hardly to convey provisions to any ships. But as the people on board were suffering, they agreed to supply them with sufficient for their present urgent need, and promised an ample supply of water, yams, potatoes, and other vegetables on the morrow.

To the consternation of the visitors, who in any case only expected to pass the night on shore, the wind had changed before morning, which compelled the captain to get clear of the island, and the ship was seen fifteen miles off, as they supposed, beating up; they therefore employed the day in exploring the island, visiting The Rope, etc., the vessel being still in sight. For two days she appeared to stand off and on, but the weather being very unsettled, the captain probably thought it dangerous to approach the rocks, or even to remain in the vicinity, and accordingly pursued his voyage.

The kind-hearted islanders would willingly have taken out their boats to try and overtake her; but the wind was rising, and the surf so strong that it would have been impossible to pass through it. The hospitality with which the strangers were treated in some measure compensated for their unexpected detention, and they soon employed themselves in various ways to pass the time agreeably. Mr. Carleton, who sang well, and was a good musician, undertook to train a choir, with a view of improving their singing in church. In the course of a fortnight, so successful was his instruction, and so apt were his pupils, that not only was the part-singing in the service well performed, but quartettes, glees, and catches, which they were constantly practising, would often float upon the evening breeze. The fine voices and pleasing singing of the isl anders have been constantly mentioned, with many encomiums by succeeding visitors.

Mr. Brodie, who employed his time in making observa

tions on the productions and antiquities of the island, gives some interesting information concerning it,* and says, "There is no doubt but that this island was formerly inhabited, although the native race must have been extinct many years prior to the arrival of the Bounty. Burial-places are still to be seen, and large flat hewn stones remain in different parts of the island, which must have been for pavements in front of their houses, such as are still in use among other tribes in the South Seas. These stones, when observed by the men in the Bounty, had some very large trees growing up among them, by which, in many places, they were displaced. Stone images were likewise. found, supposed to have been objects of worship; they were made of a hardish coarse stone. Stone spear-heads and small axes are very common in the island, and round stone balls of about two pounds in weight are not unfrequently found when working up new ground.

"The aborigines most probably drifted here upon a raft, it having been the custom many years ago, especially at the Gambier Islands, which are to the west-north-west about three hundred miles from Pitcairn Island, and of many of the Low Islands, to put those vanquished in war on a raft, when the wind was off the island, and send them adrift to whatever place they could reach. Two actual instances of this practice were mentioned to me by Mr. Nobbs himself; one came under his cognizance when he was at the Gambier Islands."

*Brodie's "Pitcairn Island and the Islanders."

For an account of Mr. Nobbs's stay at the Gambier Islands, see Appendix B.

10

CHAPTER V.

Arrival of Rear-admiral Fairfax Moresby.-H.M.S. Portland at Pitcairn Island.-Mr. Nobbs proceeds to England.-His Ordination as Chaplain.-Return to Pitcairn.-Death of Reuben Nobbs.

ALTHOUGH, as we have seen, several ships of war had by this time (1851) touched at the island, no British admiral had as yet paid it a visit. Rear-admiral Fairfax Moresby, now on the Pacific Station, had evinced unusual interest in the Pitcairn people, and, thus encouraged, the women of the island made a formal request that he would "give them the honor of welcoming to their little island" so important a representative of her Majesty. Fourteen of the female inhabitants on their own behalf, and that of the other women on the island, signed the following letter to the admiral:

"[COPY.]

"Pitcairn, July 28th, 1851. "HONORABLE SIR,-From the kind interest you have evinced for our little community, in the letter which you have sent to our excellent and worthy pastor Mr. Nobbs, we are emboldened to send you the following request, which is, that you will visit us before you leave this station, or if it is impossible for you to do so, certainly we, as loyal subjects of our queen, ought to be visited annually, if not oftener, by one of her Majesty's ships of war. have never had the pleasure of welcoming an English admiral to our little island, and we therefore earnestly solicit a visit from you. How inexpressibly happy shall we be if you should think fit to grant this our warmest wish! We trust that our very secluded and isolated position, and the very few visits we have of late had from British ships

We

of war, will be sufficient apology for our addressing the above request to you. With fervent prayers for your present and future happiness, and for that of our queen and nation, we remain, honored sir, your sincere and affectionate well-wishers,

This invitation, so frankly given, was cordially accepted by their constant and kind friend the admiral, and this visit had an important influence on the prospects and well-being of the islanders and their pastor. The following graphic account of so unusual an occurrence as the arrival of a British admiral is written by Mr. Nobbs, the admirable chronicler of all remarkable events in the annals of the island:

"On the 7th of August, 1852 (at noon), a vessel was reported, which at sunset was strongly suspected of being a ship of war. The hours of the night passed tediously away, and before sunrise next morning several of our people were seated on the precipice in front of the town, anxiously awaiting the report of a gun from the ship, which would give positive confirmation to the over-night suspicion of her being a ship of war. Nor were they kept long in suspense: the booming of a cannon electrified the town, and the whole community were thrown into a state of intense excitement, more especially as it was quickly observed that this ship wore an admiral's flag. Our boat repaired on board, and, after a short time, another from the ship was seen approaching the shore. The teacher and some others went to the landing-place, and had the honor and pleasure

of welcoming to Pitcairn Rear-admiral Moresby, commander in-chief, the first officer of that rank that ever visited Pitcairn. The admiral received our greetings of welcome in a most urbane manner, and both himself and his secretary, Mr. Fortescue Moresby, the admiral's son, were pleased to express themselves much gratified with all they saw and heard. The admiral attended Divine service, and was evidently surprised at the improvement the people had made in singing by note, especially as their friend Carleton had so very limited a time for instructing them.

"In the afternoon the Rev. Mr. Holman read prayers, and preached a sermon most appropriate to the occasion from 1 Cor. chap. xv., last verse."

We shall now insert a letter written home by Mr. Fortescue Moresby, describing the islanders at the time of the visit, and the impression their simplicity and unaffected manners made on the minds of all on board :

August, 1854. "Mr. George Hunn Nobbs, the pastor, met us at the landing-place, and we at once ascended the cliffs by a steep winding path to a plantation of cocoa-nut trees, called the Market-place, where the trade is carried on. Several of the islanders met us, and gave us a hearty welcome. Generally all the inhabitants assemble here to welcome the officers of a man-of-war, but as it was Sunday, and early, they had not arrived, so we continued our way by a pretty path winding through the trees to the town, meeting here and there small detachments coming to greet us. These all followed in our wake, and by the time we reached Mr. Nobbs's cottage, which is situated at the opposite end of the town, we had pretty well all the people with us. Never were seen so many happy smiling faces, all eager to look at the first admiral that ever came to their happy island, but not one tried to push his way or make any at