Galapagos Islands  Source  Whalesite

      A continuance of the same fine weather brought us on Sunday night, March 14th, in sight of the interesting island of Pitcairn's, and the next morning we hove to windward of it, distant about two miles. This speck of land, only seven miles round, rises abruptly from the sea covered with the greenest foliage, peeping from the midst of which, here and there, we saw the low huts of the natives; in the middle the ground is much higher, and forms a sort of wall extending the length of the island, and ending in an abrupt cliff to the northward. Our English colors soon attracted the natives, who were observed coming toward us in a whaleboat; but one man in a nutshell of a canoe was picked up by our cutter and brought first on board. He was dressed decently in a jacket and trowsers, but without shoes, and readily addressed us in English, and shook each by the hand; we somewhat overwhelmed him with the multitude of our questions, nor could he understand us when we spoke quick, as is our cus-

tom aboard ship. His countrymen now arrived in the whaleboat, and our attention was divided among ten or eleven fine strapping, active looking young men, all dressed in jacket and trowsers, and though their skin was dark brown, some were really handsome; their greeting was cordial, but the clergyman soon engrossed all their attention; they had never it seems seen one before, and the strict notions of religion, instilled into their minds by John Adams, made them most anxious to receive the blessing and advice of so holy a character: and I have no doubt but that Mr. W. who is a man truly religious, was of the greatest service to them. We found ourselves frequently at a loss to understand their English, and they perhaps more so to comprehend ours: – for their wants and occupations are so confined, and the simplicity of their ideas requires but few words of expression, that only the most common and simple seem known among them.

      Questions on questions were put regarding the crew of the Bounty, but we learnt nothing that we had not heard of before, except that the last survivor, John Adams "their father" as he is universally called by them, died, full of years, twelve months ago, and loaded with the prayers and blessings of the natives: and at this moment, the person that mentions his name has his eye moistened with a tear of sad recollections.

      There being no anchorage, the ship stood off and on to windward of the island, and every opportunity was given for us to go on shore; our visitors left us about noon, and the captain and some of the officers accompanied them, remaining all night:

on the morrow I had leave with many others, and at an early hour left the ship. The weather bespoke a fine day; a light haze covered the waters and the dear blue sky was unsullied by a cloud; we approached the island, with hardly a breath of wind, the sea was boiling and foaming, and the heavy dash of billows against the rocks drowned our voices; piloted by a young lad that belonged to the island, we lay on our oars without the edge of the surf, while with a peculiar shrill call, common I found to the other islands in the South Sea, he gave them ashore to understand we were arrived. We had remained in this way an hour, watching a break or dent which he pointed out as our landing place, when we observed several figures among the trees which lined the shore, and presently one of them diving dexterously through the surf, came on board, and taking the tiller from the coxswain, desired us to pull in. The passage was most intricate, leading as it were through the centre of the roaring surf; borne on the bosom of a wave that topped so fearfully as to threaten each moment to overwhelm us, his cry of "Pull away, pull away, boys," shewed that even to them 'twas a dangerous task: we spun with the rapidity of an arrow among rocks covered with foam, and one hard bump displayed us for a moment on the very pinnacle of one, when half a dozen of the tall natives, who were observing us, sprang to our assistance, and watching the surf which again rolled toward us, launched us onward and in a moment we grounded on the beach, under the shade of a large tree.

      Assisted by the kind natives we soon cleared the boat, and partly hauled her up, not to be damaged by the surf; which divested of its fury by the numerous rocks, still boiled and bubbled to the very foot of the tree. I hardly knew our visitors of yesterday so differently were they clad; a scarf of dark tappa tied round the waist and hanging down with every attention to decency was their only clothing, and displayed to much advantage. their manly height and noble deportment, (few being less than six feet). Several young boys were making a game of what to us appeared destruction; they were diving through the surf, – and then floating back again, skilfully avoiding the rocks that threatened us with so much danger. They now led the way along the side of the hill through a grove of cocoanut trees to their scattered cottages, six of which being built nearer together were dignified with the title of town; all were anxious to shew attention and hospitality to us, and without much scruple we quartered ourselves severally on them. My host was just going to have his dinner, as he told me, altho' then not nine o'clock; for in this happy country they have no stated time for meals, but "eat when hungry, drink when dry;" and as this was a holiday with them on account of our arrival, they had killed "the fatted pig;" – he told me their usual fare is nearly entirely vegetable food. I found in a rough built hut, consisting of two stories and one room on a floor, seated round a table replenished with the baked pig and yams, a very aged woman, one middle aged, and several youths of both sexes.

