The Eliza loses sixteen deserters at Pohnpei; the Sydney press demands naval action against the beach settlements.

What happened

The Salem ship Eliza was windbound at Pohnpei for 90 days, and 16 of its original crew left the ship. Desertions like this swelled Pohnpei’s beach community, and Hezel writes that the Sydney press, angry at the conduct of former convicts from its colony, demanded that a warship act against the settlements.