all, as they say,
and probably have so persuaded themselves, for the honour of God, and
the salvation of their souls! How much is such a change brought about by
such conduct to be deprecated! how lamentable is it to reflect, that an
island on which Nature has lavished so many of her bounteous gifts, with
which neither Cyprus nor Cythera, nor the fanciful island of Calypso,
can compete in splendid and luxuriant beauties, should be doomed to such
a fate,--in an enlightened age, and by a people that call themselves
civilized!




CHAPTER II

THE BREAD-FRUIT

--The happy shores without a law,

* * * * *

Where all partake the earth without dispute,
And bread itself is gather'd as a fruit;
Where none contest the fields, the woods, the streams:--
The goldless age, where gold disturbs no dreams,
Inhabits or inhabited the shore,
Till Europe taught them better than before,
Bestow'd her customs, and amended theirs,
But left her vices also to their heirs. BYRON.


In the year 1787, being seventeen years after Cook's return from his
first voyage, the merchants and planters resident in London, and
interested in the West India possessions, having represented to his
Majesty, that the introduction of the bread-fruit tree into the islands
of those seas, to constitute an article of food, would be of very
essential benefit to the inhabitants, the king was graciously pleased to
comply with their request; and a vessel was accordingly purchased, and
fitted at Deptford with the necessary fixtures and preparations, for
carrying into effect the benevolent object of the voyage. The
arrangements for disposing the plants were undertaken, and completed in
a most ingenious and effective manner, by Sir Joseph Banks, who
superintended the whole equipment of the ship with the greatest
attention and assiduity till she was in all respects ready for sea. He
named the ship the _Bounty_, and recommended Lieutenant Bligh, who had
been with Captain Cook, to command her. Her burden was about two hundred
and fifteen tons; and her establishment consisted of one lieutenant, who
was commanding officer, one master, three warrant officers, one surgeon,
two master's mates, two midshipmen, and thirty-four petty officers and
seamen, making in all forty-four; to which were added two skilful and
careful men, recommended by Sir Joseph Banks, to have the management of
the plants intended to be carried to the West Indies, and others to be
brought home for his Majesty's garden at Kew: one was David Nelson, who
had served in a similar situation in Captain Cook's last voyage; the
other William Brown, as an assistant to him.

The object of all the former voyages to the South Seas, undertaken by
command of his Majesty George III, was the increase of knowledge by new
discoveries, and the advancement of science, more particularly of
natural history and geography: the intention of the present voyage was
to derive some practical benefit from the distant discoveries that had
already been made; and no object was deemed more likely to realise the
expectation of benefit than the bread-fruit, which afforded to the
natives of Otaheite so very considerable a portion of their food, and
which it was hoped it might also do for the black population of the West
India Islands. The bread-fruit plant was no new discovery of either
Wallis or Cook. So early as the year 1688, that excellent old navigator,
Dampier, thus describes it:--'The bread-fruit, as we call it, grows on a
large tree, as big and high as our largest apple-trees; it hath a
spreading head, full of branches and dark leaves. The fruit grows on the
boughs like apples; it is as big as a penny-loaf, when wheat is at five
shillings the bushel; it is of a round shape, and hath a thick tough
rind; when the fruit is ripe it is yellow and soft, and the taste is
sweet and pleasant. The natives of Guam use it for bread. They gather
it, when full grown, while it is green and hard; then they bake it in an
oven, which scorcheth the rind and makes it black, but they scrape off
the outside black crust, and there remains a tender thin crust; and the
inside is soft, tender, and white, like the crumb of a penny-loaf. There
is neither seed nor stone in the inside, but all is of a pure substance
like bread. It must be eaten new; for if it is kept above twenty-four
hours, it grows harsh and choaky; but it is very pleasant before it is
too stale. This fruit lasts in season eight months in the year, during
which the natives eat no other sort of food of bread kind. I did never
see of this fruit anywhere but here. The natives told us that there is
plenty of this fruit growing on the rest of the Ladrone Islands; and I
did never hear of it anywhere else.'

Lord Anson corroborates this account of the bread-fruit, and says that,
while at Tinian, it was constantly eaten by his officers and ship's
company during their two months' stay, instead of bread; and so
universally preferred, that no ship's bread was expended in that whole
interval. The only essential difference between Dampier's and Cook's
description is, where the latter says, which is true, that this fruit
has a _core_, and that the eatable part lies between the skin and the
core. Cook says also that its taste is insipid, with a slight sweetness,
somewhat resembling that of the crumb of wheaten bread mixed with a
Jerusalem artichoke. From such a description, it is not surprising that
the West India planters should have felt desirous of introducing it into
those islands; and accordingly the introduction of it was subsequently
accomplished, notwithstanding the failure of the present voyage; it has
not, however, been found to answer the expectation that had reasonably
been entertained. The climate, as to latitude, ought to be the same, or
nearly so, as that of Otaheite, but there would appear to be some
difference in the situation or nature of the soil, that prevents it from
thriving in the West India Islands. At Otaheite and on several of the
Pacific Islands,

The bread-tree, which, without the ploughshare yields,
The unreap'd harvest of unfurrow'd fields,
And bakes its unadulterated loaves
Without a furnace in unpurchased groves,
And flings off famine from its fertile breast,
A priceless market for the gathering guest--

is to the natives of those islands a most invaluable gift, but it has
not been found to yield similar benefits to the West India Islands.

