Ali’i / Chiefs / Governance | Page 96

December 15, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

The Longest Ruling Monarch

He was the Hawaiian Kingdom’s longest ruling monarch – 29 years; he died at the age of 41.

Kamehameha I – 1810 – May 8, 1819 (~10-years)
Kamehameha II – May 20, 1819 – July 14, 1824 (~5 years)
Kamehameha III – June 6, 1825 – December 15, 1854 (~29-years)
Kamehameha IV – January 11, 1855 – November 30, 1863 (~9-years)
Kamehameha V – November 30, 1863 – December 11, 1872 (~9-years)
Liholiho – January 8, 1873 – February 3, 1874 (~1-year)
Kalākaua – February 12, 1874 – January 20, 1891 (~17-years)
Lili‘uokalani – January 29, 1891 – January 17, 1893 (~2-years)

The younger brother of Liholiho, he served as Hawai‘i’s King from 1825 to 1854 – the longest ruling monarch over the Hawaiian Kingdom. Kauikeaouli was a pre-teen when he ascended to the throne; in the early years of his rule, he served under a regency with Kaʻahumanu, his father’s favorite queen, as joint ruler.

Kauikeaouli spent the first 5-years of his life with Chief Kaikioʻewa in the ‘O‘oma ahupuaʻa in Kona (the place where he first learned to be a king.)

Other early education the infant Prince received was at Kailua-Kona, from the Rev. Asa Thurston and Thomas Hopu, a native Hawaiian who had been educated on the continent and who came with the first missionaries to Hawaiʻi. In Honolulu, the Prince was the pupil of Rev. Hiram Bingham.

“That the existence of the King, chiefs and the natives, can only be preserved by having a government efficient for the administration of enlightened justice, both to natives and the subjects of foreign powers residing in the islands …”

“… and that chiefly through missionary efforts the natives have made such progress in education and knowledge, as to justify the belief that by further training, they may be rendered capable of conducting efficiently the affairs of government; but that they are not at present so far advanced.”

“That the best means of bringing them to that desired state, arc the careful study of proper books, and the practical knowledge of business, to be acquired by ascending through the different gradations of office, under foreign ministers.” (Polynesian, January 6, 1855)

“In private life, Kamehameha III was mild, kind, affable, generous and forgiving. He was never more happy than when free from the cares and trappings of state. He could enjoy himself sociably with his friends, who were much attached to him. Having associated much, while a boy, with foreigners, he continued to the last to be fond of their company.”

“Without his personal influence, the law to allow them to hold lands in fee simple could never have been enacted; neither could conflicting claims to land have been settled and registered by that most useful institution, the Board of Land Commissioners.”

“It is hardly possible to conceive any King more generally beloved than was Kamehameha III; more universally obeyed, or more completely sovereign in the essential respect of independent sovereignty, that of governing his subjects free from any influence or control coming from beyond the limits of his own jurisdiction.” (Polynesian, January 6, 1855)

Under his leadership, Hawaiʻi changed from an isolated island kingdom to a recognized member of the modem world. Many of the things he did as king still influence life in Hawaiʻi today. (Kamehameha Schools Press)

The following are only some of the many accomplishments of Kamehameha III (Kauikeaouli:)

