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December 21, 2021 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

1821

Napoleon I, French Napoléon Bonaparte, original Italian Napoleone Buonaparte, byname the Corsican or the Little Corporal, French byname Le Corse or Le Petit Caporal, (born August 15, 1769, Ajaccio, Corsica—died May 5, 1821, St. Helena Island), French general, first consul (1799–1804), and emperor of the French (1804–1814/15), one of the most celebrated personages in the history of the West.

He revolutionized military organization and training; sponsored the Napoleonic Code, the prototype of later civil-law codes; reorganized education; and established the long-lived Concordat with the papacy.  (Britannica)

After seizing political power in France in a 1799 coup d’état, he crowned himself emperor in 1804. Shrewd, ambitious and a skilled military strategist, Napoleon successfully waged war against various coalitions of European nations and expanded his empire.

After a streak of victories, France secured a dominant position in continental Europe and Napoleon maintained the French sphere of influence through the formation of extensive alliances. 

However, after a disastrous French invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon abdicated the throne two years later and was exiled to the island of Elba.

In 1815, he briefly returned to power in his Hundred Days campaign. After a crushing defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, he abdicated once again and was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena. (History-com)

Napoleon Bonaparte died (apparently of stomach cancer) at 5:49pm on May 5, 1821, at Longwood on the island of Saint Helena.

Napoleon’s rise and prominence in power was concurrent with George Washington, and … Kamehameha.

George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)

The first president of the United States, George Washington, serving from 1789 to 1797, is often referred to as the Father of Our Country.

He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783.

After victory had been finalized in 1783, Washington resigned rather than seize power, proving his opposition to dictatorship and his commitment to the emerging American political ideology of republicanism.  Washington was elected as the first president in 1789, and re-elected 1792.

Dissatisfied with the weaknesses of Articles of Confederation, in 1787, Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention that drafted the United States Constitution. 

Kamehameha I (ca. 1758 – May 8, 1819)

Kamehameha was initially known as Paiʻea, which means “hard-shelled crab;” Kamehameha means “The Lonely One.” Raised in the royal court of his uncle, Kalaniʻōpuʻu, Kamehameha achieved prominence in 1782, upon Kalaniʻōpuʻu’s death.

While the kingship was inherited by Kalaniʻōpuʻu’s son Kiwalaʻo, Kamehameha was given the prominent position of guardianship of the Hawaiian god of war, Kūkaʻilimoku.

In 1785, Kamehameha married Ka‘ahumanu, the daughter of one of his most trusted advisors.  In 1790, he attained control of Hawai‘i Island, then he successfully invaded the Islands of Maui, Lāna‘i, Molokai and O‘ahu, by 1795.

Ultimately, in 1810, Kauai’s Kaumuali‘i decided to peacefully yield and unite with Kamehameha and join the rest of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

Kamehameha instituted the Kānāwai Māmalahoe, the Law of the Splintered Paddle.  The law, “Let every elderly person, woman and child lie by the roadside in safety,” is enshrined in the state constitution, Article 9, Section 10, and has become a model for modern human rights law regarding the treatment of civilians and other non-combatants.

In the Islands …

1821 Wood Frame House

The wood-framed Mission House, built in 1821, was one of the first wood-framed buildings built in Hawai‘i. The frame house stands on the grounds of the Hawaiian Mission Houses, near Kawaiahaʻo Church on the makai side of King Street.

It is the oldest wood frame structure and the oldest intact Western structure still standing in the Hawaiian Islands.

The timbers of Maine white pine were cut and fitted in Boston in 1819 and came around the Horn on the brig Thaddeus with the first mission company in April 1820, arriving first in Kona.  The frame of the house arrived in Honolulu on Christmas morning of that year on board the ship Tartar.

Since the lumber for this New England plan type was actually pre-cut prior to shipment, it could also be considered in a broad sense a very early example of prefabrication.

Architecturally, it has a simple and straight-forward design; the relatively low ceilings, and basement are strong evidence of its New England concept, foreign to the temperate climate of Honolulu.

The Frame House was used as a communal home by many missionary families who shared it with island visitors and boarders.  It served as a residence for various missionaries, including Hiram Bingham, Gerrit Parmele Judd and Elisha Loomis.

