paraiso, where they saw his majesty's ships the Phoebe | prehension; but the crew were still lost in wonder, and the Cherub in possession of the object of their pursuit, which they were carrying a prize to England. The purpose of their voyage was therefore accomplished without their interposition; but as the crew were considerably harassed with their stormy passage, and a great deal of sickness prevailed, the captain determined, by way of a little relaxation, to visit Lima, and sailed for that city in company with the Tagus.

when one of their visitors said, "Do you know William Bligh, in England?" The veil immediately fell from their eyes, and they saw themselves about to fathom the depths of that mystery, which had hitherto involved the fate of Christian and his unhappy comrades. The question was instantly put, "Do you know one Christian?" Oh, yes, there is his son coming up in the next boat; his name is Friday Fletcher October Christian; his father is dead now." Anxiety was now raised to the highest pitch to learn everything relating to this mysterious transaction; question was put upon question, and from the answers which were readily given, we may trace the further career of Christian and his associates. After leaving sixteen of their number on shore, at Matavai Bay, as before-mentioned, he again steered for Pitcairn's Island, and rejoined the establishment there, which the natives seem to have made no further at

Lima answered most completely the purposes intended. The inhabitants were particularly fond of the English sailors, and led them a continual round of feasting and gaiety. After having spent the ten days allotted for their amusement, and which seemed to pass very rapidly, so pleasantly was their time employed, they were obliged to bid adieu to these gay quarters. They touched at several points on the coast, and then proceeded to examine the group of the Gallapagos. These islands were found dark, gloomy, and moun-tempts to oppose; but a more deadly evil afflicted the tainous, and almost covered with the traces of volcanic eruption.

This gloomy scene was soon gladly exchanged for the more cheerful aspect of the Marquesas, where the crew met with that somewhat too cordial welcome, which always awaits European navigators. Here a party of them landed, and were received by the natives with every testimony of the most extravagant joy, and were presented with cocoa-nuts, slings, spears, and every thing which the natives themselves accounted most valuable.

On the 2d of September, the Briton sailed from the Marquesas, and steered to the southward to regain the port of Valparaiso. In the second watch of the night, land was unexpectedly discovered, and daylight discovered to them a fertile shore, varied with huts, cultivation, and people. Among the latter there appeared an alacrity much greater than usual to come out and hail the Europeans. The people were making signs, launching their little canoes through the surf, and as soon as they were afloat, pulling towards the ship with the most eager despatch. The captain was mustering the few words of the Marquesan tongue which he had picked up, to hail them with, when to the utter amazement of himself and all present, a voice came from the nearest canoe, asking in good English, "What is the ship's name?" and on receiving an answer, added, "Who is the commander?" A regular intercourse now commenced, and they were requested to come on board. They were ready to do so, but had no boat-hook to hold on by; they were offered a rope, but had nothing to make it fast to; their zeal, however, mastered every difficulty, and in a few minutes they were on board the ship. They seemed perfectly at ease and under no ap

rising colony. A mortal jealousy arose between the English and the Otaheiteans, for which, on the part of the latter, there seems to have been but too good ground. Christian's wife having died in childbed soon after the birth of their eldest son, he forcibly seized on the wife of one of the Otaheiteans; which so enraged the injured and justly incensed husband, that in the fury of resentment characteristic of savages, he determined on a bloody revenge. Taking advantage of the moment when Christian was busy in his yam plantation, he shot him in the back; the wound was mortal, and 'the unhappy man at once expiated his crimes with his life.

This was the signal for a general rising of the Otaheiteans. The English were surprised and overcome; two were killed, and John Adams, wounded, fled into the woods. This dreadful scene was followed by another still more tragical, and which seems almost to realize the dark traditions of ancient fable. The Otaheitean females, like those of most savage races, had always felt a strong partiality in favour of the Europeans; and this preference, so cruel and mortifying to their own countrymen, had been one main cause of the deadly enmity beween the two races. Spectators of the late fatal contest, their feelings wrought to such a pitch of regret and indignation, that, belieing all that gentleness which is proper to the female character, they rose in the depth of night, and, like the too celebrated daughters of Danaus, murdered, in their sleep, their unsuspecting husbands and countrymen.

