Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Kaʻahumanu’s Coffin

While on a trip to the continent, Queen Kamāmalu (age 22) died on July 8, 1824; King Kamehameha II (Liholiho, age 27) died six days later on July 14, 1824.  (Prior to his death he asked to return and be buried in Hawai‘i.)

Upon their arrival in Hawai‘i, in consultation between the Kuhina Nui (former Queen Kaʻahumanu) and other high chiefs, and telling them about Westminster Abbey and the underground burial crypts they had seen there, it was decided to build a mausoleum building.

In 1825, Pohukaina (translated as “Pohu-ka-ʻāina” (the land is quiet and calm)) was constructed on what is now the grounds of ʻIolani Palace to house the remains of Kamehameha II (Liholiho) and Queen Kamāmalu.

The mausoleum was a small 18 x 24-foot Western style structure made of white-washed coral blocks with a thatched roof; it had no windows.   Kamehameha II and Queen Kamāmalu were buried on August 23, 1825.

About this same time, April 25, 1825, Richard Charlton arrived in the Islands to serve as the first British consul. He had been in London during Kamehameha II’s visit in 1824.

Nearly 10-years later, in 1832, Kaʻahumanu died; her death took place at ten minutes past 3 o’clock on the morning of June 5, “after an illness of about 3 weeks in which she exhibited her unabated attachment to the Christian teachers and reliance on Christ, her Saviour.”  (Hiram Bingham)

The Kaʻahumanu services were performed by Bingham.  After the sermon in Hawaiian, he addressed the foreigners present and the mission family.  After the close of the services, the procession was again formed and walked to Pohukaina, where the body was deposited, with the remains of others in the Royal family.  (The Friend, June 1932)

The above helps set the stage for subsequent events that happened there.

Nearly 10-years later, in 1840, Charlton made a claim for several parcels of land in Honolulu.   At the time the lease was made, Kaʻahumanu was Kuhina Nui and only she and the king could make such grants.  The land was Kaʻahumanu’s in the first place, and Kalanimoku certainly could not give it away.  (Hawaiʻi State Archives)  The dispute dragged on for years.

This, and other grievances purported by Charlton and the British community in Hawai‘i, led to the landing of George Paulet on February 11, 1843.

He noted in a letter to the King, “I have the honor to notify you that Her Britannic Majesty’s ship Carysfort, under my command, will be prepared to make an immediate attack upon this town at 4 pm tomorrow (Saturday) in the event of the demands now forwarded by me to the King of these islands not being complied with by this time.”

On February 25, the King acceded to his demands.  Under the terms of the new government the King and his advisers continued to administer the affairs of the Hawaiian population.

It soon became clear that Paulet had no intention of limiting his rule to the affairs of foreigners.  New taxes were imposed, liquor laws were relaxed.   Paulet refused to restore the old laws.  After raising multiple objections to the actions by Paulet, Judd resigned from the commission on May 11.  (Daws)

Fearing that Paulet would seize some of the archives and other national records, Gerrit P Judd took them from the government house, and secretly placed them in the royal tomb at Pohukaina.  He used the mausoleum as his office.

By candlelight, using the coffin of Kaʻahumanu for a table, Judd prepared appeals to London and Washington to free Hawaiʻi from the illegal rule of Paulet.

Dispatches were sent off in canoes from distant points of the island; and once, when the king’s signature was required, he came down in a schooner and landed at Waikīkī, read and signed the prepared documents, and was on his way back across the channel, while Paulet was dining and having a pleasant time with his friends.  (Laura F Judd)

For about five months the islands were under the rule of the British commission set up by Lord George Paulet.  Queen Victoria, on learning these activities, immediately sent an envoy to the islands to restore sovereignty to its rightful rulers.  Finally, Admiral Richard Thomas arrived in the Islands on July 26, 1843 to restore the kingdom to Kamehameha III.

