1897 was only
31,019. The total population by the last census, when the islands became
a part of the United States, was 109,020, made up, in addition to the
natives mentioned, of 24,407 Japanese, 21,616 Chinese, 12,191
Portuguese, and 3,086 Americans. The remainder were half-castes from
foreign intermarriage with the natives, together with a small
representation from England, Germany, and other European countries.

[Illustration: HULA DANCING GIRLS, HAWAII.]

That the original Hawaiians must soon become extinct as a pure race is
evident, though they have never been persecuted or maltreated. They are
a handsome, strong-looking people, with a rich dark complexion, jet
black eyes, wavy hair, full voluptuous lips, and teeth of snowy
whiteness; but they are constitutionally weak, easily contract and
quickly succumb to disease, and the only hope of perpetuating their
blood seems to lie in mixing it by intermarriage with other races.

OLD TIMES IN HAWAII.

Prior to 1795, all the islands had separate kings, but in that and the
following year the great king of Hawaii, Kamehameha, with cannon that he
procured from Vancouver's ships, assaulted and subjugated all the
surrounding kings, and since that time the islands have been under one
government. Previous to this, the natives had been at war, according to
their traditions, for three hundred years. The fierceness of their
hand-to-hand conflicts, as described by their historians, has probably
not been surpassed by those of any other people in the world. The four
descendants of Kamehameha reigned until 1872, when the last of his line
died childless. A new king was elected, who died within a year, and
another was then elected by the people. It was to this last line that
Queen Liliuokalani belonged, and she was deposed by the revolution of
1893, led by the American and European residents upon the islands. These
patriots set up a provisional government and made repeated application
for admission to the United States, the tender of the islands being
finally accepted by a joint vote of Congress on July 7, 1898, since
which time the Hawaiian Islands have been a part of our country.

The manners and customs of the native Hawaiians are most interesting,
but space forbids a description of them here. Their religion was a gross
form of idolatry, with many gods. Human sacrifice was freely practiced.
They deified dead chiefs and worshiped their bones. The great king,
Kamehameha I., though