The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1865-01-26
The Settlers of ri .cairn Island.
From the Glasgow Heral!


settlers of Pitcairn Island is romano
in real life which has exercised peculia
charm over millions of readers. TIL
origin of the settlement was so strange
and Its subsequent history SO extraor
dinary that few could read the histor,
without interest, and fewer still coul(
forget 1t afterward. 1t is pretty vel
known, we dare say, that in the yea
1881 the Bounty, under the command o.
Captain VIM. Bligh, left England fol
Otaheite, with the view of obtaining fol
the benefit of the West India islands q
cargo of bread fruit and others plants
with which the island abOunded
While on the homeward voyage the
crew mutinied, and, having taken posses
sion of the ship, the captain and seven
teen companions were placed in an open
boat, with a small quantity of provisions
and fresh water and then left to SHIFT for
themselves on the wide oceon. For up.
wards of forty days these "castaways'
were exposed to all the dangers of the
deep, and with provisions so insufficient
that each man was ultimately reduced to
fraction of food per day. But the cour-
age and resolution of Captain Bligh never
failed under the terrible circumstances.
and although reduced to skeletons, he
had the satisfaction Of landing the whole
of his fellow passengers alive at the ISL
and of Timor, after completing voyage
of nearly four thousand miles across the
Pacific ocean. Meanwhile the mutineers
headed by the lieutenant of the Bounty,
Fletcher Christian, made sail for the Isl
and of Otaheite, where they landed in
safety. Soon afterwards they again set
sail for parts unknown, accompanied by
eighteen Otaheitans-six men and twelve
women-and for nearly eighteen years
they were neither seen nor heard of by
the rest of the world. They reached and
took possession of Pitcairn Island, how
ever, where, they were monarchs of all
they surveyed, and that was not much,
for the islandwas a little more than three
miles in circumference.
In 1903 an American vessel touched
at Pitcairn island, and reported the discoy-
cry of its inhabitants to the British gov
ernment but the wars of Napoleon were
raging at the time, and the government
had too much exciting work on hand to
think Of the condition Of a few half saw
age people located on a rocky islet in the
south seas. A great change, however,
had taken place among the islanders du-
ring these eighteen years. All the Ota-
heitan men, aud all but one of the mutt.
neers, had either died naturally or were
murdered by each others hands. But a
goodly number Of children were born !;
these again married and multiplied, while
the solitary remnant of the mutineers,
named Adams, became a goodly living old
man, and was regarded by the whole COM
munity as patriarch He was quite
illiterate when he landed, and yet he
managed to teach himself and his asso-
ciates. He entered heart and soul into
the work and so well did he accomplish
his task that several unimpeachable au-
thorities who visited the island declared
that "perhaps the world had never seen
so virtuous, amiable and religious peo-
ple."
They lived together, we were told, in
perfect harmony and contentment; they
were simple and natural in their habits,
and they appeared to be altogether with
out guile they were hospitable even bey-
ond the limits of pru lence, and they were
patterns of conjugal and paternal affec-
ton. In course of time old Adams died,
but the effects of his precept and example
lived after him, and the new generation
which has arisen on the island continued
as free from vice and as full of religious
fcrvor and good work as the old. But
their numbers were rapidly increasing =
They began to find themselves in Difficult
ties for want of space and fresh water,
and when the population had increased
to eighty-seven they were removed at
their own request to Otaheite. Here,
however, they found the world very
different world indeed from that of Pit
cairn island. They were very soou DIS
gusted with the levity and low morality
Of their relations and neighbors, and af
ter nine months residence they charte
red vessel and returned to their old
quiet home. From 1881 to 1885 they
continued to live and make the most OF
life on Pitcairn island, but the want of
sufficient space again presented difficulties
which could not be overcome. In these
circumstances they petitioned the British
government for grant OF Norfolk island,
which was about to be made penal set
tlement. In the following year the re-
quest was granted, and the little colony
were removed shortly afterwards to their
new home
The Pitcairn Islanders have remained
on Nolfolk island ever since and 1t will
no donbt be gratifying to their numerous
friends in this country to learn, by adj
vice brought by the last mail, that they
are still increasing in numbers and pros
periug satisfactorily. In 1862 they were
visited officially by Sir John Young, Gov
ernor of South Wales, whose report to the
Duke of Newcastle has iust been publish