      After a cordial greeting, o: long grace was repeated by our host, and their politeness giving to me their only knife and fork, I was forced to take upon myself the duties of carver, which did not however interfere with my making a most hearty breakfast: when concluded, grace was again said, all the company listening with the strictest attention: this I found to be always a particular observance, and quite in keeping with the fervor and simplicity of their religious character, which much to their credit is not, as with us a name only, but pervades their every action. But to return – My host told me that the old woman who I had remarked was one of the four Tahitean women who came with the crew of the Bounty from Tahiti; their age is unknown, but they cannot be less than 60, yet they still bustle about, and work as hard as the youngest: but an Old woman, as Goldsmith says, has a world of prejudice to surmount before she can become anything but an object of pity, and often of disgust; for from our cradles we recall the stories of witchcraft, malice; and cruelty imputed to the old and infirm of the female sex; and though the light of reason tells us it is most unjust, still thiS bugbear of the imaginatien influences more than the moiety of mankind in their behaviour to the unfortunates. I confess that she looked so old and corpse-like, that I gladly escaped from her awkward expressions of pleasure at the appearance of my clothes, my gun, &c., and followed my host, whose name I found was Young, to see their school room. This was built with more attention to neatness than any of their dwelling houses, and being

nearly new was not yet soiled by the careless habits of the schoolboy; the master, whose name was Nobbs, had not long been with them, and there was mystery that hung over his appearance and character, which I think would hardly bear scrutinizing. However, he is married to one of the prettiest natives, and professes that his only object in coming amongst them, was to fly the cares of the busy world, and impart any knowledge he possessed to the furtherance of the great ends of Religion: but there are some who already think that Nobbs being tolerably well-informed and versed in the ways of the world, affects a superiority over them, which is extremely hurtful to their strict notions of independence and liberty of action, and has created a division amongst them, further fomented, I think by the arts of two other Englishmen, who are jealous of the new comer. "May not this, I thought," – as I gleaned the information from one or other of the natives, "may not this be the means of spoiling this simple and unaffected race, seemingly so happy and contented, and make them forget what we never I fear truly practice, – their duty towards their neighbour."

      It was delightful to meet every-where with the clear brow and smiling countenance of health and content; their happiness centered in the bosom of their families, and all the capabilities of living comfortable within their reach; – hallowed by religion, their lives must be one continued stream of uninterrupted pleasures. "And is it for man, thought I, – (while lingering lonely on the ridge, that as a wall divides the island into two parts,) is it for Man,

civilized man, to dash this fair cup of joy from their grasp? – and to give to them from their own vile cup of sins and sorrows?" But in soberness of thought, and divested of all romance, I must say, that such is most likely to follow, solely from the visits of strangers, without any bad intentions on their part. For our minds in civilized life are so differently toned, our tastes so pampered and perverted, that though for a time novelty might please, the order and simple regularity of such a life must pall at last on minds so restless and so long accustomed to the exciting, polished, but more deceitful pleasures of the world: the discontent we ourselves feel will soon be spread amongst them, and that noxious weed once allowed to grow will over-run and choak all the useful plants in their mental garden; it will cherish a love of distinction, which till now had lain dormant on the soil, but at once becomes of such importance, that to it they sacrifice willingly all their happiness, and