On June 6, 1825, Kauikeaouli was proclaimed king of Hawaiʻi. To the people he said, “Where are you, chiefs, guardians, commoners? I greet you. Hear what I say! My kingdom I give to God. The righteous chief shall be my chief, the children of the commoners who do you right shall be my people, my kingdom shall be one of letters.” (Kamakau – Kamehameha Schools Press)
June 7, 1839, he signed the Declaration of Rights (called Hawai‘i’s Magna Charta) that, in part, noted, “God hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the earth, in unity and blessedness. God has also bestowed certain rights alike on all men and all chiefs, and all people of all lands.”
June 17, 1839 he issued the Edict of Toleration permitting religious freedom for Catholics in the same way as it had been granted to the Protestants.
June 28, 1839 he founded Chief’s Children’s School (The Royal School;) the main goal of this school was to groom the next generation of the highest ranking chiefs’ children of the realm and secure their positions for Hawaiʻi’s Kingdom.
(Missionaries Amos and Juliette Cooke were selected to teach the 16 royal children and run the school.)
October 8, 1840 (the King was about 27-years-old) he enacted the Constitution of 1840 that, in part, changed the government from one of an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. It provided for a separation of powers between three branches of government, with executive power in the hands of the king, the kuhina nui (similar to a prime minister) and four governors; a bicameral legislative body consisting of a house of nobles and a house of representatives, with the house of representatives elected by the people; and a judiciary system, including a supreme court.
April 27, 1846 he declared that “the forests and timber growing therein shall be considered government property, and under the special care of the Minister of the Interior …;” effectively starting the process of protecting our mauka watersheds.
January 27, 1848 through March 7, 1848 he participated in what we refer to as the “Great Māhele” that was a reformation of the land system in Hawaiʻi and allowed private ownership
June 14, 1852 he enacted the Constitution of 1852 that expanded on the Declaration of Rights, granted universal (adult male) voting rights for the first time and changed the House of Nobles from a hereditary body to one where members served by appointment by the King. It also institutionalized the three branches of government and defined powers along the lines of the American Constitution.
Toward the end of Kauikeaouli’s reign there were 423 schools in Hawaiʻi with an enrollment of over twelve-thousand-students. Most of the schools were elementary schools using Hawaiian as the language of instruction.

Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) died December 15, 1854 (at the age of 41.)

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December 14, 2017 by Peter T Young 2 Comments

Seeking Recognition

In 1842, the delegation of Ha‘alilio, William Richards and Sir George Simpson traveled to the US, France and Britain seeking recognition and diplomatic ties for Hawai‘i.

On December 14, 1842, Ha‘alilio and Richards delivered a letter to Daniel Webster, US Secretary of State, explaining the changes Hawai‘i had undergone and reasons for recognition of the Islands. The following is the content of that letter.

“Sir: The undersigned having been duly commissioned by His Majesty Kamehameha III, King of all the Hawaiian Islands, to represent his Government and promote its interests in the United States, wish to call the attention of your Government to the existing relations between the two countries.”

“In the year 1826 articles of agreement, in the form of a treaty, were entered into between His Majesty’s Government and Thomas ap Catesby Jones, commanding the United States sloop of war Peacock.”

“His Majesty has never received any notice of that treaty’s being ratified, nor intimation that it was approved by the Government of the United States. His Majesty has, nevertheless, during the last sixteen years, governed himself by the regulations of that treaty in all his intercourse with citizens of the United States.”

“Subsequently to the above similar forms of agreement have been entered into between His Majesty and officers commanding vessels of war of different nations of Europe; but, so far as is known to the undersigned, those agreements have never received the sanction of their several Governments.”

“These facts, viewed in connection with their attendant circumstances, have led His Majesty to feel considerable embarrassment in managing his foreign relations, and have awakened the very strong desire that his Kingdom shall be formally acknowledged by the civilized nations of the world as a sovereign and independent State.”

“His Majesty considers that this acknowledgment has already been tacitly but virtually made, both in the United States and Europe, by the appointment of consuls and commercial agents to reside in his dominions and by the formal manner in which the commanders of national vessels have transacted business with him, many of whom have professedly acted under the express instructions of their several Governments.”

“But he is nevertheless of opinion that the time has now arrived when both the interests and the honor of his Kingdom demand a more formal acknowledgment than has hitherto been made by any foreign government.”

“It is His Majesty’s request that the Government of the United States will take into consideration the nature, extent, and the rapidity of those changes which have taken place in his dominions during the last few years – changes which he has the happiness to believe are honorable both to his Government and to the people over whom it rules.”

