In Captain Cook’s time (1778), the native population of the islands was estimated at 400,000; in 1836 at something short of 200,000, in 1866 at 50,000; it is to-day, per census, 25,000.  All intelligent people praise Kamehameha I. and Liholiho for conferring upon their people the great boon of civilization.  I would do it myself, but my intelligence is out of repair, now, from over-work.

When I was in the islands nearly a generation ago, I was acquainted with a young American couple who had among their belongings an attractive little son of the age of seven—­attractive but not practicably companionable with me, because he knew no English.  He had played from his birth with the little Kanakas on his father’s plantation, and had preferred their language and would learn no other.  The family removed to America a month after I arrived in the islands, and straightway the boy began to lose his Kanaka and pick up English.  By the time he was twelve be hadn’t a word of Kanaka left; the language had wholly departed from his tongue and from his comprehension.  Nine years later, when he was twenty-one, I came upon the family in one of the lake towns of New York, and the mother told me about an adventure which her son had been having.  By trade he was now a professional diver.  A passenger boat had been caught in a storm on the lake, and had gone down, carrying her people with her.  A few days later the young diver descended, with his armor on, and entered the berth-saloon of the boat, and stood at the foot of the companionway, with his hand on the rail, peering through the dim water.  Presently something touched him on the shoulder, and he turned and found a dead man swaying and bobbing about him and seemingly inspecting him inquiringly.  He was paralyzed with fright.  His entry had disturbed the water, and now he discerned a number of dim corpses making for him and wagging their heads and swaying their bodies like sleepy people trying to dance.  His senses forsook him, and in that condition he was drawn to the surface.  He was put to bed at home, and was soon very ill.  During some days he had seasons of delirium which lasted several hours at a time; and while they lasted he talked Kanaka incessantly and glibly; and Kanaka only.  He was still very ill, and he talked to me in that tongue; but I did not understand it, of course.  The doctor-books tell us that cases like this are not uncommon.  Then the doctors ought to study the cases and find out how to multiply them.  Many languages and things get mislaid in a person’s head, and stay mislaid for lack of this remedy.

Many memories of my former visit to the islands came up in my mind while we lay at anchor in front of Honolulu that night.  And pictures—­pictures pictures—­an enchanting procession of them!  I was impatient for the morning to come.

When it came it brought disappointment, of course.  Cholera had broken out in the town, and we were not allowed to have any communication with the shore.  Thus suddenly did my dream of twenty-nine years go to ruin.  Messages came from friends, but the friends themselves I was not to have any sight of.  My lecture-hall was ready, but I was not to see that, either.