Again we quote Alexander’s History, page 49: 

“Several kinds of food were forbidden to the women on pain of death, viz., pork, bananas, cocoanuts, turtles, and certain kinds of fish, as the ulua, the humu, the shark, the hihimanu or sting-ray, etc.  The men of the poorer class often formed a sort of eating club apart from their wives.  These laws were rigorously enforced.  At Honannau, Hawaii, two young girls of the highest rank, Kapiolani and Keoua, having been detected in the act of eating a banana, their kahu, or tutor, was held responsible, and put to death by drowning.  Shortly before the abolition of the tabus, a little child had one of her eyes scooped out for the same offense.  About the same time a woman was put to death for entering the eating house of her husband, although though she was tipsy at the time.”

Captain Cook seems to have committed the unpardonable sin in not beginning the stated work of preaching the gospel a long generation before the missionaries arrived, and the only sound reason for this is found in Dibble’s History, in his statement that the islanders steadily degenerated until the missions were organized.

Writers of good repute, A. Fornander, chief of them, are severe with Captain Cook on account of his alleged greed, not paying enough for the red feathers woven into fanciful forms.  Perhaps that is a common fault in the transactions of civilized men with barbarians.  William Penn is the only man with a great reputation for dealing fairly with American Red Men, and he was not impoverished by it.  Cook gave nails for hogs, and that is mentioned in phrases that are malicious.  Iron was to the islanders the precious metal, and they were not cheated.  A long drawn out effort has been made to impress the world that Cook thought himself almost a god, and was a monster.  The natives gave to the wonderful people who came to them in ships, liberally of their plenty, and received in return presents that pleased them, articles of utility.  Beads came along at a later day.  The natives believed Cook one of the heroes of the imagination that they called gods.  He sought to propitiate them and paid for fruit and meat in iron and showy trifles.  His policy of progress was to introduce domestic animals.

Note the temper of Mr. Abraham Fornander, a man who has meant honesty of statement, but whose information was perverted: 

“And how did Captain Cook requite this boundless hospitality, that never once made default during his long stay of seventeen days in Kealakeakua, these magnificent presents of immense value, this delicate and spontaneous attention to every want, this friendship of the chiefs and priests, this friendliness of the common people?  By imposing on their good nature to the utmost limit of its ability to respond to the greedy and constant calls of their new friends; by shooting at one of the king’s officers for endeavoring to enforce a law of the land, an edict of his sovereign