1843.] SANDWICH ISLANDS OCCUPIED BY THE BRITISH. 373 



In the mean time, Lord George Paulet, a captain in the British 

 navy, arrived at Woahoo, in February, 1843, in the ship Carysfort, 

 and demanded from the king explanations with regard to the 

 conduct of his government towards the consul and subjects of her 

 Britannic majesty. Not receiving a satisfactory answer within the 

 period prescribed, this officer threatened, in the event of longer 

 delay, to make an attack upon Honolulu ; whereupon the king, find- 

 ing himself unable to comply with the demands, or to resist them, 

 surrendered all the islands under his dominion to Great Britain, 

 until the matter could be arranged between the government of that 

 country and the agents whom he had already sent thither. The 

 British commander accordingly took possession, appointed commis- 

 sioners to conduct the administration, and issued various regulations 

 for the government of the islands, until further orders could be 

 received from England. 



The news of these events created much excitement in the 

 United States ; and a protest against the occupation of the Sand- 

 wich Islands by Great Britain was immediately addressed by the 

 American government to the court of London. On the 25th of 

 June, however, the British minister at Washington declared 

 officially, that the acts of Lord George Paulet were entirely un- 

 authorized by her majesty; conformably with which, King Kameha- 

 maha was, on the 31st of July, reinstated in all his powers and dig- 

 nities by Admiral Thomas, the commander-in-chief of the British 

 naval forces in the Pacific. Finally, on the 28th of November, a 

 declaration was signed at London, on the parts of the queen of 

 England and the king of the French, whereby their majesties " en- 

 gaged reciprocally to consider the Sandwich Islands as an inde- 

 pendent state, and never to take possession, either directly, or un- 

 der the title of protectorate, or under any other form, of any part 

 of the territory of which they are composed." 



These acts of the British and the French, with regard to the 

 Sandwich Islands, arose, doubtless, rather from political jealousy, on 

 the parts of those nations, than from the simple desire to protect 

 their subjects in trade or religion. The French have shown their 

 anxiety to obtain a permanent footing on the Pacific, by their at- 

 tempts to form a colony in New Zealand, by their military occupa- 

 tion of the Washington or North Marquesas Islands and their forci- 

 ble seizure of Otaheite, and by various other circumstances ; whilst 

 the British have evinced their determination to counteract those 

 efforts by others equally unequivocal. To either of these nations the 