“Twenty-three years ago the nation had no written language, and no character in which to write it. The language had never been systematized nor reduced to any kind of form. The people had no acquaintance with Christianity, nor with the valuable institutions or usages of civilized life.”

“The nation had no fixed form or regulations of Government, except as they were dictated by those who were in authority, or might by any means acquire power. The right of property was not acknowledged, and was therefore but partially enjoyed.

“There were no courts of justice, and the will of the chieftains was absolute. The property of foreigners had no protection, except in the kind disposition of individuals.”

“But, under the fostering influence, patronage, and care of his Majesty, and that of his predecessors, the language has been reduced to visible and systematized form, and is now written by a large and respectable proportion of the people.”

“Schools have been established throughout his dominions, and are supported principally by the Government; and there are but few, among the younger people who are unable to read.”

“They have now in their own language a library, embracing a considerable variety of books, on a variety of subjects, including the Holy Scriptures, works on natural history, civil history, church history, geography, political economy, mathematics, and statute law; besides a number of elementary books.”

“A regular monarchical Government has been organized, of a limited and representative character, a translation of the constitution of which we herewith transmit. A code of laws, both civil and criminal, has been enacted and published.”

“The legislature holds an annual meeting, for the purpose of adding to and amending this code. Courts of justice have been established and regular trials by jury required in all important cases.”

“Foreigners of different nations have testified their confidence in these courts by bringing suits in cases where many thousands of dollars’ worth of property was involved, and that, too, in cases when, with but very short delay, they could have been carried before the courts of other countries.”

“It has, moreover, been the uniform practice of consuls and commercial agents, resident in His Majesty’s dominions, and also of all commanders of national vessels visiting those dominions, to demand all that protection, both of persons and property, which is demanded of sovereign and independent States, and this His Majesty believes has been duly and efficiently extended.”

“While, therefore, all is demanded of his Government, and all is rendered by it which is demanded of or rendered by the governments of sovereign and independent states, he feels that he has a right to expect his state to be acknowledged as such and thus be formally received into the general compact of sovereign nations.”

“In the request which His Majesty hereby makes to the Government of the United States, he has of course for his direct object the promotion of the interest of his own Kingdom, but he is also very fully convinced that the important interests of all the great commercial nations will also be materially subserved by his dominions remaining, as they have hitherto been, independent.”

“Their position is such that they constitute the great center of the whale fishery for most of the world. They are on the principal line of communication between the western continent of America and the eastern continent of Asia; and such are the prevailing winds on that ocean that all vessels requiring repairs or supplies …”

“… either of provisions or of water, naturally touch at those islands, whether the vessels sail from Columbia River on the north, or from the far distant ports of Mexico, Central America, or Peru, upon the south …”

“… and it should be further added, that there is no other place in all that part of the Pacific Ocean where repairs of vessels can be made to so good an advantage, or supplies be obtained in such abundance, and on so favorable terms.”

“His Majesty wishes also to remind the Government of the United States that the amount of property belonging to their citizens, which is either landed at or enters the various harbors or roadsteads of his dominions, and is consequently more or less dependent on the protection of his Government, can not be less than from five to seven millions of dollars annually.”

“This property lies in some 90 or 100 whaling ships and their cargoes, and in some 12 or 15 merchant vessels, besides also a considerable amount of other property belonging to American citizens on shore.”

“At some seasons there have been not less than three or four millions of dollars worth of American property, and some 1,400 American citizens at the same time, at the various ports of the islands, requiring constantly, in some degree, the protection of His Majesty …”

“… and he has the happiness of believing that efficient and satisfactory aid has always been extended to those who have required it.”

“In evidence corroborative of many of the facts herein stated, the undersigned do not hesitate to refer to documentary evidence, which they believe must be among the papers in your Department of State, recently furnished by masters of national vessels, but more especially by the United States commercial agent at Honolulu.”

