After a short time we returned on board the yacht in time for a late dinner.  The first lieutenant of H.M.S.  ‘Fantome’ came on board to pay us a visit during the evening, and told us all the latest English and American news, lending us some files of English papers—­a great treat, but no compensation for our disappointment about the letters.

Thursday, December 28th.—­Tom and I went ashore at seven o’clock to make arrangements for repairing our mizen-sail.  We soon found a sailmaker, who promised to set all hands to work and complete the job as quickly as possible.  Being detained by a heavy shower of rain, we occupied the time in a gossip about Honolulu and its sayings and doings.  When the shower was over, we walked through the town, which is clean and tidy, being laid out in squares, after the American style.  The houses are all of wood, and generally have verandahs overhanging the street.  They are seldom more than one story high, and nearly all have a little greenery about them.

We returned to the yacht for breakfast, and, having heard that no sharks ever came into the long, narrow bay, were able to enjoy, in perfect peace of mind, the luxury of a bath overboard.  It is a great pity that in the tropics, where bathing is such a delightful occupation, and where one might swim and paddle about for hours without fear of getting cold, it is often impossible even to enter the water for fear of the sharks.  The natives are such expert swimmers that they do not seem to think much of this danger.  As the shark turns on his back to take a bite at them, they dive underneath him, and he snaps his jaws on emptiness.  In fact, sometimes the swimmer will take advantage of the opportunity to stab his enemy as he passes beneath him.

Scarcely was breakfast over when we were inundated with visitors, who kindly came to see what they could do for us to make our stay agreeable.  We lunched on shore, and afterwards went to the new Government buildings and museum.  From thence we strolled to the various shops where ‘curios’ and photographs are to be bought, and collected a goodly store, returning on board the yacht to find more visitors.

[Illustration:  War Necklace[13]]

[Footnote 13:  The accompanying sketch is from a necklace that belonged to King Kamehameha I., and was given to me by one of his descendants.]

We lunched on shore, and afterwards went with Mr. Chambre, navigating-lieutenant of the ‘Fantome,’ to the new Government buildings.  There we found an excellent English library, and an interesting collection of books printed in English and Hawaiian, on alternate pages, including alphabets, grammars, the old familiar nursery tales, &c.  There is also a good, though small museum, containing specimens of beautiful corals, shells, seaweeds, and fossils; all the ancient native weapons, such as bows, arrows, swords, and spears—­now, alas! no longer procurable—­sling-stones, and stones used in games, back-scratchers, hair-ornaments