Sandwich Islands Interlude

Author:

Tyler, David Budlong

Title:

Sandwich Islands Interlude

Periodical:

The Wilkes expedition; the first United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842

Year:

1968

Pages:

xvi, 435 p.

Subject:

United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842)

Summary:

This is a story about Wilkes' expedition that began in December, 1840. Here the author describes their trek to Mauna Loa where they passed an erupting Kilauea crater and suffered the effects of the cold weather due to snow, as well as altitude sickness, extreme thirst, and hunger. He describes the building of an observatory on Mauna Loa where a measurement of the intensity of gravity and of a magnetic force at altitude was taken. In addition, a survey taken determined that Mauna Kea is 193 feet higher than Mauna Loa. From the 14000 foot level of Mauna Loa, the author describes views of Maui, Mt. Hualalai, and Mauna Kea. As time passed he describes how the party suffered from recurrences of asthma, rheumatism, fever, and scorbutic symptoms. Wilkes also describes suffering from snowblindness and feeling "fairly broken down and almost past the soothing effects of loomi-loomi" for the first time in his life. Upon their descent of Mauna Loa, a survey was taken of liquid lava and sulphurous gas, and Pele's hair at Kilauea crater where a Dr. Judd was nearly trapped due to an explosive eruption that occurred just fifty feet away from where he stood to do the survey and refers to other surveys that were taken at sea level. Wilkes also describes how their group was treated by Chief Kanuha and the "kanakas", how religion and money had been used to influence the natives. He goes on to describe a journey to Maui, where King Kamehameha II lived in Lahaina, and where a survey was taken at Haleakala. The expedition then took the group to Honolulu where they performed a survey of "the Pearl River and the coast as far as Barbours Point". He then describes the arrival of more missionaries and how the arrival of the English and the French further influenced the Hawaiian people.

Collection:

Monographs