soldiers. The police are of far more use in apprehending drunken
sailors, and keeping order in the town. They are dressed in a blue
uniform, with a gold-lace cap, and armed with a staff with a brass knob.
The monarchy is hereditary, and limited. The king's ministry consists
of a premier and other officers, similar to those of the English
Government, and many of them are English or Americans, and very
intelligent men. We found that in the town there were all sorts of
places of public amusement, and, among others, a theatre, where English
plays are acted, and where the king constantly attends. We went, and
were not a little surprised to see the boxes filled with very
gaily-dressed people, mostly whites. It was a very hot night. The play
was "Hamlet." Hamlet had been using a pocket-handkerchief very
liberally all the evening, pressing it to his brow and cheeks, and at
last he said, "Oh, that this too, too solid flesh _wouldn't_ melt, and
resolve itself into a dew!" Jerry and I applauded him very loudly. He
gave us a wink, as much as to say, "I see you understand me." He was
evidently a wag, and Hamlet was not suited to him, nor he to Hamlet.
There was no reason, however, because the royal Dane had been murdered,
that his son should murder the Queen's English at the rate he did, or
the character of Hamlet as Shakspeare drew it. Who would have thought
of Shakspeare in the Sandwich Islands? Shakspeare never acted in so
pretty a theatre.

Many of the natives, although able to afford habitations of a European
style, still live on in those used by their ancestors. They are
generally of an oblong shape, with a very high-pitched roof, thatched
with grass and plantain leaves; and as the eaves slant down to within a
short distance from the ground, they have a very picturesque appearance.
They are cool in summer, and are impervious to rain. The ceilings,
which are very elegant, are composed of polished bamboo, neatly
interwoven, while the floors are carpeted with mats of coloured grass.
The walls are decorated with a native cloth, called tapa, which serves
the purpose of tapestry. The house is divided into separate chambers at
night by mats hung up on lines. The beds are primitive; a mat serves
for every purpose, and a wooden roller as a pillow. Many of the Kanakas
are well educated, and read and write not only their own, but several
European languages likewise. There is one newspaper in the Hawaian
language, if