THE LAST OF THE MUTINEERS
Who by repentance is not satisfied,
Is nor of heaven nor earth; for these are pleased;
By penitence th' Eternal's wrath's appeased.
Twenty years had passed away, and the _Bounty_, and Fletcher Christian,
and the piratical crew that he had carried off with him in that ship,
had long ceased to occupy a thought in the public mind. Throughout the
whole of that eventful period, the attention of all Europe had been
absorbed in the contemplation of 'enterprises of great pith and
moment,'--of the revolutions of empires--the bustle and business of
warlike preparations--the movements of hostile armies--battles by sea
and land, and of all 'the pomp and circumstance of glorious war.' If the
subject of the _Bounty_ was accidentally mentioned, it was merely to
express an opinion that this vessel, and those within her, had gone down
to the bottom, or that some savage islanders had inflicted on the
mutineers that measure of retribution so justly due to their crime. It
happened, however, some years before the conclusion of this war of
unexampled duration, that an accidental discovery, as interesting as it
was wholly unexpected, was brought to light, in consequence of an
American trading vessel having by mere chance approached one of those
numerous islands in the Pacific, against whose steep and iron-bound
shores the surf almost everlastingly rolls with such tremendous
violence, as to bid defiance to any attempt of boats to land, except at
particular times and in very few places.
The first intimation of this extraordinary discovery was transmitted by
Sir Sydney Smith from Rio de Janeiro, and received at the Admiralty,
14th May, 1809. It was conveyed to him from Valparaiso by Lieutenant
Fitzmaurice, and was as follows:--
'Captain Folger, of the American ship _Topaz_, of Boston,
relates that, upon landing on Pitcairn's Island, in lat. 25°
2' S., long. 130° W., he found there an Englishman of the name
of Alexander Smith, the only person remaining of nine that
escaped in his Majesty's late ship _Bounty_, Captain W. Bligh.
Smith relates that, after putting Captain Bligh in the boat,
Christian, the leader of the mutiny, took command of the ship
and went to Otaheite, where the great part of the crew left
her, except Christian, Smith, and seven others, who each took
wives and six Otaheitan men-servants, and shortly after
arrived at the said island (Pitcairn), where they ran the ship
on shore, and broke her up; this event took place in the year
1790.
'About four years after their arrival (a great jealousy
existing), the Otaheitans secretly revolted, and killed every
Englishman except himself whom they severely wounded in the
neck with a pistol ball. The same night, the widows of the
deceased Englishmen arose and put to death the whole of the
Otaheitans, leaving Smith, the only man alive upon the island,
with eight or nine women and several small children. On his
recovery, he applied himself to tilling the ground, so that it
now produces plenty of yams, cocoa-nuts, bananas, and
plantains; hogs and poultry in abundance. There are now some
grown-up men and women, children of the mutineers, on the
island, the whole population amounting to about thirty-five,
who acknowledge Smith as father and commander of them all;
they all speak English, and have been educated by him (as
Captain Folger represents) in a religious and moral way.
'The second mate of the _Topaz_ asserts that Christian, the
ringleader, became insane shortly after their arrival on the
island, and threw himself off the rocks into the sea; another
died of a fever before the massacre of the remaining six took
place. The island is badly supplied with water, sufficient
only for the present inhabitants, and no anchorage.
'Smith gave to Captain Folger a chronometer made by Kendall,
which was taken from him by the Governor of Juan Fernandez.
'Extracted from the log-book of the _Topaz_, 29th Sept. 1808.
(Signed) 'WM. FITZMAURICE, Lieut. '_Valparaiso, Oct. 10th,
1808._'
This narrative stated two facts that established its general
authenticity--the name of Alexander Smith, who was one of the mutineers,
and the name of the maker of the chronometer, with which the _Bounty_
was actually supplied. Interesting as this discovery was considered to
be, it does not appear that any steps were taken in consequence of this
authenticated information, the government being at that time probably
too much engaged in the events of the war; nor was anything further
heard of this interesting little society, until the latter part of 1814,
when a letter was transmitted by Rear Admiral Hotham, then cruising off
the coast of America, from Mr. Folger himself, to the same effect as the
preceding extract from his log, but dated March, 1813.
In the first-mentioned year (1814) we had two frigates cruising in the
Pacific,--the _Briton_, commanded by Sir Thomas Staines, and the
_Tagus_, by Captain Pipon. The following letter from the former of these
officers was received at the Admiralty early in the year 1815.
_Briton, Valparaiso, 18th Oct., 1814._
'I have the honour to inform you that on my passage from the
Marquesas islands to this port, on the morning of the 17th
September, I fell in with an island where none is laid down in
the Admiralty or other charts, according to the several
chronometers of the _Briton_ and _Tagus_. I therefore hove to,
until daylight, and then closed to ascertain whether it was
inhabited, which I soon discovered it to be, and, to my great
astonishment, found that every individual on the island (forty
in number), spoke very good English. They proved to be the
descendants of the deluded crew of the _Bounty_, who, from
Otaheite, proceeded to the above-mentioned island, where the
ship was burnt.
'Christian appeared to have been the leader and sole cause of
the mutiny in that ship. A venerable old man, named John
Adams, is the only surviving Englishman of those who last
quitted Otaheite in her, and whose exemplary conduct, and
fatherly care of the whole of the little colony, could not but
command admiration. The pious manner in which all those born
on the island have been reared, the correct sense of religion
which has been instilled into their young minds by this old
man, has given him the pre-eminence over the whole of them, to
whom they look up as the father of one and the whole family.
'A son of Christian was the first born on the island, now
about twenty-five years of age, named Thursday October
Christian; the elder Christian fell a sacrifice to the
jealousy of an Otaheitan man, within three or four years after
their arrival on the island. The mutineers were accompanied
thither by six Otaheitan men and twelve women; the former were
all swept away by desperate contentions between them and the
Englishmen, and five of the latter died at different periods,
leaving at present only one man (Adams) and seven women of the
original settlers.
'The island must undoubtedly be that called Pitcairn, although
erroneously laid down in the charts. We had the altitude of
the meridian sun close to it, which gave us 25° 4' S.
latitude, and 130° 25' W. longitude, by the chronometers of
the _Briton_ and _Tagus_.
'It produces in abundance yams, plantains, hogs, goats, and
fowls; but the coast affords no shelter for a ship or vessel
of any description; neither could a ship water there without
great difficulty.
'I cannot, however, refrain from offering my opinion, that it
is well worthy the attention of our laudable religious
societies, particularly that for propagating the Christian
religion, the whole of the inhabitants speaking the Otaheitan
tongue as well as the English.
'During the whole of the time they have been on the island,
only one ship has ever communicated with them, which took
place about six years since, and this was the American ship
_Topaz_, of Boston, Mayhew Folger, master.
'The island is completely iron-bound with rocky shores, and
the landing in boats must be at all times difficult, although
the island may be safely approached within a short distance by
a ship. (Signed) T. STAINES.'
Such was the first official account received of this little colony. As
some further particulars of a society so singular, in all respects, were
highly desirable, Captain Pipon, on being applied to, had the kindness
to draw up the following narrative, which has all the freshness and
attraction of a first communication with a new people.
Captain Pipon takes a more extended view, in his private letter,[37] of
the condition of this little society. He observes, that when they first
saw the island, the latitude, made by the _Tagus_, was 24° 40' S. and
longitude 130° 24' W., the ships being then distant from it five or six
leagues; and, as in none of the charts in their possession was any land
laid down in or near this meridian, they were extremely puzzled to make
out what island it could possibly be; for Pitcairn's Island, being the
only one known in the neighbourhood, was represented to be in longitude
133° 24' W.[38] If this new discovery as they supposed it to be,
awakened their curiosity, it was still more excited when they ran in for
the land the next morning, on perceiving a few huts, neatly built,
amidst plantations laid out apparently with something like order and
regularity; and these appearances confirmed them more than ever that it
could not be Pitcairn's Island, because that was described by
navigators to be uninhabited. Presently they observed a few natives
coming down a steep descent with their canoes on their shoulders; and in
a few minutes perceived one of those little vessels darting through a
heavy surf, and paddling off towards the ships; but their astonishment
was extreme when, on coming alongside, they were hailed in the English
language with 'Won't you heave us a rope now?'
