mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i5-020

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of the king, since the island on which he had his residence
had to support with food supplies a large court and the king.
The king often moves from one island to another, but mostly
he lives on Hawaii and Vahu. That is why the other islands
must sometimes send provisions to the king's residence. The
other income consisted of the sale of sandalwood, dispatched
for cash or exchanged for various goods. Sandalwood grows in
abundance on all the islands and belongs esclusively to the
king. The American traders pay him from five to seven piasters
per picul [a picul equals 133 1/3 pounds], and sell it in Can-
ton for nine or eleven. This wood is so heavy that a piece
of it one sazhen in length and not more than three vershkas
wide [a little more than five inches] makes a picul. From
the trade of sandal, the king received from 30,000 to 40,000
piasters.

The third income was from salt gathered in abundance on
the seashore. Sandalwood was not chopped with axes, but
sawed so as not to waste wood by making chips. This work
and the gathering of salt was done under orders by the common
people. The post of Minister of Finance was filled by the
Spaniard, Marini, and the Frenchman, Rivés, who cheated the
king as much as they could. This was very easy for them be-
cause there was no one to check, and there was no question
about the correct expenditures and receipts in the management.
Marini conducted the sale of sandalwood and salt, turning over
to the king as much as he wanted. So that the merchants would
not discover his deceptions, he divided with them. Rivés
was, so to speak, the state treasurer. Cheating along with