The defeat of the Schaeffer colony
Dr. Schaeffer's hopes for the approval of his actions in the Hawaiian Islands and for real help from Baranov and St. Petersburg did not come true. Baranov said that he could not approve the agreements concluded by him without the permission of the main board, and forbade further work in this direction.
It soon became clear that St. Petersburg did not approve of Schaeffer's actions either. At the beginning of December 1816, the brig "Rurik" under the command of OE Kotsebue, who was making a round-the-world trip, appeared off the coast of Hawaii. Since Schaeffer had long ago spread rumors about the imminent arrival of a Russian warship to help him, King Kamehamea sent out a whole detachment. However, Kotzebue convinced the Hawaiian king of the friendly intentions of the Russians, and Kamehamea began to complain about the actions of Dr. Schaeffer, Kotzebue hastened to assure the king that Emperor Alexander I "has no desire to take possession of the islands."
The naturalist A. Chamisso, who was on the Hawaiian Islands together with Kotzebue, assessing the international and internal position of the islands, came to the conclusion that “The Sandwich Islands will remain what they have been: a free port and trading place for all sailors on these seas. If any foreign power decided to seize these islands, then to make such an enterprise insignificant, neither the envious vigilance of the Americans, who appropriated almost exclusively trade in these seas, nor the reliable patronage of England would be needed … strong, too numerous and too fond of war to be able to destroy it … . However, he was clearly wrong. Hawaiians repeated the fate of many great Indian tribes - most of the population died out from infections brought in from the outside. And the Americans made the islands their own quite easily.
As a result, Schaeffer's position, despite good relations with the king of Kaumualia, became precarious. In fact, it turned out that he started a large-scale event at his own peril and risk. There was no corresponding strength behind him. Already in September 1816, under the threat of the use of force, the trading post on Oahu was left, and then American captains made an attempt to lower the Russian flag in the village of Waimea (Kauai island). True, the Americans did not succeed. Their attack was repulsed with the help of local residents.
Then the Americans organized a blockade. They built their trading post on the lands of Kaumualia in order to interfere with the Russians. In an effort to oust the Russians, the Americans bought up all the goods promised by the Hawaiian king to the Russians. Schaeffer still hoped to maintain his position on the territory of Kaumualii appealed to the employees of the Russian-American company with an appeal to take up arms and "show that Russian honor is not sold so cheaply." He told Baranov that "all the people" agreed with him to stay on Kauai, "as long as help comes from you," and that he was occupying "this island now in the name of our great sovereign." Thus, if Schaeffer received help, he could well keep part of Hawaii for Russia and even continue to expand his sphere of influence.
However, he received no help. So the Americans eventually drove the Russians out of Hawaii. In June 1817, the Americans decided on direct pressure. They falsely declared that "the Americans are at war with the Russians, threatening, moreover, that if King Tomari does not quickly drive the Russians from Atuvai and does not remove the Russian flag, then 5 American ships will come to him and kill both him and the Indians." As a result, the Americans and British, who were in the service of the Russians, rebelled and left them. So, the American William Vozdvit, who was the captain of our brig "Ilmen", fled to the Hawaiians ashore. The Americans and Hawaiians banded together and drove the Russians and Aleuts onto the ships. Several people died. The Russians could not immediately resist the Americans and local residents, they had little strength. Schaeffer and his people were forced to leave the island on the ships "Ilmen" and "Mirt-Kodiak".
The Ilmen was sent to Novo-Arkhangelsk for help, and in a battered Myrt-Kodiak, which could not make a long journey, Schaeffer sailed to Honolulu. American captains believed that it would be good if the Russian ship dies and the people drown. It is difficult to say what the fate of Schaeffer and his companions would have been if the American Panther ship under the command of Captain Lewis had not entered Honolulu, who out of gratitude to Schaeffer for the medical assistance provided a year ago agreed to take him to China. From there the doctor went to St. Petersburg to seek government support for the project.
