Captain Vancouver | Images of Old Hawaiʻi

March 3, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Vancouver, Kamehameha and King George III

Captain James Cook set sail on three voyages to the South Seas. His first Pacific voyage (1768-1771) was aboard the Endeavour and began on May 27, 1768. It had three aims; go to Tahiti to record the transit of Venus (when Venus passes between the earth and sun – June 3, 1769;) record natural history, led by 25-year-old Joseph Banks; and search for the Great South Land.

Cook’s second Pacific voyage (1772-1775) aboard Resolution and Adventure aimed to establish whether there was an inhabited southern continent, and make astronomical observations.

Cook’s third and final voyage (1776-1779) of discovery was an attempt to locate a North-West Passage, an ice-free sea route which linked the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Cook commanded the Resolution while Charles Clerke commanded Discovery. (State Library, New South Wales)

“Every Fighting Service has, and must have, two main categories – ‘Officers’ and ‘Men.’ The Royal Navy in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was no exception. The distinction existed: was indeed more than ordinarily marked. It was not only a naval distinction, but a sharp social one too.”

“‘Officers’ as contemporary society used that word, came from one walk of life, ‘Men’ from another: and, as it was not easy in Society to pass from a lower stratum to a higher, so in the Navy, it was not easy for a ‘Man’ to become an Officer. But it was possible.” (Captain Cook Society)

“Cook had chosen his subordinates well or had been lucky. The officers of the third voyage were a remarkably intelligent group of men.” (Captain Cook Society) “All the great remaining voyages of the eighteenth century drew on Cook’s officers.” George Vancouver was one of the seamen and midshipman who had travelled with Cook on his second and third voyages.

In the introduction to Captain George Vancouver’s journals of his voyage to the Pacific, his brother John wrote, “that from the age of thirteen, his whole life to the commencement of this expedition, (to the Pacific) has been devoted to constant employment in His Majesty’s naval service.”

In 1791, Vancouver later entered the Pacific a dozen years later in command of the second British exploring expedition. (HJH) Vancouver visited Hawaiʻi three times, in 1792, 1793 and 1794.

On the first trip, Vancouver’s ships “Discovery” and “Chatham” first rounded the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, and traveled to Tahiti, via Australia and New Zealand, and then sailed north to the Hawaiian Islands.

On his second trip in February 1793, the “Discovery” and “Chatham” first circled and surveyed the Island Hawaiʻi. From a meeting he had with Kamehameha, he noted in his Journal,

“About noon I was honored with the presence of Tamaahmaah, the king of Owhyhee, [Kamehameha .. . of Hawai‘i] whose approach had been announced sometime before his arrival.”

“Not only from Captain King’s [of the Cook expedition] description, but also from my own memory, as far as it would serve me, I expected to have recognized my former acquaintance by the most savage countenance we had hitherto seen amongst these people …”

“but I was agreeably surprized in finding that his riper years had softened that stern ferocity which his younger days had exhibited, and had changed his general deportment to an address characteristic of an open, cheerful, and sensible mind; combined with great generosity, and goodness of disposition. …”

“Tamaahtnaah came on board in a very large canoe, accompanied by John Young, an English seaman, who appeared to be not only a great favourite, but to possess no small degree of influence with this great chief. …”

“After the usual ceremonies and assurances of friendship had passed between Tamaahmaah and myself, he said that his queen [Ka‘ahumanu] with several of his friends and relations were in the canoe alongside, and requested they might be admitted on board. This was instantly granted, and I was introduced to her majesty. …”

“She appeared to be about sixteen, and undoubtedly did credit to the choice and taste of Tamaahmaah, being one of the finest women we had yet seen on any of the islands. It was pleasing to observe the kindness and fond attention, with which on all occasions they seemed to regard each other. …”

“I was much pleased with the decorum and general conduct of this royal party. Though it consisted of many, yet not one solicited even the most inconsiderable article; nor did they appear to have any expectation of receiving presents.”

“They seemed to be particularly cautious to avoid giving the least cause for offence; but no one more so than the king himself, who was so scrupulous, as to enquire when and where it was proper for him to be seated.”

“The inhabitants, who had assembled round the ships, were by this time very numerous; on being denied their requests to be admitted on board, which was observed towards all but the principal chiefs, they remained perfectly quiet in their canoes, and in the most orderly manner carried on an honest and friendly intercourse.” (Vancouver)

When Kamehameha came aboard the ship, taking Vancouver’s hand, he “demanded, if we were sincerely his friends”, to which Vancouver answered in the affirmative. Kamehameha then said “he understood we belonged to King George, and asked if he was likewise his friend.”

“On receiving a satisfactory answer to this question, he declared the he was our firm good friend; and according to the custom of the country, in testimony of the sincerity of our declarations we saluted by touching noses.” (Vancouver, 1798)

In the exchange of gifts, after that, Kamehameha presented four feathered helmets and other items, Vancouver gave Kamehameha the remaining livestock on board, “five cows, two ewes and a ram.”

