Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-11-18

miscellaneous.
THE PITCAIRN ISLANDERS.
THE HOME OF THE Defendants OF THE
BOUNTY MUTINEERs.

"The following account" says the Lon
don Daily News, F" has been received of a
visit paid to Pitcairn Island by the officers
of Her Maicsty's ship Opal:
"'We have Just left IA place OF great in
terest. namely, Pitcairn Island. After
thirty DAYS passage from San Francisco
we sighted the Island at 3 a. NJ. cn the
I'd of July. and at ten o'clock anchored off
Bounty Bay-the first time II man-of-war
has anchored there for about 20 years. it
being customary to steam off and on the
island while communicating with it. I'M
mediately on our arrival, the islanders
launched a boat. through the surf, and
came Of with Il quantity of fruit tor us.
The magistrate. whose name is Mccoy,
came on board as did also some Of the
Youngs and Christians. | say advisedly
some of thom, for It is very difficult to find
eGt who is who on the island they all
being Youngs, Christians, McCoys, or
Warrens. although u fashion is coming
into vogue, owing to the confusion
caused by there being only five names
between 93 persons-the population-of
individuals assuming names. Thus, one
of the Christians has taken the name OF
Downes, and is bringing up family
under that cognomen, while another has
assumed the name of Selwyn. If this con-
tinues into few generations it will be
hard to trace their connection with the
original name of bounty" At | o'clock
a number of the officers landed. and this
is how we did it, We went in one of our
boats to some distance from the shore, and
then anchored, for we could not get
through the heavy surf which is always
running there. However. the islanders,
who managed their boats admirably, came
off for US, and took the whole party. num-
bering l3, in two trips, without even
damping us. Some of the people were on
the beach ready TO meet us, and a great deal
of hand-shaking at once took place. We
then started for the settlement up an ex-
ceedingly steep hill, and rs it had been
raining heavily for two or three days we
found some difficulty in climbing, cspec-
tally after having been five weeks on
board.
At the top of the hill almost all the rest
of the people We're assembled. was the
first up. arriving about three PAGES in
front of our chaplain. Then ensued more
GLOW do you do? &c, some of them be-
ing so anxious to talk that before you had
time to ask they would say "Quite well.
thank YOU" Continuing their walk about
hundred yards or so, through plots of
sweet potatoes. we came to the houses,
and then the church and school-house. We
wentinto the church, and Miss Mary Young
who is school-mistress, played some Of
Moody and Sankey's hymns on the har-
monium, several OF the women at the
same time singing and that not unpleas-
antly. All the houses are completely hid
den in the trees, so that from the sea the
island looks uninhabted. unless you have
sharp eyes and can distinguish cleared
patches under cultivation. The principal
things cultivated are yams, sweet pota-
toes, and pumpkins. although there are
many other kinds of vegetables grown. l
noticed quantities of sugar-cane and cot-
fee-plants apparently growing without any
need of cultivation. The inhabitants make
sufficient coarse sugar for their own Use,
and very good salt is made by the evap-
Grafton of the sea water. | have seen
far inferior article used in South America.
Vegetation is very wild. and there is a
heavy growth of ferns Oranges grow in
the widest profuson, and after eating
them in many parts of the world, must
say never tasted any to equal in excel
lence the Pitcairn oranges. Every one
who visits the island makes the same re-
mark. The bread-fruit tree does not -four
ish so well at Pitcairn as at Tahiti and
other South Sea islands, and at present the
eocoanut trees do not bear very well. This
however, could be remedied by the intro
ducton of fresh plants. Bananas, chiri-
moyas, and plantains are also in great
abundance; from the succulent stem of
the last they make an ink, which however,
fades away pretty soon. OF animals they
have pigs and a few sheep, while in the
highlands there are goats which they shoot,
there are also ducks and fowls and a few
pigeons. | observed many of the ducks
and fowls feeding on oranges, which would
have caused some astonshment to an Eng
lish farmer.
Cotton is growing well. and hopes were
entertained that enough would be pro-
duced to enable the islanders to obtain
everything they required by bartering
with the vessels which occasionally visit
ed them. | obtained the most of my in
formation from Miss Young, whom was
astonished to find so well educated, rs she
could converse fiuently on an any subject,
and had very fair knowledge of botany.
Her mother is the daughter of an Ameri-
can named Buffet, who settled on the
| island many years ago 10 teacn TIE people
| to read and write.
He is now 50 years old, and is living at
Norfolk Island. From the church we pro-
ceeded to see the tomb of John Adams,
who was the last survivor of the mutineers,
and who first instructed the islanders in
religion The grave is situated among
a cluster Of orange and guava trees, and
has neat maidstone, which was sent out
| 4 II .~-S
went to visit the Bounty's gun, which one
of our Lieutenants, the Paymaster. and
rolled right over. to the great amusement
of the islanders, none of whom had ever
seen it moved before. After short stay
at Simon Young's house, where we were
supplied with quantities OF fruit. we re-
turned on board. the vessel remaining of
the island all night. We again landed on
the following day, and under the guidance
of Miss Young obtained some splendid
specimens of ferns, afterward dining at