Today the frame house is maintained by the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society as a memorial to the early missionary effort in the Hawaiian Islands.

Liholiho Moves Royal Center from Kailua-Kona to Honolulu

Early in 1821, Liholiho moved his court from Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i Island to Honolulu. The royal siblings, Kauikeaouli and Nahiʻenaʻena, together with their mother, Keōpūolani and her husband Hoapili, journeyed with the chiefs to Oʻahu.

As was traditional, one of the first acts of the new mōʻī was to make a royal progression around Oʻahu to visit the people. Lilholiho’s selected route took him from Honolulu through the Koʻolau region to Waialua to “enjoy the fat mullet of Ukoʻa and to catch aholehole fish” and then by way of “Kaʻena point to Waiʻanae and then to Honolulu.” He then went to Kauai (McGregor and MacKenzie)

Liholiho Buys Cleopatra’s Barge for 1-million Pounds of Sandalwood

In the central Pacific, practically every vessel that visited the North Pacific in the closing years of the 18th century stopped at Hawai‘i for provisions and recreation; then, the opening years of the 19th century saw the sandalwood business became a recognized branch of trade.

Sandalwood, geography and fresh provisions made the Islands a vital link in a closely articulated trade route between Boston, the Northwest Coast and Canton, China.

At the same time, the Hawaiian demand for American goods was rapidly increasing, owing to the improved standards of living.  The central location of the Hawaiian Islands brought many traders, and then whalers, to the Islands.

For a while, sandalwood was a medium of exchange in the Islands.

A boat named Cleopatra’s Barge arrived at Lāhainā, Maui, on November 6, 1820; the very next day Liholiho (Kamehameha II) was welcomed aboard along with some family members and attendants.

Liholiho’s father Kamehameha had loved foreign ships; over time he had collected a sizable fleet of Western vessels, which, with guns and training by the foreigners, were a major asset in unifying and maintaining his kingdom across the islands.

Liholiho inherited his father’s love of ships; one of his childhood companions remembered seeing Liholiho frequently sailing a boat model “like a real man-of-war” on a pond and also recalled that their favorite boyhood pastime was drawing ships in the sand at the beach.

Just ten days after his first visit to the ship, Liholiho purchased Cleopatra’s Barge and her cargo for 1.07-million pounds of sandalwood, worth $80,000 at the time.

On January 4, 1821, King Liholiho took formal possession of Cleopatra’s Barge, appointing his personal secretary, Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Rives, as temporary captain.

Liholiho then renamed the yacht ‘Ha‘aheo O Hawai‘i’ (Pride of Hawaiʻi.)

© 2021 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Filed Under: General, Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance, Prominent People, Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks Tagged With: Kamehameha II, 1821 Frame House, Haaheo O Hawaii, Cleopatra's Barge, Napoleon, Timeline Tuesday, Timeline, 1821, Kamehameha, Liholiho

January 18, 2019 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Honolulu in 1846

“The so-called city of Honolulu of to-day is in every particular a very different place from the village of that name, when I arrived here on the 8th of March, 1846, after a voyage of 116 days around Cape Horn from Boston, in the clipper-schooner Kamehameha III., Captain Fisher A. Newell.”

“There were over one hundred whale ships in the harbor, closely packed, three and four side by side, coopering oil, discharging into homeward bound whalers or merchant vessels, and preparing for the summer’s cruise in the northern seas.”

“The whaling business was much more generally successful in those days than it ever has been since. Seventeen hundred barrels was an ordinary season’s catch, while frequently twenty-five hundred and as high as three thousand barrels was reported.”

“The port, as may be supposed, presented a busy scene. Each of these 100 and more ships had on an average thirty persons attached to it as seamen and officers, amounting in the aggregate to some 3,000 persons …”

“… about one half of whom were always on shore “on liberty,” and they gave the town quite a lively appearance. The grog-shops were particularly lively, and the police-court presented an animated spectacle every morning.”

“The streets of the town – or village, as the foreign residents appropriately termed it – were dusty or muddy thoroughfares, according to the weather, with no pretense to sidewalks. Indeed, there were no necessity for the latter, for there were no horse teams and hardly a carriage to be seen.”