The farewell between the British and the Hawaiians was emotional, but both understood that Vancouver would be returning the following winter.

Just before Vancouver left Kawaihae on March 9, 1793, he gave Isaac Davis and John Young a letter testifying that “Tamaahaah, with the generality of the Chiefs, and the whole of the lower order of People, have conducted themselves toward us with the strictest honest, civility and friendly attention.” (Speakman, HJH)

Vancouver was obviously very much impressed with Kamehameha. He later met the chiefs of all the islands: Ka‘eo, who governed Maui, Lanai, and Molokai for his half-brother Kahekili; Kalanikupule, who administered O‘ahu; and Kaumuali‘i on Kauai.

Vancouver concluded that Kamehameha was not only the ruler of the island of Hawai‘i but also the most responsible of all the chiefs of the Sandwich Islands. He decided “to pay my principal court to Tamaahmaah, as the king of the whole island, and to treat the other chiefs with a due degree of respect and attention.”

Later (March 3, 1810), Kamehameha wrote to King George III …

“Sir

“Having had no good opportunity of writing to you since Capt. Vancouver left here has been the means of my Silence. Capt. Vancouver Informed me you would send me a small vessel am sorry to say I have not yet received one.”

“Am sorry to hear your being at War with so many powers and I so far off cannot assist you. Should any of the powers which you are at War with molest me I shall expect your protection, and beg you will order your Ships of War & Privateers not to Capture any vessel whilst laying at Anchor in our Harbours, as I would thank you to make ours a neutral port as I have not the means of defence.”

“I am in particular need of some Bunting having no English Colours also some brass Guns to defend the Islands in case of Attack from your Enemies. I have built a few small vessels with an Intent to trade on the North West of America with Tarro root the produce of these Islands for fur skins but am told by the White men here I cannot send them to sea without a Register.”

“In consequence of which beg you will send me a form of a Register & seal with my Name on it. Being very poor at these Islands any thing which you may think useful to me I beg you will send by the earliest opportunity. My best respects to you & your Queen & all your family wishing you Health Happiness & a long prosperous Reign.”

“And am Sir
Your Majesty’s
most devoted Friend & Servant
TAMAAHMAAH
King of the Sandwich Islands”

“PS. My removal from Owyhee to this Island was in consequence of their having put to death Mr. Brown & Mr. Gordon, Masters, (of the Jackall & Prince Le Boo, two of you [sic] merchant vessels.) I have sent by Mr. Jno. Gl Spence Commander of the Ship Duke of Portland, a feather’d cloak & beg your acceptance.”

The letter is dated the day before the Duke of Portland sailed from O‘ahu, and was probably written for Kamehameha by Captain Spence of that vessel, for according to Archibald Campbell, a British seaman who returned home to Britain aboard the Duke of Portland after a year in the Hawaiian Islands, Kamehameha dictated to Captain Spence a letter for King George III. (Hackler)

On April 30, 1812, the Earl of Liverpool, the Foreign Secretary in the British government, replied to Kamehameha’s March 3, 1810 letter to King George III. Due to illness, the King of England had not been able to receive Kamehameha’s letter nor the feather cloak, but they had been presented to his son, who had been appointed Regent. (Hackler)

Liverpool’s letter reads in part: “His Royal Highness Commands Me to assure you that He shall feel at all times most desirous to promote the Welfare of the Sandwich Islands, and that He will give positive Orders to the Commanders of His Ships to treat with proper respect, all Trading Vessels belonging to You, or to Your Subjects.”

“His Royal Highness is confident that the complete Success which He has gained over His Enemies in every Quarter of the Globe, will have the Effect of securing Your Dominions from any Attack, or Molestation on their part.”

“You cannot give a better proof in return of Your Friendship and goodwill towards Great Britain, than by relieving the wants of such British Subjects as may arrive at the Islands over which You Govern and may stand in need of Your assistance. …”

With this letter the Regent sent a number of presents to Kamehameha, including a gold-laced cocked hat and feathers, a new red coat and uniform, two ornamented brass speaking trumpets, and a quantity of nails, brads, hand saws, hammers, hatchets, gimlets, and augers. No arms or seals were included. (Hackler) (Lots of information here is from Hackler.)

January 17, 2024 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Voyages

In 1768, when Captain James Cook set sail on the first of three voyages to the South Seas, he carried with him secret orders from the British Admiralty to seek ‘a Continent or Land of great extent’ and to take possession of that country ‘in the Name of the King of Great Britain’.

