The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty (77 page)
Read The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty Online
Authors: Caroline Alexander
Tags: #History, #Europe, #Great Britain, #Military, #Naval
BOOK: The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty
2.58Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
Adams’s quote about Christian’s “joyful expression” on returning to the
Bounty
after scouting Pitcairn is found in J. A. Moerenhout,
Voyages aux Îles du Grand Océan
(Paris, 1837), translated by Arthur R. Borden, as
Travels to the Islands of the Pacific Ocean
(Lanham, Md., 1993).
Bounty
after scouting Pitcairn is found in J. A. Moerenhout,
Voyages aux Îles du Grand Océan
(Paris, 1837), translated by Arthur R. Borden, as
Travels to the Islands of the Pacific Ocean
(Lanham, Md., 1993).
The remains of the
Bounty
were excavated in the 1950s; see Luis Marden, “I Found the Bones of the
Bounty,
”
National Geographic Magazine,
December 1957, pp. 725-89.
Bounty
were excavated in the 1950s; see Luis Marden, “I Found the Bones of the
Bounty,
”
National Geographic Magazine,
December 1957, pp. 725-89.
Jenny’s narratives were published in the
Sydney Gazette,
July 17, 1819, and more expansively as “Pitcairn’s Island—The Bounty’s Crew,”
United Service Journal
(1829), part 1, pp. 589-93. This latter is a handier version of the same originally published in the
Bengal Hurkaru,
October 2, 1826. The Tahitian women who were brought to Pitcairn are listed with sources for information about them in Alan S. C. Ross and A. W. Moverley,
The Pitcairnese Language
(New York, 1964), p. 52. See also Sven Wahlroos,
Mutiny and Romance in the South Seas: A Companion to the
Bounty
Adventure
(Topsfield, Mass., 1989), for entries under each woman’s name.
Sydney Gazette,
July 17, 1819, and more expansively as “Pitcairn’s Island—The Bounty’s Crew,”
United Service Journal
(1829), part 1, pp. 589-93. This latter is a handier version of the same originally published in the
Bengal Hurkaru,
October 2, 1826. The Tahitian women who were brought to Pitcairn are listed with sources for information about them in Alan S. C. Ross and A. W. Moverley,
The Pitcairnese Language
(New York, 1964), p. 52. See also Sven Wahlroos,
Mutiny and Romance in the South Seas: A Companion to the
Bounty
Adventure
(Topsfield, Mass., 1989), for entries under each woman’s name.
The very plausible theory that Adams was responsible for Fletcher Christian’s death is aired at length by Glynn Christian, who traces the rumor of Adams’s role back to an early work of fiction, whose author had spent significant time on Pitcairn and claimed to have heard this from the islanders. See Glynn Christian,
Fragile Paradise,
rev. ed. (Sydney and New York, 1999), pp. 340 ff.
Fragile Paradise,
rev. ed. (Sydney and New York, 1999), pp. 340 ff.
Adams gave his birth date to Captain O. Folger of the
Maryland,
1821-1824; see the log of the
Maryland,
Kendall Whaling Museum, Sharon, Massachusetts, Log 0673.
Maryland,
1821-1824; see the log of the
Maryland,
Kendall Whaling Museum, Sharon, Massachusetts, Log 0673.
Adams’s “cruel treatment” of his wife is reported in a letter from Rosalind Young to Captain and Mrs. Gibbon, April 1882, Phillips Library, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, MS E33.
For other ships that visited Pitcairn, see the following:
The
Elizabeth,
Captain Henry King, arrived in 1819; see “Extract from the Journal of Captain Henry King of the
Elizabeth,
”
Edinburgh Philosophical Journal
3, no. 6 (October 1820), pp. 380-88.
Elizabeth,
Captain Henry King, arrived in 1819; see “Extract from the Journal of Captain Henry King of the
Elizabeth,
”
Edinburgh Philosophical Journal
3, no. 6 (October 1820), pp. 380-88.
