James F. B. Marshall, an American merchant of
Ladd and Company was invited aboard
Boston where he secretly met Hawaiian Kingdom minister Judd. Judd gave Marshall an emergency commission as "envoy extraordinary" and sent him to plead the case for an independent Hawaii in London. Paulet closed down all shipping, but wanted to send Alexander Simpson back to England so that his side of the case could be heard first. Paulet rechristened the Hawaiian ship
Hoikaika as
Albert, and both Simpson and Marshall (telling Paulet he was only on a business mission) sailed to
San Blas, Mexico. On 12 April they left overland and reached
Veracruz by 1 May. Simpson continued to England, while Marshall went by ship and train to Boston by 2 June. He spread the news in the American press, and on 4 June, met with fellow Bostonians such as U.S. Secretary of State
Daniel Webster and business partner and future minister to Hawaii
Henry A. Peirce. Webster gave him letters for
Edward Everett who was the American ambassador. On 30 June Marshall arrived in London and met with Everett. Two other envoys from Hawaii,
William Richards and
Timothy Haalilo were in Paris, France negotiating treaties. They had received verbal assurance that Hawaii's independence would be respected. The arrived in Honolulu under Commodore
Lawrence Kearny in early July. Acting American agent William Hooper protested the takeover to Kearny. American Commodore
Thomas ap Catesby Jones arrived with the on 22 July. He landed in
Hilo where he consulted with American missionary
Titus Coan. Rear-Admiral Thomas heard conflicting reports about the surprising developments in Hawaii. He had also heard how Jones had briefly
occupied Monterey, California. Some historians think he was trying to defuse the situation before it spiralled into a larger conflict. On 26 July Rear-Admiral Thomas sailed into Honolulu harbour on his flagship and requested an interview with the king. Kamehameha was more than happy to tell his side of the story. On 31 July, with the arrival of American warships, Thomas informed Kamehameha III the occupation was over. He reserved the right to protect British citizens, but respected the sovereignty of the Kingdom. The site of a ceremony raising the
flag of Hawaii was made into a park in downtown Honolulu named
Thomas Square in his honor. The pathways are shaped in the form of the British flag. 31 July is celebrated as
Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea or Restoration Day holiday. A phrase from the speech made by Kamehameha III became the motto of Hawaii, and is included on the coat of arms and
Seal of Hawaii:
Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Āina i ka Pono, roughly translated from the
Hawaiian language into English as "The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." Jones tried to hasten the peace process by inviting British officers to dinners, and celebrations including the restored king. ==References==