Scenes in the Hawaiian Islands and California
Public-domain ebook
Scenes in the Hawaiian Islands and California
Language: en3,351 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Travel Writing
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #28034.
About this book
Scenes in the Hawaiian Islands and California is a mid‑nineteenth‑century travel memoir compiled from the notes of Mary E. Anderson, daughter of Rev. Rufus Anderson, senior secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The work opens with a vivid recounting of the family’s departure from New York in January 1863, describing the cramped steamer cabins, a near‑collision with a schooner, and the first sight of porpoises after days at sea. From there the narrative proceeds chapter by chapter through a series of sketches that blend practical details, such as baggage limits at the Isthmus of Darien or the layout of a Hawaiian village, with personal observations of landscapes, customs, and missionary activities. The book promises both instruction and entertainment for readers interested in the era’s missionary enterprises and the early tourist impressions of Hawaii and California.
The voice is unmistakably Victorian, marked by a modest, didactic tone and frequent references to Christian duty, while the prose is rich with descriptive cataloguing of flora, fauna, and local architecture. Its style reflects the period’s penchant for exhaustive travel accounts, offering a blend of anecdote, ethnographic detail, and moral reflection. Readers who enjoy historical travel literature, scholars of missionary history, or anyone fascinated by 19th‑century perspectives on the Pacific and the American West will find the work engaging and informative.
Who appears in Scenes in the Hawaiian Islands and California
- Rev. Rufus AndersonMiddle‑aged clergyman in 1860s frock coat, grey beard, spectacles, solemn expression
- Mary E. AndersonYoung Victorian woman, dark hair pinned, modest high‑collar dress, gentle demeanor
The opening · free to read
CORNHILL PRESS: DAKIN AND METCALF, BOSTON.
NOTE BY THE PUBLISHERS.
In the year 1863, Rev. Rufus Anderson, D. D., senior Secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, visited the Hawaiian Islands on official business connected with the missionary work of that institution. He was accompanied, in that visit, by his wife and daughter, the latter of whom preserved some memoranda of the journey and the scenes to which it introduced her, for the gratification of her friends. From these notes the present volume has been prepared. The interest which the friends of missions in this country have long cherished for that people--youngest born in the family of Christian nations--will lead them to welcome these unpretending sketches, as affording both instruction and entertainment to themselves and their children.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.--FROM NEW YORK TO ASPINWALL.
The Bargain.--Our Steamer and Staterooms.--A Schooner in a bad Place.--Porpoises.--Pirate Alabama. 9
CHAPTER II.--ISTHMUS OF DARIEN.
Baggage.--Wreck.--Isthmus Toilets.--Aspinwall.--Tropical Scenery.--Huts. 17
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