Then, on July 31, 1843, Thomas declared the end of the Provisional Cession and recognizes Kamehameha III as King of the Hawaiian Islands and the Islands to be independent and sovereign; the Hawaiian flag was raised.  This event is referred to as Ka La Hoʻihoʻi Ea, Sovereignty Restoration Day, and it is celebrated each year in the approximate site of the 1843 ceremonies, Thomas Square.

Nearly 20-years later, Pohukaina was the final resting place for the Hawaiʻi’s Kings and Queens, and important chiefs of the kingdom.  Reportedly, in 1858, Kamehameha IV brought over the ancestral remains of other Aliʻi – coffins and even earlier grave material – out of their original burial caves, and they are buried in Pohukaina.

In 1865, the remains of 21-Ali‘i were removed from Pohukaina and transferred in a torchlight procession at night to Mauna ‘Ala, a new Royal Mausoleum in Nu‘uanu Valley.  In a speech delivered on the occasion of the laying of the Cornerstone of The Royal Palace (ʻIolani Palace,) Honolulu, in 1879, JH Kapena, Minister of Foreign Relations, said:

“Doubtless the memory is yet green of that never-to-be-forgotten night when the remains of the departed chiefs were removed to the Royal Mausoleum in the valley.”

“Perhaps the world had never witnessed a procession more weird and solemn than that which conveyed the bodies of the chiefs through our streets, accompanied on each side by thousands of people until the mausoleum was reached, the entire scene and procession being lighted by large kukui torches, while the midnight darkness brought in striking relief the coffins on their biers.”

“Earth has not seen a more solemn procession what when, in the darkness of the night, the bodies of these chieftains were carried through the streets”.  (Hawaiian Gazette, January 14, 1880)

In order that the location of Pohukaina not be forgotten, a mound was raised to mark the spot.  After being overgrown for many years, the Hawaiian Historical Society passed a resolution in 1930 requesting Governor Lawrence Judd to memorialize the site with the construction of a metal fence enclosure and a plaque.

© 2022 Hoʻokuleana LLC

by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Hawaiʻi Population Distribution 1853

In 1853, thirty-three years after the first missionaries landed, a census of the islands was taken by the Government with the help of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) – the first year for which a census report of the islands by districts is available.

In interpreting the distribution of population in 1853, keep in mind that Hawaiian culture of that year included characteristics not originally Hawaiian. During the seventy-four years which had elapsed since ‘Contact’ was made, interactions with foreigners were frequent and trade and commerce were actively carried on.

Thousands of natives were killed by disease. In 1848 and 1849 epidemics of measles, whooping cough and influenza occurred. Likewise, Hawaiians were leaving and worked on whaling ships.

The distribution of population in the census districts in 1853 is indicated by the awards of land made by the Board of Land Commissioners formed by King Kamehameha III about the time of the “Great Māhele.”

For the first time the common people, formerly tenants of the chiefs, received title to small holdings, known as kuleana. The land commission awarded titles to kuleana involving the hearing and taking of testimony in connection with nearly 12,000-individual claims.

The number of people in a district and their distribution was closely related to the food supply of the area, which was obtained principally from planted crops and fish, supplemented by hogs and in a small way by other animals.

Although sandalwood, whaling and the beginning of sugar and other agriculture formed the foundations of an economy, life was maintained largely by traditional means of subsistence agriculture and fishing.

With people heading to California during the gold-rush of 1849, the lack of sufficient supplies, and the isolation of California from other food-producing areas on the continent gave people in the Hawaiian Islands an opportunity for a while to supply the growing market there.

Since agricultural produce from Hawaiʻi could be marketed in California directly by boat, and therefore cheaper than by overland routes of that time, the use of arable land in the islands was stimulated.

In 1853, there were 73,138 people in the Hawaiian Islands of whom 71,019 were Polynesians, and 2,119 were classed as “foreigners.”

Following is the head count in Hawaiʻi – in addition, maps are included that graphically display the population distribution to the various districts and portions of each island.

Niʻihau had a population of 790-people. The distribution of people as shown on the population map is based on a map of Niʻihau made by a man named Wilcox between 1850 and 1855, depicting groups of houses.