The first young man that sprang, with extraordinary alacrity, up the
side, and stood before them on the deck, said, in reply to the question,
'Who are you?'--that his name was Thursday October Christian, son of the
late Fletcher Christian, by an Otaheitan mother; that he was the first
born on the island, and that he was so called because he was brought
into the world on a Thursday in October. Singularly strange as all this
was to Sir Thomas Staines and Captain Pipon, this youth soon satisfied
them that he was no other than the person he represented himself to be,
and that he was fully acquainted with the whole history of the _Bounty_;
and, in short, that the island before them was the retreat of the
mutineers of that ship. Young Christian was, at this time, about
twenty-four years of age, a fine tall youth, full six feet high, with
dark, almost black, hair, and a countenance open and extremely
interesting. As he wore no clothes except a piece of cloth round his
loins, and a straw hat, ornamented with black cocks'-feathers, his fine
figure and well-shaped muscular limbs were displayed to great
advantage, and attracted general admiration. His body was much tanned by
exposure to the weather, and his countenance had a brownish cast,
unmixed however with that tinge of red so common among the natives of
the Pacific islands.
'Added to a great share of good humour, we were glad to trace,' says
Captain Pipon, 'in his benevolent countenance, all the features of an
honest English face.' He told them he was married to a woman much older
than himself, one of those that accompanied his father from Otaheite.
The ingenuous manner in which he answered all questions put to him, and
his whole deportment, created a lively interest among the officers of
the ship, who, while they admired, could not but regard him with
feelings of tenderness and compassion; his manner, too, of speaking
English was exceedingly pleasing, and correct both in grammar and
pronunciation. His companion was a fine handsome youth of seventeen or
eighteen years of age, of the name of George Young, son of Young the
midshipman.
If the astonishment of the two captains was great on making, as they
thought, this first and extraordinary discovery of a people who had been
so long forgotten, and in hearing the offspring of these offenders
speaking their language correctly, their surprise and interest were
still more highly excited when, on Sir Thomas Staines taking the two
youths below, and setting before them something to eat, they both rose
up, and one of them, placing his hands together in a posture of
devotion, pronounced, distinctly and with emphasis, in a pleasing tone
of voice, the words, 'For what we are going to receive the Lord make us
truly thankful.'
The youths were themselves greatly surprised at the sight of so many
novel objects--the size of the ship--of the guns, and everything around
them. Observing a cow, they were at first somewhat alarmed, and
expressed a doubt whether it was a huge goat or a horned hog, these
being the only two species of quadrupeds they had ever seen. A little
dog amused them much. 'Oh! what a pretty little thing it is!' exclaimed
Young, 'I know it is a dog, for I have heard of such an animal.'
These young men informed the two captains of many singular events that
had taken place among the first settlers, but referred them for further
particulars to an old man on shore, whose name, they said, was John
Adams, the only surviving Englishman that came away in the _Bounty_, at
which time he was called Alexander Smith.
This information induced the two captains to go on shore, desirous of
learning correctly from this old man the fate, not only of Christian,
but of the rest of his deluded accomplices, who had adhered to his
fortunes. The landing they found to be difficult, and not wholly free
from danger; but, with the assistance of their two able conductors, they
passed the surf among many rocks, and reached the shore without any
other inconvenience than a complete wetting. Old Adams, having
ascertained that the two officers alone had landed, and without arms,
concluded they had no intention to take him prisoner, and ventured to
come down to the beach, from whence he conducted them to his house. He
was accompanied by his wife, a very old woman, and nearly blind. It
seems they were both at first considerably alarmed; the sight of the
king's uniform, after so many years, having no doubt brought fresh to
the recollection of Adams the scene that occurred in the _Bounty_, in
which he bore so conspicuous a part. Sir Thomas Staines, however, to set
his mind at ease, assured him, that so far from having come to the
island with any intention to take him away, they were not even aware
that such a person as himself existed. Captain Pipon observes, 'that
although in the eye of the law they could only consider him in the light
of a criminal of the deepest dye, yet that it would have been an act of
the greatest cruelty and inhumanity to have taken him away from his
little family, who, in such a case, would have been left to experience
the greatest misery and distress, and ultimately, in all probability,
would have perished of want.'
Adams, however, pretended that he had no great share in the mutiny: said
that he was sick in bed when it broke out, and was afterwards compelled
to take a musket in his hand; and expressed his readiness to go in one
of the ships to England, and seemed rather desirous to do so. On this
being made known to the members of the little society, a scene of
considerable distress was witnessed; his daughter, a fine young woman,
threw her arms about his neck, entreating him not to think of leaving
them and all his little children to perish. All the women burst into
tears, and the young men stood motionless and absorbed in grief; but on
their being assured that he should, on no account, be molested, 'it is
impossible,' says Captain Pipon, 'to describe the universal joy that
these poor people manifested, and the gratitude they expressed for the
kindness and consideration shown to them.'
They now learned from Adams that Fletcher Christian, on finding no good
anchorage close to the island, and the _Bounty_ being too weakly manned
again to entrust themselves in her at sea, determined to run her into a
small creek against the cliff, in order the more conveniently to get out
of her such articles as might be of use, or necessary, for forming an
establishment on the island, and to land the hogs, goats, and poultry,
which they had brought from Otaheite; and having accomplished this point
he ordered her to be set on fire, with the view, probably, of preventing
any escape from the island, and also to remove an object that, if seen,
might excite the curiosity of some passing vessel, and thus be the means
of discovering his retreat. His plan succeeded, and by Adams's account,
everything went on smoothly for a short time; but it was clear enough
that this misguided and ill-fated young man was never happy after the
rash and criminal step he had taken; that he was always sullen and
morose; and committed so many acts of wanton oppression, as very soon
incurred the hatred and detestation of his companions in crime, over
whom he practised that same overbearing conduct, of which he accused
his commander Bligh. The object he had in view when he last left
Otaheite had now been accomplished; he had discovered an uninhabited
island out of the common track of ships, and established himself and his
associates; so far there was a chance that he had escaped all pursuit;
but there was no escaping from
Those rods of scorpions and those whips of steel
Which conscience shakes.
The fate of this misguided young man, brought on by his ill-treatment
both of his associates and the Indians he had carried off with him, was
such as might be expected--he was shot by an Otaheitan while digging in
his field, about eleven months after they had settled on the island, and
his death was only the commencement of feuds and assassinations, which
ended in the total destruction of the whole party, except Adams and
Young. By the account of the former, the settlers from this time became
divided into two parties, and their grievances and quarrels proceeded to
such a height, that each took every opportunity of putting the other to
death. Old John Adams was himself shot through the neck, but the ball
having entered the fleshy part only, he was enabled to make his escape,
and avoid the fury of his assailants. The immediate cause of Christian's
murder was his having forcibly seized on the wife of one of the Otaheite
men, which so exasperated the rest, that they not only sought the life
of the offender, but of others also, who might, as they thought, be
disposed to pursue the same course.
This interesting little colony was now found to contain about forty-six
persons, mostly grown-up young people, with a few infants. The young men
all born on the island were finely formed, athletic and handsome--their
countenances open and pleasing, indicating much benevolence and goodness
of heart, but the young women particularly were objects of attraction,
being tall, robust, and beautifully formed, their faces beaming with
smiles, and indicating unruffled good humour; while their manners and
demeanour exhibited a degree of modesty and bashfulness, that would have
done honour to the most virtuous and enlightened people on earth. Their
teeth are described as beautifully white, like the finest ivory, and
perfectly regular, without a single exception; and all of them, both
male and female, had the marked expression of English features, though
not exactly the clear red and white, that distinguish English skins,
theirs being the colour of what we call brunette. Captain Pipon thinks
that from such a race of people, consisting of fine young men and
handsome well-formed women, there may be expected to arise hereafter, in
this little colony, a race of people possessing in a high degree the
physical qualifications of great strength, united with symmetry of form
and regularity of feature.
