Revised Jun 3, 2021
His pleasant relations with the islanders were interrupted once, and only once, in consequence of the arrival of a certain Joshua Hill, calling himself Lord Hill, who came from Tahiti in 1882. This man had the art to persuade the simple islanders that he had been sent out by the home authorities as Governor of the island, and certainly beguiled them into the belief of some of the most extraordinary assertions that it is possible to conceive. Indeed, his persuasive powers appear to have failed him but once, and that was in an attempt to seduce them from the Church of England to Wesleyanism, which was steadily resisted. George Nobbs, with the other two European residents, who had seen a little of the world, of course made light of his pretensions, and Joshua consequently declared war to the knife with the malcontents. He then contrived to enlist the majority of the islanders (who I believe were as much influenced by fear of giving offence to the British Government as by any predilection in their new Governor’s favour) against them, and forthwith commenced a system of petty persecution which eventually drove all three of the Europeans from the island George Nobbs and John Evans went to reside at the Gambier Islands, as Missionaries; and John Buffett, the first schoolmaster here, went on to Tahiti. In about nine months’ time, however, they received a communication from the Pitcairn islanders, who had now begun to find out their mistake, soliciting their return, accompanied with an offer of paying all their expenses. With this request they complied, and George Nobbs was reinstated as teacher.
In 1837 Captain Bruce arrived in H.M.S. Imogine, with orders to remove His Excellency, and carried him away to Valparaiso, much to the satisfaction of the islanders, who had become heartily tired of his rule. Previous to the arrival of H.M.S. Imogine, I ought to have mentioned, that our friend Joshua gave out that he was a very near relative of the Duke of Bedford, and that the duchess seldom rode out in her carriage without him (query—Did he ride inside or outside?). But it unfortunately happened that a few months previous to the arrival of H.M.S. Imogine that H.M.S. Action [Actaeon] arrived with Captain Lord E. Russell on board, who happened to be a son of the duke; and who was informed by the islanders when they went on board, previous to his Lordship’s landing, that the Governor of the island was a near relation of the Duke of Bedford. Lord E. Russell soon found out that Joshua, or the man who rode in the carriage with a duchess, was an imposter, and would have taken him off the island then, had he been authorized; but he could not do it without orders. But reported the case to the Admiral of the station, which was the cause of H.M.S. Imogine being sent for him. (See Appendix, for correspondence between Joshua Hill and the islanders with H.M. Government.)
In 1839, General Friere, who had known Mr. Nobbs when he was in the Chilian service, landed from H. M. S. Sparrow-hawk. I was told that the Chilian Government had put him on board, knowing she was going to Sydney, that Captain Shepherd might treat him as a convict and carry him to New South Wales. To Sydney he certainly went, where he was treated as became his rank; and some time after returned to Valparaiso, probably in consequence of one of those innumerable revolutions by which the Spanish American states have been so long tormented. He promised, en passant, to see to the arrears of poor Nobbs, should he ever come into power.