The
Surry,
Captain Raines, left several accounts of its 1821 visit—one clear-eyed report found Adams disappointingly a little cool on being disturbed by his unexpected visitor; it was also Captain Raines’s company who found the island’s young men cheerfully swigging their home-distilled spirits (“Journal on the ship,
Surry,
1820-1821,” ML, A131; and also “Various documents and notes re the Ship
Surry,
” ML As 125/1-5). Readers of Nathaniel Philbrook’s
In the Heart of the Sea
(New York, 2000) will recognize the
Surry
as the ship that rescued survivors of the
Essex
from nearby Henderson Island.
Surry,
Captain Raines, left several accounts of its 1821 visit—one clear-eyed report found Adams disappointingly a little cool on being disturbed by his unexpected visitor; it was also Captain Raines’s company who found the island’s young men cheerfully swigging their home-distilled spirits (“Journal on the ship,
Surry,
1820-1821,” ML, A131; and also “Various documents and notes re the Ship
Surry,
” ML As 125/1-5). Readers of Nathaniel Philbrook’s
In the Heart of the Sea
(New York, 2000) will recognize the
Surry
as the ship that rescued survivors of the
Essex
from nearby Henderson Island.
The account of the
Russell,
Captain Frederick Arthur, which stopped at Pitcairn in 1822, is found in an undated news article in the Nantucket Historical Association Research Library, Edouard A. Stackpole Collection, Folder 947, Whaling—Captains “A.”
Russell,
Captain Frederick Arthur, which stopped at Pitcairn in 1822, is found in an undated news article in the Nantucket Historical Association Research Library, Edouard A. Stackpole Collection, Folder 947, Whaling—Captains “A.”
Otto von Kotzebue and Johann Friedrich Eschsholtz,
A New Voyage Round the World, in the years 1823, 24, 25, and 26
(London, 1830), pp. 225 ff., reports that he was told that Bligh had subjected “even his mate, Christian Fletcher, to corporal chastisement” (p. 229). Kotzebue makes reference to two other unrecorded visits to the island, by an English captain in 1803, and the American
Eagle
in 1821. Similarly, the log of the
Cherub,
Adm. 51/2206, gives an account of passing the island in August 1814, before the arrival of the
Briton
and
Tagus.
A New Voyage Round the World, in the years 1823, 24, 25, and 26
(London, 1830), pp. 225 ff., reports that he was told that Bligh had subjected “even his mate, Christian Fletcher, to corporal chastisement” (p. 229). Kotzebue makes reference to two other unrecorded visits to the island, by an English captain in 1803, and the American
Eagle
in 1821. Similarly, the log of the
Cherub,
Adm. 51/2206, gives an account of passing the island in August 1814, before the arrival of the
Briton
and
Tagus.
Adams’s “dying words” are reported in the American Seaman’s Friend Society,
The Sailors’ Magazine, containing the life of Peter Heywood, Midshipman of the Bounty; Also a sketch of the principal Mutineers of the Bounty
(New York, n.d. [c. 1860s]).
The Sailors’ Magazine, containing the life of Peter Heywood, Midshipman of the Bounty; Also a sketch of the principal Mutineers of the Bounty
(New York, n.d. [c. 1860s]).
The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London
3 (1833), pp. 156-69, reports visits of the
Seringapatam
(1830), the
Comet
(1831), and the
Challenger
(1833). The account of the first gives the unflattering description of the abilities of Fletcher Christian’s sons.
3 (1833), pp. 156-69, reports visits of the
Seringapatam
(1830), the
Comet
(1831), and the
Challenger
(1833). The account of the first gives the unflattering description of the abilities of Fletcher Christian’s sons.
The report that Bligh called Christian a “hungry hound” is from Walter Brodie,
Pitcairns Island, and the Islanders, in 1850
(London, 1851), pp. 50 ff.
Pitcairns Island, and the Islanders, in 1850
(London, 1851), pp. 50 ff.
