The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-05-07 00:00:00

A PITCAIRN ISLANDER IN ENGLAND.

The Daily News of Monday said : "Russell
McCoy, the first descendant of the famous mutineers
of the Bounty who has ever visited this country, is
now on board a vessel in the Birkenhead Docks, hav-
ing arrived a few days ago from Pitcairn Island in
the American ship Harvey Mills, in which he intends
shortly to return. He is a middle-aged man, standing
about 5 feet 9 inches in height, and his complexion
is dark, but he would pass for a native of this country,
and his accent is very like that of the South of Eng-
land people. He says he left Pitcairn Island on the
18th of January for the purpose of visiting England,
and the Harvey Mills was accompanied for about ten
miles by two whale boats containing all the men on
the island, with one exception, and seven of the women.
When he left there were 95 people on the island, but
only three names of the originalmutineers now remain,
,these being Christian, Young and McCoy. The oldest
inhabitant is a daughter of John Young, she being also
the step-daughter of John Adams. She is now about
90 years of age, and was the second child born on the
island. McCoy states that it is an error to suppose
that Adams was the leader of the mutineers, that posi-
tion being always occupied by Fletcher Christian. The
islanders' he states, at present have sheep, goats, pigs,
and fowls, with which they were supplied chiefly by
passing vessels. The produce grown consists of yams,
sweet potatoes, bananas, arrowroot, English potatoes,
maize, melons, and all kinds of ordinary vegetables.
There is no money, the people exchanging one with
another anything they may have. There is one church
on the island, and one school, and the schoolmaster,
Simon Young, also officiates in the church. His
daughter, Rosalind Young, assist 4 him in the school.
The church service is conducted according to the
English Prayer-book, and Che marriage ceremony is
similar to ours, except that the wedding can take
place after one publication of the banns. Polygamy
is, of course, strictly forbidden, and it is even a rare
occurrence for a second wife to be taken should the
first die. Services are held in the church twice each
Sunday, and the Sunday school meets twice also. The
day-school is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., sometimes
3 o'clock, one hour being allowed for dinner. On
Saturdays there is a holiday. English manners and
customs are followed so closely that the islanders
keep the Christmas, Whitsuntide, and Easter holi-
days, and Good Friday is always observed as a strict
fast day.
McCoy said the people were always very glad to
hear about the Queen, who had been so kind to them,
and an organ which her Majesty had presented to
them was an object of much veneration.
As far as regards food the islanders are well off, but
the supply of clothing is very deficient, particularly in
the case of the female inhabitants. It is only from
passing vessels that they obtain supplies of clothes,
and the apparel thus given them is chiefly for the use
of the men. Very few of the people have shoes, and
those who have them use them only on Sundays.
McCoy spoke with much feeling en the relations he
had left behind He is a married man, and the father
of nine children. He wears his wife's wedding-ring on
his little finger, she having placed it there as he was
leaving to keep her ever in his remembrance. The
ring has been accidentally broken, but McCoy is so
fearful of losing it that he is unwilling to entrust it to
a jeweller for repairs. He returns to the island in the
Harvey Mills, which sails from Liverpool in about a
week's time, so that any articles of clothing which
people interested in the condition of the inhabitants
might feel inclined to send out by him would no doubt
be taken charge of by the captain of the vessel. The
principal articles of which the islanders are in need
are wearing apparel, thread, cotton, needles, and
domestic utensils. McCoy has not extended his visit
further than Liverpool. His astonishment at behold-
ing the steam-engines and railway carriages was very
great. He had seen steathers before, and read about
locomotives, but had never seen one of the latter till
he was in Lime-street station, and he was very deeply
impressed.