In 1853 there were 6,981-people on the Island of Kauai. The population was concentrated chiefly on the lower flood plains and delta plains of rivers where wet land taro was raised on the rich alluvial soil.

Nearly half of the population of Oʻahu was concentrated in the City of Honolulu and on the adjoining coastal plain. In the city and vicinity there were between 7,000 and 8,000-people; nearly 1,200 of these were foreigners.

Honolulu was an important center of trade and commerce chiefly in connection with the whaling industry. In 1852 as many as 585 vessels called at the port. “The settled portion of the city was then substantially limited by the present Alapaʻi and River Streets, and mauka at School Street.”

Nearly all the remaining population of Oʻahu was scattered around Pearl Harbor, along the east coast of the island, and at Waialua near the center of the north coast.

Molokai had a population of 3,607. The outstanding characteristic of the distribution and density of people was the concentration along the eastern third of the south coast.

The population of Maui was 17,574. Nearly all the people were scattered around the shores of the island and on each side of the isthmus.

The largest settlement on the island was at Lāhainā, the port of which had advantages in that the roadstead was accessible “at any season of the year, … at any hour of the day or night,” and a pilot was not needed to enter it or leave it. In the spring of 1853 seventy whaling ships called at the port. The town of Lāhainā extended for two miles along the shore.

The population of Lanaʻi in 1853 was 600, all of whom were Polynesians. On the east coast of the island it was possible to raise wet land taro in a small area in the upper part of Maunalei Gulch …

… where the higher land, intercepting the trade winds, caused sufficient precipitation for a small stream of water throughout the year. Hawaiians who lived on the central part of the east coast climbed the highlands to plant their taro patches.

Kahoʻolawe is remarkable by contrast with the other islands in the Hawaiian group. Much of it is a wind-swept plateau devoid of vegetation of any kind. It is not mentioned in the census report of 1853. In 1841 men from the Wilkes’ Exploring Expedition who visited the island found only a few fishermen and fifteen convicts. Kahoʻolawe was used as a place of exile, as late as 1852.

Hawaiʻi, the largest island in the Hawaiian group, had the largest population, 24,450. The most densely-peopled continuous area was along the coasts of North and South Kona.

Dry land taro was an important crop in the Kona districts. Breadfruit, bananas and coconuts grew there, all of which were used for food.

Peas, beans, carrots and cabbages were raised in the vicinity of Kealakekua Bay, near which there was also a “coffee estate,” and between Kealakekua Bay and Kailua “oranges, grapes” and “tall plantains” grew.

For the District of Puna there is an inconsistency between the number of people recorded in the census and the number of land grants which were given after the “Great Māhele.” There were 2,700 people and only nineteen grants. These were large areas and included several ahupuaʻa. Puna was isolated; there was no road into the area until 1898 or 1899.

The eastern, tradewind coast of Hawaiʻi was densely populated. Many streams flowed down the slopes of Mauna Kea into the ocean; near the mouths of which the land was used for irrigated taro.

The distribution and density of people in the Hawaiian Islands in 1853 was closely related to the food supply obtained from agriculture, aquaculture and fishing.

Taro, the most important plant raised for food, was cultivated both by wet land and dry land farming. Other dry land crops were also raised.

Areas where wet land taro was extensively cultivated were more densely populated than areas of dry land farming. Land in the vicinity of fish ponds was densely populated.

Most of the foreign population lived in Honolulu or other ports of call for whalers where they engaged in trade and commerce, although a few carried on pastoral industries or raised crops for export. (Coulter wrote a paper on this subject and it and its images are the basis of this summary.)

