Nukapu Expedition

In October 1871, the screw sloop-of-war HMS Rosario was operating against blackbirders in the South Sea Islands when her captain, Commander Albert Hastings Markham, received orders to sail for Nukapu in the Solomon Islands.[1] The measures taken by Rosario became the subject of questions in the House of Commons, and Markham's book on the subject may well have been prompted by them.[2] The book itself makes clear that Markham clearly understood the cycle of violence and deplored both the murderous activities of the blackbirders, and the apparent need for further violence in restoring order.[1]