J. O. CORLISS by John Orr Corliss

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Jun 18, 1885

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 11, No. 24.

J. O. CORLISS

By John Orr Corliss

From San Francisco to Australia.

On Sunday morning, May 10, our company, consisting of Elder Haskell, Elder Israel and family, Brother Henry Scott, Brother Wm. Arnold, and the writer and his family, embarked on the Royal Mail Steamship Australia, for Sydney, Australia. The same afternoon, at a little past two o'clock, the steamer left her moorings at the foot of Brannan Street, San Francisco, and steamed along the city front toward the Golden Gate. Numerous friends, who accompanied us to the ship, stood on the wharf and waved their adieus as long as we were in sight. Soon, however, our noble ship rounded a point of land and passed out through the "gate" to the broad ocean beyond. The motion of the ship soon drove most of our company to their berths, where they seemed perfectly satisfied to remain for a number of days.

Outside of the "heads," the pilot took his leave of us, and our ship was soon on her "course" for the Hawaiian Islands, her first stopping-place. Although there is a regular line of steamers between San Francisco and Honolulu, the Australian steamers always have occasion to call at that port. Sometimes they have freight to that point, but always the mails, and some passengers. On this trip we had no freight for Honolulu, but had some

first-class passengers, and sixty Chinese in the steerage.

Our good vessel plowed her way steadily from day to day through the blue waters, with little variation in either speed or incident, until Sunday, May 17, when we discerned in the distance the first faint outlines of land. In appearance, this was like a cloud just rising above the horizon; but as we came nearer, it gradually took definite shape until the hills, and even the lowlands of the country, were spread out before us like a beautiful panorama. It was not long before we passed inside the coral-reefs, and into the snug harbor of Honolulu, and alongside the wharf. Here we met Brethren Scott and LaRue, and went with them to the mission rooms. We enjoyed a very precious season with these brethren, and only regretted the rapid flight of time that called us to separate from them so early. We were very soon reminded, however, that the time of the ship's departure was at hand, and in a short time we were on board again, ready to resume our journey to the far southwest.

Staying so short a time at the islands we were not afforded all the opportunity we could have desired to visit places of interest. We will, however, note a few observations and statistics. The Hawaiian, or, as they are more commonly called, Sandwich Islands, are a group of fifteen islands, eight of which are inhabited. The area of these islands is 7,629 square miles, and their population something over 50,000. The active volcanoes on the island of Hawaii have converted its surface into a vast lava-bed. The highest of these is Mauna Loa, which is 13,760 feet above the sea. The uplands of these islands are better adapted to grazing than to agriculture, though, it is said that some fine wheat is produced on them. In the valleys, however, coffee, sugar, cotton, tobacco, cacao, arrowroot, mulberries, yams, sweet potatoes, and taro grow plentifully.

The island of Oahu, of which Honolulu is the metropolis, is situated a little north of the center of the group, and is third in size, having an area of 600 square miles. Its highest altitude is 4,000 feet. Honolulu itself is a quaint old city of some 16,000 inhabitants. In the primitive portion of the town, lots are laid out in many curious forms—octagon, pentagon, curves, and triangles, with narrow streets or lanes adapted to each angle and curve. On each side of these roadways are massive old trees, whose interlacing branches shade the most picturesque walks and drives, and ancient looking cottages peep out from amidst a wealth of shrubs and flowering vines, whose tropical beauty eclipses the most carefully cultivated gardens of the United States. The city (and I suppose other parts of the island also) is now in mourning for the loss of their dowager queen, who died in Honolulu, April 25, of an attack of apoplexy. Queen Emma was held in high esteem by all her subjects. She was, undoubtedly, a woman of eminent virtues.

In our next, we will speak of some points of interest that we have not time to mention in this imperfectly written letter. This leaves our entire company well and in good spirits.