© 2022 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Niihau_Population_Distribution-(Coulter)-1853
Kauai_Population_Distribution-(Coulter)-1853
Oahu-Population_Distribution-(Coulter)-1853
Molokai_Population_Distribution-(Coulter)-1853
Maui_Population_Distribution-(Coulter)-1853
Lanai_Population_Distribution-(Coulter)-1853
Hawaii_Island_Population_Distribution-(Coulter)-1853

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Deserters, Debts … and a Treaty

“The petition of sundry merchants and others engaged in the whale fishery, from the Island of Nantucket, has been referred, by the president of the United States, to this department …”

“… I am directed to inform you that the subject has been considered, and that instructions will be given to commodore Hull to visit the Sandwich Islands, when the public interest will permit his absence from the South American coast for a sufficient period.” (Samuel L Southard, Secretary of the Navy, April 28, 1825)

A second petition from ship owners quoted an American who recently returned from Hawai’i, who reported: “When I left the Sandwich Islands, there were over one hundred and fifty seamen (principally deserters from the whale ships) prowling about the country, naked and destitute, associating themselves with the natives, assuming their habits and acquiring their vices. …” (Gapp)

A third petition, sent by ship owners of New Bedford, Massachusetts complained about the British influence in Hawai’i, declaring that they spread the rumor: “The English have men-of-war, but the Americans have only whalers and trading vessels.” (Gapp)

Pointing out that they had separate whaling fleets canvassing both the northern and southern hemispheres of the Pacific, the ship owners asked for protection at the two berthing stations used by the fleets and requested “one or more armed vessels to proceed to the Sandwich and Society islands, with instructions to render such protection, and afford such aid, to American shipping distributed at those places, as circumstances may render necessary and proper.” (Stauffer)

In response, the Secretary of the Navy gave orders to Commodore Hull to sail to the Islands, report back on what he learned, banish the bad-attitude sailors and maintain cordial relations with the Hawaiian government … “the manner in which you shall endeavor to accomplish them, must be left almost entirely to your own discretion and prudence.”

Hull, in turn, decided to stay and ordered Commander Thomas ap Catesby Jones and his ‘Peacock’ to undertake the duties assigned by the Naval Secretary.

For the most part Hull’s orders to Jones merely relayed the instructions from the shipowners and the Navy Department, but also noted that there were debts to address, “claims for property belonging to citizens of the United States, on persons now residing at the Sandwich Islands.” (Stauffer) Jones went first to the Society Islands; then arrived in Honolulu on October 22, 1826.

“The object of my visit to the Sandwich Islands was of high national importance, of multifarious character, and left entirely to my judgment as to the mode of executing it, with no other guide than a laconic order, which the Government designed one of the oldest and most experienced commanders in the navy should execute”. (Jones, Report of Minister of Foreign Affairs)

“Under so great a responsibility, it was necessary for me to proceed with the greatest caution, and to measure well every step before it was taken ; consequently the first ten or fifteen days were devoted to the study and examination of the character and natural disposition of a people who are so little known to the civilized world, and with whom I had important business to transact.”

“The Sandwich Islanders as legislators are a cautious, grave, deliberate people, extremely jealous of their rights as a nation, and are slow to enter into any treaty or compact with foreigners, by which the latter can gain any foot-hold or claim to their soil.”

“Aware of these traits in the character of the Islanders with whom I had to negotiate, I determined to conduct my correspondence with them in such a manner as at once to remove all grounds of suspicion as to the object and views of the American Government, and to guard against misrepresentation and undue influence”.

“(I also wanted to) give the Chiefs and others in authority, the means of understanding perfectly the nature of my propositions, I took the precaution to have all official communications translated into the Oahuan language, which translation always accompanied the original in English”.

“(B)y giving them their own time to canvass and consult together, I found no difficulty in carrying every measure I proposed, and could I have been fully acqainted with the views of my government, or been authorized to make treaties, I do not doubt but my success would have been complete in any undertaking of that character.” (Jones Report to Navy Department, 1827)

Jones’s first order of business was the matter of the deserters; after initial discussions with local Hawaiian officials about a comprehensive treaty, Jones proposed on October 31, 1826, that a ‘rule’ be established, “which ought never to be departed from”’ regarding foreigners in Hawai’i.

