The Fiji Expedition of 1840 was an exploring and surveying expedition, which itself was a part of the wider United States Exploring Expedition (a.k.a. the Wilkes expedition or the U.S. Ex. Ex.) that occurred from May 4 to August 11, 1840. It produced several scientific and cultural breakthroughs in realms such as cartography, oceanography, volcanology, anthropology, ethnography, ethnology, philology, linguistics, geology, taxonomy, trade, diplomacy, toponymy, epidemiology, pathology and Christian missionary work. It also was known for two separate punitive expeditions against separate groups of Fijians.
Background The Ex. Ex. under the command of Lieutenant Charles Wilkes had just discovered that Antarctica was a continent, and finished surveying Wilkes Land. However, Wilkes was facing a significant deadline. Wilkes was originally given a deadline of 3 years to conduct the necessary research for all the allotted study location goals for the expedition. Unfortunately for him he only had two months to conduct the studies for Fiji expedition, then he would immediately have to journey to the Columbia river expeditions to finish the rest of the studies for the rest of the year. If Wilkes did not, the sailors' and marines' enlistment service would expire, and the expedition's future would have been put in jeopardy.
This situation put Wilkes under immense pressure. As it was, besides the Columbia river expedition, the Fiji expedition was considered the most paramount research destination for several reasons. New England merchants and whalers frequented Fiji for its whale and sandalwood, and competed with the British and the French for the bêche-de-mer populations to sell in China. However, Fiji possessed many uncharted reefs, rocks, and currents, with a culture well known for its cannibalism (in fact for a while Fiji was also known as the Cannibal Isles) and a noted penchant for dragging boats to shore and killing all on board. No dependable navigation charts existed, and in the 12 years prior to 1840, 8 ships (5 of them being American) had been destroyed in the area. These conditions made travel to and around these Islands so precarious, the East India Marine Society of Salem, Massachusetts, United States had petitioned the federal government for local charts for sailors navigating these waters.
Although surveying was the primary reason for the Ex. Ex. in general, the Ex. Ex. also brought along a group of scientists which were also deployed for the Fiji expedition.
Now that the Antarctic discoveries were finished, Wilkes' fleet traveled to Sydney, Australia, then to the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, and finally they rendezvoused at Tongatapu, in Tonga, and prepared for their next mission in Fiji. Wilkes had already had his four ships refitted at Sydney. His current fleet at the time of the Fiji expedition consisted of Wilkes' flagship the USS Vincennes (sloop-of-war, 780 tons, 18 guns), the USS Peacock (sloop-of-war, 650 tons, 22 guns), the USS Porpoise (brig, 230 tons, 10 guns), and the USS Flying Fish (schooner, 96 tons, 2 guns). Furthermore, Wilkes had at least a dozen gigs, cutters, and whaleboats prepared for travel against the hazardous reefs. Each of the vessels were given surveying equipment and a supply of forward mounted blunderbusses, and a number of them were furnished with congreve rocket artillery frames.Wilkes believed he was going to lose at least two ships and his officers wrote their wills to their loved ones for fear at the prospect of being shipwrecked or cannibalized.
Beginning of the expedition Wilkes' fleet set sail out of Nukuʻalofa on May 4, 1840. He dispatched the Porpoise under Lieutenant Cadwalader Ringgold to the Lau Group of the Fiji Islands, while the rest of the fleet went to the Koro Sea. The 3 ships headed for the Island of Ovalau, but by the morning of May 7, the Flying Fish under the command of Lieutenant George Sinclair went missing, after it got caught on a reef. Wilkes pressed on with the Peacock and the Vincennes and anchored by the village Levuka.
Upon Wilkes arrival, a white shipwrecked survivor of the Oneo a Nantucket man named David Whippey and one of his sons paddled up to the Vincennes. Whippey was what was called a beachcomber, which in this context meant a "tame white man" to the Fijians. This was a sort of mercenary, military advisor, and translator. The earliest beachcomber Charlie Savage and those like him taught Fijians how to use fire arms. This revolutionized Fijian warfare, and they were greatly valued by war chiefs, who rewarded them with riches and women. Whippey had risen to the title of "Mata-ki-Bau" (the Royal Messenger of Bau village.
Wilkes arranged for Whippey to have him meet the chief or "Tu'i" of Levuku. Wilkes bestowed several gifts upon the chief, who in gratitude and with Whippey's aid sent a message to Tanoa high King Vunivalu of Bau (called "Old Snuff by the local whites) and head of the notorious Lasakau sea warriors, and asked to meet with him. After a messenger was sent, Whippey took Wilkes and 25 of his officers and naturalists (including the commander of the Peacock Lieutenant William L. Hudson and Navy Geographer and passed midshipman Henry Eld), along with an entourage of natives, on a tour and hike of Mount Nadelaiovalau. At the top of the mountain Wilkes and his scientists could clearly see the surrounding area including nearby reefs and other nearby landmarks. The group set out right away making charts, sketches, measurements for recording, and collecting plant and animal specimens.
