Revised Jun 19 2021
From this time forward a picture, of an opposite character, is presented to the eye. We now gladly turn away from scenes of crime and folly to record the history of the most innocent and well-organised community that has perhaps been ever seen on earth—one, moreover, which assumed this character by a change so sudden, and so contrary to all likelihood, that a direct interference of Providence in its favour would seem the only reasonable manner of accounting for the change. The immediate cause of it, at all events, was the dream already mentioned in Arthur Quintall’s recital, by which old John Adams was visited. It startled him much, and led him into a train of serious thoughts; but the recurrence of another vision, of similar character, in which he thought that he was carried away to view the flames and torments of the bottomless pit, completed the work that had been already so auspiciously begun; and his whole remaining term of life was devoted to the expiation of his earlier errors.
In 1799, Adams and Young were the sole survivors out of fifteen males that landed upon the island They were both, and more particularly Young, of a serious turn of mind; and it would have been wonderful, after the many dreadful scenes at which they assisted, if the solitude and tranquillity that ensued, had not disposed them to repentance. During Christian's lifetime they only once read the Church service. They now, however, resolved to have morning and evening family prayers, to add afternoon service to the duty of the Sabbath, and to train up their own children, and those of their late unfortunate companions, in piety and virtue. In the execution of this resolution, Young’s education enabled him to be of the greatest assistance; but he was not long suffered to survive his repentance—he died of asthma in 1800, and Adams was left the sole survivor of the misguided and unfortunate mutineers of the Bounty. The loss of his last companion was a great affliction to him, and was for some time most severely felt. It was a catastrophe, however, that more than ever disposed him to repentance, and determined him to execute the pious resolution he had made, in the hope of expiating his offences. His reformation could not have taken place at a more propitious moment. He nevertheless had an arduous task to perform. Besides the children to be educated, the Tahitian women were to be converted; and as the example of the parents had a powerful influence over their children, he resolved to make them his first care. Here, also, his labours succeeded. The Tahitians were naturally of a tractable disposition, and gave him less trouble than he anticipated. The children also acquired such a thirst after spiritual knowledge, that Adams, in a short time, had little else to do than to answer their inquiries, and put them the right way. As they grew up, they acquired fixed habits of morality and piety, which merit wholly belonged to Adams, and tends to redeem the former errors his life. He taught himself—so say the islanders&mdah;to read. He gave himself up to the study of the Bible and Prayer Book, and devoted himself, during the remainder of his time, in imparting the knowledge which was thus acquired. He was listened to with attention, being now the only male survivor of the Bounty's crew, and looked up to by the half-castes of the first generation with patriarchal reverence. His efforts were crowned with complete success; the morals of the community became as strict as they had heretofore been loose. Religious observances were insisted upon, even to severity of discipline; and the death-bed of John Adams, the mutineer and manslayer, was cheered by the consolatory reflection that his labours had borne fruit—that the seed which had been sown by him had now struck such deep root as to give the fairest promises of permanently maintaining its title to the soil in which it was laid.
In 1795, a ship was observed close in with the island; at the sight of which the mutineers were so much alarmed as to hide themselves in the bush. When they came out again from their concealment, they found that a party had actually landed from her, as was proved by the discovery of a jack-knife on a rock by the sea-side, and some cocoa-nut shells. Their habitation, however, appeared to have remained unnoticed. The first vessel by which the refugees of the mutineers of the Bounty were discovered, was the American ship, Topaz, Capt. Folger, in 1808. Capt. F. carried away a chronometer and compass, for the purpose of forwarding them to the Admiralty. Whether they were received, or not, I cannot say; but at all events, no notice was taken of the discovery until 1814, when H. M. S. Britain and Tagus arrived in search of the U. S. ship of war, the Essex, which had been taking many of our whaling vessels. Adams was very much alarmed, very naturally supposing they had come to fetch him away. He did not attempt concealment, but presented himself to the captain, who assured him that they had not come to arrest him—observing at the same time, that it would now be a cruelty to take him away: both on account of the lapse of time that had expired, and the dependence upon him in which the islanders were placed for counsel. In 1830, the islanders received a present from the English Government, of clothes and agricultural implements, which were brought out viá Valparaiso by Capt. Hon. Waldegrave, in H.M.S. Seringapatam. In 1881, they were removed by the English Government to Tahite.