Fort Elizabeth project
Petersburg decision
The first news of amazing events on the distant islands of the Pacific Ocean began to arrive in St. Petersburg in August 1817. First, the European press was alarmed. Thus, the British "Morning Chronicle" in its issue of July 30, 1817, referring to a German newspaper, reported on Russia's negotiations over the concession to California in order to acquire a monopoly in Pacific trade. There was also a report from the American newspaper National Advocate about the annexation by the Russians of one of the islands near the Sandwich Islands and the construction of fortifications on it. On September 22 (October 4), 1817, a short report on the annexation of one of the islands in the Pacific Ocean with a reference to American newspapers was placed in the Northern Mail.
On August 14 (26), 1817, the main board of the RAC received a victorious report from Schaeffer from the island of Kauai. The leadership of the RAC, which knew better than the government about the problems of the Far East, accepted the request of King Kaumualia to accept Russian citizenship with approval. Hawaii made it possible to expand the Russian sphere of influence in the Pacific region and promised tempting prospects. The management of the Russian-American company was not averse to taking advantage of unexpected luck to spread its influence over the Hawaiian Islands. However, the board of the RAC could not act independently in such a matter, the approval of the government was necessary.
On August 15 (27), 1817, the directors of the company V. V. Kramer and A. I. Severin sent to Alexander I a most submissive report, in which they reported that “King Tomari, by a written act, handed over himself and all the islands and inhabitants he ruled to citizenship. and. woo . A similar report was sent by Kramer and Severin to Foreign Minister Nesselrode two days later. But if the leadership of the RAC was convinced of the expediency of annexing the Pacific pearl to the Russian Empire, then the tsarist government, and first of all K. V. Nesselrode, as well as the Russian ambassador to London, H. A. Lieven, had a different opinion.
As you know, Foreign Minister Karl Nesselrode was an outspoken Westerner, who until the end of his life never learned to speak Russian correctly. And this man was in charge of Russian foreign policy from 1816 to 1856. Prior to this, Nesselrode occupied an important place in Alexander's entourage. In particular, he insisted, contrary to Kutuzov's opinion, for the continuation of the war with the French in Germany and for the final overthrow of the power of Napoleon, which was in the interests of Austria and England. Already as head of the Foreign Ministry, he supported a strategic alliance with Austria, which ended in the disaster of the Crimean War, and before that Vienna had successfully blocked the expansion of Russian influence in the Balkans, since Nesselrode considered himself a disciple of the "great" Metternich; his policy led to the Eastern (Crimean) War, which ended in the defeat of Russia; Nesselrode in every possible way obstructed the actions of the Russians in the Far East, fearing "the possibility of a break with China, the displeasure of Europe, especially the British" and only thanks to the asceticism of Nevelskoy and Muravyov, the Amur region ceded to Russia; Nesselrode rejected in 1825 a plan for the purchase of serfs by a Russian-American company for resettlement in America with the provision of freedom at the place of resettlement. That is, the minister did not allow the expansion of Russian settlements in America, which led to the consolidation of Alaska and other territories for Russia.
Nesselrode also hacked the Hawaii development project. Reporting in February 1818 about the final decision of Emperor Alexander I on the issue of the Sandwich Islands, Nesselrode wrote: “The Emperor will deign to believe that the acquisition of these islands and their voluntary entry into his patronage not only cannot bring Russia any significant benefit, but, on the contrary, in many respects it is fraught with very important inconveniences. And therefore, e. W-woo, it would be desirable that King Tomari, expressing all possible friendliness and a desire to maintain friendly relations with him, not accept the aforementioned act from him, but only limit himself to deciding the aforementioned favorable relations with him and act to spread trade with the Sandwich Islands The American company, for the generation of these, will be in accordance with this order of affairs. " In conclusion, Nesselrode noted that “the subsequent reports received by V. first from Dr. Schaeffer, they prove to us that his rash actions have already given rise to some unfavorable conclusions ", and reported that the emperor" deigned to recognize it necessary to wait in advance for further information on this subject."
