A Report From School

The Last Princess of Hawaii
Mattea
March 21, 2006

The last Princess of Hawaii, named Kaiulani, was born on October 16th, 1875, to the Honorable Archibald Cleghorn and his wife Princess Miriam Likelike Cleghorn. Princess Kaiulani also had three sisters from her Father’s previous marriage who were all very much older than her. Annie, the youngest of the trio, who was still eight years older then Kaiulani, was very much like, well, a sister to Kaiulani where the others, so much older, were not. Kaiulani soon became a very rich little girl when her Aunt Ruth, also a princess, was named her Godmother. She gave Kaiulani ten acres of land in Waikiki as a christening present. There her Father, Honorable A. Cleghorn, built a house with beautiful gardens and named the place “Ainahau” meaning “Place Touched by Cool Breezes” or “Cool Place”. A banyan tree, situated at the front of the house, was a favorite of Kaiulani’s where she loved to play and do whatever else the weather permitted, often with her pet peacocks surrounding her. Other things that Kaiulani enjoyed were taking “sea baths” and riding her beloved horse, Fairy, and to read(In fact, when Kaiulani was thirteen Robert Louis Stevenson of Scotland-author of Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and many other children stories-and his wife visited Hawaii. Kaiulani became very good friends with the Stevenson family.)

Then during the Christmas of 1886, when Kaiulani was eleven, tragedy struck. Her Mother, Princess Likelike, took to her bed and refused to eat. Though many Doctors tried to help her she didn’t seem to have any known illness. Meanwhile, Princess Likelike grew weaker and weaker. Then in February of 1887 she called for her daughter, Kaiulani. What her Mother told her must have been disturbing for Kaiulani. She said that she had been able to see into the future saying that, “You will go far away from your land and your people and will be gone a long time. You will never marry and you will never rule Hawaii.” Later that afternoon, Princess Likelike died. About a year later, Kaiulani’s Uncle, King Kalakaua, decided that when she was thirteen she would go study at a boarding school for girls in England. Was what Kaiulani’s Mother said coming true already?

And so it was in May of 1889 that Kaiulani boarded the S.S. Umatilla bound for San Francisco. Her Father, as well as her sister Annie, accompanied her, although her Father would only go as far as the Mainland, or America. The entire voyage to San Francisco Kaiulani was plagued by seasickness as well as homesickness. Once they reached the Mainland Kaiulani gave a tearful aloha to her Father, but said hello to a Mrs. Walker and her two young children who were to see that the girls arrived safely in England. From San Francisco they took a train to New York. On that train ride Kaiulani steadily began to recuperate from her homesickness and, when they reached New York, she was able to enjoy the tourist attractions there for a week. All too soon, they had to leave boarding another ship headed for their final destination, London, England. Kaiulani was again seasick but not at all as bad as she had been on the first part of the journey so she was actually able to enjoy the ride. When they arrived in London Kaiulani’s first impression was not very favorable. It seemed like it was gray everywhere! What a difference from warm, clear Hawaii. Kaiulani and Annie once again said a goodbye and gave a hello. This time saying farewell to Mrs. Walker and then being greeted by Mr. Theo H. Davies who was to be Kaiulani’s guardian while she was in England. Kaiulani and her sister toured England for the rest of the summer. (And Kaiulani decided England wasn’t so bad after all.)

That September Kaiulani began her classes at Great Harrowden Hall in North Hamtonshire. Although it was a hard adjustment for her to go from being tutored at home to being in a whole class of girls, she soon had several friends. Though things seemed to go well for Kaiulani at school, she received hints of political problems in letters from Hawaii. For several years trouble between the Royalists and the Reformers had been arising. The reformers (many of them were actually sons of missionaries) wanted to annex Hawaii to the United States of America. They had taken over land of the Hawaiian people and, by marrying into noble Hawaiian families, had even gone so far as to say who could vote and who could not. One year later, in October of 1890, Kaiulani received a letter from her Uncle, King Kalakaua. At the very end it read: “Be on guard against certain enemies I do not feel free to name in writing.” Kaiulani had no clue what he meant so she wrote him for more details. She never got a reply. Two months later, she received a cable saying that while on a trip in the Mainland King Kalakaua had died of kidney failure! Kaiulani’s Aunt Liliuokalani was now Queen and Kaiulani was next in line for the throne. Kaiulani hoped and expected to be called home but, much to her dismay, she was not.

