 011 this road' is a terror—Wellington will have to retire from tho blowing business. Wo drovo back to town, a distaneo of six miles, then* through some of tho residential streets, and along to a Honolulu seasido cafe, where wo had lunch; then a loungo on tho seats in front of. tho cafc, and right along tho water's edge, watching the natives surf-riding in their catamarans. Then we drove through Kapiolana Park to tho Aquarium. This is ono of the sights of the world. Tho colours of somo of tho fish are wonderful—they look as if they had been got up for 'the occasion. After having as much fish as I could digest wo had mora drivo through the park, on ono side of which wero a number of beautiful private residences. Tho grounds are usually green lawns, witli plenty of shade trees, cultivated gardens being quite exceptional.. Oleanders and hibiscus grow wild, and their blooms arc, of course','very bright. There arc also plenty of coconnuts, bananas, and papaus to bo seen. . . . Then we drove round Diamond Head, whore tho United States Government is building n lnrgo battery. On the way back wo passed through Chinese duck ponds, large shoots of water harbouring hundreds of ducks. The Chinese havo utilised some of the swampy Jand by scraping up tho soil and making ridges, on which they plant bananas and lnolons. All 1 round Kapiolana Park is a_ wido ditch full of water, the surface of 'which is o'orspread with water-lilies, mostly crimson-coloured, but not so nico as thoso I saw at Suva."