“When ladies – and sometimes gentlemen – went out to an evening party or to church on Sunday, they were conveyed in a sort of handcart with four wheels, drawn by one kanaka and pushed from behind by another.”

“To a new-comer, the sight was grotesque and a forcible reminder of the partially civilized state of the country, to see a well-dressed white lady thus pulled and propelled along the street by two bareheaded and barefooted natives, whose only clothing consisted of a malo and a very short denim frock.”

“Goods were transported from the wharves to stores on heavy trucks, drawn by a dozen natives, sweating and tugging through the yielding soil and sand of the streets. Horses were plentiful and cheap, and most foreign residents kept one or more for riding.”

“Then most of the houses were of thatch, even down to the business part of the village, with here and there a stone, or more frequently an adobe structure, but generally with a thatched roof, for shingles brought around Cape Horn were costly, and Oregon lumber was as yet unknown.”

“It cannot be denied that the thatched house, when sufficiently high between joints, was a much more comfortable lodging in this climate than our modern clapboard and shingled houses.”

“The largest foreign-built structure at this date, – with the exception of the King’s palace – was the Bethel church, where the Rev. Dr. Damon officiated, having succeeded the Rev. Mr. Deill in 1843.”

“With the large number of seamen visiting the port at that time we may be assured that “Father Damon” – as he was generally but quite respectfully entitled – had no idle time on his hands, but was often to be seen visiting from ship to ship. The Sailor’s Home was not built until some years after this.”

“What is now Nu‘uanu Avenue, was then little else than a bridle-path through the taro patches up the valley and leading to the Pali.”

“There were no pretty cottages such as now line both sides of that fine thoroughfare, but only here and there a hut of thatch, squatting on the edge of a patch of taro or sweet potatoes.”

“Ornamental trees had not been introduced, and the only ones to be seen in the village and suburbs were an occasional kukui or the unsightly hau.”

“There were no water-works, the supplies for domestic use and for shipping being obtained from wells, of which there was one in almost every house-lot.”

“In some of these wells – particularly those near the harbor – the water rose and fell with the ocean tides. It was more or less brackish, and what housewives denominate as peculiarly ‘hard.’”

“Gentlemen’s linen was not so immaculately white in those days as now. There was no Fire Department, and fortunately no fires of any consequence, until when a Department was organized some years after.”

“Among the prominent natives of that time, I remember, beside the noble King Kamehameha III, and his Queen Kalama, A. Paki and Konia his wife, Keliiahonui, John Young, M. Kekuanaoa, Kanaina, Leleiohoku, Kapeau, Kaiminaauao, Kaliokalani, J. Piikoi, B. Namakaeha, Hooliliamanu, L. Haalelea, Kekauonohi, and many others, all now dead.”

“The Commerce of Honolulu, as gathered from official sources, was in those days rather insignificant when compared with the record of to-day.”

“The gross value of imports at the Custom House, for the year ending Dec. 31, 1846, was $598,382.24; the exports of domestic produce for the same period, (more than half of which represented supplies to whalers) amounted to $763,950.74. The custom receipts for that year were $36,506.64.”

“Sugar figures in the exports to the amount of 300,000 lbs., and molasses, 16,000 gallons. Among the imports the whalers brought goods free of duty to the value of $11,142.68, and the American Mission to the value of $5,896.15, also duty free.”

“Lahaina, which was a favorite port of call and roadstead anchorage for whalers, returned in 1846 for harbor dues, duties, etc., the sum of $4,874.62.”

“The American Missionaries, then and for many years subsequently under the direction and supported by the ABCFM. of Boston, held their general meeting in Honolulu in June, 1846.”

“As I had read a great deal in boyhood about the Sandwich Islands Mission, I naturally was curious to see these men who had devoted their lives to the work of Christianizing the heathen people.”

