Page 35 - Merchants and Mandarins China Trade Era
P. 35

21.

                      were  more  than  two  thousand  miles  west  of  the  American  con­

                      tinent,  they  were  a  natural  place  for  a  sailing  vessel  to

                      visit  after  rounding  the  Cape.  Winds  and  currents  along  the


                      western  side  of  South  America  made-beating  directly  up  along
                      the  coast  virtually  impossible.              From  the  beginning  a  lay-over


                      at  Oahu  on  a  voyage  from  Boston  to  the  Northwest  was  part  of

                      a  vessel's  itinerary.  The  Islands  furthermore  provided  fresh

                      supplies  and  relaxation  for  a  crew  that  had  just  completed

                      the  arduous  and  dangerous  task  of  rounding  Cape  Horn.  Ameri­

                      can  vessels  engaged  in  the  Northwest  fur  trade  also  usually

                      wintered  at  the  Sandwich  Islands.              By  1800  the  large  number

                      of  Americans  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  influenced  the  English

                      explorer  John  Turnball  to  remark  that  American  traders,  more

                      than  any  other  traders,  would  determine  the  future  of  the

                      Islands.  He  added  that  American  trade  in  the  Pacific  "exceed-

                     Le:fl  a11  former  efforts  of  former  nations,                    .scarcely  Lis

                      ther�7  an  inlet  in  these  most  unknown  seas  in  which  this

                      corru1ercial  hive  has  not  penetrated.                 .And  it  must  be  con-

                      fessed,  to  the i r   honour,  that  their  success  is  well  merited  by
                                             22
                        e1r  in
                      th  .    .  d  ustry."
                                 In  the  Islands,  Americans  discovered  another  article

                      that  might  be  profitable  in  the  China  trade.                This  article  was


                      sandalwood,  the  heartwood  of  a  tree  noted  for  its  light  color,
                      close  grain  and  sweet  aroma.  The  Chinese  valued  the  fragrance


                     and  beauty  of  sandalwood  for  use  primarily  in  their  temples.



                                 22
                                    Harold  W.  Bradley,  The  American  Frontier  in  Hawaii:
                                                                              )
                     The  Pioneers,  1789-1843  (Stanford,  1942 ,  p.  25.
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