Paulet Affair (1843)
Encyclopedia
The Paulet Affair was a five month occupation of the Hawaiian Islands
in 1843 by British naval officer Captain Lord George Paulet, of .
under Rear-Admiral Richard Darton Thomas
(1777–1857).
Richard Charlton
, who had been the British Consul
to the Kingdom of Hawaii
since 1825 met Paulet off the coast of Mexico
in late 1842. Charlton claimed that British subjects in the Hawaiian Islands
were being denied their legal rights. In particular, Charlton had a claim to land that was under dispute.
Paulet requested permission from Admiral Thomas to investigate the allegations.
Paulet arrived at Honolulu and requested an audience with King Kamehameha III
on 11 February 1843. He was told the King was on another island would take six days to arrive. His next letter on 16 February, although keeping the polite tone of formal diplomatic correspondence, becomes a bit more demanding:
The King replied that American Gerrit P. Judd
, as chief government minister, could be trusted to handle any written communication. This seemed to infuriate Paulet who had been told by Charlton that Judd was acting as "dictator". Paulet refused to speak with Judd, and accused him of fabricating the previous response. Paulet then listed specific demands.
Paulet warned Captain Long of an American ship, on 17 February:
The Boston did not interfere.
On 18 February The Hawaiian government wrote back that they would comply with the demands under protest, and hoped that a diplomatic mission already in London could settle any conflicts. Between the 20 and 23 daily meetings were held by Alexander Simpson, acting consul and Paulet with the King. Kamehameha III agreed to reopen the disputed cases but refused to overrule the courts and ignore due process
. On 25 February the agreement was signed ceding the land subject to any diplomatic resolution. Paulet appointed himself and three others to a commission to be the new government, the Provisional Cession of the Hawaiian Islands, and insisted on direct control of all land transactions.
Paulet destroyed all Hawaiian flags he could find, and raised the British Union Flag
for an occupation that would last six months. He cleared 156 residents off of the contested Charlton land. The dispute would take years to resolve.
James F. B. Marshall, an American merchant of Ladd and Company was invited aboard the Boston where he secretly met chief Hawaiian Kingdom minister Judd. Judd gave Marshall an emergency commission as "envoy extraordinary" and sent him to plead the case for an independent Hawaii in London. Paulet closed down all shipping, but wanted to send Alexander Simpson back to England so that his side of the case could be heard first. Paulet rechristened a Hawaiian ship called Hoikaika as the Albert, and both Simpson and Marshall (telling Paulet he was only on a business mission) sailed to San Blas, Mexico
. On 12 April they left over land and reached Veracruz
by 1 May. Simpson continued to England, while Marshal went by ships and trains to Boston
by 2 June. He spread the news in the American press, and met 4 June with fellow Bostonians such as U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster
and business partner and future minister to Hawaii Henry A. Peirce
. Webster gave him letters for Edward Everett
who was the American minister to Great Britain.
On 30 June Marshall arrived in London and met with Everett. Two other envoys from Hawaii, William Richards
and Timothy Haalilo
were in Paris, France negotiating treaties. They had already received verbal assurance that Hawaii's independence would be respected.
The arrived to Honolulu under Commodore Lawrence Kearny
in early July. Acting American Agent William Hooper protested the takeover to Kearny.
American Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones
arrived on the on 22 July, but first landed in Hilo on the island of Hawaii
where he consulted with American missionary Titus Coan
. By this time Admiral Thomas heard conflicting reports about the surprising developments in Hawaii. He had also heard how Jones had briefly occupied Monterey, California
and some historians think he was trying to defuse the situation before it spiraled into a larger conflict.
On 26 July Thomas sailed into Honolulu harbor on his flagship and requested an interview of the king. This time Kamehameha was more than happy to tell his side of the story.
On 31 July Thomas informed Kamehameha III the occupation was over; he reserved the right to protect British citizens, but respected the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The site of a ceremony raising the flag of Hawaii
was made into a park in Downtown Honolulu
21°18′9"N 157°50′56"W named Thomas Square in his honor. The pathways are shaped in the form of the British flag. 31 July is celebrated as Lā Hoihoi Ea or Restoration Day holiday.
A phrase from the speech made by Kamehameha III is the state motto of Hawaii, and included on the coat of arms and Seal of Hawaii
: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Āina i ka Pono, roughly translated from the Hawaiian language
into English as "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."
Jones tried to hasten the peace process, by inviting the British officers to dinners, and celebrations including the restored king.
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
in 1843 by British naval officer Captain Lord George Paulet, of .
Paulet affair
Paulet had become captain of on 28 December 1841, serving on the Pacific StationPacific Station
The Pacific Station, often referred to as the Pacific Squadron, was one of the geographical divisions into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities...
under Rear-Admiral Richard Darton Thomas
Richard Darton Thomas
Admiral Richard Darton Thomas was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station.-Naval career:...
(1777–1857).
Richard Charlton
Richard Charlton (Hawaii)
Richard Charlton was the first diplomatic Consul from Great Britain to the Kingdom of Hawaii 1825–1843. He was surrounded by controversies that caused a military occupation known as the Paulet Affair, and real estate claims that motivated the formalization of Hawaiian land titles.-Life:Richard...
, who had been the British Consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
to the Kingdom of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
since 1825 met Paulet off the coast of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in late 1842. Charlton claimed that British subjects in the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
were being denied their legal rights. In particular, Charlton had a claim to land that was under dispute.
Paulet requested permission from Admiral Thomas to investigate the allegations.
Paulet arrived at Honolulu and requested an audience with King Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III
Kamehameha III was the King of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula Kiwalao Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa Kalani Waiakua Kalanikau Iokikilo Kiwalao i ke kapu Kamehameha when he ascended the throne.Under his...
on 11 February 1843. He was told the King was on another island would take six days to arrive. His next letter on 16 February, although keeping the polite tone of formal diplomatic correspondence, becomes a bit more demanding:
"I have the honor to acquaint your Majesty of the arrival in this port of Her Britannic Majesty's ship under my command, and according to my instructions I am desired to demand a private interview with you, to which I shall proceed with a proper and competent interpreter."
The King replied that American Gerrit P. Judd
Gerrit P. Judd
Gerrit Parmele Judd was an American physician and missionary to the Kingdom of Hawaii who later became a trusted advisor and cabinet minister to King Kamehameha III.- Life :...
, as chief government minister, could be trusted to handle any written communication. This seemed to infuriate Paulet who had been told by Charlton that Judd was acting as "dictator". Paulet refused to speak with Judd, and accused him of fabricating the previous response. Paulet then listed specific demands.
Paulet warned Captain Long of an American ship, on 17 February:
"Sir, 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 o'clock P.M. to-morrow, (Saturday) in the event of the demands now forwarded by me to the King of these Islands not being complied with by that time.
Sir, I have the honor to be your most obedient humble servant, George Paulet, captain"
The Boston did not interfere.
On 18 February The Hawaiian government wrote back that they would comply with the demands under protest, and hoped that a diplomatic mission already in London could settle any conflicts. Between the 20 and 23 daily meetings were held by Alexander Simpson, acting consul and Paulet with the King. Kamehameha III agreed to reopen the disputed cases but refused to overrule the courts and ignore due process
Due process
Due process is the legal code that the state must venerate all of the legal rights that are owed to a person under the principle. Due process balances the power of the state law of the land and thus protects individual persons from it...
. On 25 February the agreement was signed ceding the land subject to any diplomatic resolution. Paulet appointed himself and three others to a commission to be the new government, the Provisional Cession of the Hawaiian Islands, and insisted on direct control of all land transactions.
Paulet destroyed all Hawaiian flags he could find, and raised the British Union Flag
Union Flag
The Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada. It is also used as an official flag in some of the smaller British overseas...
for an occupation that would last six months. He cleared 156 residents off of the contested Charlton land. The dispute would take years to resolve.
James F. B. Marshall, an American merchant of Ladd and Company was invited aboard the Boston where he secretly met chief Hawaiian Kingdom minister Judd. Judd gave Marshall an emergency commission as "envoy extraordinary" and sent him to plead the case for an independent Hawaii in London. Paulet closed down all shipping, but wanted to send Alexander Simpson back to England so that his side of the case could be heard first. Paulet rechristened a Hawaiian ship called Hoikaika as the Albert, and both Simpson and Marshall (telling Paulet he was only on a business mission) sailed to San Blas, Mexico
San Blas, Nayarit
San Blas is both a municipality and municipal seat located on the Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Nayarit.-City:San Blas is a port and a popular tourist destination, located about 100 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, and 40 miles west of the state capital Tepic. The town has a population of...