But their personal qualifications, attractive as they were, excited less
admiration than the account which Adams gave of their virtuous conduct.
He assured his visitors that not one instance of debauchery or immoral
conduct had occurred among these young people, since their settlement on
the island; nor did he ever hear, or believe, that any one instance had
occurred of a young woman having suffered indecent liberties to be taken
with her. Their native modesty, assisted by the precepts of religion and
morality, instilled into their young minds by John Adams, had hitherto
preserved these interesting people from every kind of debauchery. The
young women told Captain Pipon, with great simplicity, that they were
not married, and that their father, as they called Adams, had told them
it was right they should wait with patience till they had acquired
sufficient property to bring up a young family, before they thought of
marrying; and that they always followed his advice because they knew it
to be good.
It appeared that, from the time when Adams was left alone on the island,
the sole survivor of all the males that had landed from the _Bounty_,
European and Otaheitan, the greatest harmony had prevailed in their
little society; they all declared that no serious quarrels ever occurred
among them, though a few hasty words might now and then be uttered, but,
to make use of their own expression, they were only quarrels of the
mouth. Adams assured his visitors that they were all strictly honest in
all their dealings, lending or exchanging their various articles of
live-stock or produce with each other, in the most friendly manner; and
if any little dispute occurred, he never found any difficulty to
rectify the mistake or misunderstanding that might have caused it, to
the satisfaction of both parties. In their general intercourse they
speak the English language commonly; and even the old Otaheitan women
have picked up a good deal of this language. The young people, both male
and female, speak it with a pleasing accent, and their voices are
extremely harmonious.
The little village of Pitcairn is described as forming a pretty square;
the house of John Adams, with its out-houses, occupying the upper
corner, near a large banyan tree, and that of Thursday October Christian
the lower corner opposite to it. The centre space is a fine open lawn,
where the poultry wander, and is fenced round so as to prevent the
intrusion of the hogs and goats. It was obviously visible, from the
manner in which the grounds were laid out, and the plantations formed
that, in this little establishment, the labour and ingenuity of European
hands had been employed. In their houses they have a good deal of decent
furniture, consisting of beds and bedsteads, with coverings. They have
also tables and large chests for their clothing; and their linen is made
from the bark of a certain tree, and the manufacture of it is the
employment of the elderly portion of the women. The bark is first
soaked, then beaten with square pieces of wood, of the breadth of one's
hand, hollowed out into grooves, and the labour is continued until it is
brought to the breadth required, in the same manner as the process is
conducted in Otaheite.
The younger part of the females are obliged to attend, with old Adams
and their brothers, to the culture of the land, and Captain Pipon thinks
this may be one reason why this old director of the work does not
countenance too early marriages, for, as he very properly observed, when
once they become mothers, they are less capable of hard labour, being
obliged to attend to their children; and, judging from appearance, 'one
may conclude,' says the Captain, 'they would be prolific'; that 'he did
not see how it could be otherwise, considering the regularity of their
lives, their simple and excellent though abstemious mode of living,
their meals consisting chiefly of a vegetable diet, with now and then
good pork and occasionally fish.'
The young girls, although they have only the example of the Otaheitan
mothers to follow in their dress, are modestly clothed, having generally
a piece of cloth of their own manufacture, reaching from the waist to
the knees, and a mantle, or something of that nature, thrown loosely
over the shoulders, and hanging sometimes as low as the ankles: this
mantle, however, is frequently thrown aside, being used rather as a
shelter for their bodies from the heat of the sun, or the severity of
the weather, than for the sake of attaching any idea of modesty to the
upper part of the person being uncovered; and it is not possible, he
says, to behold finer forms than are exhibited by this partial exposure.
Captain Pipon observes, 'it was pleasing to see the good taste and
quickness with which they form little shades or parasols of green
leaves, to place over the head, or bonnets, to keep the sun from their
eyes. A young girl made one of these in my presence, with such neatness
and alacrity, as to satisfy me that a fashionable dressmaker of London
would be delighted with the simplicity and elegant taste of these
untaught females.' The same young girl, he says, accompanied them to the
boat, carrying on her shoulders, as a present, a large basket of yams,
'over such roads and down such precipices, as were scarcely passable by
any creatures except goats, and over which we could scarcely scramble
with the help of our hands. Yet with this load on her shoulders, she
skipped from rock to rock like a young roe.'
'But,' says Captain Pipon, 'what delighted us most, was the conviction
which John Adams had impressed on the minds of these young people, of
the propriety and necessity of returning thanks to the Almighty for the
many blessings they enjoy. They never omit saying grace before and after
meals, and never think of touching food without asking a blessing from
Him who gave it. The Lord's Prayer and the Creed they repeat morning and
evening.'
Captain Pipon imagines the island to be about six miles long, and
perhaps three or four miles broad, covered with wood; the soil
apparently very rich, and the variety of products great and valuable,
but much labour would seem to be required to clear away the woods. The
dimensions here given, however, are much greater than they have
subsequently been found to be.
The visitors having supplied these poor people with some tools,
kettles, and other articles, such as the high surf would allow them,
with the assistance of the natives, to land, but to no great extent, the
two officers again passed through the surf, with the same assistance,
and took leave of these interesting people--satisfied that the island is
so well fortified by nature, as to oppose an invincible barrier to an
invading enemy; that there was no spot apparently where a boat could
land with safety, and perhaps not more than one where it could land at
all; an everlasting swell of the ocean, rolling in on every side, is
dashed into foam against its rocky and iron-bound shores.
Such were the first details that were received respecting this young
settlement. It may here be remarked that, at the time when Folger
visited the island, Alexander Smith went by his proper name, and that he
had changed it to John Adams in the intermediate time between his visit
and that of Sir Thomas Staines; but it does not appear, in any of the
accounts which have been given of this interesting little colony, when
or for what reason he assumed the latter name. It could not be with any
view to concealment, for he freely communicated his history to Folger,
and equally so to every subsequent visitor.
The interesting account of Captains Sir Thomas Stairies and Pipon, in
1814, produced as little effect on the government as that of Folger; and
nothing more was heard of Adams and his family for twelve years nearly,
when, in 1825, Captain Beechey, in the _Blossom_, bound on a voyage of
discovery, paid a visit to Pitcairn's Island. Some whale-fishing ship,
however, had touched there in the intermediate time, and left on the
island a person of the name of John Buffet. 'In this man,' says Captain
Beechey, 'they have very fortunately found an able and willing
schoolmaster; he had belonged to a ship which visited the island, and
was so infatuated with the behaviour of the people, being himself
naturally of a devout and serious turn of mind, that he resolved to
remain among them; and, in addition to the instruction of the children,
has taken upon himself the duty of clergyman, and is the oracle of the
community.'
On the approach of the _Blossom_ towards the island, a boat was
observed, under all sail, hastening towards the ship, which they
considered to be the boat of some whaler, but were soon agreeably
undeceived by the singular appearance of her crew, which consisted of
old Adams and many of the young men belonging to the island. They did
not venture at once to lay hold of the ship till they had first inquired
if they might come on board; and on permission being granted, they
sprang up the side and shook every officer by the hand with undisguised
feelings of gratification.
The activity of the young men, ten in number, outstripped that of old
Adams, who was in his sixty-fifth year, and somewhat corpulent. He was
dressed in a sailor's shirt and trousers, and a low-crowned hat, which
he held in his hand until desired to put it on. He still retained his
sailor's manners, doffing his hat and smoothing down his bald forehead
whenever he was addressed by the officers of the _Blossom_.