While each of the three journeys made by Captain Cook into the Pacific had its own aim and yielded its own discoveries, it was this confidential agenda that would transform the way Europeans viewed the Pacific Ocean and its lands. (State Library, New South Wales)

Endeavour voyaged to the South Pacific, mainly to record the transit of Venus in Tahiti in 1769. After that, the ship sailed around the South Pacific searching for the “Great Southern Land.” (Wall Street Journal)

After heading west from England, rounding Cape Horn beneath South America and crossing the Pacific, Cook landed the Endeavour in Australia’s Botany Bay on April 29, 1770. To the British, Cook went down in history as the man who ‘discovered’ Australia – despite Aboriginal Australians having lived there for 50,000 years and the Dutch traversing its shores for centuries. (Ward)

When Endeavour sailed around the coast of Australia, on June 11, 1770, she became stuck in a reef, now known as Endeavour Reef (part of the Great Barrier Reef). Cook ordered that all extra weight and unnecessary equipment be removed from the ship to help her float.

The reef had created a hole in the hull which, if removed from the reef, would cause the ship the flood. After several attempts, Cook and his crew successfully freed Endeavour but she was in a dire condition. She sailed to Batavia, part of the Dutch East Indies, to properly repair her before the voyage home.

After returning to Britain in 1771, the Endeavour was sent to Woolwich to be refitted to be used as a naval transport and store ship, frequently operating between Britain and the Falklands. In 1775 she was sold out of the navy to a shipping company Mather & Co. She was refitted and renamed Lord Sandwich.

Lord Sandwich was also contracted by the British navy to transport soldiers in 1776 to fight against the American colonists who sought to break free from British control.

In 1776, Lord Sandwich was stationed in New York during the Battle of Long Island that led to the British capture of New York. In August 1778, the British scuttled the Lord Sandwich and four other vessels at Newport Harbor to try to create a blockade to stop a fleet of French warships that had sailed in to support the American forces. (VOA News)

On January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip guided a fleet of 11 British ships carrying convicts to the colony of New South Wales, effectively founding Australia.

Cook’s second Pacific voyage (1772-1775) aboard Resolution and Adventure aimed to establish whether there was an inhabited southern continent, and make astronomical observations.

Cook set sail from Plymouth on July 13, 1772. Among the personnel on this second voyage were artist William Hodges (1744–1797); young George Vancouver (1757–1798), the future surveyor of North America’s northwest coast.

Two Royal Society astronomers were also on board and Cook tested a chronometer they had to determine longitude by comparing its results with those obtained by lunar observations, his more familiar method.

For the four-month period from November 22, 1772 until March 26, 1773, more than ten thousand miles of sea were traversed, out of sight of land, in fog, around ice fields, dodging icebergs, even dipping at one point below 67° S, just seventy-five miles from undiscovered Antarctica. (Princeton)

Cook did not rush back to England, though he had the wind with him. He took Resolution down to 55° and kept that “tolerable” parallel going east to Cape Horn for five weeks, covering on one day, under a steady gale, a record 183 miles.

They celebrated Christmas, protected in a cove within what Cook named Christmas Sound (still used today) on the western side of Tierra del Fuego, enjoying dozens of geese they had shot. After passing Cape Horn, Cook explored the vast South Atlantic, west of where he had started when leaving Cape Town two years before. (Princeton)

The Resolution impressed Cook greatly and he called her “the ship of my choice and as I thought the fittest for service she was going upon of any I have seen.” (Hough) She was 14 months old and her tonnage was 462. She had the same flat-floored, apple-cheeked hull.

Resolution’s lower deck length was 110 feet 8 inches, maximum beam was just over 35 feet. Her crew included 6 midshipmen, a cook and a cook’s mate, 6 quartermasters, 10 marines including a lieutenant, and 45 seamen.

She was fitted with the most advanced navigational aids of the day, including a Gregory Azimuth Compass, ice anchors and the latest apparatus for distilling fresh water from sea water. Twelve carriage guns and twelve swivel guns were carried. At his own expense Cook had brass door-hinges installed in the great cabin.

The support vessel was the Discovery built by G&N Langborn for Mr. William Herbert from whom she was bought by the Admiralty. She was 299 tons, the smallest of Cook’s ships. Her dimensions were: lower deck 91’5″, extreme breadth 27’5″, depth of hold 11’5″, height between decks 5’7″ to 6’1″. Her complement was 70: 3 officers, 55 crew, 11 marines and one civilian.

Cook’s crew first sighted the Hawaiian Islands in the dawn hours of January 18, 1778. His two ships were kept at bay by the weather until the next day when they approached Kauai’s southeast coast.

On the afternoon of January 19, native Hawaiians in canoes paddled out to meet Cook’s ships, and so began Hawai’i’s contact with Westerners. The first Hawaiians to greet Cook were from the Kōloa south shore.

The Hawaiians traded fish and sweet potatoes for pieces of iron and brass that were lowered down from Cook’s ships to the Hawaiians’ canoes.

The Islands “were named by Captain Cook the Sandwich Islands, in honour of the Earl of Sandwich, under whose administration he had enriched geography with so many splendid and important discoveries.” (Captain King’s Journal; Kerr)

Hawaiian lives changed with sudden and lasting impact, when western contact changed the course of history for Hawai’i.