“And so I was gratified by a sight and in some instances with a personal acquaintance with those I herewith name, some of whom have gone to rest, while some yet remain”. (Sheldon, 1881)

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Downtown and Vicinity-Street_Names-Map-1843
Downtown and Vicinity-Street_Names-Map-1843

Filed Under: Economy, General Tagged With: Honolulu, Oahu, Timeline, 1846, Hawaii

November 1, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

The Islands in 1856

“On Owhyhee, two enormous mountains rise to 14,000 feet above the level of the sea, and rest crowned with perpetual snow. Many craters of extinct volcanoes, and extensive plains covered with the rude debris of earlier or later eruptions, exist everywhere; and Kilauea, on the mountain of Mouna Kea, is the largest active volcano in the known world.”

“In a country thus formed, and, doubtless, at a date comparatively so recent, we cannot be surprised that no metals have been found, and no minerals save the varieties of the lava, and some limestone which has been lately discovered lying in a remarkable and raised bed at Kahuku, in the island of Woahoo.”

“In this island there is also a salt-lake, a little elevated above the surface of the sea. Soils formed of such materials as those which thus compose the entire bed of the islands, could not be expected to be very fertile, save upon some of the lower or little elevated lands, and in the valleys long formed in situations exposed to the winter rains.”

“The climate generally of the islands is remarkable for its salubrity and its even temperature. Near the sea, the highest elevation of the thermometer is 86° Fahrenheit, and the lowest 62°. The greatest heat occurs during the month of July, and the least in January.”

“Thus the extreme range during the year, does not exceed 24°, but the variation is rarely more than 8°. The inhabitants may, however, by ascending to the higher lands, live in any temperature between that of these tropical latitudes and that of the frigid zone.”

“But, notwithstanding the general healthiness of the climate, at the time that the trade-winds are irregular, which happens during the winter months …”

“… when the wind is commonly from the south, rains and storms occur, attended by diseases not differing much from those which prevail in the southern parts of Europe, at the same season — such as headaches, rheumatism, and others, arising from imprudent exposure to the night air, in damp and chilly weather.”

“According to the reports of naturalists who have visited the islands, the spontaneous productions of their soil are much more varied than the evidently recent formation of the group would lead us to expect. It will suffice to mention, that those of the family of Rubiaceae, Con tor tee, and Urticae, predominate.”

“From the last of these, as well as from the Broussonetia papyrifera, or the paper mulberry, are made cordage and cloths. The acacia also abounds in the mountain districts, and is employed by the natives in the construction of their canoes.”

“The sandal-wood was also once very abundant, and lately afforded an article of commerce with the Chinese, by whom it is chiefly used for cabinet purposes. It is now, however, save some young, and, for the present, useless trees, quite destroyed.”

“The more familiar plants and useful productions for domestic purposes are, the banana-tree, the sugar-cane, the yam, the bread-fruit, and the taro-root (Arum esculentum), all of which are indigenous.”

“Such were these islands after they first raised their towering heads above the waters of the mighty ocean which surrounds them, and such the earliest productions of the vegetable world which sprung from the soil first formed.”

“Several important plants have been lately introduced, such as the coffee, cotton, rice, tobacco, the melon and water-melon, indigo, and even the vine, of which, however, though it flourishes in the mountain districts, little use is likely to be made, on account of the necessity of discouraging the growth of everything from which alcohol may be distilled.”

“Several of our ordinary vegetables have also been introduced with success, as well as some of the fruits of the tropical and temperate latitudes which were not indigenous, such as pine-apples, oranges, grapes, peaches, figs, tamarinds, and guavas. The bread-corns will also flourish on the higher lands.”

“With respect to the animal kingdom, it seems that at the discovery of the islands nothing was observed save hogs and dogs, the importation, without doubt, of the first inhabitants, and such of Nature’s earlier productions as may be considered habitants rather of the sea than of the land …”

“… but all our domestic animals, including such as we use for food, for beasts of burden, and for companions of our sports, have been since introduced.” (All here is from Hill.)

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Hawaiian Islands from Hill-1856
Hawaiian Islands from Hill-1856

Filed Under: General, Place Names, Economy Tagged With: Hawaii, Timeline, 1856

June 28, 2018 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Presentism

“One of the basic rules of historical scholarship is to avoid ‘anachronistic judgments.’ In simple terms, this means the following: the people who lived in the past, lived different lives with different values and different obligations then do we in the present.”

