154 REHEARSAL OF THE LAWS. tection of the laws; that is the sum of your petition. This therefore is my proclamation, which I make known to you, all people from foreign countries :The laws of my country prohibit murder, theft, adultery, prostitution, retailing ardent spirits at houses for selling spirits, amusements on the sabbath day, gambling and betting on the sabbath day, and at all times. If any man shall transgress any of these laws, he is liable to the penalty; the same for every foreigner, and for the people of these islands-whoever shall violate these laws shall be punished. This also I make known-The law of the great God of heaven, that is the great thing by which we shall promote peace; let all men who remain here obey it. Christian marriage is proper for men and women. But if a woman regard a man as her only husband, and the man regard the woman as his only wife, they are legally husband and wife; but if the parties are not married, nor regard themselves as husband and wife, let them be forthwith entirely separate. II. This is also our decision, which I now declare to you. We have seen your wickedness heretofore. You did not warn us that your dooryards and inclosed plantations were tabu before the time when our animals went into your inclosures you unhesitatingly killed our animals. But we warned you of the tabu of our plantations before the time when the animals came into them, even yours; and then it was told again to you that have cattle; but for some days ANSWER TO THE MEMORIALISTS. 155 past we have known your cattle to come in to eat up what we had planted; on that account some of your cattle are dead. This then is the way to obtain justice: if you judged the man guilty, you are not forthwith to punish him; wait till we have a consultation first: then, had we judged him guilty, we would have given you damages; but no, you rashly and suddenly injured the man; that is one of the crimes of two of you. And we state to you all that the wounding of a beast is by no means equal to the wounding of a man, inasmuch as man is chief over all the beasts. This is our communication to you all, ye parents from the countries whence originate the winds: have compassion on a nation of little children, very small and young, who are yet in mental darkness, and help us to do right, and follow with us that which will be for the best good of this our country. III. As to the recent death of the cow she died for breaking a tabu for the protection of the plantation. The place was defended also by a fence built by the owner of the plantation. Having secured his field by a fence, what remained to be done was the duty of the owners of cattle, who were told by him who had charge of the plantation, to bring home their cattle at evening. He did tell them so; but they did not regard it and in the night they came in, but not by day. On that account the owner of the plantation hoped to recover damage; for many were the cattle that were taken up before, but no damage was recovered for the crop they had de voured; the owners plead them off without paying damage, therefore he to whom belonged the crop, determined that one of the cattle should die for destroying the crop for it had been said that if any of the cattle should come into the inclosure devouring the crop, such cattle would be forfeited and become the property of the owner of the crop. Many have been seized, but they were begged off and given up again; this has been done many times. Why then are you so quick to be angry? For within the inclosure was the place where the cow was wounded, after which she made her way out. What then means your declaration that the cow was wantonly shot in the common? The cow would not have been killed for simply grazing in the common pasture; her feeding upon the cultivated crop was well known by those who had the care of the plantation. (Signed.) KAUIKEAOULI. LETTER XII. VISIT AT LAHAINA IN MAUI. U. S. Ship Vincennes, Byron's Bay, As you will readily believe, the accomplishment of an early visit to Lahaina was a first thought, after the arrival of our ship at the islands. The Vincennes was not expected to go to the windward again; and, hearing of no immediate opportunity of A VOYAGE TO MAUI. 157 making the voyage, I determined, early after the official interview with the king and chiefs, to express my wishes to the regent. I accordingly called at her residence for this purpose, the second morning we were in the harbor. I found her seated, in a loose morning robe of richly striped satin, in front of a large mirror, making her toilet her head being under the comb and brush of a native dressing maid. She was in the finest spirits, and, on congratulating her on her seeming happiness, she replied that her heart had known nothing but joy since the arrival of the Vincennes, and since she heard the palapala, or letter of the president, and knew the manao, or sentiments of Captain Finch. After a lively, and on her part quite facetious conversation, I mentioned the object of my call, on which she immediately said that her own pilot boat-the fastest sailer among the vessels of the governmentshould be immediately at my command, to go to Maui and to return, at my pleasure. The morning of the 19th was fixed for sailing; and the captain, in addition to a leave of absence for ten days to myself, having given permission for four gentlemen of the steerage to join me, I had the pleasure of the company of midshipmen Irving, Huntt, Bissell, and Anthony. At the time appointed every thing was in readiness, and we sailed shortly after breakfast-Captain Finch having previously boarded us in his gig, to see the accommodations of the schooner, and our prospects of comfort for the passage. From all former experience of voyages in native vessels, I had not pro 158 ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION. mised my companions much in this respect; and was agreeably disappointed in finding the cleanliness and whole state of our little craft equal to those of any similar vessel in our own country, with a commander, mate, and six or eight common sailors, differing only in color from the crew of a coaster at home. In their dress, general deportment, civilities to us as passengers, and good management of the vessel, they appeared equally respectable and skilful. The captain and mate seemed both piously disposed, and held worship on deck by reading a chapter in the Testament, a hymn, and by prayer, regularly at the setting and rising of the sun. The prayers of both were as intelligent, appropriate, and apparently devout, as any that would be heard under similar circumstances, on the waters of America or Great Britain. By twelve o'clock on the 20th we were in full view of Lahaina, and soon after dropped anchor inside of eight or ten whale ships, and, in a few minutes, I was in the embrace of those bound to us by ties, never to be forgotten or dissolved. You, at least, dear H—, can more readily imagine, than I describe, the character of a first interview with Mr. and Mrs. Richards, and the nature of our feelings; and can enter into the warmth of my thanksgiving, as I beheld them sitting in health and prosperity, "beneath their own vine and fig-tree, with none to make them afraid," on the very spot, where, four years before, I had parted from them, under circumstances of peculiar danger and sorrow. |