The Boston at Hawaii; or, The observations and impressions of a naval oficer during a stay of fourteen months in those islands on a man-of-war - Tapa blanda

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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1898 Excerpt: ... northern or windward side of the island is both grand and beautiful. The land terminates in cliffs, varying from 200 to 2,000 feet in height, plunging down almost vertically into the Pacific. The long, heavy swell of the ocean, driven for several thousand miles before the trade-winds, breaks with great force against these bluffs, throwing-spray high into the air and decorating the walls with innumerable small rainbows, produced by the soft rays of the morning sun. These bluffs are frequently cut by deep ravines, canons, and narrow gorges, through which copious streams discharge their waters in magnificent waterfalls and foaming cataracts, tumbling into the sea, giving an additional splendor to the scene. Above these bluffs, the surface slopes upwards towards the mountainous interior, at first with a gentle acclivity, then steeper, until at length it is almost precipitous, culminating in the snowcapped mountains of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, upwards of 14,000 feet high. All along the coast-line can be seen the rich cane fields, sugar-mills, and plantation-houses, little villages, school-houses, and church-spires, while in the valleys and ravines and on the face of the bluff there is a luxurious growth of ferns, vines, and tropical vegetation. About three miles inland from the cliff-bound shore is a forest some ten to fifteen miles in depth, so dense that it can hardly be penetrated. Higher up, the sides are clothed with bushes, ferns, and mountain plants, while still beyond, the summits are composed of dark lava, partly decomposed, and entirely destitute of every kind of verdure, snow lying there throughout the year. Finally we let go an anchor in the Bay of Hilo, from which a black sandy beach rises gently to the pretty little town of Hilo, situated at the m...