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.