At about one in the morning, we take our pilot on board, and shortly after, my German friends rouse me with the intelligence that we are alongside the wharf. I am now, however, getting an "old bird;" my enthusiasm about novelty has gone down considerably; and I decline the pleasure of accompanying them on shore at this early hour. Honolulu will doubtless wait for me until morning.
Honolulu, Sandwich Islands.
CHAPTER XXI.
HONOLULU AND THE ISLAND OF OAHU.
The Harbour of Honolulu—Importance of its Situation—The City—Churches and Theatres—The Post Office—The Suburbs—The King's Palace—The Nuuanu Valley—Poi—People coming down the Valley—The Pali—Prospect from the Cliffs—The Natives (Kanakas)—Divers—The Women—Drink Prohibition—The Chinese—Theatricals—Musquitoes.
When I came on deck in the early morning, the sun was rising behind the mountains which form the background of Honolulu as seen from the harbour, tipping them with gold and red, and bathing the landscape in beauty. I could now survey at leisure the lovely scene.
I found we had entered a noble harbour, round which the town of Honolulu is built, with its quays, warehouses and shipyards. Looking seaward, I observe the outer bay is nearly closed in at its lower extremity by the long ridge-like hill, called Diamond Head. Nearer at hand, behind the town, is a remarkable eminence called Punchbowl Hill, evidently of volcanic origin, crowned with a battery, and guarding the entrance to the smaller bay which forms the harbour.