The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-09
BOUNTY'S FAMOUS MUTINY.
LIEUT.. BLIGH'S DIARY TELLS or HIS
TERRTBLE EXPERIENCE.

The reprint Of Lieut.. BliRh's diary Of the
mutiny on board II. NJ. S. Bounty. which has
lust been issued by the BankSde Press of Lon
don, tells In direct sailor fashion the story Of
one of the most remarkable cruises ever made
n Q small boat. No mutiny In naval history
had such far preaching consequences aEthat
which occurred on board the Bounty In the
south seas more than a century ago, william
Bligh was a skilful English navigator who was
born I'm London in 1883. As n Lieutenant he
accompanied Capt, Cook on his Pacific voy-
ages. He was commissioned by George III.
o. import breadfruit trees and other vegeta-
bles from the South Sea Islands TO the West
Indies and placed in command NJ the Bounty.
The Bounty reached Otahelte at the wrong
season Of the year and consequently had to
remain there for six months 10 secure her
cargo. Association with the native women
corrupted the crew. and 1t IL evident from Lieut.
Bllgh's diary that TO this he attributes the
mutlny. lie says
The women at Otaheite are handsome,
mild and cheerful In their manners and con-
versation. Possessed OF great scnsiDiity, and
have sufficient delicaCy a. make them adj
mlred and beloved. The chiefs were 30 much
attached 70 our people that they rather en-
couraged their stay among them than other
wlse. aud even made them promises Of large
possessions. Under these and many other
attendant circumstances. equally desirable,
II Is now perhaps not so much 10 be wondered
at. though scarcely possible 70 have been fore
seen, that a set Of sailors. most OF them void
Of connections. should he led away; especially
when. In addition 10 such powerful inducr-
ments. they imagined II in their power "a FIX
themselves In the midst Of plenty. on the finest
island In the world, where they need not labor
.,I ,rI.,. tba ,Itrar,apta ~ destination QFa
beyond anything that can be conceived
Other writer's who have dealt with this In
teresting story Of the seas have alleged that
Lieut.. BliRh's o~Nacting discipline was the chief
cause for the trouble which broke out on board
his ship. BliRh's subsequent career a. Cow
ernor of New South Wales ended In his being
arrested for tyrannical conduct. and that has
been accepted as n partial justification OF the
mutiny. Lieut.. Bligh's story Of II gives no
indication of unnecessarily severe discipline
on his part. The Bounty sailed from Otahelte
on April 4, 1883. The crew mutinied on April
q, and after setting Lieut.. Bligh and his eighteen
loyal men adrift in nm open boat with only
100 pounds OF bread, 80 pounds Of pork. o quarts
of rum. 9 bottles OF wine and Is gallons OF water
for provisions, they bore away 20 Otaheite,
Fourteen of the mutineers who emaned
there were arrested In 1901 by officers Of the
II HlAlP lNA'l run "a 'h'R iN'H "'A'
lost by shlpwreck on the voyage home. the
remainder were tried, three Of them beinS
executed and the others acquitted or pardoned.
Fletcher Christian, one of the mutineers
on the Bounty. with eight OF the mutineers,
nine native women and nine native men. left
Otaheite on the Bounty and sailed 10 Pitcairn
Island. where the Bounty was wrecked, that
all traces Of her might be destroyed. Pitcairn
Island Is only about two and a half miles long
and one mile broad, and had it not been for
this mutiny II probably would have been un-
settled to-day. All trace of Christian and
his mutineers we're lost until 1905. when Capt.
Folger Of Nantucket called at Pitcairn Island.
thinking 1t uninhabIted. To his surprise two
men OF light brown color came out in "A canoe
and greeted him in English. They were de-
scendants Of the original mutineers, the only
survivor OF the party at that time being Alex
ander Smith, who afterward assumed tho
name Of John Adams. Smith prepared a code
for the government OF the island and acted
as Governor and teacher. lie was apparently
a man Of unusual ability. In 1858 the Pitcairn
Islanders were moved to Norfolk Island. be-
cause II was believed that they would be happier
there. Two families OF them, numbering
seventeen persons, became homesick and
returned 10 Pitcairn Island. where they and
their descendants have lived since that time.
Lieut.. Bligh's narrative Of the mutiny on
the Bounty is told In the simple manner OF "a
log book, His description Of the mutiny l.
told as follows:
Just before sunrisinR. Mr.. Christian. with
the master at arms. g%unner's mate. and Thomas
Burket, seaman, came into my cabin while i was
asleep, and selling me, tied, my hands with
a cord behind my back and Threatened me
noise. |. however, called so loud as 10 alarm
every one; hut they a already secured the
officers who were not of their party, by placing
men at my cabin door. besides the four within.
Christian had only a cutlass In his hand. the
others, had mlskets and bayonets was
hauled out Of bed. aud forced GU deck In my
shirt. suffering great pain from the tightue%s
with which they had tied, my hands l de-
mRnded the reason Of such violence. but re-
ccived no other answer than threats OF instant
death, II / did not hold my tongue. Mr. FL
berth: Mr.. Nelson, botanist, Mr.. Peckovcr.
gunner. Mr.. Ledward. surgeon. aud the master,
were confined 10 their, cabins; and also the
clerk, MIR. Samuel. but he soon obtained leave
10 come on deck. The fore hatchway was
guarded by senunels; the bOatswain and cor
deck. where they saw me abaft the mizzen-
mast, with my hands tied behind my back.
under a, guard. with Christian at their head
The boatswain was now ordered to hoist
the launch out. with a threat, II he did not
do II instantly, to take care Of himself
BliRh attempted to stem the tide, but Chris
tian, who was apparently the most determined
man among the mutlneers. threatened to kill
him Immediately II he would not DO quiet.
The men who had been loyal to Bllgh were
forced over the side into a small boat which
had been equipped with hardly enough pro-
visions. apparently, 10 last them n week. 1t
was apparent from the remarks made by the
mutineers that they feared to give Bligh much
In the way Of equipment for his boat. knowing
him TO be q man Of resources and suspeCting
that II he had a ghost Of a chance he would
make his way back TO civilization. As II was,
his boat was loaded with men so deeply that
she sunk low In the water. Among the officers
Of the Bounty who were cast adrift were John
Fryer, master; Thomas Ledward, acting sur
Reon; David Nelson, botanist; William Cole.
boatswain: Hayward and Hallett. midship-
men, Add William Purcell, carpenter. The
most abr men in the ships company remained
on board the Bounty. As the Bounty. under
mman OF the mutineers, pulled away, BliRh
heard them yell; "HuzZa for Otaheitel"
In commenting on the mutlny. Lieut.. Bligh
The secrecy Of this mutiny is beyond all
conception. Thirteen Of the party who Wer,
with me had all lived forward among the IDo-
pie. yet neither they nor the messmates, or
towards Henry or Young had ever observed
any circumstance TO give them suspicion OF
what was going on. The possibility Of such
a conspiracy was ever the farthest from my
thoughts"
Bligh's first determination was TO seek a
supply OF breadfruit and water at Tofoa, where
the Bounty had been bound after leaving An
namooka. one Of the Friendly Islands, The
boat in which he found himself was the ships