Historical Collections of The Hawaiian Islands -  Kalakaua -- Part 10

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Historical Collections of The Hawaiian Islands
" Keepers of the Culture "
A study in time of the Hawaiian Islands
As told by the ancients--
Kalakaua ---Part 10
as told by the Ancients--

by Darlene E. Kelley
April 27, 2001

http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374

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Kalakuana -- Pt 10.

In the early 1870's, with a young wife to support, Kalakuana reached for
a means
to support himself beyond his salaries as chamberlain, attorney ( he
passed the bar in 1871), and as clerk in the Land Office. He became an
inventor-- not a lucrative position. Remembering the wonderful ships he
had visited, he turned his attention to naval defense. He wrote Dom
Pedro, Emperior of Brazil on Sept 19. 1872 for funds to build a torpedo
proof vessel. Dom Pedro proved to be interested in the young Kalakaua,
but not enough to invest moneys in his invention.
Kalakuana then wrote Queen Victoria of England. 

Long before electricity had found its way to common use, Kalakuana
presented to both countries a fish torpedo to be driven by electricity
in contrast to wind and stream.

Among the less ambitious projects was his improved bottle stopper on Nov
16, 1872 on his thirty sixth birthday. One hundred years later such an
invention was to appear and be exceedly popular.

Kamahameha V died on december 11, 1872, at the age of 42, without
appointing a successor and wihout leaving a will. As a result, the
country took on a new aspect. Bernice Bishop, wife of Charles Reed
Bishop, had been asked before his death to be queen, but she had
refused. Queen Emma had been suggested but  was rejected by the King as
having been queen only by marriage. Another choice was Lunalilo, but
strained relations had long existed between him and the King, beginning
with their linal descent relationship and continuing through the
abortive engagemet of Lunalilo and the King's sister Victoria. During
the reigns of the Kamehamehas, Lunalilo protested that he had never been
fairly treated, for he had never been appointed to a govenment position.
The reason might be explained by the fact that Lunalilo's excessive
behavior of spending monies, drinkng, and general carousing, had caused
his father to place him under Charles R. Bishop's guardianship. Because
without King Kamehameha's will, the Crowns lands that should have
followed the Crown became disputable. The lands had so long
supported the royal family, were thorns that surrounded the rose,
Kalakuana felt that this might be his for the plucking, for as the King
had died wthout a succesor, the people could elect their King.

The Kamehamehas were gone. The first part of Lilaha's prophecy had come
true.
Kalakaua had seen the end of the Kamehamehas. But still Kalakaua was not
yet to be king. The king was to be elected.

There were four possible contenders; Lunalilo, Bernice Bishop, who had
already refused the throne; Ruth Keelikolani, who did not speak English;
and Kalakaua. Thus, Lunalilo and Kalakaua became the elective opponents.

Kalakaua was not liked by the haole, as he represented to them
Kamehameha V with his old ideas -- a return to the past, Hawaii for
Hawaiins. He was not strongly supported by the Hawaiians; in the eyes of
many he was not " royal " as the Kamehamehas were.

Nevertheless, Kalakaua put forth his platform in a Hawaiian rhetoric
reflecting what he had learned was desirable among Hawaiians. He pointed
to the past, but also touched on the current problems of the times.

Scant attention was paid to Kalakaua, and Sanford Ballard Dole wrote
that Lunalilo intended to proclaim himself Kng no matter what happened
in the legislative election. Therefore the legislation supported him,
paying little attention to Kalakaua. He was fully aware that he was not
popular with the haole. It troubled him that he was once again "
outside."

Lunililo had been a schoolmate of Kalakaua's and the envy of the
children of the High Chief's School. His mother, Auhea, the premier to
the King, spoiled him outrageously. She visited him constantly, bringing
gifts and even sending his kahu to the school to be with him. Auhea
struggled continuously with the Cookes for special privileges-- even to
the point of insisting she should sleep near her son when he was ill.
This is one thing whe was irreversibly refused.

One day Lunalilo's kahu brought him an unbroken horse. Lunalilo decided
he would break the horse immediately before an audience. He jumped on
its back and a daring ride followed, one in which Lunaliho was thrown
heavily to the ground but unhurt. His kahu was caught immediately, for a
kahu was responsible for his master and could be punished severely,
could even be put to death if his charge were injured. 