At the time of Cook’s arrival (1778-1779), the Hawaiian Islands were divided into four kingdoms: (1) the island of Hawaiʻi under the rule of Kalaniʻōpuʻu, who also had possession of the Hāna district of east Maui; (2) Maui (except the Hāna district,) Molokai, Lanai and Kahoʻolawe, ruled by Kahekili; (3) Oʻahu, under the rule of Kahahana; and at (4) Kauai and Niʻihau, Kamakahelei was ruler.

Throughout their stay, the ships were supplied with fresh provisions which were paid for mainly with iron, much of it in the form of long iron daggers made by the ships’ blacksmiths on the pattern of the wooden pāhoa used by the Hawaiians.

After a month’s stay, Cook got under sail again to resume his exploration of the Northern Pacific. Shortly after leaving Hawaiʻi Island, the foremast of the Resolution broke. They returned to Kealakekua. On February 14, 1779, Cook was killed.

At this same time, recall that back in the Atlantic, the American Revolutionary War was still ongoing with the Americans (with support from the French) fighting the British.

“Not long after Captain Cook’s death, an event occurred in Europe, which had a particular relation to the voyage of our Navigator, and which was so honourable to himself, and to the great nation from whom it proceeded”. (King)

On March 19th, 1779, Monsieur Sartine, secretary of the marine department at Paris, sent to all the commanders of French ships the following statement/directive:

“Captain Cook, who sailed from Plymouth in July, 1776, on board the Resolution, in company with the Discovery, Captain Clerke, in order to make some discoveries on the coasts, islands, and seas of Japan and California …”

“… being on the point of returning to Europe, and such discoveries being of general utility to all nations, it is the king’s pleasure that Captain Cook shall be treated as a commander of a neutral and allied power …”

“… and that all captains of armed vessels, etc., who may meet that famous navigator, shall make him acquainted with the king’s orders on this behalf, but at the same time let him know that on his part he must refrain from all hostilities.”

“By the Marquis of Condorcet we are informed that this measure originated in the liberal and enlightened mind of that excellent citizen and statesman, Monsieur Turgot.”

“Whilst great praise is due to Monsieur Turgot for having suggested the adoption of a measure which hath contributed so much to the reputation of the French government, it must not be forgotten that the first thought of such a plan of conduct was probably owing to Dr. Benjamin Franklin.”

Franklin’s gesture of good will toward Cook was not least among the honors he brought to his fledgling country. On the return of the Discovery and Resolution, they met neither French nor American ships on the way home. (Captain Cook Society)

“All the great remaining voyages of the eighteenth century drew on Cook’s officers. Bligh, Portlock, Vancouver, Colnett, Riou, and Hergest all got their commands and served with great distinction. These men then passed on their skills to a second generation of men such as Flinders and Broughton.” (Information here is from Australian National Maritime Museum, Ward, RIMAP, MuSEAum. Image “Moment of Contact” by Herb Kane.)

February 23, 2022 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Hawai‘i Island Cession to Britain

“Tamaahmaah was exceedingly well pleased, and thankful for our exertions; (Vancouver was building him a ship) and it was extremely gratifying to my feelings to reflect, that such valuable opportunities should have offered for bestowing this gratification upon the king, and many essential benefits upon his people …”

“… all of whom were now well convinced, that these superior advantages were only to be obtained by the constant exercise of the same honesty and civility by which these had been secured to them on the present occasion.”

“Very little doubt can be entertained of the exalted pleasure Tamaahmaah would enjoy in the attainment, by honorable means, of so desirable an object as his new schooner…”

“On the evening of Sunday the 23d, agreeably to my promise, I accompanied Tamaahmaah to the morai, and submitted to all the forms, regulations, and restriction of the taboo. … “

“I was not on this, as on the former occasion, purely an idle spectator; but was in some degree one of the actors. Whilst in the morning the principal ceremonies and prayers were performing, I was called upon to give my opinion on several matters that were agitated at one time by the king, and at others by the principal priests.”

“Amongst these was the propriety of their remaining at peace, or making war against the other islands? The session of the island; and if, by that voluntary measure, they would be considered as the of Great Britain?”

“Under this impression, in what manner ought they to conduct themselves towards all strangers, as well those who might visit them from civilized nations, as the inhabitants of the neighbouring islands?”

“With these, and some, other questions of less importance, I was very seriously interrogated; and I made such answers to each as was consistent with my own situation, and, as I considered, were most likely to tend in future to their happiness and tranquillity. …”

“In the forenoon of Tuesday the 25th, the king and queen accompanied by Terry-my-tee, the king’s brother; Crymamahow, half brother to the king, and chief of the district of Amakooa; Kahowmoto, chief of the district of Poona, Tamaahmotoo, chief of the district of Koarra, Trywhookee, half brother of the king, and the most faithful protector and purveyor at the encampment …”

“… all assembled on board the Discovery , for the purpose of formally ceding and surrendering the island of Owhyhee to me for his Britannic Majesty, his heirs and successors; there were present on this occasion besides myself, Mr Puget, and all the officers of the Discovery.”

