ing the island. Their vessel sailed during their absence, and they were left behind. She had arrived, short of water, on Sunday, a day on which nothing will induce the islanders to barter, and 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,' &c., 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 quartetts, glees, and catches, which they were constantly practising, would often float upon the evening breeze. The fine voices and pleasing singing of the islanders have been constantly mentioned, with many encomiums by succeeding visitors.

Mr. Brodie, who employed his time in making observations 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 pavement 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 W.N.W.

1 Brodie's 'Pitcairn Island and the Islanders.'

about 300 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."

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

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 PITCAIRNDEATH 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 honour 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: :

"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. We 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 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, Honoured 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