Letter to George IV
grant to a friendly power at so remote a distance from his own kingdoms
Letter from Queen Pomare to Louis Philippe, King of the French in 1843
The following is the letter of Queen Pomare to Louis Philippe : " Paofai, Tahiti, Nov. 9, 1843. "O King, I have been this day deptived of my government. My sovereignty has been violated, and your admiral has seized, with arms in hand, on my territory, because I was accused of not observing the treaty of the 9th of Sept. 1842. I never intended, when I placed my erown on my flag, to condemn the said treaty and insult you, O King. I suppose you will not consider the fact of my placing my crown on my flag to be a crime. Your admiral only desired n slight change in it, but had 1 acceded to his desire, I should have been despised by my great chiefs. I knew not, moreover, any article of the treaty which regulated the nature of my flag. I protest formally against the harsh measure taken by your admiral ; but I have every confidence in you, and I expect my liberation from your compassion, your justice, and your kindness, tor a powerless sovereign. " My prayer is the following : — May the Almighty soften your heart ! May you acknowledge the justice of my claim, and restore to me the sovereignty and government of my ancestors. May God bless you, O King, and may your reign be long and flourishing Such is my prayer. Pomare
The Manifesto in 1844
A Letter from the Queen of Tahiti to Queen Victoria
A LETTER FROM THE QUEEN OF TAHITI TO QUEEN VICTORIA. Tahiti, January 23rd, 1843. My Dear Friend And Sister Queen, Victoria, Queen Of Great Britain, Health and peace to you, and saved may you be by Jehovah, the foundation of our power as Queens of our respective countries. We dwell in peace from the arrangements made by our predecessors. This is my speech to you, my sister Friend, commiserate me in my affliction, in my helplessness, and in the difficulties in which my nation is involved with France. The existing protectorate Government of France in my dominions, I do not acknowledge. I knew nothing of what my Chiefs and the French Consul had done before I wrote to you by Captain Jones, I being absent at Raiate. On the arrival of the French Admiral, "A Du Petit Thouars," the same Chiefs who formerly signed the document requesting French protection, assembled, viz :—the three Governors and "Paraita," the person who was left in charge at "Papeete;" (Paraita is the root of this great evil) the French Admiral and the French Consul after having completed their design in signing the document, sent it over to me at Moorea, through the medium of my messengers "Tairapa," and Mr. "Simpson" for my signature. "Tairapa" said to me, "Pomare, write your name under this document, if you do not write your name you must pay a fine of ten thousand dollars, five thousand to-morrow, and five thousand the following day, and should the first payment be delayed beyond two o'clock the first day, hostilities will be commenced, and your land taken." On account of this threat, against my will I signed my name; I was compelled to sign it, and because I was afraid, for the British and American subjects residing on my land (in case of hostilities) would have been indiscriminately massacred, no regard would have been paid to parties. This is the way my Government has been taken from me, and constituted into a French Government. My Government is taken from me by my enemies, "Paraita," "Hitati," "Tati," and others connected with them; it was they who combined and entered into agreement with the French; they have banished me, that I should not be Sovereign of Tahiti, that they should be Kings and also their children. And now, my Friend, think of me, have compassion on me and assist me, let it be powerful, let it be timely and saving, that I may be reinstated in my Government, let it be prompted by the feeling which caused the Messiah to come into our world to save you and me. Have compassion on me in my present trouble, in my affliction, and great helplessness. Do not cast me away, assist me quickly, my Friend ; I run to you for refuge, to be covered under your great shadow, the same as afforded to my Fathers by your Fathers, who are now dead, and whose kingdoms have descended to us, the weaker vessels. I renew that agreement, let it be lasting and for ever,—let its continuance extend, not only to ourselves and children, but to our children's children. My Friend, do not by any means separate our friendship—this is my true wish. I now deliver up to you, my Friend, my last effort.—My only hope of being restored is in you. Be quick to help me, for I am nearly dead ; I am like a captive pursued by a warrior, and nearly taken, whose spear is close to me. The time is very nigh when I fear I shall lose my Government and my land. My Friend, send quickly a large ship of war to assist me.—A French ship of war is daily expected here. Speedily send a ship of war to protect me, and then I shall be saved. It is my wish that the Admiral may speedily come to Tahiti; if he cannot speedily come, I wish a large ship of war may come just at this present time. Continually send here your ships of war, let not one month pass away without one, until all my present difficulties are over. I have also at this time written a letter to your Admiral on the Spanish coast, to come to Tahiti and assist me. Health and peace to you, may you be blessed. My Sister Friend, Queen of Great Britain, &c. &c. &c. (Signed) POMARE, Queen Of Tahiti.