In this dreadful manner, Adams and the few surviving English were saved: yet out of this abyss of horror, there has, by a happy Providence, arisen a society bearing no stamp of the guilty origin from which it sprung. A new race arose, removed from the scenes of violence in

admitted, that by following the fortunes of that unhappy man, he had lost every right to his country, and that his life was even forfeited to the laws. He was now at the head of a little community by whom he was adored, and whom he carefully instructed in the duties of religion, industry, and friendship.

which they had received their birth, and carefully in- | disavowed all previous knowledge of, or consent to the structed, as far as their teachers were capable, in the conspiracy formed by Christian; but at the same time duties of religion and the ties of social life. The only survivor of the original body, at the time of the arrival of the Briton, was John Adams, a man of a mild and amiable disposition, of about sixty years of age, and who denied any participation in the crime of the mutineers. He was reverenced as the father of the colony, and ruled with a paternal sway over this little community. Their numbers had now increased to forty-eight, of whom six were the Otaheitean females who had accompanied the Europeans in their first establishment of the colony: a great proportion of them were still in childhood; but there were eleven fine young men, grown up, and about as many of the other sex.

The islanders always spoke English, though they understood the Otaheitean. The men appeared to be a fine race, about five feet ten inches in height, with manly features, and long black hair. Their only attire was a mantle, which went over the shoulders and hung down to the knee, being tied round the waist by a girdle, both produced from the bark of trees growing on the island. On the head they wore a straw hat, with a few feathers stuck in it by way of ornament. The young women had invariably beautiful teeth, fine eyes, and open expression of countenance, with an engaging air of simple innocence and sweet sensibility.

As soon as the first burst of curiosity on both sides had been gratified, the islanders were invited to share the breakfast which had been served up in the cabin, where, before sitting down to table, they fell on their knees, and with uplifted hands implored the blessing of heaven on the meal which they were about to partake of: at the close of the repast they resumed the same attitude, and breathed a fervent prayer of thanksgiving for the bounty which they had just experienced. Upon the whole, the crew of the Briton were highly gratified by their intercourse with these simple natives, whose deportment displayed an active intelligence and a liberal curiosity, coupled at the same time with very amiable dispositions.

The greatest want of this little family was that of the means of reading and writing. Adams, though very little skilled in writing, had been at great pains to preserve the chronology of the period during which he resided at Pitcairn's Island. After having exhausted his little stock of paper and ink, he had used a slate and stone pencil, and had kept such a careful record of each day, with the week, month, and year to which it belonged, that there was only one day's difference between his calculation and that of the Briton, which may be accounted for by their having each half circumnavigated the globe from an opposite direction. Sir Thomas accommodated them with all the paper he could spare, and received in return a copy of Captain Cook's first voyage which had belonged to Captain Bligh, and contained a number of marginal notes in his writing.

Nothing more was heard of Adams and his family for nearly twelve years; when, in 1825, Captain Beechey, in the Blossom, who was bound on a voyage of discovery, paid a visit to Pitcairn's Island. They found that a whaleship had been there in the mean time, and left a person of the name of John Buffet. He proved to be an able and willing schoolmaster, and had taken upon himself the duty of clergyman. They found the inhabitants as well-disposed as described by Sir Thomas Staines, but still greatly in want of many necessaries in wearing-apparel and implements of agriculture. In consequence of a representation made by Captain Beechey to this effect, his majesty's government sent to Valparaiso for the necessary articles, which arrived in his majesty's ship Seringapatam, commanded by Captain the Hon. William Waldegrave, who arrived there in March, 1830.

The ship had scarcely anchored, when George Young was alongside in his canoe; and soon after, Friday Fletcher October Christian, with several others in a jollyboat, who were invited to breakfast. They announced the death of John Adams, which took place in March, 1829.

In consequence of the short supply of provisions, the Briton [was only enabled to remain two days off the island; but before leaving the island, the captain went on shore to visit Adams. After passing through groves of cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees, they came to a beautiful picturesque little village: the houses were small, arranged in an oblong square, with trees interspersed; they were regular, convenient, and excessively Pitcairn's Island lies at the south-eastern extremity of clean. The captain was immediately introduced to a chain of islands, which, including the Society and Adams, whom he found a fine-looking old man ap-Friendly Islands, exceed a hundred in number, many of proaching to sixty. In a long private interview which them wholly uninhabited, and the rest but very thinly he had with him, they conversed fully on everything peopled. There is no deficiency of the necessaries of life relating to the mutiny of the Bounty. He solemnly in this temperate climate.