“Therefore, it would be wrong to judge them by standards that are outside the context of their lives, about which they might have known nothing, and which fails to grapple with the dynamics of the culture in which they actually lived.” (Nurse)

“Presentism besets us in two different ways: (1) the tendency to interpret the past in presentist terms; and (2) the shift of general historical interest toward the contemporary period and away from the more distant past.”

“Although the first propensity was implicit in Western historical writing from its beginnings, it took a more problematic turn when the notion of “the modern” began to take root in the 17th century.” (Hunt)

“Over time, modernity became the standard of judgment against which most of the past, even the Western past, could be found wanting. The second trend, the shift of interest toward the contemporary period, clearly has a connection to the invention of modernity, but it did not follow as much in lockstep as might be expected.”

“To sit in judgment on the past is not always advisable. It is easy, in the light of subsequent events, to perceive what would have been the wiser course.”

“But it is not always easy to put ourselves in the places of our predecessors; to realize what difficulties may have beset them, and what obstacles may have prevented the carrying out of their own conceptions of what should have been done.” (Lyons; Island, 1875)

“Another kind of bad moral luck is being born at a time when you’d need to be a moral genius to see that a certain view or practice is wrong, because all around you are people who accept that the practice is alright.” (Fricker)

“To pass moral judgements on the past is to fall into the fallacy of imagining that somewhere, behind the veil, the past is still happening … as if [it is] now being enacted in the next room and we ought to break open the door and stop it. These things have been; they are over; there is nothing to be done about them.” (Collingwood)

“Presentism, at its worst, encourages a kind of moral complacency and self-congratulation. Interpreting the past in terms of present concerns usually leads us to find ourselves morally superior; the Greeks had slavery, even David Hume was a racist, and European women endorsed imperial ventures.”

“Our forbears constantly fail to measure up to our present-day standards. This is not to say that any of these findings are irrelevant or that we should endorse an entirely relativist point of view.”

“It is to say that we must question the stance of temporal superiority that is implicit in the Western (and now probably worldwide) historical discipline.”

“In some ways, now that we have become very sensitive about Western interpretations of the non-Western past, this temporal feeling of superiority applies more to the Western past than it does to the non-Western one.” (Hunt)

“But it is possible to remind ourselves of the virtues of maintaining a fruitful tension between present concerns and respect for the past. Both are essential ingredients in good history.”

“Respect for the past, with its concomitant humility, curiosity, and even wonder (as Caroline Bynum reminded us in a memorable presidential address), enables us to see beyond our present-day concerns backward and forward at the same time. We are all caught up in the ripples of time, and we have no idea of where they are headed.” (Hunt)

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Presentism
Presentism

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Hawaii, Timeline, Presentism

April 12, 2018 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Honolulu 1848

Nineteen-year-old Gorham D. Gilman arrived in the Islands in 1841. He mastered the Hawaiian language, and pursued his career at several locations in the islands. It is likely Gilman set down his impressions of Honolulu while at sea on his way to California—lured thence by news of the gold strike. The following is his writing, compiled and edited by Sharpless & Greer:

“The first impression generally received of Hon: as the stranger rounds Dimond Pt is that of disappointment. The hills and plains if in the summer season look bare and barren—and burnt-brown by the heat of the sun …”

“… but as the vessel nears the anchorages the prospect is more pleasing the village of Waikiki amid its grove of Coconut trees—the long line of sand beach on which the surf gently roll ….”

“Leaving the vessel at anchor two or three miles from shore—the bay is entered in the boats—the passage safe and commoidious—there being 22 feet of water on the bar which—On either hand makes up and down the coast forming the protection of the harbor from the sea …”

“… on this reef the sea waves curl their tops and break the snowy crests and when old ocean is excited by a storm they crash and break with almost deafning roar—tho harmless—and it is of beautiful and exquisite music of a still evening to hear its reverberations— as it spend it strength on the coral rocks.”

“The first object that arrests the attention on approaching the shore, is the beautiful valley of Nuuanu situated just in the rear of the city and extending inland between two spurs of the Mountain. It is clothed with perpetual green and with its numerous cottages whose white walls peep forth from amid the shrubery has a cool and inviting appearance.”