      But I am indulging myself by an excursion into the future, without recalling to my mind my own situation on the aforesaid ridge, from which I descended after gazing around on the wide expanse of waters and the one spot occupied by the gallant and beautiful vessel, that had borne me so far and so well: there she lay "like a thing of life," – her tall and tapering masts hid by her swelling sails, and her low dark hull, dashing the sprey from her bows, and circling her with a sheet of white foam; but enough: – The path I had taken led me by

patches of luxuriant vegetation, here and there betraying the hand of the native, by being turned into the semblance of a garden, abounding with bananas and sweet potatoes, and water melons, and again abruptly terminated by the deep ravine, whose bed though lined with stones, afforded nourishment to the roots of a hundred tall trees. I paused for a moment at the last dwelling-place of the few mutineers, that had given to this island its inhabitants; in this quiet spot ojershadowed by acacias, I recognized the lowly grave of John Adams, – a humble slab of wood, some relic of the Bounty, with his name rudely carved, was all that told of the departed; and while his early fame is sullied by the daring act of mutiny, his latter days were so usefully, so meritoriously employed, that he richly deserves the converse of those lines of Shakspeare –

He indeed must have been a singular good and worthy man, of strong mind and most unerring intentions; in the whole island, his praise and sorrow for his loss were constant and never-tiring themes.

      Here some of the natives joined me, to them this is a sacred spot, and the ready smile died on their lips, as they murmured the name of the old patriarch, and a prayer mingled itself with a reply to some foolish question I unthinkingly asked: I saw my error and hurried away to some more genial place. It was only now mid-day, and hearing the sound of music, which in the tones of a violin and

flute, from the ship, much pleased and astonished them, I willingly joined myself in the task of amusement, by dancing country dances and quadrilles. In so warm a country this could not last long, and the remainder of the day was agreeably spent in observing the manufacture of the "tappa," and many other things new and amusing to us. – Tappa is a species of cloth, made from the bark of a young plant, called the Chinese mulberry, as in all the South Sea islands; they, I believe, steep the barks when stripped from the tree in water for two or three days, then with a short club beat them into one another in this pulpy state they adhere, and after a very laborious operation, they become of the thickness required. Here they make but little, as they have European clothing, but at the other islands, it becomes nearly the sole occupation of the women, – who meet in parties and beat a sort of tune with their clubs that may be heard for miles; – and is of so much the more consequence, as all their clothing is a piece of tappa, and the king or chiefs exact a tax of it yearly.

      I saw on this island for the first time the banyan tree, and although it did not equal the tales of travellers, still was eminently curious, and I would not have missed seeing it, for if it does grow in the high lands of Tahiti, I had never the opportunity of again observing it.

      About five o'clock we took our leave, and again the coolness, skill, and activity of the natives were displayed in launching us through the breakers into the open sea, and then shaking heartily the hands of the brave swimmers that had followed us,

we made sail, and in the course of half-an-hour were on board.

      We remained off the island for six days, being detained by the desertion of one of our men, who however was discovered by the natives, and brought on board by the first lieutenant. I did not go ashore again, but gained some further information from the natives that occasionally came on board. The total number of the inhabitants is 81, but not above one-third are adults; within the last few years they have had several visits from merchantmen, and some of the young men went a short time back in a schooner to an island some hundred miles off for pearls, and from their good diving obtained. for her an excellent cargo; in return for which the master of the schooner only gave them a check shirt and trowsers apiece, so that here even they are exposed to the roguery of man. But adieu to Pitcairn's Island, – as a subject dwelt on with pleasure and only parted from with regret: its outline traced on the utmost verge of the horizon is fast fading from my sight, and it is not likely I shall ever see it again, yet its innocent inhabitants have awakened an interest in me which will ever make me anxious to hear its future story.

Lieut. J. Orlebar, R.N.
      A midshipman's journal, on board H.M.S. Seringapatam, during the year 1830: containing brief observations on Pitcairn's Island and other islands in the South Sea.
London: Whittaker, Treacher, and Co., 1833
pp.15-24.

Galapagos Islands  Source  Whalesite