“Tamaahmaahl opened the business in a speech, which he delivered with great moderation and equal firmness. He explained the reasons that had induced him to offer the island to the protection of Great Britain; and recounted the numerous advantages that himself, the chiefs, and the people, were likely to derive by the surrender they were about to make.”

“He enumerated the several nations that since Captain Cook’s discovery of these islands had occasionally resorted hither, each of which was too powerful for them to resist; and as these visitors had come more frequently to their shores, and their numbers seemed to increase …”

“… he considered that the inhabitants would be liable to more ill treatment, and still greater impositions than they had yet endured, unless they could be protected against such wrongs by some one of the civilized powers with whose people they had become acquainted …”

“… that at present they were completely independent, under no sort of engagement whatever, and were free to make choice of that state which in their opinion was most likely by its attention to their security and interests , to answer the purpose for which the proposed surrender was intended.”

“For his own part he did not hesitate to declare his preference he entertained for the king of Great Britain, to whom he was ready to acknowledge his submission; and demanded to know who had any objection to follow his example. This produced an harangue from each of the five3 chiefs, all of whom had some ideas to offer on this important subject.”

“The warlike spirit and ambitious views of Kahowmotoo had long taught him to indulge the flattering hope, that on fame future day he should be enabled to acquire the sovereignty of Mowee.”

“This prompted him to state in a spirited and manly speech, that on their becoming connected and attached to so powerful a nation, they ought no longer to suffer the indignities which had been offered to their island, Owhyhee, by the people of Mowee …”

“…he also candidly enumerated the offences that Mowee had justly to complain of in return; but as there bore no proportion to her aggressions, he contended that she ought to be chastised, and that when a force for their protection should be obtained from England, the first object of its employment ought to be the conquest of Mowee …”

“… after which the care of its government should be intrusted to some respectable chief, whose interest and inclination could be depended upon a being friendly towards Owhyhee.”

“Kavaheeroo, a chief of very different disposition, content with the station he filled, and the comforts he enjoyed with pleasure to the consequences that were likely to result from the adoption of the measure proposed …”

“… having no doubt of its tending to their future safety and protection, which had now become highly expedient in some way to effect, and of its being the means of producing a general pacification with their relations and friends, as he termed them, on the islands.”

“Tianna, after agreeing with Kahowmotoo, that Mowee ought to be chastised; and with Kavaheeroo, in the necessity of Owhyhee being protected; proposed that some persons, duly authorized for that purpose, should reside on shore by way of guards, and stated that a vessel or two would be requisite to defend them by sea.”

“He very judiciously observed further, that so great a similarity existed between the people of the four nations with whom they were already acquainted, but more particularly so between English and the Americans …”

“… that in the event of their present surrender being accepted, and of a vessel being sent out for their protection, they should be doubtful as to the reality of such persons coming from England …”

“… unless some of the officers then present, or some of those board the vessels with whom they were acquainted, and who they were convinced did belong to King George, should return to Owhyhee with the succours required.”

“This appeared to him a measure of [so much consequence that it could not be dispensed with, for otherwise, any of the distant nations, knowing they had ceded the island to the English government, might send to them ships and men whom they had never before seen …”

“… and who, by asserting they had come from England and belonged to King George, would deceive them into the obedience of a people against whom they should afterwards most probably revolt.”

“These were the prominent features in the several speeches made on the occasion: in every one of which their religion, government, and domestic economy was noticed …”

“… and it was clearly understood, that no interference was to take place in either; that Tamaahmaah, the chiefs and priests, were to continue as usual to officiate with the same authority as before in their respective stations, and that no alteration in those particulars was in any degree thought of or intended.”

“These preliminaries being fully discussed, and thoroughly understood on both sides, the king repeated his former proposition, which was now unanimously approved of, and the whole party declared their consent by saying …”

“… that they were no longer Tanata no Owhyhee, (i.e.) the people of Owhyhee; but Tanata no Britannee, (i.e.) the people of Britain. This was instantly made known to the surrounding crowd in their numerous canoes about the vessels, and the same expressions were cheerfully repeated throughout the attending multitude.”

“Mr. Puget, accompanied by some of the officers, immediately went on shore; there displayed the British colours, and took possession of the island in his Majesty’s name, in conformity to the inclination and desire of Tamaahmaah and his subjects.”

“On this ceremony being finished, a salute was fired from the vessels, after which the following inscription on copper was deposited in a very conspicuous place at the royal residence.”

