"Tonquin" reached the Kingdom of Hawaii on 12 February 1811, dropping anchor at Kealakekua Bay. The possibility of men deserting the ship in favor of the islands became a major threat. Thorn had no choice but to make amends with the PFC partners to police the crew. Several men abandoned ship but the cooperation of the nearby Native Hawaiians saw their return. One man was flogged, another put in chains. Thorn assembled all of the crew and PFC employees and harassed the men to remain on the ship. Commercial transactions eventually began with the Hawaiians; the crew purchased cabbage, sugar cane, purple yams, taro, coconuts, watermelon, breadfruit, hogs, goats, two sheep, and poultry for "glass beads, iron rings, needles, cotton cloth". A courier from government agent John Young ordered "Tonquin" to visit him for meat supplies and then to have an audience with King Kamehameha I who resided on Oʻahu.