six feet high, and having a very agreeable and
thoroughly English face. His companion was
some half-dozen years younger, and was the son
of another of the mutineers, a midshipman
named Young.

The account of the landing of the mutineers
on Pitcairn's Island may be condensed into a
very small compass. It was not chance which
brought them to this island; it was selected by
Christian in consequence of an account he had
read of it; and on their arrival they found it
so well suited for their purpose, that they landed
everything from the ship, which they then set
on fire. Reserving a portion to reside on, they
divided the remainder of the island between
them, and compelled the Otaheitans to assist
them in cultivating it. At last one of the mutineers
took away the wife of one of the Otaheitans,
to replace the wife he had lost. The
patience of the Otaheitans was exhausted, and
they determined to kill their oppressors; but
the women betrayed the plot to the Englishmen,
who put two of the conspirators to death; the
rest, being spared, organised another conspiracy,
which succeeded so far that five of the Englishmen,
among whom was Lieutenant Christian,
were murdered. Two of the worst of the sailors
managed to escape to the mountains, and two
others, named Adams (Alexander Smith) and
Young, found successful advocates in their
wives. One of those who escaped to the mountains
managed to distil ardent spirits from a root
he found there— though one account says Young
was the first to do this— and the pair drank till
they were mad, one ending his career by tying a
stone round his neck and throwing himself into
the sea. The other made so many attempts
to murder Adams and Young, that they were
obliged to knock him on the head.

Then it was that Adams and Young began to
reflect seriously on religion, and soon set to
work in earnest to instruct the others. Among
the things they had taken out of the Bounty
were a Bible and Prayer-book, and from these
they derived the means of instruction. Young
was not spared long to assist in these labours;
and upon Adams devolved the continuance of
the task. The effect of his teaching was so
good, that, as the young people grew up, they
practised the precepts of the Christian religion,
and a colony of such virtuous, simple-hearted
beings probably never existed in the world before
or since as at the time when the captains
of our two men-of-war visited them.

The two captains sent home a report concerning
this interesting people, which doubtless
went the way of a great many other reports
that reached the Admiralty. The next British
captain who touched at the island was Captain
Beechey, who was then in command of the
Blossom, on a voyage of discovery. He was
boarded by Adams and ten young men. The
population of the island was at this time sixty-six,
one of whom, John Buffet, who had, at
his own request, been left here by a whaler,
acted as schoolmaster. The officers who landed
from the Blossom were treated with the greatest
kindness, and had an opportunity while they remained
on the island of seeing with what devoutness
the islanders practised Christianity. In
consequence of Captain Beechey's account, and
at his request, the Admiralty sent out the
Seringapatam with a supply of clothes and tools.

This was in 1830. Subsequently the Pitcairn
islanders were taken to Tahiti; but, were so
disgusted with the immorality of the people,
that at their earnest request they were taken
back. At long intervals reports respecting
them reached this country, which were read
with great interest by all classes; her Majesty,
it is said, taking a particular interest in
their welfare. The time came, however, when
their number had increased so much that the
island was quite inadequate to support them,
and the convicts having been removed from
Norfolk Island, it was proposed to remove them
hither. What follows is taken from the report
printed for the members of the House of Commons
about three months ago.

Norfolk Island is estimated to contain about
ten thousand acres. The land is rich, well-wooded
and watered, and the climate is good.
The Queen could hardly have sent the descendants
of the mutineers to any place so
well suited for immediate habitation. The
convicts, who had been the previous occupants,
had left behind them strong stone
buildings, and good roads to every part of the
island. Sir W. Denison embarked at Sydney
for the express purpose of visiting the islanders,
taking with him a quantity of things which he
thought might be useful to them. His arrival
was very opportune, for they were without flour
or vegetables, except unripe potatoes. He induced
a merchant at New Zealand to send them
a supply of the things they most needed, in exchange
for wool, tallow, and hides. The total
number of inhabitants was then two hundred
and twelve, and they still preserved the remarkable
morality which has always distinguished
them, since the time when John Adams became
such an altered character, in consequence, it is
said, of a dream. The governor of New South
Wales summoned them to meet him, that they
might hear him read and explain the revised code
of laws he had drawn up, which were substantially
the same as those he found in force there, as he
did not consider himself to be a good judge of
what was best suited for a state of society which
had nothing analogous to it in the rest of the
world. By these regulations, the government
of Norfolk Island is vested in a chief magistrate
and two councillors, all to be elected
annually by the inhabitants who have resided
six months on the island; as no distinction of sex
is specified, it may be assumed that women are
entitled to vote. Commissions are issued to these
magistrates under the great seal of the colony of
New South Wales, and power is given to them
to enact new laws with the consent of a majority
of the population; but they cannot repeal
those previously existing. As a contrast to the
innumerable laws included in our statute-books,
the simplicity of their code is the more striking.