Hawaii

About this issue

A historical monograph by J. D. Hall, part of a ten-cent "Historical Series" published by Street & Smith in 1898. The work surveys Hawaiian history from early Polynesian settlement through contemporary events of the 1890s. Content spans from legendary origins—Hawaiian genealogy tracing settlement by chief Hawaii-loa, mythological progenitors Wakea and Papa—through documented history of island unification under Kamehameha I and subsequent monarchs. The text details fifteenth-century internecine wars among island chiefs, Kamehameha's consolidation of power, his introduction of firearms and foreign trade, and his strategic letter to King George III seeking British protection in 1810. The narrative covers the reign of Kamehameha II, who abolished tabu (sacred prohibitions) in 1819, his and his queen's fatal measles contraction in England in 1824, and constitutional developments under Kamehameha III, including 1840 and 1842 constitutions guaranteeing rights and representation. Detailed discussion of subsequent monarchical governance under Kamehameha IV and V follows, with attention to suffrage requirements and power distribution. Captain James Cook's arrival in January 1778 and initial encounters with Kauai inhabitants receives biographical treatment, establishing the European narrative framework.