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roughing it-第95章

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and some six or eight representatives of other foreign nations; all with
sounding titles; imposing dignity and prodigious but economical state。

Imagine all this grandeur in a play…house 〃kingdom〃 whose population
falls absolutely short of sixty thousand souls!

The people are so accustomed to nine…jointed titles and colossal magnates
that a foreign prince makes very little more stir in Honolulu than a
Western Congressman does in New York。

And let it be borne in mind that there is a strictly defined 〃court
costume〃 of so 〃stunning〃 a nature that it would make the clown in a
circus look tame and commonplace by comparison; and each Hawaiian
official dignitary has a gorgeous vari…colored; gold…laced uniform
peculiar to his officeno two of them are alike; and it is hard to tell
which one is the 〃loudest。〃  The King had a 〃drawing…room〃 at stated
intervals; like other monarchs; and when these varied uniforms congregate
thereweak…eyed people have to contemplate the spectacle through smoked
glass。  Is there not a gratifying contrast between this latter…day
exhibition and the one the ancestors of some of these magnates afforded
the missionaries the Sunday after the old…time distribution of clothing?
Behold what religion and civilization have wrought!




CHAPTER LXVIII。

While I was in Honolulu I witnessed the ceremonious funeral of the King's
sister; her Royal Highness the Princess Victoria。  According to the royal
custom; the remains had lain in state at the palace thirty days; watched
day and night by a guard of honor。  And during all that time a great
multitude of natives from the several islands had kept the palace grounds
well crowded and had made the place a pandemonium every night with their
howlings and wailings; beating of tom…toms and dancing of the (at other
times) forbidden 〃hula…hula〃 by half…clad maidens to the music of songs
of questionable decency chanted in honor of the deceased。  The printed
programme of the funeral procession interested me at the time; and after
what I have just said of Hawaiian grandiloquence in the matter of
〃playing empire;〃 I am persuaded that a perusal of it may interest the
reader:

      After reading the long list of dignitaries; etc。; and remembering
      the sparseness of the population; one is almost inclined to wonder
      where the material for that portion of the procession devoted to
      〃Hawaiian Population Generally〃 is going to be procured:

Undertaker。
Royal School。  Kawaiahao School。  Roman Catholic School。  Maemae School。
Honolulu Fire Department。
Mechanics' Benefit Union。
Attending Physicians。
Knonohikis (Superintendents) of the Crown Lands; Konohikis of the Private
Lands of His Majesty Konohikis of the Private Lands of Her late Royal
Highness。
Governor of Oahu and Staff。
Hulumanu (Military Company)。
Household Troops。
The Prince of Hawaii's Own (Military Company)。
The King's household servants。
Servants of Her late Royal Highness。
Protestant Clergy。  The Clergy of the Roman Catholic Church。
His Lordship Louis Maigret; The Right Rev。  Bishop of Arathea; Vicar…
Apostolic of the Hawaiian Islands。
The Clergy of the Hawaiian Reformed Catholic Church。
His Lordship the Right Rev。  Bishop of Honolulu。
Her Majesty Queen Emma's Carriage。
His Majesty's Staff。
Carriage of Her late Royal Highness。
Carriage of Her Majesty the Queen Dowager。
The King's Chancellor。
Cabinet Ministers。
His Excellency the Minister Resident of the United States。
H。 B。 M's Commissioner。
H。 B。 M's Acting Commissioner。
Judges of Supreme Court。
Privy Councillors。
Members of Legislative Assembly。
Consular Corps。
Circuit Judges。
Clerks of Government Departments。
Members of the Bar。
Collector General; Custom…house Officers and Officers of the Customs。
Marshal and Sheriffs of the different Islands。
King's Yeomanry。
Foreign Residents。
Ahahui Kaahumanu。
Hawaiian Population Generally。
Hawaiian Cavalry。
Police Force。

I resume my journal at the point where the procession arrived at the
royal mausoleum:

      As the procession filed through the gate; the military deployed
      handsomely to the right and left and formed an avenue through which
      the long column of mourners passed to the tomb。  The coffin was
      borne through the door of the mausoleum; followed by the King and
      his chiefs; the great officers of the kingdom; foreign Consuls;
      Embassadors and distinguished guests (Burlingame and General Van
      Valkenburgh)。  Several of the kahilis were then fastened to a frame…
      work in front of the tomb; there to remain until they decay and fall
      to pieces; or; forestalling this; until another scion of royalty
      dies。  At this point of the proceedings the multitude set up such a
      heart…broken wailing as I hope never to hear again。

The soldiers fired three volleys of musketrythe wailing being
previously silenced to permit of the guns being heard。  His Highness
Prince William; in a showy military uniform (the 〃true prince;〃 this
scion of the house over…thrown by the present dynastyhe was formerly
betrothed to the Princess but was not allowed to marry her); stood guard
and paced back and forth within the door。  The privileged few who
followed the coffin into the mausoleum remained sometime; but the King
soon came out and stood in the door and near one side of it。  A stranger
could have guessed his rank (although he was so simply and
unpretentiously dressed) by the profound deference paid him by all
persons in his vicinity; by seeing his high officers receive his quiet
orders and suggestions with bowed and uncovered heads; and by observing
how careful those persons who came out of the mausoleum were to avoid
〃crowding〃 him (although there was room enough in the doorway for a wagon
to pass; for that matter); how respectfully they edged out sideways;
scraping their backs against the wall and always presenting a front view
of their persons to his Majesty; and never putting their hats on until
they were well out of the royal presence。

He was dressed entirely in blackdress…coat and silk hatand looked
rather democratic in the midst of the showy uniforms about him。  On his
breast he wore a large gold star; which was half hidden by the lapel of
his coat。  He remained at the door a half hour; and occasionally gave an
order to the men who were erecting the kahilis 'Ranks of long…handled
mops made of gaudy featherssacred to royalty。  They are stuck in the
ground around the tomb and left there。'  before the tomb。  He had the
good taste to make one of them substitute black crape for the ordinary
hempen rope he was about to tie one of them to the frame…work with。
Finally he entered his carriage and drove away; and the populace shortly
began to drop into his wake。  While he was in view there was but one man
who attracted more attention than himself; and that was Harris (the
Yankee Prime Minister)。  This feeble personage had crape enough around
his hat to express the grief of an entire nation; and as usual he
neglected no opportunity of making himself conspicuous and exciting the
admiration of the simple Kanakas。  Oh! noble ambition of this modern
Richelieu!

It is interesting to contrast the funeral ceremonies of the Princess
Victoria with those of her noted ancestor Kamehameha the Conqueror; who
died fifty years agoin 1819; the year before the first missionaries
came。

      〃On the 8th of May; 1819; at the age of sixty…six; he died; as he
      had lived; in the faith of his country。  It was his misfortune not
      to have come in contact with men who could have rightly influenced
      his religious aspirations。  Judged by his advantages and compared
      with the most eminent of his countrymen he may be justly styled not
      only great; but good。  To this day his memory warms the heart and
      elevates the national feelings of Hawaiians。  They are proud of
      their old warrior King; they love his name; his deeds form their
      historical age; and an enthusiasm everywhere prevails; shared even
      by foreigners who knew his worth; that constitutes the firmest
      pillar of the throne of his dynasty。

      〃In lieu of human victims 
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