Under Hawaiian skies, a narrative of the romance, adventure and history of the Hawaiian Islands, a complete historical account, by Albert Pierce Taylor.

KALAKIAUA'S REIGN40

405

ever, were started on Maui avid three great planlations organized.
Col. Claus Spreckels saw the fertile plainis of Mlaui, and in 1878
appllied to the cal)inet for a lease of "the surplus waters of the
streamns on the northeast side of Mlaui." The thien attorneygeneral, Jtl(ude Hartwell, anld the minister of the initerior, J. IottSnmith, refused to,rant hinm a l)erpettial moniopoly of this water,
as they stated it. lIp to thiis time the chang-es ill thle calbinet had
l)ee1n caused by lisag-reemelit between its memhners, allnd had no
l)olitical significance.
in the mIeantimie \,Walter MIurray CGilbsoll, after mIonths of
l)reparation, hiad broughlt before the legislatture a nmotionI of wanrt
of confidence in the ministry. This was (lefeated by a vote of
26 to 19. O)n the night of July 1, Claus Slpreclkels andl (George
WV. M\acfarlanle 1had a lonig conference with Ksalakatna at thie Ilawaiiain Hotel on tile subject of the water privilege, and adjournledl to the palace at midnighlt. It is not necessary to give thle (letails here, but the result wvas thlat letters were (lrawin ll) and sigiledl by tile king, acddressedl to each memlher of the calbinet, requestinig -his resignation, without stating, any reason for his dismissal.
Thlese letters were (lelivere(l hv a messenger l)etween 1 and 2
o'clock ill the morning. Such all arlbitrary and (lespotic act was
without precedlent in Hawaiian history.
Thle llext day a new cabinet was appointed, consisting of S.
'C. Wilder, lminister of interior E. Preston, attorney-geSleral
Simon Kaai, mlinister of finance and John Kiapena, minister of
foreiglii affairs. The last two positions were sinecures, hut Kaai
as a slpeaker alnd lpolitician ha1d great influence with his countrynlen. The nexv cabinet grantedl Mr. lSpreckels the dlesire(l water
privileges for thirty years at $500 a year. The oI)itium license
all(l free liquor bills were killedl. The actulal premier, Mr. Wilder,
was probably one of the alblest adlministrators that the country
hadl ever hadl. He infusedl new vigor into every (lel)artment of
the grovernmellt, promo:tedl imnligration. carried out extensive
l)ublic improvements, alnd at the legislative session of 1880 was
al)le to show cash in the treasury slufficienlt to pay off the existing
nationlal debt. Iutt his (leternlination to administer his own de