Louisiana capitolian., 1879-06-14


tho 2ist Of tho same month. A tract Of
rich land was assigned TO them by the
queen, and The Tabitians assisted IN
constructing houses for their now friends |
whom they looked upon ~ relations.
Ono old woman came from distance to
recognize u l'ang lost sister In one of the
surviving wo,ncn who had left Tahiti IN
the Bounty.
A few nor tbs, however, nt Tahiti
convinced tho Pitcairn Islanders That
they could ndt be happy in their now
home. Thsi'l simple, austcrc mode Of
life and iheir'rccttudo Of conduct rom
dercd the lictntions and lux morality of
the 1'alitiaul most ropuguant to the
Pitcairn people; and, notwithstanding |
tho kind hospitality shown them, espc.
c2ally by tho queen, they determined, II
oven at their own expense, to return to
their beloved island homo. This wns
done in September of the Hnme year, IN
American brig conveying tho little par
ty back to Pitcairn.
Ninc yeary later the islanders were
visited by CApt. Elliot, Of tho English
ship Fly, whIu they begged to be taken
under the protection Of Grcat Britain,
on account 4 the a'noyances to which
they had bees, subjected by the lawloss
crews Of sonic whalc.ships which had
called vt tho:island. Accordingly Capt
Elliot took pi,sscssion of Pitcairn In the
namo of her Mnjcsty, tho Queen Of
England, gmvo them "union-jack,"
and recognized their sclf.clcctcd magis-
trato as Tho Responsible Governor. He
also drew nlsfor them II code Of laws,
aomo Of WHICH are vory amusing from
the subjects Of which they treat. The
code, however, has been of much service
TO tho sinplD islanders Not long aftor
they became; British subjects, tho inhab-
tants of Pitcairn began to be distressed
about thoir Old difllcuty-the inability
Of the island 20 support their increasing
numbers. They appealed to their Eng
lisli rulers to. .mato somo provision for
them, and whcn Norlol, Islnnd, which
is sit'ntcd IN tho West Pacific, seven or
eight hundrcx miles from Australia, had
ceased to be J convicts' pcnal station,
her Majostys government allowed the
Pitcairn lsla'l lers to omigrato thithcr.
In 1850 twoifnmilics returned to Pit
cairn Island, ihc heads of which were
William aud Noses Young, two cousins
aged thirty-thscc and thirty years, The
Oldest mombcrIof tho party was William
Yo,ng's wife, fhirty.niie years old, and
and formerly IN widow Of Philip MKoy.
Her children b. her first husband swell
Cd tho nnmboh of cmigrants to seven
teen, the propol,tion OF the thirteen chill
dren bcing ten sirls to three boys. When
asked their rca1 1,ns for leaving Norfolk
Island, they pleaded the health of their
wives, with whom the severe weather of
the latter place did not agree. They
further added th,t they did rot consider
Norfolk Island as their own; TINT no
one could be kinder than lhf Governor
Of New South Wales, of whom they
spoke with great respect; put That u
schoolmastcr and: millor had been
placed among them who wsro not Of
them, the scho0lmnstor having charge of
the sheep ON the island, whic' they had
been led to believe would .lave been
their own property (; and tha4 some sap
pcrs and miners, with their iwivcs and
families, had also boen quartArod on the
island, that their owu magigtratcs, for
morly only responsible to lhc people
themselves, were now held responsible
to the government for the performance
ofcertain obligations by tho people; and
that altogether they Found sit was so
different from the life of freedom and
responsibility, to all but themselves
and their elected magistrates. they had
led at Pitcairn, that they had longing
to be back on the island, where nobody
could interfere with them, however good
and kind the intention, ana however
cessary, perhaps, the interference.
In 1874 these two families were Joined
by several others from Norfolk Island,
and the present population Of Pitcairn
numbers about fifty PERSONS among
whom is Elizabeth George, SS' years of
age, daughter of one of the nlnc origi-
nal mutinecrs who reached the island IN
1890 A grandson of Fletcher christian
is also there. The small community il
said to be healthy, moral and folgious;
they are governed by "magist,rato and
chief rulor in subordnation to fer Mai
csty the Queen Of Great BritainD whose
duties are merely nominal, for no case of
crime of any kind-and tho use of pro-
fame aCts--has occurred for man4 wears,
The name of the present holder of the
Office is James Russell M'Koy. Divine
service is held every Sunday at IO:3O A.
NJ, and ut =. NJ; it is conducted by
Mr.. Simon Young, strictly in accordance
with the liturgy of the Church cf Eng
land. A Bible class is held every We'd
ncsday, when every one who can, at.
tend. There is also a general meeting
for prayer on tho first Friday in. every
month Tho observance of Sunday is
very strict. Being visited Only by
chance passing vessels, perhaps not half
n dozen times in the year, the islanders