HONOLULU.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 665, 11 July 1870, Page 3

HONOLULU.

The following extract from a private letter, received in Dunedin from a well-known resident in Otago, who recently proceeded to Europe by the San Erancisco route, has been handed to us {Daily Times) for publication : — This morning I was on deck at the first dawn of day, and as I reached it, there, close to us, lay the land. It was at first too dim to distinguish much. "We could see the tall, sharplydefined mountains, becoming, as the light grew upon us, more clearly discernible. The first thing that struck me, as soon as X could get a good view, was how very much like it was to parts of New Zealand I had seen, and yet how unlike too. You know that sharp, razor-backed spur, don't you, midway between the Tuapeka and Beaumont ? Well, fancy some of these, with immense gullies between, about eight times as high, running down into a large flat, perhaps the size of the Teviot flat, and in this flat lies the town of Honolulu. The mountains were much greener and better grassed than any I have ever seen in New Zealand. The mountains had a great deal the look of those about the Beaumont — of that one, in particular, on the opposite side of the Molyneux, with the bush on it as you come down from Long Valley. I cannot describe it better than this. The pilot shortly afterwards came on board, accompanied with a native crew, and from him we learned the cheerful tidings that the Idaho, the vessel that was to take us on to San Francisco was in ; but she was already full. The natives that accompanied him, and those I afterwards saw, were exact counterparts of the Maoris; minus the tattooing, and the fact that they are, as a rule, somewhat smaller sized, I would defy you to tell the difference. They come, it appears, from the same islands, and curious to say, understood many Maori words addressed to them by some of our New Zealand passengers. The entrance to the harbour of Honolulu is very narrow, some three hundred yards wide, if so much, the remainder being protected from the violence of the ocean by. a sunken reef. The harbour itself is very small, when you get inside, but we found many vessels lying there, and large ones too ; amongst others an American and an Austrian man-of-war. Close to, as we got inside the reef, lay the town of Honolulu, but scarcely any of its houses were visible, being hidden from view, except those near the water's edge, and the tops of the spires of churches and other public buildings, by the dense foliage. Trees beautifully green, and of every conceivable hue, lay around in every direction, covering the flat. "We shortly were moored alongside the jetty. The jetty, as we got alongside, was crowded. There were natives, and half-castes, and men, and women, with a goodly sprinkling of Europeans. The number of horses was something surprising, but such horses ; the saddles were mostly Mexican, with large pieces of untanned leather over the stirrups to protect the feet from the heat of the sun. The natives were dressed in every conceivable costume, as were the half-castes, but mostly in showy coloured shirts and white trousers, the women being principally dressed in a kind of gown just tied around the neck, and loose the rest of the way. This I observed as I stood leaning over the side of the "Wonga Wonga whilst she was being made fast to the jetty. "When this was done, I got ashore, and went up town. Such a curious town as it is, and such a paradise. I could really never say enough in its praise. Long narrow unpaved streets, but the roads in good repair, nevertheless; with weatherboard houses, rather small, and most of them having projecting verandahs, and immense large sign boards attached to the tops of the gables. Then around them, and around one in every direction, lay every kind of tropical tree I could name, many of them laden with fruit. Having taken a stroll, and found out the best eating-house, I returned to the vessel, and then, in company with Mr B. and his son, came back again to the " Canton Boarding House. Meals at all hours ; coffee and cigars." That was what the sign told us we had to expect. We found the house was kept by a Chinaman; a very obliging in-|