The young men were tall, robust, and healthy, with good-natured
countenances, and a simplicity of manner, and a fear of doing something
that might be wrong, which at once prevented the possibility of giving
offence. Their dresses were whimsical enough; some had long coats
without trousers, and others trousers without coats, and others again
waistcoats without either. None of them had either shoes or stockings,
and there were only two hats among them, 'neither of which,' Captain
Beechey says, 'seemed likely to hang long together.'
Captain Beechey procured from Adams a narrative of the whole transaction
of the mutiny, which however is incorrect in many parts; and also a
history of the broils and disputes which led to the violent death of all
these misguided men (with the exception of Young and Adams), who
accompanied Christian in the _Bounty_ to Pitcairn's Island.
It may be recollected that the _Bounty_ was carried away from Otaheite
by nine of the mutineers. Their names were:--
1. FLETCHER CHRISTIAN, Acting Lieutenant.
2. EDWARD YOUNG, Midshipman.
3. ALEXANDER SMITH (_alias_ JOHN ADAMS), Seaman.
4. WILLIAM M'KOY, Seaman.
5. MATTHEW QUINTAL, Seaman.
6. JOHN WILLIAMS, Seaman.
7. ISAAC MARTIN, Seaman.
8. JOHN MILLS, Gunner's Mate.
9. WILLIAM BROWN, Botanist's Assistant.
They brought with them six men and twelve women, natives of Tabouai and
Otaheite. The first step after their arrival was to divide the whole
island into nine equal portions, to the exclusion of those poor people
whom they had seduced to accompany them, and some of whom are stated to
have been carried off against their inclination. At first they were
considered as the friends of the white men, but very soon became their
slaves. They assisted in the cultivation of the soil, in building
houses, and in fetching wood and water, without murmuring or
complaining; and things went on peaceably and prosperously for about two
years, when Williams, who had lost his wife about a month after their
arrival, by a fall from a rock while collecting bird's eggs, became
dissatisfied, and insisted on having another wife, or threatened to
leave the island in one of the _Bounty's_ boats. Being useful as an
armourer, the Europeans were unwilling to part with him, and he, still
persisting in his unreasonable demand, had the injustice to compel one
of the Otaheitans to give up his wife to him.
By this act of flagrant oppression his countrymen made common cause with
their injured companion, and laid a plan for the extermination of the
Europeans; but the women gave a hint of what was going forward in a
song, the burden of which was, 'Why does black man sharpen axe?--to kill
white man.' The plot being thus discovered, the husband who had his wife
taken from him, another whom Christian had shot at (though, it is
stated, with powder only), fled into the woods, and were treacherously
murdered by their countrymen, on the promise of pardon for the
perpetration of this foul deed.
Tranquillity being thus restored, matters went on tolerably well for a
year or two longer; but the oppression and ill-treatment which the
Otaheitans received, more particularly from Quintal and M'Koy, the most
active and determined of the mutineers, drove them to the formation of
another plot for the destruction of their oppressors, which but too
successfully succeeded. A day was fixed for attacking and putting to
death all the Englishmen while at work in their respective plantations.
Williams was the first man that was shot. They next proceeded to
Christian, who was working at his yam-plot, and shot him. Mills,
confiding in the fidelity of his Otaheitan friend, stood his ground, and
was murdered by him and another. Martin and Brown were separately
attacked and slain, one with a maul, the other with a musket. Adams was
wounded in the shoulder, but succeeded in making terms with the
Otaheitans; and was conducted by them to Christian's house, where he was
kindly treated. Young, who was a great favourite of the women, was
secreted by them during the attack, and afterwards carried to
Christian's house. M'Koy and Quintal, the worst of the gang, escaped to
the mountains. 'Here,' says Captain Beechey, 'this day of bloodshed
ended, leaving only four Englishmen alive out of nine. It was a day of
emancipation to the blacks, who were now masters of the island, and of
humiliation and retribution to the whites.'
The men of colour now began to quarrel about choosing the women whose
European husbands had been murdered; the result of which was the
destruction of the whole of the former, some falling by the hands of the
women, and one of them by Young, who it would seem coolly and
deliberately shot him. Adams now proceeded into the mountains to
communicate the fatal intelligence to the two Europeans, M'Koy and
Quintal, and to solicit their return to the village. All these events
are stated to have happened so early as October, 1793.
From this time to 1798, the remnant of the colonists would appear to
have gone on quietly with the exception of some quarrels these four men
had with the women, and the latter among themselves; ten of them were
still remaining, who lived promiscuously with the men, frequently
changing their abode from one house to another. Young, being a man of
some education, kept a kind of journal, but it is a document of very
little interest, containing scarcely anything more than the ordinary
occupations of the settlers, the loan or exchange of provisions, the
dates when the sows farrowed, the number of fish caught, etc., and it
begins only at the time when Adams and he were sole masters of the
island; and the truth, therefore, of all that has been told rests solely
on the degree of credit that is due to Adams.
M'Koy, it appears, had formerly been employed in a Scotch distillery,
and being much addicted to ardent spirits, set about making experiments
on the _tee-root_ (_Dracæna terminalis_), and at length unfortunately
succeeded in producing an intoxicating liquor. This success induced his
companion Quintal to turn his kettle into a still. The consequence was,
that these two men were in a constant state of drunkenness, particularly
M'Koy, on whom, it seems, it had the effect of producing fits of
delirium; and in one of these he threw himself from a cliff and was
killed on the spot. Captain Beechey says, 'the melancholy fate of this
man created so forcible an impression on the remaining few, that they
resolved never again to touch spirits; and Adams has, I believe, to this
day kept his vow.'
Some time in the following year, that is, about 1799, 'we learned from
Adams,' says Captain Beechey, 'that Quintal lost his wife by a fall from
the cliff, while in search of birds' eggs; that he grew discontented,
and, though there were several disposable women on the island, and he
had already experienced the fatal effects of a similar demand, nothing
would satisfy him but the wife of one of his companions. Of course
neither of them felt inclined to accede to this unreasonable demand; and
he sought an opportunity of putting them both to death. He was
fortunately foiled in his first attempt, but swore openly he would
speedily repeat it. Adams and Young having no doubt he would follow up
his intention, and fearing he might be more successful in the next
attempt, came to the resolution that, as their own lives were not safe
while he was in existence, they were justified in putting him to death,
which they did by felling him, as they would an ox, with a hatchet.
'Such was the melancholy fate of seven of the leading mutineers, who
escaped from justice only to add murder to their former crimes'; and
such, it may be added, was the polluted source, thus stained with the
guilt of mutiny, piracy, and murder, from which the present simple and
innocent race of islanders has proceeded; and what is most of all
extraordinary, the very man, from whom they have received their moral
and religious instruction, is one who was among the first and foremost
in the mutiny, and deeply implicated in all the deplorable consequences
that were the results of it. This man and Young were now the sole
survivors out of the fifteen males that had landed upon the island.
Young, as has been stated, was a man of some education, and of a serious
turn of mind, and, as Beechey says, it would have been wonderful, after
the many dreadful scenes at which they had assisted, if the solitude and
tranquillity that ensued had not disposed them to repentance. They had a
Bible and a Prayer Book, which were found in the _Bounty_, and they read
the Church Service regularly every Sunday. They now resolved to have
morning and evening family prayers, and to instruct the children, who
amounted to nineteen, many of them between the ages of seven and nine
years. Young, however, was not long suffered to survive his repentance.
An asthmatic complaint terminated his existence about a year after the
death of Quintal; and Adams was now left the sole survivor of the guilty
and misguided mutineers of the _Bounty_. It is remarkable that the name
of Young should never once occur in any shape as connected with the
mutiny, except in the evidence of Lieutenant Hayward, who includes his
name in a mass of others. He neither appears among the armed nor the
unarmed; he is not stated to be among those who were on deck, and was
probably therefore one of those who were confined below. Bligh,
nevertheless, has not omitted to give him a character. 'Young was an
able and stout seaman; he, however, always proved a worthless wretch.'
