The French admiral Dupetit Thouars, that had invaded Tahiti, landed in Hawaii a decade before in 1837 aboard the French frigate La Venus and had demanded the Premier Kaʻahumanu II and the young King Kamehameha III to stop persecuting the French Catholic missionaries; at that time Dupetit Thouars was only a captain of an exploring expedition and didn't have the power or men to put any pressure on the Hawaiians.
Kīnaʻu |