A crowd of the High Chief's school children, haole and Hawaiian
spectators. closed in upon the terrified kahu, who was in the grip of
Lunalilo's father. Into the tense air strode Lunalilo to demand that the
kahu not only be released but given his freedom. This freeing of the
kahu reflected Lunalilo's generous nature, and the crowd cheered him as
" one of the people."

Lunalilo was a delightful young democratic chief. He won the hearts of
the haole and Hawaiians alike. He was a devotee of Shakespeare and at
the slightest provocation recited long passages. He had an impressive
tenor voice, and he sang in the homes of the both Americans and British,
baiting each with songs and praises of the other. Then he would throw
his arms about his host and explain, in not an altogeher sober voice,
that he had only been joking. Sometimes there was tearful laughter.

Once Lunalilo had been elected King, Kalakaua moved gracefully to read
in Hawaiian his own congratulations and proclamation of the new King to
the Legislature.

The most surprising appintment by Lunalilo to his cabinet was Charles
Bishop, as minister of Foreign Affars. He had resented Bishop as his
guardian, but surprisingly, must have recognized him as a shrewed
businessman. All his cabinet members were Americans, except one, Robert
Stirling, who was a Scotsman.

Kalakaua was regulated to a minor position during Lunalilo's reign. He
served as a fireman and a substitute governor of Oahu during the short
absence of John Dominis. He was finally appointed a member of the Board
of land Appraisers of Oahu, a job he was eminently qualified for after
his experience with Harris, but he was allowed only a subordinate
position. It was an advancement from clerkship, but he did not head the
Board.

During Lunalilo's reign, Kalakaua figured prominently but negatively at
the time of the Barrack's revolt. The barracks of the Household Troops,
some sixty men who made up the entire standing army of the Kingdom, had
for sometime resented their drillmaster, Capt. Joseph Jajczay and
Adjutent General Charles H. Judd. Early in Sept 1873, the barracks
flamed into open revolt. Several soldiers had been punished for
disciplinary reasons by violent and angry actions of Jajczay and
supported by Judd.

David Leleo Kinimaka, Kalakaua's hanai half-brother and a member of the
guards, had brought the smoldering resentment to Kalakaua. Kalakaua who
sympathized with the military, sided with the mutineers and advised and
instigated them in refusal to accept conciliatory messages from
Lunalilo, who was recuperating in Waikiki from an attack of tuberculosis
and alcoholism. Finally the word of the king was accepted. However the
consequences were serious. The king abolished the Household Troops
except for the band, but not before they had ransacked the barricks.
Feelings ran along racial lines; in favor of the mutineers were the
Hawaiians and opposed to the haole. The incident was humililaiting to
the government, for it revealed its lack of power and control. The
Legislature and the King's ministers were flailed by the newspapers. If
Kalakaua had a few moments of pleasure to behold the embarrassment of
Lunalilo, they were short lived, and the results of the incident were
later to boomerang back to him.

After a brief reign, Lunalilo became ill and was sent to Kailua-Kona. He
was accompanied by his physician, Dr. Trouseau; his chamberlain, Charles
Judd; his father, Kanaina; Queen Emma and others of the alii; but not
Kalakaua.

Customhouse figures were released showing that the quantity of sugar
import had fallen off by nearly five million pounds. In addition to the
smaller crop, the average price that the sugar platers received was
lower than it had been for many years. The depressed state of the sugar
industry naturally spilled over into other segments of the business
community, and once again the old solutions of reciprocity and
annexation began making the rounds in private as well as in public
conversations. The reforms that Lunalilo so vigorously launched early in
his reign had been slow to materialize and problems that plagued the
tiny island Kingdom reared its ugly head. American warships and military
men had visited the islands to check on the strategic importance of
Pearl Harbor, a lease touted as a way of obtaining reciprocity treaty
with the United States.

The Kings condition grew steadily worse. In mid-January of 1874,
Lunalilo returnd to Honolulu as an invalid, having to be carried ashore.

Lunalilo clung to life fo about two weeks more before dying on February
3, 1874, barely passing his thirty-ninth birthday. His reign had been
the shortest of any monarch. ( one year and twenty five 
days.) Lke his predecessor, he had died a batchelor and no heirs to the
throne. He had failed to appoint a sucessor. This leaving Queen Emma,
Bernice Bishop and David Kalakaua to be considered serious contenders.  

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