Under the proposed ‘rule,’ all American sailors who had deserted their ships would be immediately removed from the Islands no matter under what circumstances or how far back in the past the desertion had occurred. Secondly, any American otherwise living in Hawai’i who had no “visible means of making an honest livelihood” would be removed. Finally, Jones proposed that “all other foreigners who did not support a good character” should likewise be banished.

Governor Boki, as well as both the American and British representatives were in favor of the proposal. He then approached the issue of ’debts’ (on November 4, 1826) – these primarily dealt with the ‘payment’ of sandalwood that was promised to traders for goods given. The chiefs agreed to pay off all the ‘debts’ in full. (Staffer)

Then on November 13, “The communication … which accompanied some regulations of general interest to our commerce in the Pacific was not less successful”. (Jones Report to Navy Department, 1827)

On December 23, 1826, the US signed a treaty (Articles of Arrangement) with the Kingdom of Hawaii thus indirectly recognizing Hawaiian independence. (State Department Historian) It is generally referred to as the Treaty of 1826 and was Hawaiʻi’s first treaty with the US.

It “received the signatures of the Ruling Princes and Chiefs, in testimony of their approbation of them, and as a pledge of their sincere friendship and confidence in the American Nation, and their earnest desire to remain neutral and take no part in any foreign wars.” (Jones Report to Navy Department, 1827)

The meeting considered the ‘Articles of Arrangement,’ a trade agreement between the US and the Hawaiian Kingdom, which was accepted and signed by Thomas ap Catesby Jones, and Elisabeta Kaʻahumanu as Queen Regent, Kalanimōku as Prime Minister, and the principal chiefs Boki, Hoapili, and Lidia Namahana. (Gapp)

Its articles included, “peace and friendship subsisting between the United States, and their Majesties, the Queen Regent, and Kauikeaouli, King of the Sandwich Islands, and their subjects and people, are hereby confirmed, and declared to be perpetual.”

“(S)hips and vessels of the United States … shall be inviolably protected against all Enemies of the United States in time of war. … (and) Citizens of the United States … engaged in commerce … shall be inviolably protected in their lawful pursuits (and may sue) … according to strict principles of equity, and the acknowledged practice of civilized nations.” (Treaty of 1826)

“Jones, as a public officer, carefully sought to promote the interests of commerce and secure the right of traders, pressed the rulers to a prompt discharge of their debts, and negotiated articles of agreement with the government for the protection of American interests”. (Hiram Bingham)

© 2022 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Kamehameha_III,_1825
Kamehameha_III,_1825

by Peter T Young 3 Comments

Nuʻuanu

In 1872, some referred to it as “Missionary Street,” although the Missionary Period had ended about 10-years earlier (the Missionary Period was from 1820 – 1863.)

You might more accurately call it the home of the elite, and that is not limited to folks of the Caucasian persuasion – both Kauikeaouli and Emma had summer residences here and included in the list of successful business people who called it home were the Afongs and others.

But you can’t help concluding the strong demand to live there based on early descriptions – even Realtors, today, would be envious of the descriptors Ellis used in 1831: “The scenery is romantic and delightful.”

“Across this plain, immediately opposite the harbour of Honoruru, lies the valley of Anuanu (Nuʻuanu,) leading to a pass in the mountains, called by the natives Ka Pari (Pali,) the precipice, which is well worth the attention of every intelligent foreigner visiting Oahu.”  (Ellis, 1831)

“The mouth of the valley, which opens immediately behind the town of Honoruru, is a complete garden, carefully kept by its respective proprietors in a state of high cultivation; and the ground, being irrigated by the water from a river that winds rapidly down the valley, is remarkably productive.”  (Ellis, 1831)

Over sixty years later (1897,) Stoddard keeps the demand momentum going by adding, “The way lies through shady avenues, between residences that stand in the midst of broad lawns and among foliage of the most brilliant description. An infinite variety of palms and tropical plants, with leaves of enormous circumference, diversify the landscape.”

Today, the descriptors of the past hold true – and the place is high in the demand (and price,) just as it was nearly two centuries ago.

So, who were some of the people who called this place home?

