reality began to catch up with cakobau in 1858, when the uss "vandalia" sailed into levuka. unable to pay his debt, and faced with increasing encroachments onto viti levu's south coast from ma'afu, cakobau approached the british consul with an offer to cede the islands to the united kingdom, if only they would assume responsibility for his debt in return for 5,000 square kilometres of land.