“Most conspicuous of the buildings, as you near the shore is The Palace The Bungalow (a private residence)—The Large Stone Church—the Catholic Church The Bethel—and some of the larger warehouses of the merchants while from various parts of town may be seen the consular flags of which there is quite a number …”

“… sailing past the Fort which stands at the head of the passage into the harbour—and whose walls bristle with guns—the boat lands at the wharf amid a crowd of boatboys and natives assembled to see the strangers.”

“The first impression of the people as received from the motley crowd of men, women & children here assembled is not apt to be very favorable—their chattering like so many parrots quite amuses one.”

“The city is regularly laid out all the principle streets crossing at right angles cuts up the place into regular squares and makes it easy to find the way from one part to another without difficulty.”

“The most of the streets are wide and pleasant the most unpleasant feature of them is, the high adobie walls which generally line either side sperating the yards & premises of the citizens from the street—these are often plastered and white washed and when the sun is bright the reflection of this light and heat is very unpleasant …”

“… but these unsightly walls are fast giving away to neat picket fences set upon stone foundations which while they protect the premises from the street—afford the passerby a pleasant view of the cultivated yards within and the residences amid the shrubery.”

“The streets present a bustling active appearance during business hours—merchants—and traders are busy transacting their business the drays loaded with [illeg.] imported & for Export—the wharfes filled with goods and all the machinery in motion of an active place.”

“It is amusing to the stranger to stand and study the people as they pass before him—clad in every variety of costume. Some of which is unique in.”

“If it is a hot sweltering day in summer he will be likely to see some native who has become possessed of an old cast off pea jacket, and with this on buttoned up close to the chin—and with neither pants draws nor stockings to cover his legs he will walk up the streets as dignified as possible.”

“Another & quite as common sight is to see a man with a old hat shirt & vest on while his neither limbs have nothing but a pair of thick shoes upon his feet—but who is this? that with her silk parrasol comes by—she is dressed in the richest satin made like a loose dress worn by the laides at home an expensive Canton Crepe tied by two of the corners hangs upon her back …”

“There has been a very great improvement in the appearance of the people in the streets in the last few years—a few years since & it was very common to see some stout backwoodsman from the other Islands walking thru the street clad only with the Malo and the Kehei (Kihei – shawl) …”

“It is supprising almost to see the amount of silks and other rich goods that are worn by the females for they dress much more and better than the males—for a half clad female without some article of foreign fabric is seldom or ever seen in the streets of Hon.”

“I never saw but one of them clad in the ancient cloth & fashion —& she was just in from the backparts of Hawaii—and in an hour was genteelly fitted out by her friends.”

“The females are very ambitious to appear well dressed and strive to imitate as far as possible the fashions set by the Queen & the other female chiefs—and a good many support themselves by the use of their needle being easy to learn and very good seamstresses and commanding good pay for their labour …”

“Broadway (King Street) is the principal street of the city—th’o there is not so much business done here as at some of the others but it is the widiest & longest and the most of a thoroughfare & favorite resort …”

“… this street runs parallel with the harbour thro the whole length of the town—from the river on the most northern side to the plain on the South Eastern—& is two to three miles long.”

“There are a number of stores but all of them retail establishments. Broadway of a Saturday afternoon presents a gay and amusing spectacle—Saturday being a general holiday—and the afternoon particularly so for all classes of natives they strive to press as much amusement possible into the few hours—between the Meridian sun.”

“Consequently, they may be seen at an early hour on horseback—starting off in gay parties for a ride to some of the places of resort in the suburbs every half hour a very perceptable increase of their number may be seen—and at Four O’Clock the plain and valley roads are filled with equestairans riding at any rate from a wild race to the sober jog …”

“… and upon a variety of animals—From the noble horse proud to distinguish himself from the vulger herd—to the demure looking donkey with two or three rouges of boys on his back who try in vain to urge him along …”

“… and some wag not to be out done mounts a half broken in steer and stears his way among the crowd by a single string attached to a ring in the nose of the animal.”