Frederick Debell Bennett,
Narrative of a Whaling Voyage Round the Globe, from the Year 1833 to 1836
(London, 1840), recounts his voyage as a passenger in the
Tuscan,
by which time one has come to the post-Adams era.
Narrative of a Whaling Voyage Round the Globe, from the Year 1833 to 1836
(London, 1840), recounts his voyage as a passenger in the
Tuscan,
by which time one has come to the post-Adams era.
The Reverend Thomas Boyles Murray,
Pitcairn: The Island, the People and the Pastor; With a Short Account of the Mutiny of the Bounty
(London, 1853), went through many editions.
Pitcairn: The Island, the People and the Pastor; With a Short Account of the Mutiny of the Bounty
(London, 1853), went through many editions.
Sir Charles Lucas, ed.,
The Pitcairn Island Register Book
(London, 1929), is a transcription of the official island records.
The Pitcairn Island Register Book
(London, 1929), is a transcription of the official island records.
Rosalind Amelia Young,
Mutiny of the
Bounty
and the story of Pitcairn Island, 1790-1894
(Oakland, Calif., 1894), is the story of life on the island; Young was a great-granddaughter of John Adams.
Mutiny of the
Bounty
and the story of Pitcairn Island, 1790-1894
(Oakland, Calif., 1894), is the story of life on the island; Young was a great-granddaughter of John Adams.
The descendants of the mutineers live on Pitcairn to this day. For an account of these people in modern times, see H. L. Shapiro,
Descendants of the Mutineers of the
Bounty (Honolulu, 1929), and his
The Heritage of the
Bounty:
The Story of Pitcairn Through Six Generations
(New York, 1936); David Silverman,
Pitcairn Island
(Cleveland, 1967); and H. E. Maude,
Of Islands and Men
(Melbourne, 1968). For a darker view of life on the island, see Dea Birkett,
Serpent in Paradise
(New York, 1997).
Descendants of the Mutineers of the
Bounty (Honolulu, 1929), and his
The Heritage of the
Bounty:
The Story of Pitcairn Through Six Generations
(New York, 1936); David Silverman,
Pitcairn Island
(Cleveland, 1967); and H. E. Maude,
Of Islands and Men
(Melbourne, 1968). For a darker view of life on the island, see Dea Birkett,
Serpent in Paradise
(New York, 1997).
Evidence of Charles Norman’s death, on December 16, 1793, is found in the burial records of Holy Trinity Church, Gosport, kindly provided by the Portsmouth City Council, Museum and Records Office.
John Hallett’s will is found in PROB 11/1254, 21; his service on the
Penelope
is confirmed by Adm. 35/1253 and by the ship’s muster, Adm. 36/11981. His obituaries appear in the
Times
(London), December 6, 1794, and in
Gentleman’s Magazine,
December 1794, p. 1157. His burial is listed in the parish burial registry for 1794, of St. Mary’s, Bedford; this record and a description of his “Mural Monument” (Doc. Reference X69/52.) were kindly provided by the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Record Office, Bedford.
Penelope
is confirmed by Adm. 35/1253 and by the ship’s muster, Adm. 36/11981. His obituaries appear in the
Times
(London), December 6, 1794, and in
Gentleman’s Magazine,
December 1794, p. 1157. His burial is listed in the parish burial registry for 1794, of St. Mary’s, Bedford; this record and a description of his “Mural Monument” (Doc. Reference X69/52.) were kindly provided by the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Record Office, Bedford.
The tradition of Hallett’s “confession” was first raised by Sir John Barrow,
The Eventful History of the Mutiny and Piratical Seizure of HMS Bounty: its Causes and Consequences
(London, 1831), p. 202, note; this was then elaborated on by Lady Diana Belcher,
The Mutineers of the Bounty and their Descendants in Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands
(London, 1870), p. 147, where she has upgraded the informant from “first lieutenant” to “captain” of the
Penelope.