If the sincere repentance of Adams, and the most successful exertions to
train up the rising generation in piety and virtue, can be considered as
expiating in some degree his former offences, this survivor is fully
entitled to every indulgence that frail humanity so often requires, and
which indeed has been extended to him, by all the officers of the navy
who have visited the island, and witnessed the simple manners, and the
settled habits of morality and piety which prevail in this happy and
well-regulated society. They have all strongly felt that the merits and
redeeming qualities of the latter years of his life have so far atoned
for his former guilt, that he ought not to be molested, but rather
encouraged, in his meritorious efforts, if not for his own sake, at
least for that of the innocent young people dependent on him.
Still it ought never to be forgotten that he was one of the first and
most daring in the atrocious act of mutiny and piracy, and that, had he
remained in Otaheite, and been taken home in the _Pandora_, nothing
could have saved him from an ignominious death. His pretending to say
that he was in his cot, and that he was forced to take arms, may perhaps
be palliated under his peculiar circumstances, wishing to stand as fair
before his countrymen as his case would admit--but it is not strictly
true; for he was the third upon deck armed, and stood sentry over Bligh
with a loaded musket and fixed bayonet. The story he told to Beechey
respecting the advice stated to have been given by Mr. Stewart to
Christian, 'to take possession of the ship,' is, as has been shown,
wholly false; but here his memory may have failed him. If any such
advice was given, it is much more likely to have proceeded from Young.
He also told two different stories with regard to the conduct of
Christian. To Sir Thomas Staines and Captain Pipon, he represented this
ill-fated young man as never happy, after the rash and criminal step he
had taken, and that he was always sullen and morose, and committed so
many acts of cruelty, as to incur the hatred and detestation of his
associates in crime. Whereas he told Captain Beechey, that Christian was
always cheerful; that his example was of the greatest service in
exciting his companions to labour; that he was naturally of a happy,
ingenuous disposition, and won the good opinion and respect of all who
served under him: which cannot be better exemplified, he says, than by
his maintaining, under circumstances of great perplexity, the respect
and regard of all who were associated with him, up to the hour of his
death; and that, even at the present moment, Adams, in speaking of him,
never omits to say _Mr_. Christian. Why indeed should he? Christian was
a gentleman by birth, and an officer in his Majesty's service, and was
of course always so addressed. But why was he murdered within two years
(one account says nine months) after the party reached the island?
Captain Beechey has answered the question--for oppression and
ill-treatment of the Otaheitans.[39]
That Christian, so far from being cheerful, was, on the contrary,
always uneasy in his mind about his own safety, is proved by his having
selected a cave at the extremity of the high ridge of craggy hills that
runs across the island, as his intended place of refuge, in the event of
any ship of war discovering the retreat of the mutineers, in which cave
he resolved to sell his life as dearly as he could. In this recess he
always kept a store of provisions, and near it erected a small hut, well
concealed by trees, which served the purpose of a watch-house. 'So
difficult,' says Captain Beechey, 'was the approach to this cave, that
even if a party were successful in crossing the ridge, he might have bid
defiance, as long as his ammunition lasted, to any force.' The
reflection alone of his having sent adrift, to perish on the wide ocean,
for he could entertain no other idea, no less than nineteen persons, all
of whom, one only excepted, were innocent of any offence towards him,
must have constantly haunted his mind, and left him little disposed to
be happy and cheerful.
The truth is, as appears in Morrison's journal, that during the short
time they remained at Tabouai, and till the separation of the mutineers
at Otaheite, when sixteen forsook him, and eight only, of the very
worst, accompanied him in quest of some retreat, he acted the part of a
tyrant to a much greater extent than the man who, he says, drove him to
the act of mutiny. After giving an account of the manner of his death,
Captain Beechey says, 'Thus fell a man who, from being the reputed
ringleader of the mutiny, has obtained an unenviable celebrity, and
whose crime may perhaps be considered as in some degree palliated by the
tyranny which led to its commission.' It is to be hoped, such an act as
he was guilty of will never be so considered.
If mutiny could be supposed to admit of palliation, a fatal blow would
be struck not only at the discipline, but at the very existence, of the
navy; any relaxation in bringing to condign punishment persons guilty of
mutiny, would weaken and ultimately destroy the efficiency of this great
and powerful machine. Nor, indeed, is it at all necessary that the
punishment for mutiny should admit of any palliation. Whenever an act of
tyranny, or an unnecessary degree of severity, is exercised by a
commanding officer, let the fact only be proved, and he is certain to be
visited with all the rigour that the degree of his oppressive conduct
will warrant. Had Christian but waited patiently the arrival of the
_Bounty_ in England, and the alleged conduct of Bligh towards his
officers and crew had been proved, he would, unquestionably, have been
dismissed from his Majesty's service.
With regard to Adams, though his subsequent conduct was highly
meritorious, and to him alone it might be said is owing the present
happy state of the little community on Pitcairn's Island, his crime like
that of Christian's can never be considered as wiped away. Sir Thomas
Staines, the first British officer who called at the island, it may well
be supposed, had to struggle, on this trying occasion, between duty and
feeling. It was his imperative duty to have seized and brought him a
prisoner to England, where he must have been tried, and would no doubt
have been convicted of a crime for which several of his less active
accomplices had suffered the penalty of death; though he might, and
probably would, from length of time and circumstances in his favour,
have received the king's pardon. Perhaps, however, on the whole, it was
fortunate, that in balancing, as it is known this gallant officer did,
between the sense of duty and the sense of feeling, the latter
prevailed, and justice yielded to mercy. Had a Bligh or an Edwards been
placed in his situation it is to be feared that, judging from their
former conduct, passion in the one, and frigidity in the other, would
most likely have consigned the criminal to captivity in irons, and the
innocent and helpless family, solely dependent on him, to misery and
destruction--and yet, in so doing, they would not have deviated from
their strict line of duty,--_Dis aliter visum_.
The _Blossom_ was the first ship of war that John Adams had been on
board of since the mutiny; and, as Captain Beechey observes, his mind
would naturally revert to scenes that could not fail to produce a
temporary embarrassment, but no apprehension for his safety appeared to
form any part of his thoughts; and as every person endeavoured to set
his mind at rest, he soon found himself at ease and at home. It was
several hours before the ship approached the shore, and the boats put
off before she came to an anchor.
On account of the rocks and formidable breakers, the party who went on
shore were landed by the young men, two at a time, in their whale boat.
'The difficulty of landing,' says Captain Beechey, 'was more than repaid
by the friendly reception we met with on the beach from Hannah Young, a
very interesting young woman, the daughter of Adams. In her eagerness to
greet her father, she had outrun her female companions, for whose delay
she thought it necessary, in the first place, to apologize, by saying
they had all been over the hill in company with John Buffet to look at
the ship, and were not yet returned. It appeared that John Buffet, who
was a sea-faring man, had ascertained that the ship was a man of war,
and, without knowing exactly why, became so alarmed for the safety of
Adams, that he either could not or would not answer any of the
interrogatories which were put to him. This mysterious silence set all
the party in tears, as they feared he had discovered something adverse
to their patriarch. At length his obduracy yielded to their entreaties;
but before he explained the cause of his conduct, the boats were seen
to put off from the ship, and Hannah immediately hurried to the beach to
kiss the old man's cheek, which she did with a fervency demonstrative of
the warmest affection. Her apology for her companions was rendered
unnecessary by their appearance on the steep and circuitous path down
the mountain, who, as they arrived on the beach, successively welcomed
us to their island, with a simplicity and sincerity which left no doubt
of the truth of their professions.' The whole group simultaneously
expressed a wish that the visitors would stay with them several days;
and on their signifying a desire to get to the village before dark and
to pitch the observatory, every article and instrument found a bearer,
along a steep path which led to the village, concealed by groups of
cocoa-nut trees; the females bearing their burthens over the most
difficult parts without inconvenience. The village consisted of five
houses, on a cleared piece of ground sloping toward the sea. While the
men assisted in pitching the tent, the women employed themselves in
preparing the supper. The mode of cooking was precisely that of
Otaheite, by heated stones in a hole made in the ground. At young
Christian's, the table was spread with plates, knives and forks. John
Buffet said grace in an emphatic manner, and this is repeated every time
a fresh guest sits down while the meal is going on. So strict are they
in this respect, that it is not deemed proper to touch a bit of bread
without saying grace before and after it. 'On one occasion,' says
Captain Beechey, 'I had engaged Adams in conversation, and he
incautiously took the first mouthful without having said grace; but
before he had swallowed it, he recollected himself, and feeling as if he
had committed a crime, immediately put away what he had in his mouth,
and commenced his prayer.' Their rooms and table are lighted up by
torches made of _doodoe_ nuts _(Aleurites triloba_), strung upon the
fibres of a palm-leaf, which form a good substitute for candles.
