Revised Jun 22 2021
The late excellent Captain Worth, of H.M.S. Calypso, who visited the island in 1848, afforded the following testimony to the amiable character and the happy state of the Pitcairn islanders:—
"We arrived here on the 9th March (1848) from Callao, but the weather being very bad, stormy and squally, as you know there is no landing except in a small nook called Bounty Bay, and very frequently not even there—indeed, never in ship's boats, from the violence of the surf—I did not communicate with the shore till the next day, when, having landed safely all the presents I brought for the inhabitants from Valparaiso, I landed myself with half the officers and youngsters, the ship standing off and on, there being no anchorage. I made the officers divide the day between them, one-half on shore, the other on board; so they were gratified with visiting these interesting people. I never was so gratified by such a visit, and would rather have gone there than to any part of the world. They are the most interesting, contented, moral, and happy people that can be conceived.
"Their delight at our arrival was beyond everything. The comfort, peace, strict morality, industry, and excessive cleanliness and neatness that was apparent about everything around them, was really such as I was not prepared to witness. Their learning and attainments in general education and information really astonishing; all dressed in English style; the men a fine race, and the women and children very pretty, and their manner of a superior order, ever smiling and joyous. But one mind and one wish seems to actuate them all. Crime appears to be unknown, and if there is really true happiness on earth, it surely is theirs.
"The island is romantic and beautiful; the soil of the richest description, yielding almost every tropical fruit and vegetable: in short, it is a little paradise. I examined their laws, added a few to them, assembled them all in the church, and addressed them, saying how gratified I was to find them in the happy state they were, advising them to follow in the steps of virtue and rectitude they had hitherto done, and they would never want the sympathies of their countrymen (i. e. English), who were most interested about them. It was really affecting to see these primitive and excellent people, both old and young, 140 in the whole, looking up to me, and almost devouring all I said, with eager attention, and with scarcely a dry eye amongst them. And, 'albeit unused to the melting, mood' I found a moisture collecting in my own which I could scarcely restrain, they were so grateful, so truly thankful for all the kindnesses that had from time to time been shown them, and for the Interest in their welfare shown by us and our countrymen. I had all the men and most of the women on board; but there was such a sea on, that the poor girls were dreadfully sea-sick. Mar 11, 1848 I fired some guns and let off rockets on the night of our departure; and they returned the compliment by firing an old honeycombed gun belonging to the Bounty. I set them completely up—gave them 100 lbs. of powder, ensign and union-jack, casks of salt beef and pork, implements of agriculture of all kinds, clothes, bocks, &c.; and sailed, on the evening of the 11th, for Tahiti."