HAWAIIAN GROUP. 13 



was abandoned by the owners and those who had chartered her. Her 

 colours were hauled down by the French, and burnt in the street by 

 the British consul, and a large amount of damages was claimed from 

 the government, on the plea that she had been forcibly seized. 



This transaction had hardly occurred, when the French frigate 

 Venus, Captain Du Petit Thouars, and H. B. M. ship Sulphur, Captain 

 Belcher, arrived. The two consuls did all in their power to make it 

 appear that a gross violation of the rights of their respective citizens 

 had been committed. The scenes which followed were disgraceful ; 

 for instance, the English consul so far forgot himself as to shake his 

 fist in the face of Kinau, a female, second in rank to the king ; and 

 Captain Belcher did the same to the Rev. Mr. Bingham, the head of 

 the American mission, whom he threatened to hang at the yardarm. 

 The only offence of the reverend gentleman was his having acted as 

 interpreter, and being supposed to exercise an influence over the 

 government. Although this threat was no more than idle bravado, it 

 produced much excitement. 



A treaty was made with the French, and new articles were added 

 to the Russell treaty. Both commanders promised that the Catholic 

 missionaries should depart at the earliest opportunity, and should not. 

 preach or attempt to propagate their religion. Under the French 

 treaty, however, it was afterwards claimed that the missionaries had 

 the right of teaching their tenets, although both the officers had thus 

 formally acknowledged that no such right coujd exist against the con- 

 sent and without the permission of the Hawaiian government. 



Some months after these transactions, the provisor of the Bishop of 

 Nicopolis, with some assistants, arrived at Oahu, when permission to 

 land was refused him, and the vessel was not permitted to enter the 

 port, until the owner had given bond that the priests should not be 

 landed. These priests, together with those already under a stipulation 

 to embark as soon as they could procure a passage, purchased a 

 schooner, in which they sailed for the island of Ascension, in the 

 Caroline Group. 



The king and chiefs now thought it necessary, for the purpose of 

 securing themselves against any future annoyance, to enact a law 

 making it penal for any one to teach or propagate the Romish faith. 

 Under this law some of the natives were fined and otherwise punished. 

 Every possible endeavour was made to throw the odium of this law 

 on the American mission, and it was asserted that its enactment had 

 been procured through their influence over the king and chiefs. The 

 falsehood of this charge became apparent when, eighteen months after 