The identity of the first lieutenant is found in the muster of the
Penelope,
above; John Marshall,
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 1, part 2 (London, 1823), pp. 582-83, reveals that Malcolm was the maternal nephew of Sir Thomas Pasley. Pulteney had formerly served as a young gentleman under his uncle Pasley, at the age of twelve. Pasley’s opinion of this time of his young nephew, whom he refers to as “an idle little vagabon,” is amusingly described in his journal: Rodney M.S. Pasley, ed.,
Private Sea Journals.
Another erroneous tradition arose independently that Hallett had joined Bligh on the
Providence.
The Eventful History of the Mutiny and Piratical Seizure of HMS Bounty: its Causes and Consequences
(London, 1831), p. 202, note; this was then elaborated on by Lady Diana Belcher,
The Mutineers of the Bounty and their Descendants in Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands
(London, 1870), p. 147, where she has upgraded the informant from “first lieutenant” to “captain” of the
Penelope.
The identity of the first lieutenant is found in the muster of the
Penelope,
above; John Marshall,
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 1, part 2 (London, 1823), pp. 582-83, reveals that Malcolm was the maternal nephew of Sir Thomas Pasley. Pulteney had formerly served as a young gentleman under his uncle Pasley, at the age of twelve. Pasley’s opinion of this time of his young nephew, whom he refers to as “an idle little vagabon,” is amusingly described in his journal: Rodney M.S. Pasley, ed.,
Private Sea Journals.
Another erroneous tradition arose independently that Hallett had joined Bligh on the
Providence.
The log of the
Jason,
Adm. 51/1164, shows “Lawrence Lebogue Sailmaker, departed this life” on June 3, 1795; Adm. 102/604, “Hospital muster books, Plymouth, 1795,” indicates that he was “Received on shore” on June 5 as a “Corpse.” Edward Christian’s remark regarding Lebogue’s testimony is found in his
Short Reply to Capt. William Bligh’s Answer
(London, 1795), p. 7. Lebogue’s remarks about the boat journey were described by the Reverend James Bligh; see his “Papers, 1790-1792, 1834,” ML, vol. Z C695.
Jason,
Adm. 51/1164, shows “Lawrence Lebogue Sailmaker, departed this life” on June 3, 1795; Adm. 102/604, “Hospital muster books, Plymouth, 1795,” indicates that he was “Received on shore” on June 5 as a “Corpse.” Edward Christian’s remark regarding Lebogue’s testimony is found in his
Short Reply to Capt. William Bligh’s Answer
(London, 1795), p. 7. Lebogue’s remarks about the boat journey were described by the Reverend James Bligh; see his “Papers, 1790-1792, 1834,” ML, vol. Z C695.
Thomas Hayward’s service on the
Diomede
is confirmed by Adm. 36/14096, the ship’s muster; the travails of the
Diomede
are reported by her captain in Adm. 1/168, pp. 66-71. The loss of the
Swift
under Hayward’s command is recorded in Sir William Laird Clowes and Sir Clements Robert Markham,
The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present
(London, 1897-1903), p. 549, under “British Losses, 1793-1802.” See also “Papers Relating to Captain Broughton of the Sloop Providence 1792-1799 (A/A/20.5/O63B), British Columbia Archives, letter of 12 June 1799 from Broughton to Evan Nepean. Information about Hayward’s surveys was kindly provided by A. C. F. David, the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. The blank logbook given to Hayward by his father was described in Bennett,
Narrative of a Whaling Voyage,
p. 47.
Diomede
is confirmed by Adm. 36/14096, the ship’s muster; the travails of the
Diomede
are reported by her captain in Adm. 1/168, pp. 66-71. The loss of the
Swift
under Hayward’s command is recorded in Sir William Laird Clowes and Sir Clements Robert Markham,
The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present
(London, 1897-1903), p. 549, under “British Losses, 1793-1802.” See also “Papers Relating to Captain Broughton of the Sloop Providence 1792-1799 (A/A/20.5/O63B), British Columbia Archives, letter of 12 June 1799 from Broughton to Evan Nepean. Information about Hayward’s surveys was kindly provided by A. C. F. David, the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office. The blank logbook given to Hayward by his father was described in Bennett,
Narrative of a Whaling Voyage,
p. 47.