“His Majesty is also desirous that there should be a definite arrangement for the settlement of any future difficulties which may unhappily arise and which, between sovereign and independent nations, would ordinarily be the subject of diplomatic correspondence.”

“To carry into effect these desirable objects the undersigned are authorized by His Majesty Kamehameha III to enter into negotiation with the authorities of the United States, by convention, treaty, or otherwise …”

“… whenever the latter shall acknowledge the sovereignty of the former; and as evidence that the undersigned are thus authorized, they are prepared to present official papers from His Majesty whenever the way is open for them to be received.”

“The undersigned will further state that they are directed to proceed from the United States to Europe for the purpose of obtaining from some of the principal governments there the same acknowledgments which it is the object of this letter to obtain from the Government of the United States.”

“Accept, sir, the assurances of the high consideration with which the undersigned have the honor to be your obedient servants,
Timoteo Haalilio, William Richards”

Webster replied December 19, 1842, stating, in part, “Gentlemen: I have received the letter which you did me the honor to address to me, under date of the 14th instant, stating that you had been commissioned to represent in the United States the Government of the Hawaiian Islands …”

“… inviting the attention of this Government to the relations between the two countries, and intimating a desire for a recognition of the Hawaiian Government by that of the United States. Your communication has been laid before the President, and by him considered.”

“The United States have regarded the existing authorities in the Sandwich Islands as a Government suited to the condition of the people, and resting on their own choice; and the President is of opinion that the interests of all the commercial nations require that that Government should not be interfered with by foreign powers.”

“The United States, therefore, are more interested in the fate of the islands, and of their Government, than any other nation can be; and this consideration induces the President to be quite willing to declare, as the sense of the Government of the United States …”

“… that the Government of the Sandwich Islands ought to be respected; that no power ought either to take possession of the islands as a conquest, or for the purpose of colonization, and that no power ought to seek for any undue control over the existing Government, or any exclusive privileges or preferences in matters of commerce.”

“Entertaining these sentiments, the President does not see any present necessity for the negotiation of a formal treaty, or the appointment or reception of diplomatic characters. A consul or agent from this Government will continue to reside in the islands.” (Webster to Ha‘alilo and Richards, December 19, 1842) (More on all this, later.)

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December 8, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Early Written Laws

“(A) small code of criminal law was prepared Dec. 8, 1827. This code was printed on a small hand bill in two forms both bearing the same date, Dec. 8, 1827 ….”

“One has six laws with penalties and the other five laws. The fourth and the sixth laws were practically the same. One referred to Hookamakama (prostitution) and the other to Moe Kolohe (adultery), both according to Hawaiian ideas could be included under the term ‘adultery.’”

“The five laws promulgated by the chiefs were as follows:
1. Against murder, penalty hanging.
2. Against theft, penalty imprisonment in irons.
3. Against rum, selling, penalty imprisonment in irons.
4. Against adultery, penalty a fine.
5. Against gambling, penalty imprisonment in irons.” (Westervelt)

“The way was thus cleared for action, but the foreigners brought their influence to bear against certain of the five laws which had been agreed upon and a change was made.”

“It was decided to adopt only three laws at this time, to go into effect in three months (i.e. in March, 1828).”

“These three laws were: first, against murder, ‘the one who commits murder here shall die, by being hung’; second, against theft, ‘the one who steals shall be put in irons’; third, against adultery, for which the penalty was imprisonment in irons.”

“Three other proposed laws, against rum selling, prostitution, and gambling, were drawn up, to be explained and taught to the people before they should be adopted.”

“It was agreed that the chiefs should meet six months later to continue their consultation upon the subject. The three laws adopted and the three proposed were printed together on one sheet, which bears the date December 8, 1827.”

“On December 14, the people were assembled in a coconut grove near the fort; the three enacted laws were formally proclaimed, and the king, Ka‘ahumanu, and Boki exhorted the people, both native and foreign, to obey the three laws which had been adopted and to give attention to the three which were not yet enacted.” (Kuykendall)

“Although these six laws were thus put in writing, signed by the king and printed, they were really enacted by the king and chiefs and proclaimed orally like other previous laws.”