By 1892 Kaiulani seemed so unhappy at Great Harrowden Hall Mr. Davies decided it was time for a change. Kaiulani would be sent to Brighton, England to be tutored privately by a Mrs. Rooke. In early March Kaiulani arrived in Brighton and immediately loved Mrs. Rooke. Kaiulani was finally happy but unfortunately, it did not last long. While visiting the Davies’ in the winter of 1893 Kaiulani received three telegrams. The first read, “QUEEN DESPOESED” the second “MONARCHY ABROGATED” and the third “BREAK NEWS TO PRINCESS”. American marines had marched into the city of Honolulu. At the sight of them, Queen Liliuokalani was forced to give up her thrown. Which meant Kaiulani was now only a princess at heart.

Several weeks later Kaiulani received a letter from her Father saying that the real trouble had began when Queen Liliuokalani had tried to pass a constitution of a right that had been taken away from King Kalakaua. The haoles, or Americans who lived there, had been holding secret meetings about how to take control of Hawaii and then annex it to the United States. Queen Liliuokalani had given up her thrown saying that she would let the American government take care of it all. Then Mr. Davies had an idea. Kaiulani should accompany him to Washington D.C. and ask for the freedom of Hawaii from Grover Cleveland, the current president of the United States. At first Kaiulani said no. What could a seventeen year-old do to save her country? But when she thought about the Hawaiian people whom she loved so much, she decided to go. When Kaiulani and Mr. Davies arrived in New York City on March 1st, they were greeted by a mob of reporters and regular citizens. So Kaiulani read a prepared speech ending with; “Today I, a poor week girl with not one of my people near me and all these Hawaiian statesmen against me, have strength to stand up for the rights of my people. Even now I can here their wail in my heart and it gives me strength and courage and I am strong….strong in the faith of God, strong in the knowledge that I am right, strong in the strength of seventy million people who in this free land will here my cry and will refuse to let there flag cover dishonor to mine!” The people absolutely adored her. In Washington Kaiulani met with the President and First lady. President Cleveland told her that, although he couldn’t send troops to Hawaii to stop the haoles, he would make sure that, as long as he was President Hawaii would not be annexed to the United States. Though he would send some men to Hawaii to find out what was truly going on. It seemed as though Kaiulani had won, so she returned to England. But other Hawaiians didn’t think so. Some young Hawaiian men and there friends had planned a revolt against the hoales. If the President wasn’t going to help them, they would help themselves. With guns secretly ordered from California they planned to attack on January 6th, 1895. But somebody in there group betrayed them to the hoales and the attack went horribly. Many young men were put in jail and Queen Liliuokalani herself was kept under house arrest, fined $5,000, and sentenced to five years hard labor. (The sentence was later slightly lightened.)
As soon as Kaiulani got wind of the news she set out for Hawaii. When she reached her homeland, everyone turned out to see her. But what Kaiulani saw made her heart ach. All were sad despite the occasion and were dressed in fairly rags. Hawaii had changed so much in just five years! The haoles now ruled and the Hawaiian monarchy was done for.

When President Cleveland was voted out of office in 1897, Hawaii was annexed to the United States. Kaiulani was heartbroken. In December she was invited to a friends wedding. Kaiulani was happy to go. The party was so big it went on for weeks. Then, while out riding with friends there, it began to rain-an icy rain. Everybody put on raingear except for Kaiulani who bolted off into the rain. The next day she took sick. Every day she grew worse. Doctors said she had inflammatory rheumatism, others thought it was really despair. During the early morning hours of March 6th, 1899, Kaiulani Victoria Cleghorn died. It is said that her peacocks, at the very moment she died, let out an almost human cry. The whole of Hawaii mourned for her that day and several days after.

Forth from her land to mine she goes,
The island maid, the island rose,
Light of heart and bright of face,
The daughter of a double race.

Her islands here in the southern sun
Shall mourn their Kaiulani gone,
and I, in her dear banyans shade,
Look vainly for my little maid.

But our Scots islands far away
Shall glitter with unwonted day,
and cast for once their tempest by
to smile in Kaiulani’s eye.

-written by Robert Lewis Stevenson
as a farewell gift for Kaiulani before she left for England
in May of 1889.