It is remarkable enough, that although the female part of the society is
highly respected, yet, in one instance, a distinction is kept up, which
in civilized countries would be deemed degrading. It is that which is
rigidly observed in all the South Sea Islands, and indeed throughout
almost the whole eastern world, that no woman shall eat in the presence
of her husband; and though this distinction between man and wife is not
carried quite so far in Pitcairn's Island, it is observed to the extent
of excluding all women from table, when there is a deficiency of seats.
It seems they defended the custom on the ground that man was made before
woman, and is entitled, therefore, to be first served--a conclusion,
observes Beechey, 'that deprived us of the company of the women at
table, during the whole of our stay at the island, Far, however, from
considering themselves neglected, they very good-naturedly chatted with
us behind our seats, and flapped away the flies, and by a gentle tap,
accidentally or playfully delivered, reminded us occasionally of the
honour that was done us.' The women, when the men had finished, sat down
to what remained.
The beds were next prepared. A mattress composed of palm-leaves was
covered with native cloth made of the paper mulberry-tree, in the same
manner as in Otaheite; the sheets were of the same material; and it
appeared, from their crackling, that they were quite new from the loom,
or rather the beater. The whole arrangement is stated to have been
comfortable, and inviting to repose; one interruption only disturbed
their first sleep; this was the melody of the evening hymn, which, after
the lights were put out, was chanted by the whole family in the middle
of the room. At early dawn they were also awaked by their morning hymn
and the family devotion; after which the islanders all set out to their
several occupations. Some of the women had taken the linen of their
visitors to wash; others were preparing for the next meal; and others
were employed in the manufacture of cloth.
The innocence and simplicity of these interesting young creatures are
strongly exemplified in the following description. 'By our bedside had
already been placed some ripe fruits; and our hats were crowned with
chaplets of the fresh blossom of the _nono_ or flower-tree (_Morinda
citrifolia_), which the women had gathered in the freshness of the
morning dew. On looking round the apartment, though it contained several
beds, we found no partition, curtain, or screens; they had not yet been
considered necessary. So far, indeed, from concealment being thought of,
when we were about to get up, the women, anxious to show their
attention, assembled to wish us good morning, and to inquire in what way
they could best contribute to our comforts, and to present us with some
little gift, which the produce of the island afforded. Many persons
would have felt awkward at rising and dressing before so many pretty
black-eyed damsels, assembled in the centre of a spacious room; but by a
little habit we overcame this embarrassment, and from the benefit of
their services in fetching water as we required it, and in substituting
clean linen for such as we pulled off.'
Their cottages are spacious, and strongly built of wood, in an oblong
form, and thatched with the leaves of the palm-tree bent round the stem
of a branch from the same, and laced horizontally to rafters, so placed
as to give a proper pitch to the roof. An upper story is appropriated to
sleeping, and has four beds, one in each angle of the room, and large
enough for three or four persons to sleep on. The lower is the eating
room, having a broad table with several stools placed round it. The
lower room communicates with the upper, by a stout ladder in the centre.
Immediately round the village are small enclosures for fattening pigs,
goats, and poultry; and beyond them are the cultivated grounds producing
the banana, plantain, melon, yam, taro, sweet potatoes, _tee_-tree,
cloth-plant, with other useful roots, fruits, and a variety of shrubs.
Every cottage has its out-house for making cloth, its baking-place, its
pig-sty, and its poultry-house.
During the stay of the strangers on the island, they dined sometimes
with one person, and sometimes with another, their meals being always
the same, and consisting of baked pig, yams, and taro, and sometimes
sweet potatoes. Goats are numerous on the island, but neither their
flesh nor their milk is relished by the natives. Yams constitute their
principal food, either boiled, baked, or mixed with cocoa-nut, made into
cakes, and eaten with molasses extracted from the tee-root. Taro-root is
no bad substitute for bread; and bananas, plantains, and _appoi_, are
wholesome and nutritive fruits. The common beverage is water, but they
make tea from the tee-plant, flavoured with ginger, and sweetened with
the juice of the sugar-cane. They but seldom kill a pig, living mostly
on fruit and vegetables. With this simple diet, early rising, and taking
a great deal of exercise, they are subject to few diseases; and Captain
Beechey says, 'they are certainly a finer and more athletic race than is
usually found among the families of mankind.'
The young children are punctual in their attendance at school, and are
instructed by John Buffet in reading, writing, and arithmetic; to which
are added, precepts of religion and morality, drawn chiefly from the
Bible and Prayer Book; than which, fortunately, they possess no others
that might mystify and perplex their understandings on religious
subjects. They seldom indulge in jokes or other kinds of levity; and
Beechey says, they are so accustomed to take what is said in its literal
meaning, that irony was always considered a falsehood in spite of
explanation; and that they could not see the propriety of uttering what
was not strictly true, for any purpose whatever. The Sabbath is wholly
devoted to the church service, to prayer, reading, and serious
meditation; no work of any kind is done on that day, not even cooking,
which is prepared on the preceding evening.
'I attended,' says Beechey, 'their church on this day, and found the
service well conducted; the prayers were read by Adams, and the lessons
by Buffet, the service being preceded by hymns. The greatest devotion
was apparent in every individual; and in the children there was a
seriousness unknown in the younger part of our communities at home. In
the course of the Litany, they prayed for their sovereign and all the
royal family, with much apparent loyalty and sincerity. Some family
prayers, which were thought appropriate to their own particular case,
were added to the usual service; and Adams, fearful of leaving out any
essential part, read in addition all those prayers which are intended
only as substitutes for others. A sermon followed, which was very well
delivered by Buffet; and lest any part of it should be forgotten or
escape attention, it was read three times. The whole concluded with
hymns, which were first sung by the grown people, and afterwards by the
children. The service thus performed was very long; but the neat and
cleanly appearance of the congregation, the devotion that animated
every countenance, and the innocence and simplicity of the little
children, prevented the attendance from becoming wearisome. In about
half an hour afterwards we again assembled to prayers, and at sunset
service was repeated; so that, with their morning and evening prayers,
they may be said to have church five times on a Sunday.'
Perhaps it will be thought by some that they carry their seriousness too
far, and that the younger people are not allowed a sufficient quantity
of recreation. The exercise and amusement of dancing, once so much
resorted to in most of the islands of the Pacific, is here almost
excluded. With great difficulty and much entreaty, the visitors
prevailed on three grown-up ladies to stand up to perform the Otaheitan
dance, which they consented to with a reluctance that showed it was done
only to oblige them. It was little more than a shuffling of the feet,
sliding past each other, and snapping their fingers. They did not long
continue this diversion, considering it as too great a levity, and only
the three beforementioned ladies could be prevailed on to exhibit their
skill. They appeared to have little taste for music either instrumental
or vocal. Adams, when on board the _Blossom_ for two or three days, made
no difficulty of joining in the dance and was remarkably cheerful, but
on no occasion neglected his usual devotions. Captain Beechey has no
doubt of the sincerity of his piety. He slept in the same cabin, but
would never get into his cot until the captain was in bed, and supposed
to be asleep, when, in a retired corner of the cabin, he fell on his
knees and performed his devotions; and he was always up first in the
morning for the same purpose.