telligent fellow. We could get no sleeping accommodation, however, but the proprietor of the house accompanied us to a private residence where lived one Dr L., who Bhowed us two! such jolly rooms opening the one off the other, which we engaged for the two or three nights we are to remain here. They occupied the second story, with a large projecting verandah running around them, into which they opened, and from the verandah you went down into the garden by an outside stair. The house itself, like all the houses here, except the business ones, is some fifty or a hundred feet back from the street ; it is surrounded by quatas, banana, feathery palm, and other trees, whose names I don't as yet know. For the two rooms we pay three dollars, or 12s 6d a night. It is cheap enough in all conscience, but the proprietor apologised for the amount, by saying that it was almost as much trouble to him, our having them for two or three nights, as if we had them for a week, and that he would charge very little more for the longer time.. "We then returned to our friend, the Chinaman's, and, as you may imagine, with good appetites. At the " Canton " everything was exquisite, beautiful coffee was placed before us, then came beefsteaks, two fresh eggs, three sausages, taro, bananas, melons (all of these, mind, before each of us), with delicious rolls and fresh bread. I need not say I pitched in pretty strong. "What do you think I paid P I paid Is 4d, and had a splendid cigar handed me in lieu of some change I should have got. Young B and myself then went down to the ship for a few things, writing materials, &c, and having got them up, strolled out to have a look round us. I got some sketches, only 6s. Sixpences and shillings are worth a little more than actual value, all other coins less.. A sovereign, for instance, is worth 4 dols. 75 cents — that is 19s. The beauty of the houses and grounds all round the town is really indescribable. I know I cannot find words to give you an' idea of their beauty. That house of JR — — 's, at, or near, the Water of Leith, comes nearer them in appearance than any I know ; but, oh ! it falls far short. The large verandahs, trellised from top to bottom, the cool fountains, the myriads of flowers of every colour and shape, and the delightfully cool, green, shady, fruitladen trees j and the look of coolness, of freshness, of voluptuousness, if I may so say, which met you at every turn, you may fancy, perhaps, but I certainly cannot clothe it in words. At 12 o'clock, we had dinner at the " Canton," consisting of beef, mutton, soup, fruits, and pastry, for which we paid Is 6d, and the inevitable cigar again thrown in. After dinner Major V hunted me up, to say he had engaged two horses — one for himself and the other for me. We then set off for a six miles' ride into the interior. After half a mile's ride through the suburbs, on every side of us those indescribable show houses and grounds, we entered a large gully, one of the four which open on Honolulu,. Through this we rode for four or five miles. We passed through orange groves, through taro plantations, through sugar canes, by herds of small wiry looking horses and mules and of inferior looking cattle. The road was fenced in by walls built of scoria stones. The road was covered with red scoria dust, and on either side of us, the gully or flat was shut in by steep precipitous scoria mountains — mountains running into all sorts of fantastic slopes, reminding me very much in their outline of the Eemarkables. Half way down their sides they were covered with bush, and the remaining half and the flat on to the road with a long coarse grass, beautifully green. I have, I think, mentioned that gully runing along from the Beaumont half way to Tuapeka; well, it was just such another, a little broader perhaps, than at its mouth, at the Beaumont, but the mountains shutting it in ever so much higher, and almost perpendicular. We passed by numbers of natives, men and women, all on horseback ' the women, I noticed, in most cases' wearing a pair of spurs on their naked feet. The natives, I must say, seem very decent, civil, well-to-do, and well dressed. They can get no liquor to buy, a very stringent law prohibiting its eale. Indeed, I only saw one or two

! grog houses in Honolulu. The license for sale of spirits being very heavy, about d 6250 a year, you cannot;, in consequence, get a drink of anything fop less than Is. After gently ascending, we came upon the watershed, and the view that met us I shall never forget The view itself was very beautiful, but it was the suddenness which gave it the principal portion of its charm. You turned sharp round a large stone at the top, and then suddenly at your feet, some two thousand feet below you, lay a sort of horseshoe. At the opening of the shoe, and away beyond as far as you could see, lay the Pacific. From the sea into the rim of the shoe lay a beautiful green plain, some eight miles wide by six broad, perhaps, and, shutting in the shoe itself stood high perpendicular mountains, some two thousand feet high. Remember, we stood on the top of this, looking down upon the whole thing, and leading our horseß down a short way the other side, stood gazing on the picture in delight. I cut my name upon one of the rocks, caught up my companions, and returned with them, feeling much better, and greatly delighted with my trip, which cost me one and a half dollar, equal to 6a.