“It was this way: When the first three of these laws had been decided upon, a general assembly was called, which was attended by the king, regent, chiefs and a great concourse of common people, including some foreigners.”

“This was under a grove of cocoanut trees near the sea. Mr. Bingham had been asked to attend and open the exercises with prayer if he did not fear harm from the hostile foreigners, and had replied that he would do his duty even if they burned him for it.”

“He was given a chair by Gov. Boki, and a little later, when the regent handed him a hymn book, he sung a hymn, offered a prayer and withdrew.”

“The king and regent then each addressed the chiefs and people and foreigners, proclaimed the first three of these laws and called on all to hear and obey them. Notice was also given of other proposed laws, which were not to be put in force until the people had been further educated up to them.”

“After adjournment, the missionaries were requested to print on handbills these three laws and the other three, which apparently had been proclaimed on a previous occasion.” (Frear)

“This was the beginning of formal legislation by the Hawaiian chiefs. The contemporary chroniclers considered it a matter of great significance that they had made a start in this important business.”

“The chiefs met again in June, 1828, but we have no record of what was accomplished. It is intimated that Ka‘ahumanu had difficulty in bringing the other chiefs to the task, and one report says they referred the business to David Malo who declined to take upon himself the responsibility.” (Kuykendall)

“Opposition again became threatening and made practically useless for a time the laws against rum selling and gambling, but little by little the chiefs gained confidence, issued proclamations and edicts and met guile with tact …”

“… until in 1829, a number of laws were in force and foreigners as well as the native-born, were proclaimed to be subject to the laws including rum selling and gambling.” (Westervelt)

“We have in fact very little information in regard to the conferences of the chiefs, but we hear of new laws from time to time, and on October 7, 1829, the king, in a formal proclamation, declared …” (Kuykendall)

“The laws of my country prohibit murder, theft, adultery, fornication, retailing ardent spirits at houses for selling spirits, amusements on the sabbath day, gambling and betting on the sabbath day, and at all times.”

“If any man shall transgress any of these laws, he is liable to the penalty, the same for every foreigner and for the people of these islands: whoever shall violate these laws shall be punished.”

“This also I make known: The law of the Great God of Heaven, that is, the great thing by which we shall promote peace; let all men who remain here obey it.”

“Christian Marriage is proper for men and women; but if a woman regard her man as her only husband, and the man regard his woman as his only wife, they are legally husband and wife …”

“… but if the parties are not married, nor regard themselves as husband and wife, let them be forth with entirely separate.” (Kamehameha III, Elliot) (The image shows Kamehameha III in 1825.)

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December 5, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Alii Letters La‘anui to Loomis December 5, 1826

Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives (Mission Houses) collaborated with Awaiaulu Foundation to digitize, transcribe, translate and annotate over 200-letters written by 33-Chiefs.

The letters, written between 1823 and 1887, are assembled from three different collections: the ABCFM Collection held by Harvard’s Houghton Library, the HEA Collection of the Hawaii Conference-United Church of Christ and the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society.

These letters provide insight into what the Ali‘i (Chiefs) were doing and thinking at the time, as well as demonstrate the close working relationship and collaboration between the aliʻi and the missionaries.

In this letter, Gideon La‘anui writes to affirm that Mr. Loomis and all the missionaries are blameless and that he is devoted to Jesus and the word of Jehovah.

Elisha Loomis was in the first missionary company in 1820 and became the first printer in Hawai‘i. Gideon Peleiōhōlani Laʻanui was a native of Waimea, Hawaiʻi who was partly raised in the court of Kamehameha I and married Nāmāhana, a sister of Kaʻahumanu. He was an early Christian convert and became an active member of the church, living in Waialua, Oʻahu.

“Oahu December 5 1826”

“Good will to you Mr. Loomis together with all the missionaries from Hawaii to Kauai.”

