English in Hawai'i
England played the dominant role in Hawaiian history for more than half a century after the English explorer. Captain James Cook. discovered the islands in 1778 for the Western world.
Twice the British flag flew over Hawai'i. in addition to the times when Kamehameha I flew it without significance but simply because he liked it and had no flag of his own.
Captain Cook landed at Waimea, Kaua'i. in 1778 and touched the Big island of Hawai'i twice in the following year before he was killed at Kealakekua Bay. After him, numerous explorers, traders and British men-of-war visited the islands, notable among them Captain-George Vancouver, who had been a young midshipman aboard one of Cook's ships. Vancouver introduced cattle, sheep. goats and oranges to Hawai'i.
Kamehameha I yielded the islands to Vancouver. Vancouver's men briefly flew the British flag at the place of Captain Cook's death. But Great Britain, involved in troubles with the American colonies and conceded over the French Revolution, did nothing either time to follow up ownership of these seemingly insignificant islands in the remote Pacific.
A number of British sailors had settled in Hawai'i. Notable were John Young and Isaac Davis, who married Hawaiian chiefesses, became advisors to the king, and wielded great influence in the early commercial and economic growth of the islands. Another who became prominent was Captain Andrew Adams, Honolulu's first harbor pilot.
In the 1840's. Richard Charlton, British consul, became embroiled with the Hawaiian government in a land dispute. In 1843 Lord George Paulet, sent to investigate, threatened to fire upon Honolulu if various demands were not met. Kamehameha III provisionally yielded the islands to England pending decisions by authorities in London.
Again. the British flag waved over Honolulu. It was three months before Rear Admiral Richard Thomas arrived, repudiated Paulet's actions and restored Hawai'i's independence. There was a ceremony on the plains outside Honolulu town (today the area, between the Honolulu Academy of Arts and Blaisdell Center, is known as Thomas Square). The ceremony was followed by a service of thanksgiving at Kawaiaha'o Church. In his talk at the church, Kamehameha III uttered the words, "Ua mau ke ea o ka 'ciina i ka pono" (The life of the land is preserved in righteousness), which became the motto of the kingdom's republic, territory and state.
Over the years, many Englishmen who came here to live played important roles in business and government. Theophilus H. Davies arrived in 1836 and established the large company which bears his name. John Wilkinson was one of the first to grow sugar cane and coffee. and Captain John Kidwell imported the first cayenne pineapple. The list could go on and on.
Princess Ka'iulani, heiress to the throne at the time of the overthrow of the monarchy, was sent to England for an education. She attended Harrowden Hall in Northhamptonshire and a finishing school in Brighton.
In the days when tourists to Hawai'i were few, a number of prominent English personalities came. In 1866, the Duke of Edinburgh. son of Queen Victoria. visited here and was lavishly entertained by the king and chiefs. In 1920, the Prince of Wales (later the Duke of Windsor) was in the islands. And within the last half century other members of the British royal family visited Hawai'i.
In 1981 Honolulu's mayor with a group of Hawaiians made a goodwill visit to London as a means of promoting the 200 year old tradition of cultural exchange that has continued between Britain and Hawai'i since the days of Cook.