George Simpson’s death is recorded in Adm. 35/1323 and Adm. 44/S2, Seaman’s Effects.
William Muspratt’s will is found in PROB 11/1301. For his transfer to the
Royal William,
see the muster of the
Hector,
Adm. 36/11187. The muster of the
Bellerophon
is Adm. 36/ 11904. The report from the solicitor general and council for the Admiralty to Secretary Stephens regarding Muspratt’s back wages is found in Adm. 106/2217.
Royal William,
see the muster of the
Hector,
Adm. 36/11187. The muster of the
Bellerophon
is Adm. 36/ 11904. The report from the solicitor general and council for the Admiralty to Secretary Stephens regarding Muspratt’s back wages is found in Adm. 106/2217.
A remarkable exercise in collective family memory is described in James Shaw Grant,
Morrison of the Bounty
(Stornoway, Scotland, 1997), a biography about his forebear that was inspired by the memory of his aunt Jessie, “an elderly and timid spinster,” informing him that Morrison “was a relative of ours” (after seeing the Charles Laughton film, she had reported that “the family resemblance was unmistakable”). Aunt Jessie had received this information from “Maggie the captain’s daughter,” who was the granddaughter of Lillias Morison, who lived to be a hundred and was a “cousin” of James Morrison. Thus, as Grant points out, there was only one link between his informant, Aunt Jessie, and “a woman who was in her twenties when the mutiny took place.”
HOME IS THE SAILORMorrison of the Bounty
(Stornoway, Scotland, 1997), a biography about his forebear that was inspired by the memory of his aunt Jessie, “an elderly and timid spinster,” informing him that Morrison “was a relative of ours” (after seeing the Charles Laughton film, she had reported that “the family resemblance was unmistakable”). Aunt Jessie had received this information from “Maggie the captain’s daughter,” who was the granddaughter of Lillias Morison, who lived to be a hundred and was a “cousin” of James Morrison. Thus, as Grant points out, there was only one link between his informant, Aunt Jessie, and “a woman who was in her twenties when the mutiny took place.”
For Bligh’s life on his return to naval service after the
Providence
voyage, see George Mackaness,
The Life of Vice-Admiral William Bligh, R.N., F.R.S.,
rev. ed. (Sydney, 1951).
Providence
voyage, see George Mackaness,
The Life of Vice-Admiral William Bligh, R.N., F.R.S.,
rev. ed. (Sydney, 1951).
The story of the Nore mutiny, and of Aaron Graham’s role as Admiralty agent, is color-fully told in James Dugan,
The Great Mutiny
(New York, 1965).
The Great Mutiny
(New York, 1965).
For Bligh’s role in the battle of Camperdown, see Rear-Admiral A. H. Taylor, “William Bligh at Camperdown,”
Mariner’s Mirror
23, no. 4 (October 1937), pp. 417-33. For the battle of Copenhagen, see Dudley Pope,
The Great Gamble
(London, 2001).
Mariner’s Mirror
23, no. 4 (October 1937), pp. 417-33. For the battle of Copenhagen, see Dudley Pope,
The Great Gamble
(London, 2001).
Bligh’s arrest on suspicion of being a spy is told in the Reverend R. Polwhele,
Traditions and Recollections; Domestic, Clerical, and Literary
(London, 1826), pp. 376 ff.
Traditions and Recollections; Domestic, Clerical, and Literary
(London, 1826), pp. 376 ff.
An early attempt by Banks to get a shore commission for Bligh is found in his letter to Spencer, George John, 2nd Earl, December 10, 1795 (58.02), in SLNSW: the Sir Joseph Banks Electronic Archive. Bligh’s remarks about his wife’s inability to go to sea are in a letter to Banks of March 21, 1805 (58.29).