On May 8 Wilkes deployed two surveying parties on boats. One was to be led by Lieutenant James Alden Jr. who would leave Ovalau to explore the northern shore of Viti Levu Island. The second boat was led by Lieutenant George F. Emmons, who in turn scouted the south shore. Wilkes gave the officer further orders that after exploring their respective shores that they should assemble at the Island of Malolo which was to the west of Viti Levu. That same day Lieutenant Sinclair arrived with the Flying Fish at Levuka and reported to Wilkes.
On May 11 Wilkes decided to build an observatory of tents, houses, and a small research garden. It was situated 30 feet above the beach on a peak near Levuku village, and above Vi Tonga village as a forward operating center for the Fiji Expedition. The observatory was erected on May 11, with guards surrounding the perimeter.
On May 12, Chief Tanoa arrived in a finely decorated 100 foot, double hulled, outrigger canoe with a sail and a 40-man crew. It landed at Levuka's harbor. He boarded the Vincennes and through Whippey was able to negotiate a trade deal between Bau and the United States. A few days later, Wilkes received Seru Epenisa Cakobau the son and crown prince of Tanoa, who further cemented bonds of the Bau nation and the expedition. Seru would one day come to unite the Kingdoms of Bau, Rewa, and Naitasiri into the short lived Kingdom of Fiji.
While Tanoa was the King of Bau, he exercised the greatest influence among all the other kingdoms of the islands of Fiji, Tui Levuku was in charge of Ovalau Island. With the aid of Whippey, Tui Levuku helped the Americans maintain their supply lines, trade with Levuku village, and receive information through the first six weeks of the Fiji expedition.
Capture of Chief Veidovi
After a few says an Irish beachcomber named Paddy O'Connell entered Wilkes, tent on Ovalu. O'Connell attempted to hire himself out to Wilkes, but Wilkes dismissed him at first. However, a single story caught his interest. O'Connell informed Wiles that he was a witness to the murder of several of the crew of the American bêche-de-mer merchant ship the Charles Doggett in August 1834, on Ono Island. Wilkes learned that a Fijian chief named Veidovi was the man who organized the attack. According to O'Connell he was a crewman of the Charles Doggett when the incident occurred. In this instance Captain Bachelor of the Charles Doggett made a contract with a chief named Veidovi for bêche-de-mer on Rewa. When the Charles Doggett reached Rewa, it was agreed that a minor chief would willingly be taken hostage for the protection of the Westerners while they set up a bêche-de-mer house on shore. Later the chief feigned sickness and was allowed to return to shore. The next day the minor chief returned with Veidovi and some of his men and asked for medicine at the bêche-de-mer house. The mate, eight other men, and a boy came ashore, all except one were killed, robbed, and the house was house set on fire. One survivor swam back to the ship. The next day the captain, through O'Connell, was able to negotiate for all the bodies back except an African American crewmate whose body was eaten. Later O'Connell became a beachcomber and discovered that while Veidovi was the primary perpetrator of this attack, the other chiefs of Rewa and especially Veidovi's kin endorsed the killings. Upon hearing this story Wilkes became angry and sent O'Connell to Lieutenant Hudson on the Peacock to arrest Veidovi.
O'Connell met Hudson and gave him Wilkes' orders. The pair of them set out for Rewa in Viti Levu where Veidovi lived. It was there that Hudson eventually met with King Kania or Roko Tui Dreketi/King of Rewa and Methodist missionaries of the English Wesleyan Mission who helped him get the lay of the land. After assessing the political landscape, Hudson quickly concocted a plan to trap Veidovi. On May 21 Hudson invited the King Kania and his three brothers on board the Peacock to a welcoming reception. Between 70 and over 100 local Fijians showed up along with the Tui Dreketi himself, but Veidovi was noticeably absent. Hudson lured the native royals into his cabin with an offering of a meal and then called for battle stations. The royals were split away from their retainers. Hudson promised mercy to the chiefs in exchange for them delivering Veidovi to them, and causing no harm to the local missionaries. After a spout of protest the King Kania agreed, and two of the chiefs brothers were released to arrest Veidovi dead or alive.
The following day Veidovi arrived and agreed to go quietly in exchange for the freedom of his family and their families respectively. Hudson took Veidovi to his personal cabin for interrogation and Veidovi openly conceded to orchestrating the Charles Doggett killings. Veidovi explained that he lured the mate of the ship into a trip and feigned a friendly greeting to the mate of the ship. Then his men seized the mate and clubbed him to death, and then proceeded to kill more of the ship hands. Veidovi added that his motivations were to acquire firearms and that he was only following his culture in that "...he had only followed the Fegee customs and done what his people had often done before.". Hudson decided to punish Veidovi by forcing him to travel with the Ex. Ex. and then live in America for a few years, where he would learn to be civilized and not kill white people. Veidovi was dismayed, since as a chief he had 55 wives and numerous children that he would have to leave behind.
Hudson then headed for Kadavu Island where it was said more of the perpetrators of the attack on the Charles Doggett resided. However, the wind was against him, and suffering for a lack of time in his other duties for the expedition, Hudson satisfied himself with the capture of Veidovi and returned to Levuka.