On the 23rd December, 1787, the _Bounty_ sailed from Spithead, and on
the 26th it blew a severe storm of wind from the eastward, which
continued to the 29th, in the course of which the ship suffered greatly.
One sea broke away the spare-yards and spars out of the starboard
main-chains. Another heavy sea broke into the ship and stove all the
boats. Several casks of beer that had been lashed upon deck, were broke
loose and washed overboard; and it was not without great difficulty and
risk that they were able to secure the boats from being washed away
entirely. Besides other mischief done to them in this storm, a large
quantity of bread was damaged and rendered useless, for the sea had
stove in the stern and filled the cabin with water.

This made it desirable to touch at Teneriffe to put the ship to rights,
where they arrived on the 5th January, 1788, and having refitted and
refreshed, they sailed again on the 10th.

'I now,' says Bligh, 'divided the people into three watches, and gave
the charge of the third watch to Mr. Fletcher Christian, one of the
mates. I have always considered this a desirable regulation when
circumstances will admit of it, and I am persuaded that unbroken rest
not only contributes much towards the health of the ship's company, but
enables them more readily to exert themselves in cases of sudden
emergency.'

Wishing to proceed to Otaheite without stopping, and the late storm
having diminished their supply of provisions, it was deemed expedient to
put all hands on an allowance of two-thirds of bread. It was also
decided that water for drinking should be passed through filtering
stones that had been procured at Teneriffe. 'I now,' says Bligh, 'made
the ship's company acquainted with the object of the voyage, and gave
assurances of the certainty of promotion to every one whose endeavours
should merit it.' Nothing, indeed, seemed to be neglected on the part of
the commander to make his officers and men comfortable and happy. He was
himself a thorough-bred sailor, and availed himself of every possible
means of preserving the health of his crew. Continued rain and a close
atmosphere had covered everything in the ship with mildew. She was
therefore aired below with fires, and frequently sprinkled with vinegar,
and every interval of dry weather was taken advantage of to open all the
hatchways, and clean the ship, and to have all the people's wet things
washed and dried. With these precautions to secure health, they passed
the hazy and sultry atmosphere of the low latitudes without a single
complaint.

On Sunday, the 2nd of March, Lieutenant Bligh observes, 'after seeing
that every person was clean, Divine service was performed, according to
my usual custom. On this day I gave to Mr. Fletcher Christian, whom I
had before desired to take charge of the third watch, a written order
to act as lieutenant.'

Having reached as far as the latitude of 36 degrees south, on the 9th
March, 'the change of temperature,' he observes, 'began now to be
sensibly felt, there being a variation in the thermometer, since
yesterday, of eight degrees. That the people might not suffer by their
own negligence, I gave orders for their light tropical clothing to be
put by, and made them dress in a manner more suited to a cold climate. I
had provided for this before I left England, by giving directions for
such clothes to be purchased as would be found necessary. On this day,
on a complaint of the master, I found it necessary to punish Matthew
Quintal, one of the seamen, with two dozen lashes, for insolence and
mutinous behaviour. Before this I had not had occasion to punish any
person on board.'

The sight of New Year's Harbour, in Staaten Land, almost tempted him, he
says, to put in; but the lateness of the season, and the people being in
good health, determined him to lay aside all thoughts of refreshment
until they should reach Otaheite. Indeed the extraordinary care he had
taken to preserve the health of the ship's company rendered any delay in
this cold and inhospitable region unnecessary.

They soon after this had to encounter tremendous weather off Cape Horn,
storms of wind, with hail and sleet, which made it necessary to keep a
constant fire night and day; and one of the watch always attended to
dry the people's wet clothes. This stormy weather continued for nine
days; the ship began to complain, and required pumping every hour; the
decks became so leaky that the commander was obliged to allot the great
cabin to those who had wet berths, to hang their hammocks in. Finding
they were losing ground every day, and that it was hopeless to persist
in attempting a passage by this route, at this season of the year, to
the Society Islands, and after struggling for thirty days in this
tempestuous ocean, it was determined to bear away for the Cape of Good
Hope. The helm was accordingly put a-weather, to the great joy of every
person on board.

They arrived at the Cape on the 23rd of May, and having remained there
thirty-eight days to refit the ship, replenish provisions, and refresh
the crew, they sailed again on the 1st July, and anchored in Adventure
Bay, in Van Diemen's Land, on the 20th August. Here they remained taking
in wood and water till the 4th September, and on the evening of the 25th
October they saw Otaheite; and the next day came to anchor in Matavai
Bay, after a distance which the ship had run over, by the log, since
leaving England, of twenty-seven thousand and eighty-six miles, being on
an average one hundred and eight miles each twenty-four hours. Of their
proceedings in Otaheite a short abstract from Bligh's Journal will
suffice.

Many inquiries were made by the natives after Captain Cook, Sir Joseph
Banks, and others of their former friends. 'One of my first questions,'
says Bligh, 'was after our friend Omai; and it was a sensible
mortification and disappointment to me to hear, that not only Omai, but
both the New Zealand boys who had been left with him, were dead. There
appeared among the natives in general great good-will towards us, and
they seemed to be much rejoiced at our arrival. The whole day we
experienced no instance of dishonesty; and we were so much crowded, that
I could not undertake to remove to a more proper station, without danger
of