It should be noted that the decision was in line with the policies of Alexander and Nesselrode. Emperor Alexander Pavlovich killed tens of thousands of Russian soldiers in European wars (the war with Napoleonic France could have been avoided by creating an anti-British alliance with Paris, while blocking the project of the world British Empire), almost all the resources of the Russian Empire went to European affairs, which were far from national interests … It was necessary to develop the country, vast practically empty territories in Siberia, the Far East, Russian America, occupy outposts in the Pacific Ocean, until they were occupied by the Americans or the British. However, Alexander Pavlovich was completely carried away by European politics and his project of the Holy Union, which was initially unviable.
Also, Alexander and Nesselrode followed the principle of "legitimism", "international law" - Western chimeras, invented to divert attention from true politics. The West then tore the planet to pieces, creating huge colonial empires (Spanish, Portuguese, French, British, etc.) and plundered other civilizations, cultures and peoples, sucking their resources. And to distract attention, there were the doctrines of "legitimism", "international law", etc. As in modern times for the layman there is a beautiful signboard - this is pacifism, liberalism, political correctness, tolerance, etc. And in the real Big Game - Western TNCs and TNBs still rob the entire planet like vampires, sucking all the juices out of it. The West, represented by state institutions, TNCs, TNBs, non-governmental organizations and PMCs, is wiping out entire states from the face of the Earth, destroying hundreds of thousands and millions of people. It is enough to look at the ruins of Libya, Iraq and Syria, previously quite stable and prosperous states. And Western politicians and all sorts of figures are still lying about "partnership", "peace" and "cultural cooperation".
Alexander and Nesselrode in this situation acted not as Russian patriots, but as Westernizers. Alexander and Nesselrode justified their unwillingness to break away from the "enlightened West" and look to the East with the possible "dissatisfaction of Europe." Petersburg did not want to spoil relations with England and the United States. Emperor Alexander was worried about the idea of a Holy Alliance and did not want a scandal that would have been inevitable in the event of new expansions of Russia in the Far East. He hoped to attract the United States to the Holy Alliance.
Meanwhile, Dr. Schaeffer reached Europe in July 1818 and learned from the Russian envoy to Denmark that Alexander I had gone to a congress in Aachen. The enterprising doctor immediately left for Berlin, and sent an employee of the company, F. Osipov, who accompanied him to St. Petersburg, who presented a detailed report to the directors of the Russian-American company. Schaeffer failed to meet with Alexander I and personally present him with the "Memoir of the Sandwich Islands". But the persistent doctor was able in September 1818 to convey this report to both heads of the Russian Foreign Office - I. A. Kapodistrias and K. V. Nesselrode.
Schaeffer recommended that the tsarist government capture not only the island of Kauai, but the entire archipelago. According to Schaeffer, “to do this, only two frigates and several transport ships are required. The costs for this will be rewarded for one year from the works, especially the sandalwood growing on Atuvai, Vaha and Ovaiga, which is soon and faithfully sold out in Canton. " It is interesting that the gallant doctor proposed his candidacy as the leader of a military expedition. “It is my duty to put this enterprise into operation and to subdue c. and. wow, all these Sandwich Islands, if you please me to believe it, and although I am not of a military rank, I know the weapon well enough and, moreover, I have so much experience and courage to dare my life for the good of mankind and the benefit of Russia … ". However, neither the king nor his ministers wanted to deal with Pacific affairs.
The Hawaiian issue was considered by several other departments and organizations - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Manufactures and Internal Trade, the Russian-American Company. The opinion of Nesselrode gained the upper hand. Even “under the most favorable circumstances,” Nesselrode pointed out, the emperor refused to accept Kaumualii “with the islands subject to him into the citizenship of the Russian Empire,” and “now e. And. in fact, he still recognizes that it is necessary to change the aforementioned rule that the very consequences have proved to what extent it is thorough, and experience confirms how little there should be hope for the strength of such an establishment. Thus, Schaeffer's Hawaiian project was closed.
