October 24, 1827: Letter from Hoapilikāne to Kaʻahumanu
On October 24, 1827, Hoapilikāne (also known as Ulumeheiheihoapilikāne), Governor of Maui, wrote a letter to Elisapeka Kaʻahumanu, the Regent of the Hawaiian Kingdom. In this letter, he writes about a violent incident involving Captain Clark and the crew of the English whale ship the John Palmer. While the ship was in Lahaina, several women (Nakoko and Mikapako) secretly boarded the ship. When this was discovered, Hoapili asked the Captain to return the women. Clark refused. The next day, Hoapili repeatedly asked the Captain to return the women. Clark again refused, ridiculing and sneering at Hoapili’s demands. At this point, Hoapili detained the Captain. The crew, in the meantime, commenced firing cannon balls in the general direction of the mission house–the home of the missionary William Richards. Later, Richards attempted to mediate this dispute. In the end, the Captain was released and in exchange he promised to release the women. The women were not released, however, and the John Palmer sailed off for Honolulu.
