Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 25.djvu/57

JAMES COLNETT AND THE "PRINCESS ROYAL" were two Englishmen on this island 26 and two on the island of Maui. On March 25 Kamehameha ("Amejameja") visited the vessel and presented to her commander a "cloak, cape, and helmet made of exquisite feathers." Quimper recipro- cated by offering to the celebrated chieftijajn an iron chest and the best pieces of iron he had. Kamehameha, how- ever, informed him that those foreigners who had touched in his dominions had given him firearms. Thereupon Quimper had an old pistol brought out, but the wily chief was not to be put off with anything less than a good musket. Having obtained the coveted firearm, Kame- hamaha, with his customary generosity, kept the vessel supplied, during the remainder of her visit, with an abun- dance of fresh provisions. On the thirtieth, having completed his supply of water, Quimper got under way for the island of Maui, but being impeded by heavy north winds, concluded to seek the bay of Kealakekua to the south. Instead he came to anchor on the first day of April in the bay of Kailua, 27 and it was there that Colnett found him. IV Early on the morning of April 2 the natives informed Quimper that there was a ship at sail along the coast farther south. Shortly afterwards the chief Kaiana came on board with the letter (quoted in the earlier part of this paper) written by Colnett to the Englishmen who were 26 These were John Young and Isaac Davis. Cf. Vancouver, Voyage of Discovery, (London, 1801), III , 236-239, which gives an account of Colnett's ineffectual effort to rescue Young and Davis. 27 Quimper says that this bay was "nombrada por sus naturales Tara- tatua, y Dor mi de Vacario," but from other things which he says it is evident that it is not Kealakekua; the latter he calls "Karacacoa." Notice also the certificate quoted above from Ingraham's Journal, which speaks of the Argonaut as arriving "in the bay of Tirooa [Kailua] Owhyhee—where the Pss Royal was then riding." Freycinet {Voyage autour du monde. . . . Historique, Vol. II, p. 552), who visited Hawaii in 1819, says that this bay "se nomme indifferement Kayakakoua, Kairoua et Tairoua." Kailua is some twelve miles northwest from Kealakekua.