“‘On the 25th of February, 1794, Tamaahmaah king of Owhyhee, in council with the principal chiefs of the island, assembled on board his Britannie Majesty’s sIoop Discovery in Karakakooa bay, and in the presence of George Vancouver, commander of the said sloop …’”

“‘… Lieutenant Peter Puget, commander of his said Majesty’s armed tender the Chatham; and the other officers of the Discovery; after due consideration, unanimously ceded the said island of Owhyhee to his Britannic Majesty, and acknowledged themselves to the subjects of Great Britain.’” (Vancouver Journal)

According to Kekūanāo’a, Boki stated that Kamehameha stated to Vancouver, “go back and tell King George to watch over me and my whole kingdom.”

“I acknowledge him as my landlord and myself as tenant, (or him as superior and I as inferior.) Should the foreigners of any other nation come to take possession of my lands, then let him help me.” (Kekūanāo‘a in Report of the Foreign Minister, 1855)

While Kamehameha and his chiefs became willing to acknowledge King George as their suzerain, in expectation of his defending them against foreign and outside foes, they expressly reserved to themselves the autonomous government of their island in their own way and according to such laws as they themselves might impose.”

“It is not evident that Vancouver did or could hold out to the Hawaii chiefs anything more than the probability of such protection, the cession, from even his point of view, requiring the acceptance and ratification of the English Government, which it never received. “

“That Kamehameha and his chiefs did not understand the full meaning of the word cession is plain from the reservations which they made.”

“As it was, the so-called cession of the island of Hawaii was no doubt entered into by Vancouver with the very best intentions for the protection and advancement of the Hawaiians …”

“… and by Kamehameha and his chiefs with undisguised expectations of receiving material aid in their wars with Kahehili and Kaeo, and of certain commercial advantages not very well defined.”

“The cession, however, was never accepted or ratified by the English Government, and no steps were taken by emigration or colonisation to make good use of the friendly disposition of the chiefs, and to secure by stronger ties the suzerainty thus loosely acquired.” (Fornander)

Hawaii-Kalama-Hawaii_Island-1838

February 20, 2018 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Island Names

We still pronounce some of the Hawaiian Island names differently.

After western contact and attempts to write about Hawai‘i, early writers tried to spell words based on the sound of the words they heard. People heard words differently, so it was not uncommon for words to be spelled differently, depending on the writer.

However, it may be helpful to look how early writers wrote the respective Island names and see if there is a consistency in representative letters for names and the sounds they represent.

Remember, the writing of the letters in each word is based on the sound they hear, then written in the context of the sound of based on their own English language (and pronounced in the English language).

The first writers were Captain James Cook and his crew. Here are the ways he spelled the Island names (and the words we use for them now).

Cook (1778-1779:)
Oreehoua, or Keehoua (Lehua)
Tahoora (Kaʻula)
Oneeheow or Neeheehow (Niʻihau)
Atooi, Atowi, or Towi, and sometimes Kowi (Kauai)
Woahoo, or Oahoo (Oʻahu)
Morotoi or Morokoi (Molokai)
Ranai, or Oranai (Lanai)
Mowee (Maui)
Morotinnee, or Morokinnee (Molokini)
Kahowrowee, or Tahoorowa (Kaho‘olawe)
Owhyhee (Hawaiʻi)

First off, let’s look at the preceding O or A in some of the names. ‘O, and sometimes ʻA, beginning a word are markers to note proper name subjects (persons, places or certain special things.) They are vocatives (addressing the person or place you are talking about or to) – i.e. Atooi means ‘this is (or, ‘it is’) Tooi’ – so it is a proper word and the Island name is ‘Tooi.’ (Johnson)

Here are some other early writers’ ways of writing the Island names by the sounds each hears:

Portlock (1785-1788)
Tahoora (Ka‘ula)
Oneehow (Ni‘ihau)
Atoui
Woahoo
Morotoi
Ranai
Mowee
Owhyhee

Vancouver (1792-1794)
Attowai (Kauai)
Woahoo
Morotoi
Ranai
Mowee (Maui)
Owhyhee (Hawaiʻi)

Hiram Bingham (1820-1840)
Owhyhee (Hawaiʻi)
Woahoo (Oʻahu)
Attooi (Kauai)

Let’s start with the double vowel sounds to start to break down the sound … double O, ‘oo’, has a sound that rhymes with ‘Too’ or ‘Two’. Double E, ‘ee’, sounds like the way we say the single letter ‘E’ (rhyming with ‘wee’).

Now let’s look at the ‘i’ in the words – it, too, sounds like the way we say the single letter ‘I’ (rhyming with ‘eye’).

So ‘Atooi’ really is ‘Tooi’ – sounding like ‘two – eye’. As Hiram Bingham was working on the alphabet developed for the written Hawaiian, he actually notes that Atooi (Kauai), in his early writing was written as ‘Kau‘ ai’ (with the ‘okina before the second ‘a’, not after it) and sounds like ‘cow-eye’.

Some, today, say Atooi is pronounced as ‘Ah’ ‘two’ ‘ee’; however, they are putting in the Hawaiian sound for ‘I’ (which sounds like ‘ee’), rather than the English sound for ‘I’, which rhymes with ‘eye’.

