Alfred Restieaux

Alfred Restieaux
Born	7 February 1832 Somers Town, London, England
Died	1911 Nukufetau, Tuvalu
Occupation	Copra trader

Alfred Restieaux (1832–1911) was born in Somers Town, London, England and came from a family of French descent. His grandfather was a French nobleman who escaped the guillotine during the French Revolution. At the age of 16 he migrated to Australia and later he travelled to South America and North America. He later became an island trader in the central Pacific. From 1867 to 1872 he had dealings with Ben Pease and Bully Hayes, two of the more notorious captains of ships and blackbirders that operated in the Pacific at that time.

Restieaux left England in the Barque Cromwell soon after the Chartist Riots in London and arrived in South Australia in August 1848 or 1849. He worked on sheep stations and engaged in exploration for gold in South Australia and Victoria. At one time he spent two weeks in the company of 3 bushrangers, who were on the run from the police after a robbery of gold. It is possible that this was the party of bushrangers, led by John Francis, who held up the Private Escort Company's regular escort of gold from the McIvor diggings at Heathcote and Kyneton on the morning of 20 July 1853.

Restieaux spent time in Peru where he participated in a revolution. Later he sailed to San Francisco, where he joined a party of teamsters who crossed the mountains and plains to reach Salt Lake City. He later prospected near Nevada City, California.

In 1867 Restieaux was foreman of a Guano excavation operation at McKean Island, in the Phoenix Islands (which is now part of Kiribati). Towards the end of 1867 he was a passenger on the brig Kamehameka going to Honolulu for a vacation. At this time Ben Pease was the captain of the schooner the Blossom and trading in coconut and coconut oil in the Marshall Islands. As trading was good, in late 1867 Pease sent George Bridges, his mate, to Honolulu to ask Mr. C. A. Williams, the owner of the Blossom, to supply another schooner and to engage someone to take charge of the trading station at Ponape atoll (now known as Pohnpei). Williams engaged Restieaux for the position on Ponape and sent the schooner Malolo under Captain Bridges. The Malolo arrived at Mili Atoll on 1 March 1868. Instead of going to Ponape, Restieaux was put in charge of the Mili station. After nine months Williams sold his firm to Glover Dow & Co. of Shanghai. Mr. Williams wrote to Restieaux telling him he was to look to Glover Dow & Co for his pay – Restieaux was never paid as the company became insolvent.

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