Ships, Furs, and Sandalwood

Charles H. Hammatt arrived in Honolulu in 1823 anxious to do business, not to save souls. Young, confident, and ambitious, Hammatt had been entrusted by a mercantile firm in Boston with the delicate task of negotiating trade agreements with Hawaiian royalty to secure sandalwood for the China Trade. Ultimately, Hammatt proved unsuccessful in his business dealings, and in 1825 his employers ordered him home to Boston. But the account he left of his failed mission is an exciting and colorful addition to previous descriptions from the period.