French in Hawaii
Source: Root, Eileen M. The French in Hawaii. Honolulu: s.n., 1998
In the last quarter of the eighteenth century ships, other European nations, including France, were sending voyages of exploration into the Pacific. It is believed that the French explorer, La Perouse, was the first foreigner to set foot on Maui on May 30, 1786. He spent 2-1/2 years exploring the Pacific. His mission was to discover new lands, make scientific observations and establish commercial relations for France.
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The first French missionaries arrived in 1827 bringing with them the Catholic religion. During its mission period (1827-1940) the Catholic Church in Hawaii had six bishops. They all belonged to France's Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. Three of these bishops were born in France.
Father Damien of Molokai, Hawaii's most renowned French missionary, was actually born in Belgium. He was, however, a member of the French Congregation of the Sacred Hearts in Paris. Damien was sent from France, ordained in the Honolulu Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in 1864 and assigned to Molokai in 1873.
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In 1837 Jules Dudoit, a merchant resident of Honolulu with French background, was appointed consular agent for France in Hawaii and the same year a convention covering France-Hawaii relations was signed; another convention was signed in 1839. There would eventually be two treaties with France - in 1846 and 1857.
France-Hawaii relations were frequently stormy and include several dramatic episodes. For example in 1849, marines from French ships, La Poursuivante and Gassendi landed in battle array at the foot of Nuuanu St. and took possession of the fort, government offices and customs offices.
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Another book to look at:
Day, A. Grove History Makes of Hawaii. Mutual Publishing of Honolulu, 1984.
See entries under Arago, Bouchard, Charlot, Dudoit, Freycinet, LaPerouse, LaPlace, Maigret, Mallet, Marchand, Marques, Peron, Perrin, Petit-Thouars, Rives, Tavernier, Trosseau; and Varigny.