This good old man told Beechey one day, that it would add much to his
happiness if he would read the marriage ceremony to him and his wife, as
he could not bear the idea of living with her without its being done,
when a proper opportunity should offer, as was now the case. Though
Adams was aged, and the old woman had been blind and bedridden for
several years, Beechey says he made such a point of it, that it would
have been cruel to refuse him. They were accordingly, the following day,
duly united, and the event noted in a register by John Buffet. The
marriages that take place among the young people are, however, performed
by Adams, who makes use of a ring for such occasions, which has united
every couple on the island since its first settlement; the regulated age
under which no man is allowed to marry is twenty, and that of the woman
eighteen. The restrictions with regard to relationship are the same as
with us, and are strictly put in force when parties are about to marry.
Adams also officiates at christenings.
Captain Beechey observes, that these amiable people rigidly adhere to
their word and promise, even in cases where the most scrupulous among
Europeans might think themselves justified in some relaxation of them.
Thus, George Adams, in his early days, had fallen in love with Polly
Young, a girl somewhat older than himself; but Polly, for some reason
or other, had incautiously declared, she _never would_ give her hand to
George Adams; who, however, still hoped she would one day relent, and of
course was unremitting in his endeavours to please her; nor was he
mistaken; his constancy and his handsome form, which George took every
opportunity of displaying before her, softened Polly's heart, and she
would willingly have given him her hand. But the vow of her youth was
not to be got over, and the lovesick couple languished on from day to
day, victims to the folly of early resolutions. This weighty case was
referred to the British officers, who decided that it would be much
better to marry than to continue unhappy in consequence of a hasty
resolution made before the judgement was matured; but Polly's scruples
still remained, and those who gave their decision left them unmarried.
Captain Beechey, however, has recently received a letter, stating that
George Adams and Polly Young had joined hands and were happy; but the
same letter announced the death of John Adams, which took place in March
1829.
The demise of this old patriarch is the most serious loss that could
have befallen this infant colony. The perfect harmony and contentment in
which they appear to live together, the innocence and simplicity of
their manners, their conjugal and parental affection, their moral,
religious, and virtuous conduct, and their exemption from any serious
vice, are all to be ascribed to the exemplary conduct and instructions
of old John Adams; and it is gratifying to know, that five years after
the visit of the _Blossom_, and one year subsequent to Adams's death,
the little colony continued to enjoy the same uninterrupted state of
harmony and contentment as before.
In consequence of a representation, made by Captain Beechey when there,
of the distressed state of this little society, with regard to the want
of certain necessary articles, his Majesty's government sent out to
Valparaiso, to be conveyed from thence for their use, a proportion for
sixty persons of the following articles: sailors' blue jackets and
trousers, flannel waistcoats, pairs of stockings and shoes, women's
dresses, spades, mattocks, shovels, pickaxes, trowels, rakes; all of
which were taken in his Majesty's ship _Seringapatam,_ commanded by
Captain the Hon. William Waldegrave, who arrived there in March 1830.
The ship had scarcely anchored when George Young was alongside in his
canoe, which he guided by a paddle; and soon after Thursday October
Christian, in a jolly-boat, with several others, who, having come on
board, were invited to breakfast, and one of them said grace as usual
both before and after it. The captain, the chaplain, and some other
officers accompanied these natives on shore, and having reached the
summit of the first level or plain, which is surrounded by a grove or
screen of cocoa-nut trees, they found the wives and mothers assembled to
receive them. 'I have brought you a clergyman,' says the captain. 'God
bless you,' issued from every mouth; 'but is he come to stay with
us?'--'No.' 'You bad man, why not?'--'I cannot spare him, he is the
chaplain of my ship; but I have brought you clothes and other articles,
which King George has sent you.' 'But,' says Kitty Quintal, 'we want
food for our souls.'
'Our reception,' says Captain Waldegrave, 'was most cordial,
particularly that of Mr. Watson, the chaplain; and the meeting of the
wives and husbands most affecting, exchanging expressions of joy that
could not have been exceeded had they just returned from a long absence.
The men sprang up to the trees, throwing down cocoa-nuts, the husks of
which were torn off by others with their teeth, and offering us the
milk. As soon as we had rested ourselves, they took us to their
cottages, where we dined and slept.'
Captain Waldegrave says it was highly gratifying to observe their native
simplicity of manners, apparently without guile: their hospitality was
unbounded, their cottages being open to all, and all were welcome to
such food as they possessed; pigs and fowls were immediately killed and
dressed, and when the guests were seated, one of the islanders, in the
attitude of prayer, and his eyes raised towards heaven, repeated a
simple grace for the present food they were about to partake of,
beseeching, at the same time, spiritual nourishment; at the end of which
each responded _amen_. On the arrival of any one during the repast, they
all paused until the new guest had said grace.
At night they all assembled in one of the cottages to hear the afternoon
church service performed by Mr. Watson, and Captain Waldegrave
describes it as a most striking scene. The place chosen was the bedroom
of one of the double cottages, or one with an upper story. The ascent
was by a broad ladder from the lower room through a trap-door. The
clergyman took his station between two beds, with a lamp burning close
behind him. In the bed on his right were three infants sound asleep; at
the foot of that on his left were three men sitting. On each side and in
front were the men, some wearing only the simple mara, displaying their
gigantic figures; others in jackets and trousers, their necks and feet
bare; behind stood the women, in their modest home-made cloth dresses,
which entirely covered the form, leaving only the head and feet bare.
The girls wore, in addition, a sheet knotted in the manner of a Roman
senator's _toga_, thrown over the right shoulder and under the left arm.
When the general confession commenced, they all knelt down facing the
clergyman, with their hands raised to the breast in the attitude of
prayer, slowly and distinctly repeating the confession after the
clergyman. They prayed for the King of England, whom they consider as
their sovereign. A sermon followed from a text which Captain Waldegrave
thinks was most happily chosen: 'Fear not, little flock, for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.' At the conclusion of
the service they requested permission to sing their parting hymn, when
the whole congregation, in good time, sang 'Depart in peace.'
Captain Waldegrave, like all former visitors, bears testimony to the
kind disposition and active benevolence of these simple islanders. The
children, he says, are fond and obedient, the parents affectionate and
kind towards their children. None of the party ever heard a harsh word
made use of by one towards another. They never slander or speak ill of
one another. If any question was asked as to the character or conduct of
a particular individual, the answer would probably be something of this
kind, 'If it could do any good, I would answer you; but as it cannot, it
would be wrong to tell tales'; or if the question applied to one who had
committed a fault, they would say, 'It would be wrong to tell my
neighbour's shame.' The kind and benevolent feeling of these amiable
people is extended to the surviving widows of the Otaheite men who were
slain on the island, and who would be left in a helpless and destitute
state, were it not for the humane consideration of the younger part of
the society, by whom they are supported and regarded with every mark of
attention.
The women are clothed in white cloth made from the paper mulberry, the
dress extending from the shoulders to the feet, in double folds, and so
loose as entirely to conceal the shape of the person. The mothers, while
nursing, carry the infant within their dress; as the child advances in
growth it sits across the hip of the parent with its little hands
clinging to the shoulder, while the mother's arm passing round it keeps
it in safety. The men and boys, except on Sunday, when they appear in
English dresses, generally wear only the _mara_, or waist-cloth, which,
passing over the hips, and between the legs, is knotted behind; the
climate is in fact too hot for cumbersome clothing. The women, when
working, use only a petticoat, with a jacket.