November Petition
Paofai, Tahiti. November 10, 1843 'The petition of Pomare to Victoria the sovereign of Britain, for I am no longer called a sister because my lands have been seized by the Admiral of France. This is my word to you, do you seek out your good measures with the King of the French, whose is the Admiral who has deprived me of my Sovereignty as well as my Lands on the 7th day of November, because I did not comply with his wish, in changing my own flag....... [8]
Letter from Queen Pomare to H. M. Kamehameha III
O King of the Sandwich Islands, may you be saved by the true God!
This is my word to you. In a certain newspaper, printed and circulated at Honolulu, called the Polynesian, there are made known to all men some false statements, spoken by Frenchmen and those who agree with them.
I write this little word to you to tell you to undo the wrong and injury done to me, your sister, Queen of the Islands of the South, and tell the editor and printer to print in the Polynesian this word, the copy of a letter that I have written to the King of the French, and which makes known the truth, and the truth only.
Beware of the Roman Catholics and the friends of the Roman Catholics.
POMARE
Encampment of Vaioau, Island of Raiatea, this twenty-fifth of September, 1844.
The foregoing is a true translation, and I am witness of Queen Pōmare's signature.
GEO. PLATT. [2]
Letter of Kamehameha III to Queen Pomare of Tahiti
To Queen Pomare,
Aliʻi of Tahiti
Respectful greetings to you.
I received your letter on the 25th day of September with a copy of your petition to the Christian King, Louis Phillippe, the King of France. As soon as I received it I quickly ordered these documents to be published in the Polynesian, in accordance with your idea that the people of this land should hear of it.
I have frequently heard of your troubles and of the death of your Government and of your grief, but I don't have the power [mana] within me to help you. At one time, however, I thought of fetching you, and of bringing you to live here in Hawaiʻi with us, but upon reflection I hesitate lest you soon become a refugee from your own country. Therefore I have put aside my thoughts to invite you to come here. Perhaps this latter thought is right [pono] because I have heard things may be right again. Perhaps it is better for you to rely upon the generosity of the King of France, in order that you might not prejudice your petition that seeks redress and affection from him.
Just before this, I had a problem similar to yours, although yours is the graver situation. God was truly generous to me, and my Government emerged victorious at this time. In my time of trouble certain people stood by my side to aid me. I had a foreigner [haole] who had sworn an oath before me, to have no other Sovereign but myself, and he worked with vigor as is the foreigner's way, quickly deciding what was for our good and what should be done. There were other foreigners also, and including my man, T. Haʻalilio. They were in Britain and in France. As soon as they heard of the events here in Hawaiʻi, they quickly petitioned the British Government in order to ascertain if their approval had been given. Here I reign with the support of some righteous foreigners and I think therein my Government shall endure in times when I am again troubled by foreign governments. My own people and those from foreign lands are equally protected under me. I reign in peace. I am not too frequently bothered by very burdensome tasks, but it is my duty to observe and supervise all the work that my Officers do.
Please be generous to my Hawaiian people that travel to your land, as I am generous to your people of Tahiti. Indeed, as I generously care for your people that come here to Hawaiʻi
Oh Sovereign, I deeply regret your trouble. May the Lord that is our Savior liberate you. May you be blessed through the Sacrifice of salvation.
Fond farewell,
Kamehameha III. [3]
Letters from Pomare IV's children
Reference
- ^ Samuel Tamatoa Williams, Pomare (queen of Tahiti.) (1847). Pomaré, queen of Tahiti, a poem (by S.T. Williams) with notes and an appendix. pp. 50–51.
- ^ "Queen Pōmare's Manifesto". The Investigator, and Advocate of independence, Volume 2. Volume 1197 of American periodical series: 1800–1850. pp. 151–152.
- ^ Niklaus Rudolf Schweizer (2005). Turning tide: the ebb and flow of Hawaiian nationality. Peter Lang. p. 249. ISBN 0-8204-7030-9.