Another Island name with varied pronunciations today is Molokai.

It seems there are at least two schools of thought; an explanation on the pronunciation/spelling of the island name (Molokai (Moh-loh-kī) versus Molokaʻi (Moh-loh-kah-ee)) is noted in the early portion of “Tales of Molokai The Voice of Harriet Ne” by Harriet Ahiona Ayau Ne with Gloria L. Cronin.

Harriet Ne’s grandson, Edward Halealoha Ayau, noted:

“The reason that the name Molokai (as used in the book) is left without the glottal stop is because my tūtū wahine (grandmother) says that when she was growing up in Pelekunu it was never pronounced Molokaʻi (Moh-loh-kah-ee), but rather Molokai (Moh-loh-kī).”

“Then in about the 1930s, the name changed to Molokaʻi, in part she believes because musicians began pronouncing the name that way. Mary Kawena Pukuʻi, three weeks before her death, called my tūtū and told her that the correct name is Molokai, which means ‘the gathering of the ocean waters.’”

“On the rugged north coast of the island, the ocean slams hard into the pali. On the south and east shores, the ocean glides gently to shore due to location of reefs at least a quarter of a mile offshore. Hence the name, Molokai, ‘Gathering of the Ocean Waters.’”

In a follow-up exchange with Halealoha, he resolved the matter saying that the “best answer is both pronunciations are correct and the most correct depends on which family you are speaking to. So for our ʻohana, it would be Molokai. For others, Molokaʻi.”

Bingham writes, “Aiming to avoid an ambiguous, erroneous, and inconvenient orthography, to assign to every character one certain sound, and thus represent with ease and exactness the true pronunciation of the Hawaiian language, the following five vowels and seven consonants have been adopted: a, e, i, o, u, h, k, I, m, n, p, w.”

“The power of the vowels may be thus represented: ‘a’, as ‘a’ in the English words art, father; ‘e’, as ‘a’ in pale, or ‘ey’ in they; ‘I’, as ‘ee’ or, in machine; ‘o’, as ‘o’ in no; ‘u’, as ‘oo’ in too. They are called so as to express their power by their names ‘ Ah, A, Ee, O, Oo.” (Bingham)

“The convenience of such an alphabet for the Hawaiian language, undisturbed by foreign words, is very obvious, because we can express with simplicity, ease, and certainty, those names and phrases with the sound of which former voyagers were utterly unable to make us acquainted by English orthography.”

“Though it were possible to spell them with our English alphabet it would still be inconvenient. A few names may illustrate the reasons for our new orthography.” (Bingham)

The Old. Corrected in English. The New, or Hawaiian.
Tamaahmaah Kah-mā‘-hau-mā-hah Ka me‘ ha-me‘ ha
Terreioboo Kah-lah‘-nȳ-ō-poo‘-oo Ka la’ ni o pu‘ u
Tamoree Kah-oo‘-moo ah lee‘-ee Ka u‘ rnu a Ii‘ i
Owhyhee Hah-wȳe‘-ee Ha wai‘ i
Woahoo, O-ah‘-hoo O a‘ hu
Attooi Cow‘-eye‘ Kau‘ ai‘
Hanaroorah Hō-nō-loo‘-loo Ho no lu‘ lu

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May 7, 2017 by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Dædalus

“In the morning of the 7th of May (1792,) the Dædalus (a supply ship to Vancouver’s expedition) arrived in that bay where the Resolution and Discovery had anchored in 1779, but Mr Hergest declined anchoring there, as he considered the inhabitants of that neighbourhood to be the most savage and deceitful of any amongst those islands.”

“For this reason he lay to, and purchased from the natives some hogs, vegetables, and a few gourds of water. In the evening he stood off shore, and desired that the inhabitants would bring a farther supply of water and refreshments the next morning …”

“… but it falling calm, and the current setting the ship to the westward, it was near noon on the nth before they regained the shore, when Mr Hergest receded from his former wise determination, and, unhappily for himself and those who fell with him, ordered the ship to be anchored.”

“The cutter was hoisted out and veered astern for the better convenience of purchasing water from the natives, but before three casks were filled, which was soon done, he ordered the cutter alongside, the full casks to be taken out and replaced by empty ones …”

“… and then, accompanied as usual by Mr Gooch, he went on shore, and another boat was hoisted out for the purpose of obtaining water, while those on board continued making purchases until near dusk.”

“At this time the cutter returned with only five persons instead of the eight who had gone on shore in her, from whom was learned the distressing intelligence that Mr Hergest and Mr Gooch, and two of the boat’s crew, having landed, unarmed with two of the water-casks to fill …”

“… their defenceless situation was perceived by the natives, who immediately attacked them, killed one of the people, and carried off the commander (Hergest) and the astronomer (Gooch.)”