After that, Schaeffer left for Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, he achieved an audience with Princess Leopoldina, the wife of the future emperor of Brazil, Pedro I, and presented her with a rich botanical collection he had collected, which later became part of the exposition of the royal museum. Then he returned briefly and, returning to Brazil in 1821, founded the first German colony of Frankenthal in Brazil. It marked the beginning of massive German immigration to Brazil, which recently declared its independence from Portugal.
New project for approval in Hawaii
The last attempt to convince the tsarist government to annex Hawaii was made by the Russian consul in Manila, P. Dobell. Departing from the port of Peter and Paul to his destination in October 1819, Dobell was forced to go to Hawaii for two months to repair his ship. During his stay on the islands in the winter of 1819-1820. the consul discovered that the new king Kamehamea II (Kamehamea died in May 1819) "had great disagreements with the rebellious vassals."The intervention of the Russian envoy contributed to the failure of the conspiracy of the rebellious princes, after which Kamehamea II ordered his secretary to write a letter to Alexander I and send special gifts along with Dobell. Kamehameah II asked Alexander I to provide him "assistance and patronage … to maintain power and the throne."
The consul further reported that initially the local residents greeted the Russians very kindly, but "the captains of foreign ships and the British who settled on the islands, envious of this preference, began to intrigue with the governor and the leaders of the Indians in order to expel them." Having studied Hawaii, Dobell confirmed the conclusions of the former Russian envoys who studied the islands, in particular Schaeffer. “The climate of the Sandwich Islands,” Dobell noted, “is perhaps the mildest and healthiest of all parts of the Southern Ocean; the soil is so fertile that there are three harvests of maize or corn in one year. " The attentive consul also appreciated the exceptional benefits of the strategic position of the islands, stressing that they "should become a central warehouse for trade between European, Indian and Chinese with the northwestern coasts of America, California and part of South America, as well as with the Aleutian Islands and Kamchatka."
Dobell spent about three months in Manila. The consul's hopes for the extraordinary profitability of trade with the Philippines did not come true. He left for Macau, where he renewed his acquaintance with the agent of the Swedish East India Company A. Lungstedt. He lived in Russia at one time and repeatedly assisted the trade interests of the RAC in Canton. It was Lungstedt who in the fall of 1817 sheltered Dr. Schaeffer, who had fled the Hawaiian Islands. He familiarized Dobell with the Hawaiian document, which had been left in Schaeffer's database. Fully sharing Lungstedt's opinion on the benefits of Hawaii's annexation to Russia, Dobell sent this "memoir" to Petersburg in November 1820, accompanied by his comments.
Dobell proposed a plan for an operation to capture Hawaii. According to him, it is necessary to immediately occupy the four main islands of the archipelago. This, in his opinion, required 5 thousand soldiers and sailors, as well as 300 Cossacks. The expedition must secretly go to the Hawaiian Islands from Kamchatka on 2 battleships, 4 frigates and 2 brigantines "under the pretext of delivering colonists and provisions." Considering what forces and means the tsarist government spent ineptly in the wars with Napoleon, it was not so much to establish control over the North Pacific Ocean, occupying the main strategic position in the center of the ocean. By the way, Dobell noted the strategic importance of the islands. He understood that Russia did not really need to expand its already huge possessions, but he defended the "absolute necessity" of a new acquisition for the existence of the old Russian possessions. That is, Hawaii was needed to consolidate Russian possessions in America, and to strengthen its positions in Kamchatka and the Far East. The consul noted that under Russian rule, the islands would be the focus of all Pacific trade.
However, Dobell did not receive any response in the tsarist government. The Tsar and Nesselrode, apparently, had no time at all for projects related to the Pacific Ocean. For some time, Dobell continued to send letters to Nesselrode urging the tsarist government to approve the project proposed in the report of November 1 (13), 1820, and to seize the Hawaiian Islands. “We always hope that E. and. I will deign to approve Mr. Lungstedt's proposals for the seizure of these islands by Russian troops, which I had the honor to send to. pr-woo, Dobell wrote to Nesselrode on December 28, 1820 (January 9, 1821) from Macau. And this time there was no answer. The tsarist government did not even want to discuss the Hawaiian project.
