Isaak Iselin in Hawaiʻi, 1807

On May 12, 1792, three men from the vessel Daedalus were killed by Hawaiians while ashore at Waimea, Oʻahu. The victims were the commander of the ship Richard Hergest, astronomer William Gooch, and a Portuguese sailor named Manuel. The Daedalus was a supply ship for Vancouver's expedition to Northwest America and had been expected to rejoin the main expedition. The men were presumed to have been killed because they had been perceived as some form of deity and/or had landed at a point where no aliʻi enforced his rule thoroughly enough to prevent such attacks. The men were ritually sacrificed, their remains eaten and worshipped in a heiau (temple). Because he wanted to demonstrate British authority and law enforcement, Vancouver held a court–martial where he arbitrarily condemned three men to death for the murders.

This well known story, described at length by Vancouver in his travelogue, was discussed by Young and Iselin in their conversations.