THE HIGH INHABITED ISLANDS.
The first of the inhabited islands met with in proceeding south easterly is Niihau, fifteen miles west of Kauai. It is eighteen miles long, eight miles in its widest part, and has an area of ninety-seven square miles. There seems to be a central high por tion called Kaeo and a lower plain on three sides. The higher part is irregular, destitute of sharp peaks and narrow ridges. The side towards Kauai is precipitous. About two-thirds of the island is comparatively low, of coral origin, and is the region that is inhabited.
The map shows quite a large pond to the south of Kaeo, and smaller ponds and artificial reservoirs in other sections. The little island has had a rather romantic history. It has now been owned for forty years past by Mr. George S. Gay. The family includes Mr. and Mrs. Gay and several children, who ex cept for an occasional guest, seldon saw any of their own race previous to our occupancy of the group. Mr. Gay made a com fortable fortune on the island, of which he was the sole owner. The island is a great sheep ranch, embracing about 70,00o acres, with a native population of 178, all that remains of nearly i,000 natives who inhabited it sixty years ago.
It would seem that here, if anywhere, the conditions were favor able for the perpetuity of the native race. Mr. Gay did every
thing in his power to preserve the aborigines from the evils at tendant upon civilization ; but in spite of his efforts they have been rapidly dying out, just as their brethren in all other parts of the island group have been dwindling away.
There are two small cinder cones adjacent to Niihau, Kaula upon the east and Lehua upon the west side. The first is about the size and shape of Punchbowl cut in two, and the lower half destroyed by waves. The concentric structure of the yellow cin ders, much like the surface of the lower Koko Head, is very obvious. Lehua proves to be a similar remnant, less eroded, as it has maintained about two hundred degrees of its circumference instead of the one hundred and forty degrees of Kaula. Both these crater cones have the western or leeward sides the highest, because the trade winds drive the falling rain of ashes and lapilli in the direction of the air movement, building up a compact laminated pile of material to the leeward. The subsequent erosion by the waves will fashion a crescent shaped island opening to the winds and surges upon the northeast side.