The Main Directorate of the RAC, where they understood Russian interests in the Pacific Ocean better, for some time cherished the hope of establishing themselves in Hawaii, at least on one of the islands. In the instructions signed by Buldakov, Kramer and Severin in August 1819, the ruler of the Russian colonies in America was instructed to immediately send a "deliberate expedition" to the island of Kauai in order to persuade Kaumualii to establish friendly ties with "affectionate" treatment and rich gifts. It was planned to create a trading post on the island of Niihau, and also to persuade the Hawaiian king to sell it to the Russians. However, soon the management of the St. Petersburg company, in fact, recognized the Hawaiian Islands as a sphere of dominant influence of American interests. Since the Americans "have shown great success in their intrigues for their own benefit, it seems that we have no hope of having any benefit from these islands, especially since the sovereign has the will so that we can use them only like other foreigners." Thus, there was no "will of the sovereign" for Hawaii to become Russian, otherwise the situation could have turned out quite differently.
In 1820 an American consular agent and the first batch of missionaries appeared in Hawaii. The sandalwood traders became more active, and then the American whalers. The Kingdom of Hawaii quickly degraded. “Political relations between the people and the king,” M. I. Muravyov to St. Petersburg at the beginning of 1822, - they remain the same: the king shakes, the people suffer, and the Americans profit … . The Kingdom of Hawaii will cease to exist relatively quickly, and the archipelago will become the US strategic base in the Pacific Ocean.
Further relations of the RAC with the Hawaiian Islands were limited to the acquisition of food and salt there at an opportunity. From time to time, the tropical "paradise" was visited by Russian round-the-world expeditions. Russian seafarers invariably noted the benevolent attitude of the local population. Kotzebue, who again visited the islands in 1824-1825, pointed out that the islanders received Russian sailors "preferably in front of all the Europeans who lived here, everywhere and everyone caressed us and we had not the slightest reason to be dissatisfied."
Thus, the tsarist government, apparently at the suggestion of the Westernizer Nesselrode, missed the opportunity to obtain a strategic outpost in the central part of the Pacific Ocean, which would ensure the security of Russian America and its preservation as part of the Russian Empire. The development of Hawaii would provide security, both military and food, for Alaska. Suffice it to recall that the problem of food supply in Alaska was one of the most acute from the very first moment of the existence of Russian America. So, the famous expedition of Rezanov to California in 1806 was caused primarily by an acute shortage of bread in the colonies. The opinion of the well-known RAC researcher, Lieutenant-Commander P. K. Golovin, who visited America (the colonies) in 1860, is also quite indicative: “The Sandwich Islands provide all the convenience for maintaining a permanent station there: from there the routes are open to America and Japan, both to China, and the commanders of our warships will have the full opportunity to familiarize themselves with navigation in the areas in which, in case of war, all their activities will have to be concentrated."
But the Russian Hawaii project was once again "hacked to death" by the pro-Western circles of the Russian elite and the bureaucratic state apparatus. Schaeffer, a German who defended Russian national interests, was presented as an adventurer, an ambitious person who wanted to gain the glory of Cortez and Pizarro. Although thanks to this "adventurer" Russia practically without efforts and serious investments received a colony, a food base and a possible military-strategic outpost of the empire in the Pacific Ocean. Obviously, with minimal efforts, Russia would certainly have established itself in the Hawaiian archipelago. And without any "internecine war", since everything could have been resolved with the help of negotiations and traditional "gifts" in such cases, buying part of the Hawaiian nobility, as the Americans did. It is also worth noting the sympathy of the Hawaiians for the Russians, which would facilitate the process of developing the islands. However, St. Petersburg, which almost always looked at the "enlightened West" to the detriment of national interests, in fact simply ceded Hawaii to the Americans. Unfortunately, this will not be the first loss; Petersburg will also quite calmly give up a part of California, Alaska and the Aleuts.
