Salt is the only mineral which is obtained in abundance. A large quantity is got from a salt-lake in the island of Oahu, west of Honolulu, which is betweeu two and three miles in circumference, but has only a few feet of water in the deepest parts. The bottom and shores are incrusted with salt, the water being strongly impreg nated, and the crystallisation very rapid. This salt is exported to Kamtchatka. Large quantities of salt are also obtained from sea water by evaporation, for which purpose there is along the shore a succession of artificial vats of clay, into which the salt-water is let at high tide.
inhabilanta—The population consists of natives, with the exception of a small number of whites, Englishmen and Americans, who have settled among them as merchants or as missionaries. The population in 1853 amounted to 71,019, being 37,079 males, and 33,940 females. The natives, who call themselves Kanaka, belong to the family of Malay nations. Their colour is a kind of olive, tad sometimes reddish-brown. They are of middle stature, and well formed, with muscular limbs and open oouutenances. The roots of their language have a great affinity to those of the other Malay nations who inhabit the islands of the Pacific. When these islands were discovered by Cook, it was observed that the natives of this group had made further progress in civilisation than those of the other islands and groups. This was evident from the carom with which the tarro fields were cultivated, but still more from their manufacturing cloth from the bark of the paper-mulberry and other trees, their beautiful mats, and the art with which they united, and as it were wove together, many beautiful feathers, so as to be used as articles of dress. They also made several utensils of stone, wood, and shells, without the use of iron tomls. At that time they wore only a wrapper, called taps, about their loins; but many of them now dress in the European fashion. They have also improved in other respects, especially in ship-building and navigation. Vessels built at Honolulu, and manned by natives, traverse the Pacific, to Canton. Many of the chiefs have built houses in the European style.
Coatmerce.—Agriculture has not yet supplied articles for exportation, but by selling their produce to the vessels which visit the islands, the native. procure the foreign articles that they are in want of. Thu arrivals of merohaut vessels at the port of Honolulu were as follows: In 1850, 469; 1851,446; 1852,235; and 1853, 194. Salt aud modal wood are exported. The imports of 1853 amounted to 1,251,951 dollars; the exports to 231,699 dollars. There is some commercial intercourse with San Francisco, Vancouver Island, Australia, China, and the East Indies. Ships of war of England, France, the United
States of America, and other countries, visit the islands for supplies.
Hilary and Government.—Those islands were discovered by Captain James Cook in 1773, and again visited by him on his return from Bobring's Strait, when he was killed by the natives. Within the first twenty years after their discovery they were only visited by Portlock and Dixon, La l'erouse, and Vancouver; but towards tho end of the last century whaling-ships from America began to visit these sera, and they were soon followed by fur-tradera ; all these vessels put into some of the porta for proviaions. At that time each island had its sovereign and several other chiefs. Ouo of the latter, Tamehameha, succeeded in subduing all the islands except Taua1 and Nihau, whose sovereign after the death of Taniehameha, acknowledged the successor of that prince as hi. king. As Tamehameha had succeeded in his enterprise by the aid of Europeans, ho favoured their settlement in the islands, and in 1S17 he placed his kingdom under the protection of England. Ilia suocsssor, lthio-Ithio, came to Loudon, where he died in 1824. Soon after the death of his father he had succeeded in abolishing idolatry, and in persuading the natives to accept the Christian religion (1819). Since that time many English and Arne Haan missionaries have visited the islands, and have obtained con siderable success. Several books have been printed in the native language at Honolulu and Laheins, and a map of the island has been engraved at Laheina.
Within the last few years, chiefly under the advioe of American residents, a regular constitution, in imitation of the parliamentary constitutions of England and the United States of America, has been adopted by the king of the Sandwich Islands. The House of Nobles is composed of 25 members, including the king, queen, and four ministers, of whom three are foreigners—all the rest are native& In the Lower House are 27 members, of whom eight are foreigners. The revenue of the government for the year 1850-51 was 315,735 &liars, being nearly seven-fold the revenue in 1842-43. The number of publio free schools in 1853 was 423, with 12,205 scholars ; of these schools, 344 were Protestant and 79 were Roman Catholic Strenuous effurts have been recently made by Americana in the United States and in the !elands to procure the annexation of the Sandwich Islands to the Americium Union.
(Cook, Third Voyage to the Pacific ; Lord Byron, Voyage of ILM.S Blonde to the Sandwich Islands; Ellis, Tour through Hawaii; Stewart, Journal of a Ruldence in the SandwicA Islands ; London Geographical Journal, vols. iv. and viL)