Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-05-27

Ouiibg anu Evans OlAO VI Hualile'
CAN MAN ESCAPE TYRANNY ANY,
WHERE?
Pitcairn Island had already come
10 be frequently visited by ships, and
in 1882 a man Of nearly 60 years land
cd. lie called himself Joshua Hill
said he belonged to the family Of the
Duke of Bedford, and had been sent
by the British Government to assume
authority in the island. The simple
natives were, above all things, snx.
ious to be recognized as a part Of the
British Empire. They yielded faith
to Hill'- representation. and he set
up, and for six years maintained a
reign Of terror. lie determined first
of all TO drive off the three English
men. When NObD- was taken sick,
Hill forbade his friends from visiting
him, and refused to allow him mcdi-
cincs from the general chest. Buffet
was brought, upon some trumpery
/ charge, before court of which Hill
WAS judge, jury, and cXccutiOner.
Buffet was hung up by the hands,
beaten till hi, head was bronen and
his hand dislOcatcd, Rogsed with a
cat-O'-ninc-tails, and fined. Hill en-
deaVored 10 induce Evans wife 10
leave him: not succeeding in this, he
tried TO have Evans taken away by a
man-ot-war, which happened TO ar
rive. Failing in this, he promulgated
law Of treason, and when Evans
asked for a written copy Oft, he was
tried and fOgged. II is impossible
to recount a tenth of the mad freaks
of this man. The result was that the
three EnglishIncn and their iGnilic,
were driven from the island, remain
ing absent for some years.
Finally, however, the islanders
were convinced that Hill was an i'm
poster, and petitioned that he might
be taken away. In 1898, after six
years, British ship was sent to take
him TO Valparaiso. Who the man
was, whence he came and what fur
ther became of him, 10 one knows.
After Hills deportation the cxiles
returned, and Mr.. Nobbs, by request
of the islanders, resumed the exercise
Of his functions.
THE SIXTIETH ANNIvER>ARN.
january ., 1850, was celebrated as
a gala day, it being the sixticth ami
versary of the settlement of the isl.
and. Prayers were held, and a salute
fired from the gun of the Bounty,
which had been tished up five years
before from the water where ii had
lain for more than half a century. IN
March Of that year an incident hap
pened which proved of some import
ance to The islanders. A party of five
gentlemen, among whom were Baron
Thierry and Mr.. Carleton, landed
from bark, intending to stay but a
few hours. But rough weather came
on, and after standing of and on for
two days, the vessel sailed away, and
the visitors were left behind. Mr..
Carleton, who was an accomplished
musician, undertook 10 train a choir,
and so apt were his pupils, that in a
fortnight they could not only sing the
church service, but perform quar-
tettcs, glecs and catches. The nation
!. al anthem, God Save the Queen, was
their special favorite, They have,
however, a Pitcairn anthem of their
own, composed by Mr.. Nobbs. set to
the music of Rousscau's Dream. the
first verse Of which runs thus:
Mid themighty Southern Ocean
stands an isolated rock,
Blanched by the Surf'S cNmmutiun,
Riven by the lightning's shock.
Hark those strains to heaven aSccndug
Fron those slopes of vivid green,
Old and young their voices blending:
Gvd preserve Britannia's Queen.
About this time, Norfolk Island
near New South Wales about twelve
: times as large as Pitcairn-which had
long been used as Il British penal set.
tlcment, was abandoned for that pur.
nose, and the Government proposed
to give il to the Pitcairncra. The
people SOrrowiullyacccdrd To the ne.
cessity of removal. On the Isl ..
! May, lSj6, they held their last service
| in their church. An infant newly
I born was baptized by the name O
Priscilla Pitcairn Quintal: $50 nam
ed says Mr.. Nobbs, "as she will il
+ all probability be the last born o
, this community on the island" Two
days after, the whole community EN-
barled on vessel provided by th,
British Government, and after {
stormy voyage of five week.. rcachct
their new home.
, Upon tho whole, the Pilcairner
/ were not well pleased with their new
| home. The island was rock bound
| and hardly accessible. This. perhaps
did not displease them. But the spo
was bleak and bare of trees. tlIougl
the interior was well wooded an,
beautiful. The soil was fertile Whcl
| irrigated, but the scarcity OF rumim!
water made many promising crop
abOrtivc; and insects and droutl
caused three crops of maize out q
five to fail. The latitude was five dc
: grees further from the equator thai
Pitcairn Island, and the people miss
= ed the brcad-fruit and cocoanut> t,
which they had been accustomed
l In couple of years two familic.
named Young, returned TO their oil,
home. OF these we shall mcrel
: mention that they were visited OF
, Pitcairn Island in 1869, when thcr
: were in all seventeen, of whom tlfr
4 tccn-ten girls and three boys--wcr
children.
! SCARCITY OF HUSBANDS.
: The question of getting husband
=. grew TO BE- Il rather seriOu, matter
, The British Governor at Sidrcy wa
= asked to ''look out for husbands fo
several young damscl who wer
, growing up without a proper suppl
! of the article" but, says he. Il foun
- ii beyond my power to meet the dc
I mand. Icould not get single eligI
ble offer. No applicant that coul
y approve presented himself ScverG
T, of II different stamp applied for leav
to proceed TO the island, but ia IL
j, case did accedc to the application.
But in the course oftime men, who
> the girls themselves seemed "elig
:. bic" did present themselves. and. nc
!, greatly to the liking of Admire
: Moresby and Mr.. Nobb>. rot then
. selves wives from the fair i>lant
crs.
rllE LATEST ACCouNT.
In 1865, Mr.. Nobbs writes: Nv