Pitcairn's Island Source Whalesite |
Despatch from Capt. Fremantle on the
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His Majesty's Sloop Challenger, at Sea, 30th May, 1833.
(From Captain Fremantle, R.N.) At Otaheite, I understood that all the Pitcairn islanders had returned to their island, having been assisted by the missionaries and Europeans on the island to freight* an American vessel to convey them, they being very discontented and unhappy, and a * It may be remarked, by the way, that many of the copper bolts of the Bounty, which had been brought to Otaheite from Pitcairn's Island by the islanders, were taken by the master of the vessel as part payment for their freight, I believe to the amount of two hundred dollars. |
proved that he had been in communication with the Admiralty, the Colonial Office, Captain Beechey, and many respectable gentlemen, offering his services in the first instance to remove the people from the island when it was first proposed, I was induced to think he must be interested about them. And as he had succeeded in restoring them to some kind of order, by putting a stop to the intemperance which existed, had broken up all their stills, and had formed them into a "Temperance Society," I gave him all the assistance in my power to support him in this situation; the other Englishman, who had clearly proved himself by his conduct to be unfit for it, I recommended to quit the island, which he promised to do. The number of people in the island at present is seventy-nine, and there appears to be an abundance of vegetables of every description. They are not themselves either under any alarm respecting a want of water, saying, that as their numbers increase they must dig more reservoirs and wells. With respect to food, I am satisfied the island is capable of supporting nearly a thousand persons; the soil is particularly good, and most part of it being yet uncultivated, there is little fear of scarcity. On their return from Otaheite they found the island overrun with wild hogs, by which their plantations were destroyed, and they had only just succeeded in hunting these down; but even in their present state they were able to supply the Challenger with a large quantity of yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, fowls, with a few pigs; and nothing could exceed the kindness of the people in offering everything they had which they thought would be acceptable. It is impossible for any person to visit this island without being pleased with a people generally so amiable, though springing from so guilty a stock, and brought up in so extraordinary a manner. And although I have no hesitation in saying, that they have lost much of that simplicity of character which has been observed in them by former visiters, they are still a well-disposed, well-behaved, kind, hospitable people, and, if well-advised and instructed, would be led to anthing; but I fear, if much left to themselves, and visited by many ships, which now is not an uncommon occurence, that they will lose what simplicity they have left, and will partake of the character of their neighbours the Otaheitans. I found even now that it was a most difficult matter to obtain the truth on any point which told at all to their prejudice; and it was only by cross-questioning them that I could arrive at it. The present generation of children is the finest I ever saw; and out of the whole number, seventy-nine, there are fifty-three under twenty years of age, who appears to have been well-instructed, many of them being capable of reading, and nearly on a par with children |
of the same age in England, It certainly is desirable that this system of instruction should be kept up, and that a clergyman should be sent to them, who would e most acceptable. The Englishmen who have been on the island have on the contrary done much harm, particularly Buffett, who, although a married man, has seduced one of the young girls, by whom he has two children. I enclose a list of the articles of which these people are most in want; and fromth kindness that has hitherto been shown them by his Majesty's government, it may be hoped that they may be induced to supply them. Some of these articles they require very much. The Challenger took some few things from Sydney for them, but the allowance was so scanty that very little benefit will be felt from it. I remained off the island two days, the ship being under way the whole time, there being no anchorage, and the landing partcularly hazardous, so that it is very rarely that a ship's boat ought to attempt it: the natives themselves, however, are very clever with their canoes, and will land in almost any weather. Having given them all the assistance and advice in my power, and aranged their little disputes to the best of my ability, I left this little colony, much preposessed in their favour by every thing I had seen; and sincerly trusting that they may continue to live in that state of innocence and contentment which they enoyed previous to their departure from Otaheite,—which it is to be hoped, that they may, if they do not return to the use of that spirit which they have so well learned the art of distilling. I obtained a specimen of it; it is ot unlike whisky, and very good. . . . .
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Source.
John Barrow Esq., F.R.S.
This article was transcribed from the volume available at Google Books.
Last updated by Tom Tyler, Denver, CO, USA, Jun 20 2022.
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Pitcairn's Island Source Whalesite |