HAWAIIAN GROUP. 19 



the capacity of consul, of the irresponsible individual of whom we 

 have spoken under that style, but who had not hitherto been received 

 by the government. 



The affair terminated by the landing of Captain Laplace, with two 

 hundred of his men, fully armed and equipped for battle, for the pur- 

 pose of celebrating mass in one of the straw-built houses of the king. 



The frigate sailed the day after this ceremony; and thus, in the 

 space of ten days. Captain Laplace had, by the terror of his cannon, 

 forced a dreaded religion upon a reluctant people, heaped ignominy 

 on the sovereign and chiefs, trodden down the laws, and left the 

 islands open to the introduction of immorality and vice, besides car- 

 rying off in his frigate the whole of the circulating medium. This 

 was truly an heroic exploit, and one that must redound greatly to the 

 credit of all who were concerned in it ! 



The immediate consequences of the treaty, were it not for their 

 serious results, would be ludicrous. The brig Clementine, which 

 has before been mentioned, was immediately despatched by the 

 French consul to the coast of South America, whence she returned 

 without delay, having on board the Bishop of Nicopolis with several 

 priests, and a full cargo of French wines and brandy. It is needless 

 to describe the effect which the introduction of quantities of intoxica- 

 ting liquor produced upon the population of the islands, the inferior 

 classes of which have still the propensity manifested by all savages 

 for this worst product of the arts of civilized nations. The chiefs have 

 indeed endeavoured to put some impediment in the way of the pro- 

 gress of the scourge, by making it necessary to obtain a license for 

 the retail of spirituous liquors. 



After this account, it will be easy to understand the feelings of 

 mortification and regret with which the king spoke of the Laplace 

 treaty. He said, that he was not surprised that France should have 

 sent a force to inquire whether his people had injured the natives of 

 that country who had visited them, but he did wonder that so great a 

 nation as France was represented to him to be, should have wished 

 to destroy his laws, and make his people drunkards for the sake of 

 selling a small quantity of brandy ; that, were not his honour con- 

 cerned, he would willingly sacrifice the twenty thousand dollars 

 which Captain Laplace held as security for the faithful performance 

 of the treaty, if by so doing he could prevent the demoralization of 

 his people ; that the commercial treaty had been forced upon him by 

 Captain Laplace and the French consul, who threatened to renew 

 the war and destroy Honolulu ; that they refused him time to consult 