“These are my sentiments for you all. I do not know of you having done wrong. Not in the least have my eyes ever seen any thing blameable from the first even down to the present time.”

“Here is the fault concerning which the world is angry, the word of Jesus.”

“To the wicked it is an evil word, but to those who believe in Jesus, it is the mighty word of Jehovah. It is the good thing you have brought to us – the salvation of our souls – Jesus, he it is whom you have preached to us.”

“Our hearts have looked and beheld the real salvation, and the certain truth.”

“Then the eyes saw the wickedness crowded out by the entering in of the good.”

“Now the wickedness is without, because Jesus came to take upon himself our sins, and he gave also his body to be food for us, and his blood to be the means of cleansing away the evil of our hearts …”

“… and his powerful spirit to be that means of enlightening the mind, and his word to be that by which to become straight.”

“The sentiments for you is finished. Affection for you all.”

“Gideon Laanui”

Here’s a link to the original letter, its transcription, translation and annotation:

https://hmha.missionhouses.org/files/original/a94bd802063e1540089f9c99ef3536e5.pdf

On October 23, 1819, the Pioneer Company of American Protestant missionaries from the northeast US, led by Hiram Bingham, set sail on the Thaddeus for the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawai‘i.) They arrived in the Islands and anchored at Kailua-Kona on April 4, 1820.

Over the course of a little over 40-years (1820-1863 – the “Missionary Period”,) about 180-men and women in twelve Companies served in Hawaiʻi to carry out the mission of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) in the Hawaiian Islands.

One of the earliest efforts of the missionaries, who arrived in 1820, was the identification and selection of important communities (generally near ports and aliʻi residences) as “stations” for the regional church and school centers across the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaiian Mission Houses’ Strategic Plan themes note that the collaboration between Native Hawaiians and American Protestant missionaries resulted in the
• The introduction of Christianity;
• The development of a written Hawaiian language and establishment of schools that resulted in widespread literacy;
• The promulgation of the concept of constitutional government;
• The combination of Hawaiian with Western medicine, and
• The evolution of a new and distinctive musical tradition (with harmony and choral singing).

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Laanui – Loomis Dec 5, 1826

November 26, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

The King Was Going To England

“Liholiho sailed for Maui on October 21, but inexplicably aborted the trip and returned to Honolulu by 3 pm. Ten days later, without any advance warning, Liholiho began a momentous journey to share astounding news with his chiefs.”

“On October 31, the king departed Honolulu aboard L’Aigle’s sister ship, the Princess Mary, claiming to be sailing to Maui. Instead, the Princess Mary steered for the island of Hawai‘i, arriving at Kailua on the island’s western coast on November 4.”

“There Liholiho shared with Kuakini, John Young, and missionary Asa Thurston his startling intention: he was sailing to England to meet with King George!” (Corely)

“A council of chiefs had been summoned to assemble at Maui, to deliberate on this proposal; and, after remaining nearly a week at Hawaii, the king proceeded thither, for the purpose of meeting the chiefs.”

“It was their wish, that in case of the king’s concluding to take the voyage to England, that one of the missionaries should accompany the royal party; and accordingly, in compliance with this wish, Messrs. Bingham and Ellis proceeded to Maui in the early part of November.”

“When the council was assembled, it was soon perceived that the king’s mind was determinately set on the voyage, and the consent of the chiefs was therefore speedily given. It was resolved that his majesty should embark on board the Eagle, Captain Star buck.”

“His objects in visiting England, were to see the country, to acquire a better knowledge of the nature of commercial transactions, to obtain some acquaintance with the laws, usages, and institutions of England, and to make arrangements with the British government for the protection and prosperity of the Sandwich Islands.” (Missionary Records, 1839)

“News that Liholiho intended to sail to England aboard L’Aigle reached Honolulu’s foreign community on November 8. Suddenly, reported the trader Stephen Reynolds, there was a “great stir among the chiefs about the king going to England.”