As noted, an early resident of Nuʻuanu was Kauikeaouli, Kamehameha III.  Consistent with tradition, his home had a name, Kaniakapūpū (sound or song of the land snail;) it was located back up into the valley at Luakaha.

Ruins today, the structure, modeled on an Irish stone cottage, was completed in 1845 and is reportedly built on top or in the vicinity of an ancient heiau.  It was a simple cottage, a square with four straight walls.

Another royal, Queen Emma, had a “mountain” home, Hānaiakamālama (Lit., the foster child of the light (or moon,)) now known as the Queen Emma Summer Palace.  In 1857, she inherited it from her uncle, John Young II, son of the famous advisor to Kamehameha I, John Young I.

The ‘Summer Palace’ was modeled in the Greek Revival style. It has a formal plan arrangement, wide central hall, high ceilings and floor-length hinged, in-swinging shuttered casement window.  The Daughters of Hawaiʻi saved it from demolition and it is now operated as a museum and open to the public (a nominal admission fee is charged.)

On the private side, the following are only a few of the several notable residences (existing, or long gone,) in Nuʻuanu Valley.

A notable home is the “Walker Estate;” one of the few intact estates that were built in the upper Nuʻuanu Valley before and after the turn of the century (built in 1905,) it is a two story wood frame structure of Classical Revival style.  (NPS)

The home on the 5.7-acre estate was initially built for the Rodiek family, a leading businessman in Honolulu. Due to war time pressures on the family, who were German citizens, the home was sold in 1918 to Wilcox who lived there into the 1930s, when it was taken over by Henry Alexander Walker, president and chairman of the Board of Amfac (one of the Hawaiʻi Big Five businesses.)

The grounds were originally used for orchards and vegetables, although the Japanese garden was put in shortly after the house was built and is thought to be the oldest formal Japanese garden in Hawaiʻi, the stones, lamps and images specially brought from Japan for it.  (NPS)

Another notable home is former Governor George Carter’s “Lihiwai” (water’s edge.)  In the late-1920s, Carter built his 26,000-square feet home; it is reportedly “the largest and finest private residence ever constructed in Hawaiʻi (with the exception of ʻIolani Palace.)”  (NPS)

The entire building is built of shaped bluestone set in concrete and steel reinforced cement, and all the perimeter walls are 2 – 3-feet thick with the exception of the end walls, which are 6-feet thick.  It is constructed entirely of bluestone, concrete, steel, copper, bronze and teak.

Originally, the building was connected to two smaller structures — by a breezeway on the eastern side and by the porte-cochere on the western side (these structures were separated in 1957.)  The property was originally 10-acres, but portions were subdivided and sold in 1945 after the death of Helen Strong Carter. Today, the property includes the original house on a little over 1-acre.   (The home is undergoing restoration.)

A home long gone, but we are repeatedly reminded of it in on-the-air marketing for senior living in Nuʻuanu, is “Craigside.”  This was the home of Theophilus Harris Davies.  Not only was Davies’ firm, Theo H Davies, one of the Hawaiʻi Big Five, he personally served as guardian to Princess Kaʻiulani while she was studying in England (Davies had another home there – “Sundown.”)

Likewise, just up the hill, was the Paty house “Buena Vista;” it’s now gone and part of the Wyllie Street interchange with Pali Highway.  (Look for the parallel palms in the yard of the immediately-makai ‘Community Church of Honolulu.’  They used to line the Paty driveway, with the house off to the left (mauka.)

During the Spanish American War, the military took over Buena Vista and turned it into the Nuʻuanu Valley Military Hospital (also known as “Buena Vista Hospital.”)

Just mauka of Buena Vista (now also part of the Wyllie-Nuʻuanu interchange) was Robert Crichton Wyllie’ “Rosebank.”  Wyllie first worked as acting British Consul. Attracted by Wyllie’s devotion to the affairs of Hawaiʻi, in 1845, King Kamehameha III appointed him the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Kamehameha IV reappointed all the ministers who were in office when Kamehameha III died, including Robert C Wyllie as Minister of Foreign Relations (he was in Hawaiʻi from 1844 until his death in 1865.)  Wyllie served as Minister of Foreign Relations from 1845 until his death in 1865, serving under Kamehameha III, Kamehameha IV and Kamehameha V.

