Blackbirder Carl carries off Mortlockese, about 20 from Satawan (Hezel) or 47 by smashing canoes (MicSem list).

What happened

The Carl was a Melbourne labor ship (a “blackbirder”) recruiting plantation workers; British warships were sent to investigate it for murder and kidnapping. Hezel says it took about 20 men from Satawan to work in Fiji, while the MicSem list says it carried off 47 people in January 1872 by smashing their canoes alongside; most Mortlockese laborers were eventually returned.

Why it matters

Memory of the raid made Satawan people wary when the first missionaries arrived in 1874.