The men are stated to be from five feet eight inches to six feet high,
of great muscular strength and excellent figures. 'We did not see,' says
Captain Waldegrave, 'one cripple or defective person, except one boy,
whom, in the most good-humoured way, and laughing heartily, they brought
to me, observing, "You ought to be brothers, you have each lost the
right eye." I acknowledged the connexion, and no doubt for the future he
will be called the Captain.'
Captain Beechey has given a more detailed account of the physical
qualities of the Pitcairn Islanders. He says they are tall, robust, and
healthy; their average height five feet ten inches; the tallest man
measured six feet and one quarter of an inch, and the shortest of the
adults five feet nine inches and one-eighth; their limbs well
proportioned, round and straight; their feet turning a little inwards. A
boy of eight years measured four feet and one inch; another of nine
years, four feet three inches. Their simple food and early habits of
exercise give them a muscular power and activity not often surpassed. It
is recorded on the island that George Young and Edward Quintal have each
carried, at one time, a kedge anchor, two sledge hammers, and an
armourer's anvil, weighing together upwards of six hundred pounds; and
that Quintal once carried a boat twenty-eight feet in length. In the
water they are almost as much at home as on land, and can remain almost
a whole day in the sea. They frequently swim round their little island,
the circuit of which is at the least seven miles; and the women are
nearly as expert swimmers as the men.
The female descendants of the Otaheite women are almost as muscular as
the males, and taller than the generality of the sex. Polly Young, who
is not the tallest on the island, measured five feet nine inches and a
half. The features of both men and women are regular and well-formed;
eyes bright and generally hazel, though in a few instances blue; the
eyebrows thin and rarely meeting; the nose a little flattened, and being
rather extended at the nostrils, partakes of the Otaheitan character, as
do the lips, which are broad and strongly sulcated; their ears
moderately large, and the lobes are invariably united with the cheek;
they are generally perforated, when young, for the reception of flowers,
a very common custom among the natives of the South Sea Islands; hair
black, sometimes curling, sometimes straight; teeth regular and white.
On the whole they are a well-looking people.
Captain Beechey says, the women have all learned the art of midwifery;
that parturition generally takes place during the night-time; that the
duration of labour is seldom longer than five hours, and has not yet in
any case proved fatal; but there is no instance of twins, nor of a
single miscarriage, except from accident. Infants are generally bathed
three times a day in cold water, and are sometimes not weaned for three
or four years; but when that does take place, they are fed upon 'popoe,'
made of ripe plantains and boiled taro-root rubbed into a paste. Mr.
Collie, the surgeon of the _Blossom_, remarks that nothing is more
extraordinary, in the history of the island, than the uniform good
health of the children; the teething is easily got over, they have no
bowel complaints, and are exempt from those contagious diseases which
affect children in large communities. He offered to vaccinate the
children as well as all the grown persons; but they deemed the risk of
infection of small-pox to be too small to render that operation
necessary.
As a proof how very much simple diet and constant exercise tend to the
healthful state of the body, the skin of these people, though in such
robust health, compared with that of the Europeans, always felt cold,
and their pulses always considerably lower. The doctor examined several
of them: in the forenoon he found George Young's only sixty; three
others, in the afternoon, after dinner, were sixty-eight, seventy-two,
and seventy-six, while those of the officers who stood the heat of the
climate best were above eighty.
It is impossible not to feel a deep interest in the welfare of this
little society, and at the same time an apprehension that something may
happen to disturb that harmony and destroy that simplicity of manners
which have hitherto characterized it. It is to be feared, indeed, that
the seeds of discord are already sown. It appears from Captain
Waldegrave's statement, that no less than three Englishmen have found
their way into this happy society. One of them, John Buffet, mentioned
by Beechey, is a harmless man, and, as it has been stated, of great use
to the islanders in his capacity of clergyman and schoolmaster; he is
also a clever and useful mechanic, as a ship-wright and joiner, and is
much beloved by the community. Two others have since been left on the
island, one of them, by name John Evans, son of a coachmaker in the
employ of Long of St. Martin's Lane, who has married a daughter of John
Adams, through whom he possesses and cultivates a certain portion of
land; the third is George Hunn Nobbs, who calls himself pastor,
registrar, and schoolmaster, thus infringing on the privileges of John
Buffet; and being a person of superior talents, and of exceeding great
impudence, has deprived Buffet of a great number of his scholars; and
hence a sufficient cause exists of division and dissension among the
members of the little society, which were never known before. Buffet and
Evans support themselves by their industry, but this Nobbs not only
claims exemption from labour as being their pastor, but also as being
entitled to a maintenance at the expense of the community. He has
married a daughter of Charles, and grand-daughter to the late Fletcher
Christian, whose descendants, as captain of the gang, might be induced
to claim superiority, and which, probably, might be allowed by general
consent, had they but possessed a moderate share of talent; but it is
stated that Thursday October and Charles Christian, the sons of the
chief mutineer, are ignorant, uneducated men. The only chance for the
continuance of peace is the general dislike in which this Nobbs is held,
and the gradual intellectual improvement of the rising generation.[40]
It seems that Adams on his death-bed called all the heads of families
together, and urged them to appoint a chief;--this, however, they have
not done, which makes it the more to be apprehended that Nobbs, by his
superior talent or cunning, will force himself upon them into that
situation. Captain Waldegrave thinks, however, that Edward Quintal, who
possesses the best understanding of any on the island, will in time
arrive at that honour; his only book is the Bible, but it is quite
astonishing, he observes, what a fund of knowledge he has derived from
it. His wife, too, is stated to be a woman of excellent understanding;
and their eldest boy, William, has been so carefully educated, that he
excels greatly all the others. The descendants of Young are also said to
be persons generally of promising abilities.
How the patriarch Adams contrived to instil into the minds of these
people the true principles of religion and morality is quite surprising.
He was able to read, but only learnt to write in his latter days; and
having accomplished this point, he made a scheme of laws by which he
succeeded to govern his little community in the way we have seen. The
celebration of marriage and baptism were strictly observed, according to
the rites of the Church of England, but he never ventured on
confirmation and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. He taught the
children the Church catechism, the ten commandments, the Lord's prayer,
and the Creed, and he satisfied himself, that in these were comprised
all the Christian duties. By the instrumentality of these precepts,
drawn from the Book of Common Prayer and the Bible,[41] he was enabled,
after the slaughter of all his associates, to rear up all the children
in the principles and precepts of Christianity, in purity of morals, and
in a simplicity of manners, that have surprised and delighted every
stranger that has visited the island.
Captain Waldegrave says they are so strongly attached to those beautiful
prayers that are found in the liturgy of the Church of England, that
there is no danger of a dissenting minister being received among them.
It is to be hoped this may be the case; but it may be asked, will they
escape from the snares of George Hunn Nobbs? It would seem, indeed, that
this man has already thrust upon them what he calls a code of laws, in
which he enumerates crimes, such as murder and adultery, unknown and
unheard of among these simple people since the time that Adams was sole
legislator and patriarch. The punishment of adultery, to give a specimen
of Nobbs's legislation, is whipping for the first offence to both
parties, and marriage within three months; for the second, if the
parties refuse to marry, the penalties are, forfeiture of lands,
property, and banishment from the island. Offenders are to be tried
before three elders, who pronounce sentence. It is quite clear this
silly person does not understand what is meant by adultery. As to the
tenure of land, it is fortunately provided for previous to his arrival
on the island. The whole island, it seems, was partitioned out by Adams
among the families of the original settlers, so that a foreigner cannot
obtain any, except by purchase or marriage. Captain Waldegrave reckons,
that eleven-twelfths are uncultivated, and that population is increasing
so rapidly, that in the course of a century the island will be fully
peopled, and that the limit may be taken at one thousand souls.
The rate at which population is likely to increase may, perhaps, be
determined by political economists from the following data.