“The women ride across the saddle and with their long flowing robe of silk or bright calico which conceals the leg of the rider— their loose dress—and head either ornamented with a wreath of Flowers or Feathers—or a strawhat with a good quantity of Ribbon flowing Cut quite a dash they are very expert riders indeed …”

“… and seldom got thrown & will accept a chalange to a race over the plain without the least hesitation and will ride fearlessly and ply the whip if likely to be beaten—as the sun sets the crowds turn to town, and now Broadway is all life—the streets are thronged with men & women all dressed out in their very best …”

“… lining the street its whole length it looks like a great gala day—they seem to enjoy the scene very much and their faces seldom can be seen to express more animation than as they pass & repass one another—among hundreds you scarce can find one that is not well dressed …”

“… the horseman & women make Broadway their point of display and come in in crowds or singly—and the bystanders amuse themselves by critizising the riders—like the crowd in the carnival some will be hailed with shouts of laughter at their appearance …”

“…and then words of praise as some good riders go prancing by – women as well as the men enter this gauntlet of opinion & sometimes call forth loud applause.”

“Soon His Maj’s (King Kamehameha III) coming is announced the streets are closed for his approach. He generally on this P.M. has some dozen or twenty in his train—he is a fine rider and makes appearance on horseback. All is hushed as he passes—and the crowds soon disperse to their homes.”

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View_of_Honolulu_Harbor_and_Punchbowl_Crater._(c._1854)
View_of_Honolulu_Harbor_and_Punchbowl_Crater._(c._1854)
Auguste_Borget_-_'Honolulu_Waterfront',_graphite_on_paper,_1838
Auguste_Borget_-_’Honolulu_Waterfront’,_graphite_on_paper,_1838
Honolulu Harbor-Ships pulled by canoes-Henry Walker-1843
Honolulu Harbor-Ships pulled by canoes-Henry Walker-1843
The old palace, which was built in 1845 and was replaced by Iolani Palace in 1882
The old palace, which was built in 1845 and was replaced by Iolani Palace in 1882
Bethel_Church,_Honolulu,_Hawaii
Bethel_Church,_Honolulu,_Hawaii
Our Lady of Peace Cathedral, Honolulu, 1843
Our Lady of Peace Cathedral, Honolulu, 1843
Kawaiahao_Church,_Honolulu,_in_1857
Kawaiahao_Church,_Honolulu,_in_1857
Photograph_of_the_Royal_School,_probably_after_1848
Photograph_of_the_Royal_School,_probably_after_1848
Paul_Emmert_-_'Diamond_Head_from_Aliapaakai',_c._1853-59
Paul_Emmert_-_’Diamond_Head_from_Aliapaakai’,_c._1853-59
No._2._View_of_Honolulu._From_the_Catholic_church._(c._1854)-center image
No._2._View_of_Honolulu._From_the_Catholic_church._(c._1854)-center image
No._1._View_of_Honolulu._From_the_harbor._Burgess-(c._1854)
No._1._View_of_Honolulu._From_the_harbor._Burgess-(c._1854)
John_Prendergast_(English)_-_'Honolulu_Looking_Toward_Diamond_Head'_1848
John_Prendergast_(English)_-_’Honolulu_Looking_Toward_Diamond_Head’_1848
Interior_of_the_Fort,_Honolulu_Harbor-1830s-1840s
Interior_of_the_Fort,_Honolulu_Harbor-1830s-1840s
Honolulu Hale-gov't bldg of Kingdom -Paul_Emmert-1853
Honolulu Hale-gov’t bldg of Kingdom -Paul_Emmert-1853
Honolulu Hale-governmental building then post office from 1853-1871
Honolulu Hale-governmental building then post office from 1853-1871
Hiram Bingham House, Mission Houses Museum
Hiram Bingham House, Mission Houses Museum
Downtown_Honolulu-Land_Commission_Awards-Map-1847-Black & White
Downtown_Honolulu-Land_Commission_Awards-Map-1847-Black & White
Downtown and Vicinity-Street_Names-Map-1843
Downtown and Vicinity-Street_Names-Map-1843
Honolulu_Harbor-Downtown-1847
Honolulu_Harbor-Downtown-1847

Filed Under: General, Buildings, Place Names, Economy Tagged With: Hawaii, Honolulu, Timeline, 1848

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Images of Old Hawaiʻi

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