Pitcairn's Island  Source  Whalesite

NORFOLK AND PITCAIRN ISLANDS — VOYAGE OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS — BISHOP SELWYN AT SYDNEY — LETTER FROM THE REV. C. BICE.

      THOSE of our readers who were interested in the history and present condition of the inhabitants of Norfolk and Pitcairn Islands, as put before them in the last Australasian number of the Mission Field (p. 325, 1879), will welcome the insertion in our present number of two documents in continuation of the narrative. The first is a letter from the aged chaplain of Norfolk Island himself, the Rev. G. H. Nobbs. It is addressed to the Secretary of the S.P.G., and dated Norfolk Island, June 12, 1879. We print it in its entirety:  

      "Rev. Sir,

            "I have just heard of the death of my valued friend, Rev. William Thomas Bullock, and very sincerely proffer condolence to our mutual friends.

      "The reverend deceased was the successor of a brother in Christ — Rev. Ernest Hawkins — whose unqualified kindness to myself personally, and to my people, by the interest he took in their welfare, is still borne in mind. The late Secretary also evinced in his correspondence with us, since our removal to this place, much sympathy, in regard to myself as chaplain, and to the community, in various grants of Bibles, Prayer-books, and other publications suited to the beneficial instruction, spiritual and temporal, of our rapidly increasing community, now numbering 370 persons, included in 63 families, and nearly numbering the same in either sex. I am becoming very feeble from age; and my memory fails me in consequence of an operation at the back of my neck for carbuncle two years since. The clergy of the Melanesian College established here give me assistance on Sunday, taking the Afternoon Service, and also at the Holy Communion on the first Sunday of the month. There are more than a hundred communicants, and the average attendance is ninety. There are 108 scholars in the Day-school instructed by two efficient masters, and several pupil-teachers; and in our Sunday-school there are eleven classes — four of the instructors, one lady, Mrs. Colenso, and three clergy, Messrs. Bice, Penny, and Comins, are of the Melanesian Establishment. We have been frequent recipients of most acceptable donations of Bibles, Prayer-books, and other religious and school publications made us by the venerable Society; and would, with diffidence, ask an increase of our obligation in Bibles and Prayer-books for Church Service: other religious and moral books, for family use, would be most acceptable. Mr. Arthur Mills and other gratefully remembered friends will inform you of our antecedents although I am given to understand — but not officially — that the successor of Mr. Bullock is the Rev. H. W. Tucker, whose memoir of the late Bishop Selwyn I have just received from England; if so, you will no doubt have heard somewhat of our unique history. We are at this time in anxiety as to a medical practitioner; our resident, Herbert Duke, M.D., a most excellent man, is in a bad state of health and about to leave us, returning to his friends in England. We have

written to Sir Alfred Stephens upon the subject, but some length of time must elapse before a proper person can be obtained, and I am become too infirm to resume the onerous charge.

      "June 14. — This evening a merciful deliverance from sudden death was experienced in our midst. Two of our boats, with twelve persons in each, including some of our Mission friends, went to visit the caves and other natural curiosities on the western side of the island. The day was very fine, and the party highly gratified with their excursion, but on their return, and just as they were about to land, a heavy roller capsised one of the boats and injured her badly; twelve persons were in this boat, five of whom were women. Providentially several persons were close at hand, and though it was nearly dark they without hesitation plunged into the boiling surge and rescued the women; and two of the men, who were from injuries received unable to make head against the outset. All were 'brought safe to land,' and we are now praising God with heart and voice for so great a deliverance from what may be literally called the jaws of death. Two of the men in this boat are sons of mine, and their wives were with them, the parents of sixteen children. Just in the midst of this fearful dilemma a steamer from Sydney came in, landed a doctor for island service, and proceeded to Fiji. All that I have related did not occupy more than an hour: our people providentially rescued from death, those in a precarious state properly attended to, and the new doctor heartily welcomed. We sorely regret the failing health of Dr. Duke, for he was an excellent man; but we hope that we have obtained an efficient successor. We are expecting Bishop Selwyn here by the end of August. The Missionary vessel Southern Cross will be, D.V., in Sydney to receive our excellent friend. And now, reverend Sir, may I ask you to present my humble and grateful respects to the venerable Society for the many benefits conferred on this community during the past twenty-five years?

