Paulet Affair of 1843: When the Royal Navy found itself in charge of Hawaii

Britain valued Hawaii as an open, neutral stopping place for warships and merchants but saw little advantage in acquiring and defending the islands.

The criticism of Hawaii's fort evacuation concerns the guns left behind and the possibility of preserving them for a later counterattack.

The loss of ministers with overseas experience raises questions about Hawaii's preparations and the uncertain circumstances of reported deaths in storms.

Charlton combined trade with an unpaid consular post, while Hiram Bingham and fellow missionaries influenced Hawaiian government and social policy.

The Buckle-Richards dispute joined incompatible views of a marriage payment to a failed attempt at libel proceedings.

The Royal Navy's support for Catholic worship also sought to avoid a confrontation over clergy brought by France or Spain.

Charlton's disputed claims acquired national importance through his consular office, while Judd's commercial connections complicated his Hawaiian ministerial role.

Hawaii's refusal to recognize Charlton's deputy left HMS Carysfort communicating directly with the government and deprived both sides of a consular intermediary.

Paulet requested a direct meeting with Kamehameha III, but the king referred him to Judd - the official at the center of the British complaints.

The ultimatum demanded consular recognition, property redress, limits on fetters, a promised retrial, mixed juries, and direct access to the king.

Recognizing Simpson and formally replacing Charlton offered a possible way to pursue private land claims without provoking a dispute over consular standing.

The case against USS Boston's intervention rested on naval readiness and the risk of another war with Britain, before the king agreed to a meeting.

After several meetings failed to reconcile legal process with British demands, Kamehameha III provisionally ceded the islands pending a decision by Queen Victoria's government.

The king and chiefs retained domestic administration, while a commission supervised foreign affairs and restricted specified land transactions.

Simpson sailed for Britain while James F. B. Marshall sought American and Hawaiian diplomatic support, but London had already chosen to recognize Hawaiian independence.

USS Constellation and USS United States observed the provisional government without attempting to expel the British.

Paulet continued to Crimean War service and eventual flag rank, while a superior officer had to resolve the diplomatic consequences in Hawaii.

Rear Admiral Richard Thomas reached Honolulu, met the king, secured an acceptable settlement, and rejected the provisional cession on 31 July 1843.

Thomas had the authority to offer compromise while retaining a credible warning that repeated injustice could bring a much larger naval response.

Thomas's long declaration shows how a few operative promises and warnings could be embedded within conventional language about civilization, religion, commerce, and friendship.

Experience around South America, the French occupation of Tahiti and dealings with American interests prepared Thomas to negotiate in Hawaii.

HMS Dublin's 32-pounders favoured a fight at longer ranges, while American carronades and conflicting gun totals qualify a simple comparison of ship strength.

Trying to make Judd the intermediary when he was the subject of complaint encouraged a direct, forceful officer to treat the crisis as a problem for coercion.

The first article gave British subjects the best privileges Hawaii granted to any foreign nationality.

The second article required interviews with visiting British captains and confined interpreters to translating.

Charlton's property, detention in fetters and British participation in juries received separate safeguards.

The king accepted direct consular communication while retaining grounds to challenge an acting appointment.

The final articles referred outstanding claims to Britain, admitted consular advice on appeals and preserved the king's rights as an independent sovereign.

British policy consistently favored Hawaiian independence, while the affair exposed the danger of giving private merchants consular authority.

Kamehameha III proclaimed amnesty and celebration, while the flag ceremony and Thomas Square preserved the memory of Admiral Thomas's restoration of Hawaiian rule.

French forces pressed religious and commercial complaints, then occupied a fort, destroyed guns and property, and took the king's yacht.

British naval contacts helped Judd seek support, but Paris accepted its officers' account and rejected compensation.

The later American takeover followed familiar pretexts, while Britain and France had been quick to state that they did not want the islands.