Banks’s letter to Bligh broaching the governorship of New South Wales is quoted in Mackaness,
The Life of Vice-Admiral William Bligh,
pp. 352f.; the letter itself cannot now be located.
The Life of Vice-Admiral William Bligh,
pp. 352f.; the letter itself cannot now be located.
The
Warrior
court-martial is found in Adm. 1/5367 and Adm. 1/5368. The case of the
Warrior
court-martial was first discovered and examined by Mackaness,
The Life of Vice-Admiral William Bligh,
pp. 333-51. This excellent and balanced overview quotes at length from the trial transcript. His quote about Bligh’s bemused judges “grinning broadly” is on p. 336. For the Rum Corps, see, for example, Herbert Vere Evatt,
Rum Rebellion: A Study of the Overthrow of Governor Bligh by John Macarthur and the New South Wales Corps
(Sydney, 1939).
Warrior
court-martial is found in Adm. 1/5367 and Adm. 1/5368. The case of the
Warrior
court-martial was first discovered and examined by Mackaness,
The Life of Vice-Admiral William Bligh,
pp. 333-51. This excellent and balanced overview quotes at length from the trial transcript. His quote about Bligh’s bemused judges “grinning broadly” is on p. 336. For the Rum Corps, see, for example, Herbert Vere Evatt,
Rum Rebellion: A Study of the Overthrow of Governor Bligh by John Macarthur and the New South Wales Corps
(Sydney, 1939).
For the court-martial held on the deposers of Governor Bligh, see George Johnston and J. Bartrum,
Proceedings of a General Court-Martial Held at Chelsea Hospital, Which commenced on Tuesday, May 7, 1811, and continued by Adjournment to Wednesday, 5th of June following, for The trial of Lieut.-Col. Geo. Johnston, Major of the 102d Regiment, late [of] the New South Wales Corps, on A Charge of Mutiny . . . Exhibited Against Him By the Crown, For Deposing On the 26th of January, 1808, William Bligh, Esq. F.R.S.
(London, 1811). The report that plans against Bligh had been well laid was made by Greville, Hon. Charles Francis, to Banks, September 20, 1808, DTC 17.212-13. Many years after the fact, Bligh’s legal counsel confided that the court-martial “trial was nominally of John Sar—really of Admiral Bligh.” Pollach, Sir Jonathan Frederick, A.L.S. to Rev. T. B. Murray, 22 September 1860, Dixon Library Document 72.
Proceedings of a General Court-Martial Held at Chelsea Hospital, Which commenced on Tuesday, May 7, 1811, and continued by Adjournment to Wednesday, 5th of June following, for The trial of Lieut.-Col. Geo. Johnston, Major of the 102d Regiment, late [of] the New South Wales Corps, on A Charge of Mutiny . . . Exhibited Against Him By the Crown, For Deposing On the 26th of January, 1808, William Bligh, Esq. F.R.S.
(London, 1811). The report that plans against Bligh had been well laid was made by Greville, Hon. Charles Francis, to Banks, September 20, 1808, DTC 17.212-13. Many years after the fact, Bligh’s legal counsel confided that the court-martial “trial was nominally of John Sar—really of Admiral Bligh.” Pollach, Sir Jonathan Frederick, A.L.S. to Rev. T. B. Murray, 22 September 1860, Dixon Library Document 72.
Other books
Redemption (Cavan Gang #2) by Laylah Roberts
To Room Nineteen by Doris Lessing
The Target by David Baldacci
The Fifth Lesson (The Bay Boys #2) by Winters, Emilia
Cold Sight by Parrish, Leslie
Death in the Choir by Lorraine V. Murray
Reinventing Mona by Jennifer Coburn
One Killer Force: A Delta Force Novel by Dalton Fury
GI Joe and Ebony, An American Love Story by Brenda Stokes Lee
The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin
