GOSSIPPY NOTES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 145, 7 December 1877, Page 2

GOSSIPPY NOTES.

(FROM HONOLULU.) Wood is the favourite material for, . building, but there are many stone houses. At about three miles from thet&wn the-, Nuanu Avenue passes through an-"extinct' volcano ; its precipitous sides, nearly* 4000' feet high,, clothed with vegetation, the light green, foliage of the trees forming a graceful contrast to the deeper shade of the ferns and the turf below. On reaching the summit of the road six miles out of town, you find yourself overlooking a precipice, and gazing on a view unique of its ; kind— the view for which this island is justly celebrated. A vast plain lies below the spectator, green as " Erin's Isle." From its surface rise hills and rocks of fantastic shapes, the off issues of extinct volcanoes —in parts clothed with timber, in parts with brushwood, in parts with rich grapes—on which graze sheep and cattle. Scattered here and there are deeper patches of green, revealing the presence of sugar plantations, interspersed and mingled with which rise the white houses of the planters, giving life and variety to the landscape. Far beyond is seen the blue Pacific Ocean, its waves the coral strand, flashing and glirfening in rainbow hues beneath the tropical sun. To the West rises a chain of mountains, rugged and bare, forming a boundary and framework fdr a picture of magic beauty. It was here that the ancient inhabitants were finally beaten and conquered by the Hawiian Napoleon, King Kainehameha I. Turning to a brief survey of the natives • themselves, I find them to be a fine intel- A ligent race, of good physique, though almost entirely deficient in the sterner and * fiercer qualities of the Morality amongst 1 the natives is very lax, infanticide ' having been till lately a common offence. They are brought up in and profess Christianity. There are good native schools which can show an attendance of over 7000 scholars, besides numerous well-cou-ducted private establishments for the higher branches of learningA It is the general desire of the natives that their children should receive a thorough English education. As a race the islanders lack energy, and make very poor hands on the plantations, whish are worked chiefly by Chinese coolies, who are in great demand. They are fast becoming extinct, and it is probable that when their places are filled by a steady and industrious working class such as exist in New Zealand, the prosperity of the islands from a commercial point "will be greatly increased. Tho natives are passionately fond of riding the small weedy horses which are bred on the islands. The Mexican saddle; with its gay trappings and high peak, is in common use. The women, whose usual robe—a lonjj, loose tunic, rejoicing in all ..

0 the colours of the rainbow, and well calA «ulated to enhance the natural grace and ease of their carriage — is peculiarly adapted to their somewhat startling mode of equitation—ride astride of their horses. In this position they seem quite at their ease, and often evince great confidence and boldness. As far as actual cultivation is concerned, on the leeward side of the island it is at a very low ebb, the few vegetable gardens kept by Chinamen being almost the only signs of a digression from the natural features of vegetable life. There are a few sugar plantations on the windward side, but many of the other islands are far in advance of Oahn, some possessing plantations on an extensive scale, and a large area of rich soil. Honolulu, however, from its tendency to American style of life, and the fact that it possesses all the agreemens and comforts necessary to civilized life, has the reputation' of heing the paradise par excellence of the Hawiian Islands.