Finally, a home of a missionary, Dr. Gerrit Parmele Judd, “Sweet Home” was located at the intersection of Nuʻuanu and Judd.   Judd was in the 3rd company of missionaries from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (he was in Hawaiʻi from 1828 until his death in 1873.)  After serving the mission for 15-years, Judd was translator and later Minister of Foreign Affairs, member of the House of Nobles and Privy Council, and Minister of Finance under Kamehameha III.

Wife Laura Judd once noted, “we were supposed to be rich,” but insisted they had never been so poor, being obliged to borrow money to pay for carpenters and masons.  (Scott, Saga)  The house was torn down in 1911 and the property became part of what is now Oʻahu Cemetery.

© 2021 Hoʻokuleana LLC

 

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Attempt at Annexation

“In 1854, the total population of 80,000 comprised 70,000 Kanakas and 10,000 foreigners, the latter of whom were chiefly Americans and subjects of Great Britain.”

The first endeavor for the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands to the United States was made in 1854, the second year of President
Pierce’s administration. The time was singularly opportune.”

“The Islands had, during the reign of Liholiho, second of the Kamehameha line of kings, been virtually under protection of the British crown. King Liholiho … died, and was succeeded by Kamehameha III.”

“During his reign, a British admiral took possession of Honolulu, the capital, and forced claim to the kingdom in the name of Great Britain. (1843) … The independence of Hawaii was recognized by the United States and Great Britain, and Kamehameha was maintained as King.”

“President Pierce appointed David L. Gregg of Illinois as American Commissioner in Hawaii, and when he was installed in office, the war between Russia and the allied powers of Europe, led by England and France, was declared.”

“Gregg had become very popular with the Hawaiian court and the native chiefs and nobles. The annexation of the Islands was soon projected.”

“The commerce was chiefly American and British. Of the total shipping more than 500 vessels were American whalers, and about 200, merchant ships. Honolulu, on the island of Oahu; Lahaina, on Maui; Hilo, on Hawaii, and two harbors on Atauai, were the principal ports, the first three particularly for whalers, mostly on the Arctic cruise.”

“The total product of sugar was less than 1,000,000 pounds; of coffee only about 50,000 pounds per annum, grown on Atauai, 100 miles westward of Oahu, which was the main sugar and coffee producing island of the group.”

“Maui produced small crops of wheat and potatoes; Hawaii, merely a few cattle, a little wool and tropical fruits; on Oahu there was barely anything produced. Fish and poi constituted the chief food of the natives.”

“The crown was not by inheritance; the Kings appointed their successors as they chose. Alexander … had been named by King Kamehameha as his successor.”

“The British Consul – General was General Miller, an old British warrior and M. Perrin, the French Consul-General. The Privy Consul was an important body appointed by the King, with the Cabinet ministers, to whom was submitted all questions of a native and foreign nature.”

“The negotiations for annexation to the United States began in the summer of 1854, at Honolulu. The project was vehemently opposed by the English residents who were formidable in numbers and influence, and by nearly all the American merchants and others interested in whaling.”

“As matters stood, the U. S. Consul had control of the American shipping business. He fixed the price of whale oil, settled the disputes of masters and sailors, attended to the discharge and shipping of sailors, etc.”

“Lawyers were not employed in such cases, and costs of courts were escaped. It was simpler, cheaper, more expeditious and satisfactory to merchants and shipmasters, than to be troubled with procedure of the courts of law.”

“Annexation, it was argued, would bring lawyers and costly court proceedings, interfere with the whaling traffic and drive it from the kingdom. Therefore annexation was antagonized.”

“During the fall of 1854, there were in the harbor of Honolulu, awaiting the issue of the negotiations, the American war vessels, Portsmouth, Captain Dornin; the St. Mary, Commander Bailey; and a store ship, Commander Boyle.”

