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A Narrative of an 1823 Tour Through Hawaii: Journal of William Ellis
About this book
In A Narrative of an 1823 Tour Through Hawaii, missionary and traveler William Ellis records one of the earliest and most illuminating firsthand accounts of the Hawaiian Islands. Written with an eye for both scientific observation and spiritual reflection, Ellis's journal chronicles his journey across the island of Hawai'i as part of a missionary delegation seeking to establish Christian teaching among the Hawaiian people. The result is a work of extraordinary scope — blending geography, ethnography, natural history, and human sympathy into a vivid portrait of the islands before Western influence had fully transformed them.
Ellis describes volcanic eruptions, lush valleys, and majestic coastlines with the curiosity of a naturalist, while capturing the customs, language, and political life of the Hawaiians with respect and wonder. His meetings with high chiefs and commoners alike reveal a society in the midst of profound change — one negotiating its spiritual and cultural future amid the arrival of Christianity and Western commerce.
 More than a missionary record, A Narrative of an 1823 Tour Through Hawaii stands as a landmark of Pacific literature. Ellis's balanced tone, careful observation, and evident affection for the Hawaiian people make it one of the most humane and enduring travel narratives of the nineteenth century — a book that continues to shape how readers understand the islands' past and the meeting of two civilizations.Â
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Table of contents
- Title page
- TABLE OF CONTENTS
- JOURNAL OF WILLIAM ELLIS
- INTRODUCTION BY THURSTON TWIGG-SMITH
- PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION OF 1825
- PREFACE TO 1827 ENGLISH EDITION
- CHAPTER I
- CHAPTER II — THE TRIP TO HAWAII BEGINS
- CHAPTER III — MR. ELLIS JOINS THE PARTY
- CHAPTER IV — ROUTE OF EXPLORATION DECIDED UPON
- CHAPTER V — GEOLOGY AND BURIAL CAVES OF KRALAKEKUA
- CHAPTER VI — IN AND ABOUT HONAUNAU.
- CHAPTER VII — CHANGE EFFECTED BY MISSIONARIES.
- CHAPTER VIII — GREAT INTEREST IN RELIGIOUS SUBJECTS.
- CHAPTER IX — ON THE ROAD TO THE VOLCANO.
- CHAPTER X — LEAVING THE VOLCANO.
- CHAPTER XI — AT PUALAA—DISCUSSION WITH THREE PRIESTS.
- CHAPTER XII — CANOE HIRED FOR PASSAGE TO LAUPAHOEHOE
- CHAPTER XIII — DOG FARMS
- CHAPTER XIV — SANDAL WOOD COLLECTING IN KOHALA
- CHAPTER XV — HEIAU OF AHUENA CONVERTED INTO A FORT
- APPENDIX — REMARKS ON THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE