80 Sandal-Wood and its Commercial Importance. 



useful only for planes. A new chance, however, seemed to 

 present itself, and of this both chiefs and people eagerly availed 

 themselves. 



In November, 1829, a vessel arrived, from which it was 

 learnt that in the South Pacific an island full of sandal-wood 

 had been discovered. Its situation was confidently communi- 

 cated to Boki, the governor of Oahu, who, delighted with a 

 chance of retrieving his ruined credit, accepted the proposal 

 to fit out an expedition for taking permanent possession of 

 so rich a prize. Two men-of-war brigs, the " Kamehameha " 

 and the " Becket/' were selected for the purpose, and well 

 provided with ammunition, arms, and stores for colonization. 

 Nearly 500 people, including ten foreigners, embarked in 

 these small vessels. All were going to make their fortune ; 

 and so great was the general infatuation that, in spite of 

 the earnest remonstrances of the foreign residents, the expedi- 

 tion started. It first touched at Eotuma, north of Fiji, where 

 discontent, from the hardships of the voyage, began to show 

 itself, and where a number of the aborigines were pressed 

 into the service of the already over-crowded vessels. The 

 destination now turned out to be the island of Eromanga, and 

 the " Kamehameha," having completed her preparations, sailed 

 ten days in advance of her consort ; but she was never heard 

 of again. The " Becket" reached Eromango in safety, and 

 remained for weeks, committing outrages on the natives, which 

 led to frequent hostilities, and completely frustrated the object 

 of the expedition. The " Kamehameha" not arriving, and a 

 distemper breaking out, Avhich carried off many of the company, 

 including the commanding chief, the ' ' Becket " resolved to 

 return home. A scene of horror now ensued which baffles 

 description. Crowded with the sick, the dying, and the dead, 

 the vessel, slowly making her way through the sultry regions 

 of the tropics, became a floating charnel-house. The sufferings 

 of the survivors were aggravated by the want of water, food, 

 and medicines. The course of the brig was tracked by 

 corpses, and out of two hundred and twenty-six souls that 

 comprised her company on leaving Roturna, only twenty, eight 

 of whom were white men, returned home. When, on the 3rd 

 of August, 1830, she arrived at Oahu, weeping and wailing was 

 heard night and day. The loss of so many active and fine men 

 was felt as a national calamity, and formed a sad conclusion of 

 lli" sandal- wood trade of the Sandwich Islands. 



Eromanga, after this time, was constantly visited by similar 

 expeditions, got up by both Polynesians and white men. It 

 appears that the island had just been annoyed by a party of 

 sandal-wood traders, who had killed several of the natives and 

 robbed their plantations, when on the 29th of November, 1839, 



