Litchfield enquirer., 1871-03-30
. b LIEICdkA4
 WHOLE NO 2391

preached it unexpectedly for Cal
 Jarteret, who, as we have said, disCoveGeu he island in 1767, had placed 1t on the chart three degrees out of it's true lonei- Jude. rfIonr11Eoo noT
 "The robust appearance and height of the two young men, especially those of October Christian, were very striking. His jet-black hair flowed down his shoulders, and although his complexion was dark, and much tanned from expo. sure, in neither Young nor himaelf was there the red tinge of skin so common among the Pacific Islanders. The dspoet- ment of the young men, their, whole bear ing, and their natural easy manners, which were as much removed from undue famili- arity as from all conventional shyness and restraint, interested every one on board. Sir Thomas Staines himself conducted them over the ship, where every object was new and wonderful in their estimation. The sight of COW seemed not only to as- tonish but to alarm them-they seemed to think it a large goat-while little black terrier excited their warm admiration. T know. that is D dog,' exclaimed Edward Young, naively. I have read of such things Although strangers to mechani. cal contrivances, and most of the useful arts of civilized life, they displayed an in- telligent appreciation of everything they saw, and were eager for information on all subjects connected with the ship. Atthe close of this singular and interesting visit, Sir T. Staines ordered refreshments to be prepared in his own cabin but before sit- ting down, they devoutly folded their hands and repeated the usual short grace, blessing upon the food of which they were about to partake, and at the oonclrsien of the repast repeated another, which they said had been taught them by their re- vered pastor, John Adams. Strange, in- dc ed, 1t must have been to witness the simple earnest piety of these young Chris tians, living SO far from civilized lands, and in the vicinity of islands whose people were sunk in heathen barbarism and ignO- rance, and some of them even addicted to cannibalism." .t.......-...- .-. A. .--...
 The officers of both ships went ashore and sojourned for several days with the gentle and hospitable islanders. The mar. rative of Lady Belcher tells us:
 When Adams was questioned as to the mutiny, and the events which took place on board the Bounty after the mutineers had separated from the rest of the officers and crew, and had left Tahiti, he seemed averse to say more than his guests already knew concerning the tragical events which occurred soon after the first settlement at Pitcairn. As the recollection seemed to give him much pain, they forebore to press him on the subject, especially finding them selves surrounded by so many young peo- pie, who were probably ignorant of the ex.
 tent of the crimes and sufsrings of their forefathers.
 Impressed as the officers were with the moral aspect of the community, they were not less struck with the natural beauty of their island home, which was truly gar den of Eden.' Its lofty mountains lowered to a height of one thousand and eight feet above the level of the ocean, and aronnd their craggy pinnacles myriads of sea-birds wheeled in mazy circles. Groves of palm and cocoanut trees-and especially the beautiful bread-frnit tree, the staf of life to the islanders-clothed the bare rocks down to the waters edge. In the deep valleys hourished in profusion most of the tropical fruits, among which were the tar0- root, from which bread could be made, the ti-plant (Dracgna terminaRs) and other valuable edible productions. The climate, also, would limit with care of the cultiva. tion of European fruit and vegetahles. as the range of the temperature was from 76o to 800 in summer, and seldom fell below 59 in winter. ,r-..r. les.it.1
 "No feathered songsters, however, en- livened these forests, with the exception of one small species of fy-catcher but in af. ter years this want was supplied by an im- portation of little warblers taken there by Captain Provost in the Virago, from Val. paraiso. He introduced also a variety of roses and nyrtles. l.i4.1 -.l er... !"
 *Y \, x
 If says Captain Pipon, we remarked with much admiration the fine athletic young men around us, the appearance Of the women was equally pleasing, some really handsome, and one and all well. grown and finely formed, much owing. probably, to the mountainous nature of the.island, and the habit from infancy of ascending and descending the rocks with great weights on their shoulders Both sexes were also expert swimmers. The women's dress was composed of Q loose bodice, with a drapery reaching to the ankles, and so disposed as to show the symmetry of their persons, not unlike Gt has been said) the robes of the Hindostanee women, and worn as gracefully. Teeth like ivory characterized both men and w0. men, and the lattor wore their long DIack hair neatly braided into knot at the back of the head, without pin or fasteningof any kluu 6uO WEShLU LUZ C44AOuSly WOkAG0 of the sweet.scented nono tree (kOrinda cil,'ifolid), sometimes intertwined with oth- CTS of brighter hue, completed their toilet. eas G.at ae vo~s
 ''Far, however, beyond their personal grace was their modesty and gentle behav. for, and Adams assured s. I. Staines of their excellent conduct. Each person con. sidered whatever he possessed was for the general good, so that there was no diticul- ty in settling disputes and if nasty words were ever uttered the offender was but too ready to make ample amends to the in: jured party. ......,,s,...s ,.. f.,s...oa.4.. "Adams mentioned that since the visit of Captain Folger no other ship had touched at the island, with the knowledge of the inhabitants, previous to the present visit. Once, however, they had been great ly alarmed by the sight of two vessels, ep. parentIy standing in for the islands and a party from one must have landed unobserved in search of cocoanuts for as young Mathew Quintal was descending the rocks he perceived 8 large clasp.knife ly- ing among number of cocoanut shells. The visitors were probably quite unaware of the existence of any inhabitants. Quin. tai rushed back to the village in. great alarm, and said he felt like Robinson Cru: soc when he saw the print of human foot on the sand but happily the cause of -N.1 ..- AMV