. On 12 April they left over land and reached Veracruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
by 1 May. Simpson continued to England, while Marshal went by ships and trains to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
by 2 June. He spread the news in the American press, and met 4 June with fellow Bostonians such as U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
and business partner and future minister to Hawaii Henry A. Peirce
Henry A. Peirce
Henry Augustus Peirce was an American businessman and diplomat. Some sources spell his last name as Pierce.-Early life and business:...
. Webster gave him letters for Edward Everett
Edward Everett
Edward Everett was an American politician and educator from Massachusetts. Everett, a Whig, served as U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator, the 15th Governor of Massachusetts, Minister to Great Britain, and United States Secretary of State...
who was the American minister to Great Britain.
On 30 June Marshall arrived in London and met with Everett. Two other envoys from Hawaii, William Richards
William Richards (Hawaii)
William Richards was a missionary and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Family life:William Richards was born in Plainfield, Massachusetts on August 22, 1793. His father was James Richards and mother was Lydia Shaw. He was schooled under Moses Hallock in Plainfield, attended Williams College...
and Timothy Haalilo
Timothy Haalilio
Timoteo or Timothy Kamalehua Haalilio was a royal secretary and first diplomat of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Haalilio was born early in the 19th century, probably 1808. He was the son Haalou, the governor of Molokai, and his wife Kipa. He was the elder brother of Levi Haalelea, husband of...
were in Paris, France negotiating treaties. They had already received verbal assurance that Hawaii's independence would be respected.
The arrived to Honolulu under Commodore Lawrence Kearny
Lawrence Kearny
Commodore Lawrence Kearny was an officer in the United States Navy during the early nineteenth century. In the early 1840s he began negotiations with China which opened that country to U.S. trade and pointed the way toward the American Open Door Policy a half century later...
in early July. Acting American Agent William Hooper protested the takeover to Kearny.
American Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones
Thomas ap Catesby Jones
Thomas ap Catesby Jones was a U.S. Navy officer during the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.-Early life:Jones was born in 1790 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Thomas ap Catesby Jones means Thomas, son of Catesby Jones in the Welsh language. His brother was Roger Jones, who would become...
arrived on the on 22 July, but first landed in Hilo on the island of Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
where he consulted with American missionary Titus Coan
Titus Coan
Titus Coan was an early American Christian Missionary to the Hawaiian Islands.-Early life and family:Titus Coan was born on February 1, 1801 in Killingworth, Connecticut, the son of Gaylord Coan and Tamza Nettleton. In June, 1831, he entered the Auburn Theological Seminary in Auburn, New York, and...
. By this time Admiral Thomas heard conflicting reports about the surprising developments in Hawaii. He had also heard how Jones had briefly occupied Monterey, California
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
and some historians think he was trying to defuse the situation before it spiraled into a larger conflict.
On 26 July Thomas sailed into Honolulu harbor on his flagship and requested an interview of the king. This time Kamehameha was more than happy to tell his side of the story.
On 31 July Thomas informed Kamehameha III the occupation was over; he reserved the right to protect British citizens, but respected the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The site of a ceremony raising the flag of Hawaii
Flag of Hawaii
The flag of the state of Hawaii is the official standard symbolizing Hawaii as a U.S. state. The same flag had also previously been used by the kingdom, protectorate, republic, and territory of Hawaii...
was made into a park in Downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu
Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, governmental, and central part of Honolulu—bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Honolulu Harbor to the south—situated within the larger Honolulu District...
21°18′9"N 157°50′56"W named Thomas Square in his honor. The pathways are shaped in the form of the British flag. 31 July is celebrated as Lā Hoihoi Ea or Restoration Day holiday.
A phrase from the speech made by Kamehameha III is the state motto of Hawaii, and included on the coat of arms and Seal of Hawaii
Seal of Hawaii
The Great Seal of the State of Hawaii was designated officially by Act 272 of the 1959 Territorial Legislature and is based on the territorial seal. Modifications to the territorial seal included the use of the words "State of Hawaii" at the top and "1959" within the circle...
: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Āina i ka Pono, roughly translated from the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
into English as "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."
Jones tried to hasten the peace process, by inviting the British officers to dinners, and celebrations including the restored king.