Loss of the Proserpine, Captain J. Wallis, February 1, | captain would only proceed between half ebb and half

On Saturday morning the gale increased to such a degree, that the ice reached up to the cabin-windows, the stern-post was broken in two, and the ship was otherwise very considerably damaged. It was then proposed by Mr. Grenville and the officers to try and get over the ice to Newark Island, as the only means that presented themselves, whereby they might save the lives of the ship's company, and especially as remaining on board any longer was useless, and might be attended with the most fatal consequences.

their station till the morning. By eight o'clock the ice was nearly carried up by the flood-tide, which left an opening a-head; but seeing the river entirely blocked up above them, the packet which had accompanied them on shore, and the captain being convinced of the utter impossibility of either landing Mr. Grenville or proceeding higher up, judged it most prudent to lose no time in making their retreat out of the Elbe. They accordingly got under weigh and stood out to sea, with the intention of endeavouring to effect a landing on some part of the coast of Jutland, which Mr. Grenville The captain's first impression was, that not only was assured the captain the importance of the service on the attempt dangerous, but that from the thickness of which he was despatched, rendered absolutely necessary. the weather, the extreme cold, their total ignorance of It happened, unfortunately, however, that after the the way, and various other reasons, there seemed to be pilots had informed the captain that they were clear of little probability of its success; yet, as it was the all the sands, at half-past nine the ship struck upon general wish of the company, and the ship was irrenearly the extremity of the sand extending from New-coverably lost, he at length consented to quit her. At ark Island. The wind at that time blowing a heavy half-past one o'clock, it being the last quarter's ebb, the gale, she went on with great force, though they had ship's company commenced their march on the ice in nothing but the fore-topmast-staysail set: there was subdivisions, attended by their respective officers. By but ten feet water under the keel. They immediately three o'clock the whole of them had left the ship, when hoisted out a boat, with the intention of carrying out they were followed by the captain, who was accompanied an anchor; but as it was high water, the ice returned by Lieutenant Ridley of the marines. At half-past six upon them so soon, that they found it impracticable. o'clock in the evening, after a journey of six miles over The ice-boats were again hoisted in, and all hands high flakes of ice, in the severest weather that was ever were employed to shore the ship and heel her towards experienced, and sometimes up to the waist in snow and the bank, in order to prevent her from falling into the water, they arrived at Newark Island, where the captain stream, which must have been followed by their inevit- had the satisfaction to find Mr. Grenville and the whole able destruction. After considerable exertions they of the ship's company in safety, with the exception of succeeded in the attempt, and as the tide ebbed away eight seamen, four marines, and one woman and her she took to the bank. The first run of the tide, how-child, who were frozen to death on their journey. A ever, brought down such heavy ice upon them, that it immediately carried away the shores, tore all the copper from her larboard quarter, and cut the rudder in two, the lower part of which lay on the ice under the counter. Nevertheless, they did not despair of being able to get the ship off the next high water; and for that purpose, in order to lighten her, they threw her guns and stores overboard, all of which being borne by the ice will give some idea of its thickness.

few others had their legs and fingers frozen, but by the
mercy of Providence, which alone had enabled them to
effect their miraculous escape, they were all in a fair
way of doing well.

The ice-bound ship long struggled in vain,
From the rude embrace to set herself free ;
Her crew, in despair, an isle to regain,

Tracked the pathless wilds o'er a frozen sea: But Death's rigid hand had mark'd some for his own, And rejoiced, in his pride, o'er the spirit that's flown. On Friday at ten o'clock, it being then high water, From the time of their arrival until the following the heavy gale from the S.E. kept out the tide to that Tuesday night, the storm continued without the slightest degree, that they had three feet less water than when intermission. On the morning of Wednesday the 6th, she struck, which put an end to all their hopes; and the weather became more moderate, and the scarcity of their state, on the return of the ebb, and during the provisions rendered it necessary to send part of the ship's whole of it, was so dreadful, that it is impossible to company to Cuxhaven, some of the inhabitants having do justice to it by description. They were in mo- undertaken to accompany them as guides and the mentary expectation of being torn to pieces by the ice; great anxiety of Mr. Grenville to proceed caused this added to which, the excessively cold weather, the dark-plan to be put into immediate execution. At eight ness of the night, and the heavy snow-storm, altogether contributed to render their situation one of the most deplorable and miserable that the imagination can well conceive.

o'clock, therefore, the tide suiting, Mr. Wright, the first lieutenant, and one half of the officers and men, with Mr. Grenville, Mr. Wynne, Mr. Fisher, secretary to the embassy, the three messengers, Messrs. Shaw,