“The US steam ships, Mississippi and Susquehaima, Captains Lee and Buchanan, direct from Commodore Perry’s Japan expedition, also put in there homeward bound. The British frigate Triucomalee, Captain Houston, and the French warship, Eurydice, and another, were likewise in the harbor.”

“Commissioner Gregg vigorously prosecuted his efforts for annexation. He called to his aid several of the native chiefs, John Young, Minister Wyllie, Chief Justice Lee, Mr. Judd, formerly a missionary and Minister of Finance of the Kingdom – the most potential resident of the Islands – and several of the nobles and representatives.”

“The old King was disposed to annexation, but declined to consent to it unless his own appointed successor, Prince Alexander, assented.”

“During 1850, Alexander and his elder brother, Prince Lot, had visited the Atlantic States under the guardianship of Minister Judd, on their way to Europe. They were both of dark complexion.”

“At Pittsburg the two were ejected from a hotel dining room table, on account of their color … Proud and high-spirited, they were enraged at the humiliating affront and bore it in recollection.”

“In 1854, Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was U. S. Senator. He was against the annexation scheme and had written to a prominent missionary in the Islands to warn the King and natives that on annexation they would be considered as negroes, and that the ruling people of the United States held that negroes should be made slaves.”

“The letter bitterly impressed Alexander and Lot and had powerful effect upon many of the native chiefs. But the generous individual annuities offered in the terms of the treaty presented by Commissioner Gregg, had, on the other hand, great weight.”

“During life the King was to receive $50,000 a year; the Queen, $18,000; Prince Alexander, $10,000, and to succeed to the $50,000 on the death of the King; Prince Lot, his father, the Princess Victoria, and John Young and Chief Pakee, each $8,000 a year; other chiefs and prominent government officers, sums varying from $10,000 to $3,000.”

“Late in the fall the brig Zenobia arrived from Petropaulovski with intelligence of the British repulse at that place, and from California came report of the allied reverses in the Crimea, which much depressed the English and French in Honolulu, and disastrously affected their antagonism to annexation.”

“At length, late in November, Alexander expressed his willingness to agree to the treaty of annexation. The King was first to affix his signature, Alexander was to sign in succession, and the Cabinet was then to complete the convention, to await only the ratification of the President and Senate of the United States.”

“The King appointed Tuesday, December 12th, for the signing of the treaty, to be done at the palace. Meantime a commission of the surgeons of the British frigate, and others in Honolulu, had held an official examination of Consul-General Miller and declared him to be of infirm body and unsound mind, owing to advanced age and incurable disability.”

“It proved another favorable incident to annexation, and the matter was finally considered as definitely determined. Only the ceremony of signing the treaty remained.”

“Dr. Rooke, an English surgeon resident in Honolulu, and father of Miss Emma Rooke, the fiancée of Prince Alexander, protested against the annexation in vain. Miss Emma had reluctantly yielded her assent to the treaty, and she was included in the list of annuitants.” (All here is from O’Meara.)

The Annexation Treaty was never finalized, “The signatures were yet wanting; His Majesty more determined and impatient than ever, when he was taken suddenly ill, and died in three weeks (December 15, 1854.)” (Judd)

As Mr Severance truly said, “His partiality to Americans has always been strong, and it will be universally conceded that by his death they have lost a faithful and honorable friend.”

His adopted son and heir, Alexander Liholiho, was immediately proclaimed king, under the title of Kamehameha IV. Soon afterwards he expressed his wish that the negotiations that had been begun with Mr Gregg should be broken off, which was done. (Alexander)

“The hope of annexation had departed on the death of the old King, as it was Alexander’s chief ambition to be an absolute monarch. Soon afterwards he made Emma Rooke his Queen.”

“The dead project of American annexation has never been resuscitated from the United States Government point of vantage.” (O’Meara.)

© 2021 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Photo_of_Kamehameha_III_(PP-97-7-003)-1853
Photo_of_Kamehameha_III_(PP-97-7-003)-1853