“The other, being a very stout active man, made his escape through a great number of these savages, fled to the boat, and with two others landed again with two muskets, and with the intention to rescue their officers and to recover the body of their messmate. “

“They soon perceived that both Mr Hergest and Mr Gooch were yet alive amongst a vast concourse of the inhabitants, who were stripping them and forcing them up the hills behind the village: they endeavoured to get near the multitude …”

“… but were so assailed by stones from the crowd, who had now gained the surrounding hills, that they were under the painful necessity of retiring -, and as night was fast approaching, they thought it most advisable to return on board, that more effectual means might be resorted to on this unfortunate occasion.”

“Mr New immediately assembled all the officers, to consult with them what was best to be done. It was agreed to stand off and on with the ship during the night, and in the morning to send the cutter well manned and armed on shore, and if possible to recover their unfortunate commander and shipmates.”

“An old chief belonging to Attowai, who had been on board since the Dædalus entered the Bay, and had been promised by Mr Hergest a passage to his native island, went also in the boat, to assist as an interpreter, and to employ his good offices. He was first landed, and went towards the natives, of whom he demanded the absent gentlemen …”

“… on which he was informed they were both killed the preceding night. Having delivered this message, he was sent back to demand their bodies; but was told in reply, that they had both been cut in pieces, and divided amongst seven different chiefs; at least it was fa understood by those in the boat from the language and signs which the chief made use of.”

“After this conversation the savages came in great numbers towards the sea side, and threw stones at the party in the boat, who fired several times and at length obliged them to retire. Finding their errand to be completely fruitless, the boat returned on board, in which the old chief re-embarked, and the vessel bore away …”

“… they filled their sails, and having then no business at Attowai, they made the best of their way towards Nootka, agreeably to my directions.” (Vancouver)

In the spring of 1793 Vancouver returned from the coast of America to Hawai‘i …

“On the 18th March Vancouver left Lahaina with Kamohomoho on board. After examining the southern and western shores of Molokai, he anchored off Waikiki, Oahu, on the 20th March 1793.”

“The main object of Vancouver’s visit to Waikiki was to see that the remaining murderers of the officers and man of the ‘Dædalus’ were apprehended and punished. Kamohomoho, who had accompanied Vancouver as high commissioner from Kahekili to attend to this business, secured the apprehension of three natives, who were brought on board the ‘Discovery’ for trial.”

“A native – whom Vancouver calls Tohoobooarto, who had been a voyage to China with some of the foreign traders, who spoke a little English, and who said he had visited the ‘Dædalus’ in Waimea Bay, and went ashore in the same boat as Lieutenant Hergest after dissuading him from landing – was the principal witness who identified the prisoners to Kamohomoho, by whose orders they were apprehended.”

“A Mr Dobson, who had been midshipman of the ‘Dædalus’ on the occasion, identified one of the prisoners as having been very turbulent and insolent on board of the ‘Dædalus’ before Lieutenant Hergest went ashore, and who immediately followed him thither …”

“… and whom the crew of the ‘Dædalus,’ after the occurrence, accused of having been the ringleader or principal actor in the murders committed on shore.”

“Adding to this the general belief of the chiefs present that the prisoners were concerned in and guilty of the crime they stood accused of – an opinion confirmed by Kalanikūpule himself, who, however, pleaded sickness as an excuse for not attending the trial – Vancouver considered himself justified in sanctioning their conviction and punishment.”

“The three prisoners denied their guilt, and stoutly asserted their ignorance of the whole occurrence. ‘This very assertion,’ Vancouver thinks, ‘amounted almost to self-conviction …”

“… as it is not easy to believe that the execution of their comrades by Titeeree’s orders for the same offence with which they had been charged had not come to their knowledge, or that it could have escaped their recollection.’”

“On the 2nd March the prisoners were placed in a double canoe alongside of the ‘Discovery,’ and, in sight of the shore and of numbers afloat in their canoes, were publicly executed, a chief, whom Vancouver calls Tennavee, shooting each one of them with a pistol.”

“It is very probable that the three first natives who were punished with death by the order of Kahekili for the murder of the ‘Dædalus’ people were more or less concerned in the affair …”

“… and that when Kahekili learned from the foreigners residing with him that such an outrage on an English national vessel would surely, sooner or later, meet with condign punishment and prove highly injurious to himself, he then ordered the execution of the three first offenders as an expiation, and to put himself right on the record, as it were.”

“And it is equally probable – their protestations to the contrary notwithstanding – that the three last offenders, who were executed in the presence of Vancouver, were also implicated in the murder.”

“But we have the positive declaration of SM Kamakau, who in after-life conversed with one of the parties participating in the murder, that Koi, the head and instigator of the whole affair, and his immediate subordinates, were neither apprehended, punished, nor even molested …”

“… and that the parties executed were criminals of other offences, who, their lives having been forfeited under the laws and customs of the country, were imposed upon Vancouver as the guilty parties in the ‘Dædalus’ affair.” (Fornander)

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