      The other document is an account of a very recent visit to Pitcairn Island, embodied in the report to the Admiralty of Captain F. C. B. Robinson, of H.M.S. Opal, who was commissioned to convey to the islanders an organ, a present from the Queen. The organ, being nearly six feet high, was not easily landed through the surf, abounding in sharks, which broke round the island. When landed, Captain Robinson says —

      Owing to the heavy rain the narrow path up the cliffs to Adamstown was so slippery that we found even climbing up it difficult; the sturdy inhabitants, however, thought little of it, for they shouldered the organ and walked it up to the top and to the church-house without once pausing-no light feat, considering the state of the path, and that their village is 210 feet above the sea. The night had closed in before they had got it up, but the full moon which had just risen made the little village almost as light as day. It is difficult to describe the gratitude of the islanders to her Majesty for the present, or their pleasure with the form in which you placed the gift. The whole community assembled to see the organ unpacked and placed in the church-house, and when there their first impulse and act was the spontaneous bursting forth of 'God save the Queen, and as their sweet voices sang verse after verse of our anthem their earnestness

and depth of feeling spoke more than words can convey their gratitude and loving loyalty to the Queen; this natural expression of the fulness of their simple hearts was eloquence they were unaware of, and touchingly conveyed thanks which they tried so often and so hard to put into words. They appeared to have feared that in leaving Norfolk Island they might have been thought ungrateful for that gift, and that in having done so they incurred displeasure, and had forfeited their right to be considered as belonging to England; a present so unexpected from the Queen removed this fear, and intensified a delight too real to be called extravagant.

      "The following day all on the island were busily employed in supplying the Opal with yams, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables, a ten days' supply of which, together with some fruit, I was glad to be able to get for the ship's company, a partial change in diet much needed, considering the length of the passage from San Francisco to Valparaiso — the distance sailed over being 8,836 miles. The crops had been abundant, and had our stay been longer, they could and would have gladly given us far more than we took, but the double pleasure of supplying our wants and coming off to see the ship limited the amount they could get ready in the short time we remained. The value at which the supplies were rated was three-halfpence per pound, a lesser rate than anywhere else on this station, and, according to their wish, I bartered soap in payment. Certain other Government stores, induced by their urgent necessities, I left with the islanders. Arrowroot continues to be manufactured by the islanders, in the hope that ships passing might like to take it in barter, but as ships generally require fruit and vegetables, they cannot readily dispose of their arrowroot, which is to be regretted, as from its purity and excellent quality, and their industry in making it, it deserves a market. "Little change has taken place in this small community since your visit in September last year. They all appear in excellent health at present; their number is ninety-three, three children had been born since then; one man, an American, named Peter Butler, who had lived among them for about two years, left the island in October last year, leaving a wife and twin babies behind. Although she appears still to hope he may return, others do not consider this probable, particularly as two of the native islanders who left by the same vessel (trading to the Samoan Islands) have come back. "The islanders appear to dislike, but to be doubtful of their power to prevent, strangers, particularly foreigners, taking up their abode among them; they say that foreigners do not care to submit to the laws of the island (professing not to consider them English laws), an exemption from control which brings ridicule and reproach on the simple rules which they find sufficient for themselves and cheerfully submit to; their uneasiness about this, and anxiety to know the status of foreigners who might come, and the authority of the magistrate over them, was very marked. Mr. M'Coy put the case in a very apposite manner in saying, 'If a stranger who may be on the island wishes to marry one of our women, and she also desires it, let them do so; but surely the man should take his wife away to his own home, and not expect to settle in his wife's, and fill to overflowing the island, none too large for its own people.'

      "On the 3rd of July I asked the islanders to visit the Opal, and with the exception of three women, who remained to take care of the very youngest babies, I think every soul came; unfortunately the ground swell at such an exposed anchorage made the Opal pitch and roll considerably, and as her disturbing powers are great, I was not surprised to

find that the combined motion produced sea sickness, which soon prostrated the women and children; they appeared, however, to prefer it, and remaining on board to returning to the shore — a fortitude I was glad of, as it enabled some photographs of them to be taken during pauses in their indisposition. As these, the first, I think, taken of them on the island, will be interesting, I append a few to this letter.

      On the Opal's destination becoming known at San Francisco, numerous presents were sent on board for the Pitcairn Islanders, who speak most thankfully of the kindness of the people of San Francisco, who, when they get an opportunity, send things they think are most required; they sent some packets of seeds, and I was also able to give the islanders a considerable number of pods of the silk cotton plants' — I got them last year at Bara-Bara, when the Opal visited the independent islands of the Society group. It is so very much superior to the poor quality of cotton they are trying to cultivate at Pitcairn, and they appeared to prize it so highly, that I hope they will be able to raise it from the seed I left.

      It is unnecessary for me to do more than allude to the simple piety and moral excellence of these charming islanders, whose guilelessness and affectionate hospitality must win on the hearts of all who come in contact with them; it did so with us, and I should be sorry to lose this opportunity of mentioning opinions so much in accord with those of previous visitors. They were in great distress at having nothing they could think worthy to offer for her Majesty's acceptance, and they brought off a model of one of their canoes, which they ventured to hope the Queen would deign to receive from them."

"Norfolk and Pitcairn Islands-Voyage of the Southern Cross-Bishop Selwyn at Sydney-Letter from the Rev. C. Bice."
      Mission Field.
No. 289 (January 1, 1880)
pp.28-29.

Pitcairn's Island  Source  Whalesite