“When the whalers began to frequent (Honolulu Harbor) place in numbers, a town soon sprung up, and by the year 1820, Honolulu contained some six or seven thousand inhabitants.”
“To-day its population is reckoned at 17,000, a larger number than the capital of the important British Colony of New Zealand could recently boast.”
“The First view of Honolulu, on approaching it from the sea, has been variously described by visitors, some of whom have expressed great disappointment, whilst others have gone into raptures over the scene.”
“Unless, however, from exaggerated descriptions the traveler has been led to expect something extremely wonderful and unusual, I do not understand how anyone can fail to be charmed with the view of Honolulu …”
“… and its surrounding scenery as seen from the deck of an approaching vessel, especially after many days’ confinement on shipboard, with nothing but the waste of waters around him.”
“It is true that the hills of Oahu have not the same luxurious clothing of vegetation that is common in many of the island groups of the Southern Pacific. It is true also that the town has no characteristic buildings of a striking nature to arrest attention.”
“Nevertheless, Honolulu is a prettier place to look at from the sea than nineteen out of twenty port tropics or elsewhere. It has rightly been called ‘a city in a grove.’”
“Until trees were planted it cannot have been an inviting-looking place. No visitor of former days, up to five and twenty years ago, has anything to say in praise of the city, however delighted with the surrounding scenery.”
“Dusty streets, insignificant houses irregularly built and located, with hardly a tree to be seen anywhere, presented no feature worth a second thought.”
“All this is now changed, and by nothing more so than by the growth of the trees, now universally to be found throughout town and suburbs.”
“A few of the more important building tower above the trees; but for the most part the houses and stores are completely hidden by rich evergreen foliage.”
“This alone gives a character of its own to Honolulu which, charming as seen from the sea, is still more delightful when its cool shade is experienced in the streets and gardens of the town.”
“The first evidence of the commercial activity of the port to which the visitor is introduced is the large and substantial wharf or dock, as (according to an imported custom) it is usually called.”
“Here the large steamers of the Mail Service can lie alongside with ease. On the wharf is a huge landing shed, and behind this a large building of stone, occupied as a warehouse for bonded goods.”
“Facing the Esplanade Wharf are the Custom-house buildings, the entrance to the Custom-house itself is on Fort street. The department occupies half the upper floor of one of the buildings. They are all solid-looking erections of stone, and form a block by themselves, having open ground around them on three sides and a wide street on the other.”
“Of these the first was built in 1860, a two-story, fireproof building, sixty feet by sixty. It is here that Customs Department are located, and hence the building is usually known as the Custom-house’”
“Immediately alongside of this a similar warehouse was erected in 1867, and quite lately, in 1878, it has been found necessary to add another large bonding store, 200 feet in length by a width of 50 feet. This latter building has, however, but one story.”
“The isolated position of these warehouses and the substantial manner in which they have been built of stone, with slate or corrugated iron for roofing, renders them the safest stores in the town, and they are recognized as such by all the insurance companies, who take risks on their contents at lower rates than on any other stores.”
“Outside the shed I found quite a crowd of vehicles with their chattering Kanaka drivers looking for a fare. I chartered one, and I and my belongings were quickly bowled over the level streets to my destination.”
“Of course, I went to the Hawaiian Hotel, that pride of all the white inhabitants of Honolulu. It used, I hear, not to be so highly esteemed by a dissatisfied section of the natives, because it was built by the Government and cost a considerable sum of money, ($120,000 or so), to raise which the Government of the day ran the country into debt.”
“Next day I undertook a voyage of discovery through the town and found out the Government Buildings, and the King’s palace, and many other places of more or less interest. A new palace is in course of erection, and it is estimated that it will be completed before the beginning of 1881.”
“From the palace I went to the Government buildings. This is a plain structure, but of handsome proportions, and a decided credit to the Kingdom.”
“The great central hall and staircase of the buildings is lighted by a lantern tower, which is one of the most conspicuous objects in any view of the town from sea or shore, and is a relieving feature in a design otherwise rather homely in its character.”
“The Library is a highly creditable one. As might naturally have been expected, it is particularly rich in works upon the Hawaiian Islands or in which descriptions of the Islands, their people, language, fauna and flora, or anything relating to their history, are to be found.”
“I closed my afternoon’s excursion with a visit to the O‘ahu Prison. This is situated at the west side of the town and immediately at the mouth of the Nu‘uanu Valley. Its position for healthiness cannot be surpassed, subject as it is to every breath of the trade winds.”
“Built in 1857 of coral stone, cut from the various reefs by the prisoners themselves, and modeled after the Charlestown prison, near Boston, it so far has proved large enough for the criminal population of the country.”
“All prisoners whose sentences are over three months are sent here; also prisoners committed for trial to the various terms of the Supreme and Circuit Courts. There is cell accommodation for 170, and the usual average of prisoners is 150 to 155, one half of whom are natives, the other half foreigners and Chinese…”
“Prisoners are employed making roads, wharves, bridges, in fact any public work which may be going on at the time. In consequence of prisoners being thus employed, with the exception of such as are kept inside as servants, or on the sick list, or awaiting trial …”
“… no one, to look at the prison in the day time, would suspect that at night every cell was occupied, as from 6 A.M. to 5:50 P.M. all that can work are at work.”
“Looking seaward from the prison I noticed a building which had been erected upon the reef, and on enquiry found it to be a Quarantine Station. This building had been erected by the Government in the anticipation of its being required for purposes of quarantine, but it was not until the 28th of March, this year, that occasion occurred to put it to use for its proper purposes.”
“On the next day, on which I had leisure to pursue my examination of the town, I visited some of its educational establishments. There are plenty of native schools everywhere in this Kingdom.”
“Is it not the proud boast of the Kanaka race and of its teachers that it is ahead of all those nations which pride themselves on their advances in what we call western civilization in the proportion to the total population of those who can read and write their own language …”
“I never saw any theatrical representation in Honolulu. Neither tragedy nor comedy, burlesque nor opera can be said to be naturalized here yet. Nevertheless there is a theatre Royal, where occasionally a passing company angles for a few dollars with various results.”
“There is another public institution in Honolulu which does credit to the country, but which I did not visit. This is known as Queen Emma’s Hospital, having been named after his Queen by Kamehameha IV.”
“There is in Merchant Street another valuable public institution not supported by Government. This is the Sailors’ Home, which is maintained by a society organized in 1853, called the Sailors’ Home Society.”
“There is one public institution which every town ought to be able to boast of, more especially every tropical town, which I miss in Honolulu. There is no public park in or about the town.”
“The only open spaces in the town are Emma Square and the ground around the Government buildings. Emma Square is of no great extent.”
“The last, perhaps the most important place I have to mention is the bank. Messrs. Bishop & Co.’s premises are of stone, and handsome building at the corner of Merchant and Kaahumanu streets. This is the only bank on the islands.”
“On the first Saturday afternoon after my arrival in Honolulu I went, as every stranger does, and as a very large number of the residents do also, to the fish market. The place is on Queen street, just beyond Messrs. Brewer & Co.’s premises, and covers a considerable area between that place and the wharf which goes by its name.”
“This is the market of Honolulu. Not only fish, but fruit and vegetables and butchers’ meat, are to be purchased here. On Saturday all the country people come into town who can, and on the afternoon of that day the place is so crowded by pedestrians, that it is almost impossible to move about in it.”
“And now, before quitting Honolulu, I must not forget to mention two facts which do credit to the paternal Government which takes its municipal affairs under its wing. Water is laid on over almost all the town, and the streets are lighted with gas.” (Bowser, 1880)
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