“Liholiho planned to take $25,000 with him, and the chiefs feared that Starbuck and L’Aigle’s owners would drain their king of all his money and leave him destitute and far from home.”

“When the chiefs questioned him, however, Starbuck told a different story, saying that ‘the king will want for nothing in England.” Starbuck would not even charge the king for his passage – but here he hedged – of course, L’Aigle’s owners might choose to charge something for the royal suite’s passage after the suite had arrived in London.”

“Meanwhile, Liholiho moved ahead with other arrangements. He nominated his younger brother as his successor, finalized the selection of members of his suite, and decided on the gifts that he would present to King George.”

“L’Aigle’s crew moved ahead with their planning and boarded about 100 pigs and ‘boat loads of potatoes’ from one of the king’s brigs in expectation of the journey.”

“Preparations for departure intensified. Kuakini handled the provisioning of the ship for the king. Among other food brought on board was some salted dog’s flesh, a favourite dish with the Sandwich Islanders.”

“While the ship’s crew made ready, the mission ladies went to work creating a wardrobe of rich, elegant, silk dresses for Kamāmalu.”

“The men of the mission prepared letters to their superiors at Boston and London, describing the circumstances surrounding Liholiho’s decision to make the proposed voyage, Liholiho’s goals for the voyage, and how the king’s absence might affect the government and the efforts of the mission.”

“Traders and merchants bustled about the king, getting their accounts in for payment before he should depart. Liholiho appointed both Kalanimōku and Ka‘ahumanu as regents for his younger brother.” (Corely)

“It was the desire of the king, that Mr. Ellis should accompany him, as his interpreter, to England; and, in case he should afterwards determine upon visiting the United States, he proposed that Mr. Bingham should accompany him in the same capacity there.”

“But this arrangement was, unhappily, frustrated by the captain, and the consequence was, that the king and queen left their native islands without an interpreter fully acquainted with the English language.” (Missionary Records, 1839)

“At the chiefs’ request, both Hiram Bingham and William Ellis preached to packed congregations on November 23. L’Aigle left Honolulu’s inner harbor on November 25, but Liholiho waited until 10 a.m. on November 27 to board the small boat that would ferry him out to L’Aigle.”

“His people thronged the beach near Pākākā quayside as Liholiho settled himself into the small boat, accompanied by his principal chiefs. As the boat left the shore, the loud weeping of the people mingled with the roar of cannon from the fort and from the forty vessels lying in the harbor.” (Corely)

“At his departure the natives gathered round him, and tore their hair, and shriek’d and yell’d with the most frantic gestures. The King was dressed in European fashion, and when the boat shoved off from the shore, he stood up without betraying the slightest emotion; while the natives swam round and clung to various parts, crying and yelling with the greatest bitterness.”

“On coming on Board, the decks were crowded with queens and chiefs, pigs and poultry. Of pigs there were about 300; goats, 36; sheep, 6; and bullocks, 4; with 8 dozen of fowls, and 4 dozen of ducks, – all adrift together; and potatoes and powey (poi) from stem to stern.” (Atheneum, 1824)

“Still at her home when Liholiho departed and knowing that a canoe waited to transport her to the ship, Kamamalu arose from her mat, lovingly embraced her mother and other relatives, and walked out of her home towards the quay.”

“s she passed along through the crowd, people fell to their knees and bathed her feet with tears, and loud wailing arose from the crowd of thousands who thronged the shore.”

“At the quay, she movingly addressed a farewell to her country and to her deceased father, Kamehameha, to whom she had promised that she would always follow Liholiho faithfully.”

“With a final prayer and “Aloha nui oukou!” Kamamalu stepped away from shore. A crowd of people waded into the water after her, waving their hands in sorrow and crying out Auwe! Auwe! while the cannon roared from the walls of the fort.” (Corley)

Their departure took place on November 27, 1823. (Missionary Records, 1839)

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