friendliness, and hospitality. Mr. Thompson, pastor of the foreign
church, is a man of very liberal culture, as well as wide
sympathies. The lady principal of the Government school is a
handsome, talented Vermont girl, and besides being an immense
favourite, well deserves her unusual and lucrative position.

There are hardly any young ladies, and very few young men, but
plenty of rosy, blooming children, who run about barefoot all the
year. Besides the Hilo residents, there are some planters' families
within seven miles, who come in to sewing circles, church, etc.
There is a small class of reprobate white men who have ostracized
themselves by means of drink and bad morals, and are a curse to the
natives. The half whites, among whom "Bill Ragsdale" is the leading
spirit, are not numerous. Hilo has no carriage roads and no
carriages: every one must ride or travel in a litter. People are
very kind to each other. Horses, dresses, patterns, books, and
articles of domestic use, are lent and borrowed continually. The
smallness of the society and the close proximity are too much like a
ship. People know everything about the details of each other's
daily life, income, and expenditure, and the day's doings of each
member of the little circle are matters for conversation. Indeed,
were it not for the volcano and its doings, conversation might
degenerate into gossip. There is an immense deal of personal talk;
the wonder is that there is so little ill-nature. Not only is what
everybody does here common property, but the sayings, doings,
goings, comings, and purchases of every one in all the other islands
are common property also, made so by letters and oral communication.
It is all very amusing, and on the whole very kindly, and human
interests are always interesting; but it has its perilous side.
They are very kind to each other. There is no distress which is not