The church
was crowded with foreigners and natives. The speeches were good, the
young men doing themselves credit, and the singing was fine; indeed,
there are some superior singers in Honolulu. Commencement ended, as in
our own country, with the president's levee. Everybody seemed to be
present, and to enjoy themselves, and did ample justice to the abundant
collation spread in the college hall. The evening closed with patriotic
songs, and thus ended the college year of 1863.

General meeting was resumed after the exercises at Punahou were
concluded. Almost every missionary was present, and had brought a part
or the whole of his family. The Pastor of the Foreign Church, the
Seamen's Chaplain, President of Oahu College, native pastors and
delegates were all present. It was delightful to witness the harmony
pervading this large body, and to see how strong the Christian and
missionary tie that bound them together. There they sat day after day,
exchanging their opinions, discussing questions, and settling matters of
great importance to them and the people, meeting and praying together,
and it seemed as if the spirit of Christ rested upon them; for no jar or
discord was allowed to enter.

The work of the Lord in those islands is very great. There are now only
67,000 inhabitants, and yet in these forty-three years in which the
mission has been in operation there have been 52,413 converts, and
19,679 are now connected with the churches. Surely, this may be called a
Christian nation. There was another "Cousins' Meeting" on the evening of
June 6th. I wish you could peep in upon one of these gatherings. Thirty
or forty young people together, all united by the missionary tie, the
ladies wearing light or white muslins, with gay belts and sashes,
flowers in their hair, and happy, joyous, faces; the gentlemen with a
rose in their button-hole, in summer dress; windows, doors, and blinds
all open; and after the business of the meeting is over, numerous happy
couples promenading to and fro on the piazza. All this gives a festive
look, and one has a feeling of interest not felt in gatherings in our
own land. At parties there, one never expected a greater variety of
refreshments than cake, coffee, and strawberries; so they can be
conducted without much expense, and little companies are the order of
the day. Then it is so easy getting about; no cold winter snows to
trudge through, no chilling wind to guard against; everybody has a horse