Section 22 of 28 - Table of Contents
CHAPTER VIII
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 deg.
2' S., long. 130 deg. 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 deg. 4' S.
latitude, and 130 deg. 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 deg. 40' S. and
longitude 130 deg. 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 deg. 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.
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