BV CLIVK LORD, F.L.S. 5 



sufficient for eighteen months, and, in addition to the usual 

 allowance, there were supplies of "sour krout, portable soup, 

 "essence of malt, dried malt, and a proportion of barley 

 "and wheat, in lieu of oatmeal." 



After many delays the ship finally left Spithead on 

 23rd of December. Supplies were obtained at Teneriffe, which 

 was left on the tenth of January, 1788, and on the twenty 

 third of March the Bounty was off the coast of Tierra del 

 Fuego. After fighting against the westerly gales for many 

 days, Bligh was fci'ced to give up the attempt to reach the 

 Pacific by means of the Cape Horn route, and on the twenty- 

 second of April the Bounty's bow was turned to the east, and 

 the little ship bore away for the Cape, thence eastward, 

 round New Holland, for the isles of the Pacific. 



A month later Table Mountain was sighted, and the 

 ship remained at the Cape until the first of July. On the 

 twenty-eighth the Isle of St. Paul was sighted, and by the 

 middle of August Bligh records that they had much bad 

 weather, with snow and hail on their approach to V.D.L., and 

 that "nothing was seen to indicate the nearness of the coast 

 "except a seal when we were within the distance of 20 

 "leagues." 



On the 19th of August the Mewstone was sighted, but it 

 was not until two days later that the Bounty was moored 

 in Adventure Bay, where Bligh remained until the 4th of 

 September. 



On the 26th of October Tahiti was reached. Here the 

 Bounty remained until the 5th of April, 1789. The bread- 

 fruit trees had been duly secured, but the long stay amidst 

 the Friendly Isles had had a demoralising effect upon cex'- 

 tain members of the crew. 



On the 28th of April, at daybreak, when the ship was 

 passing south of Tofua, the famous "Mutiny of the Bounty" 

 occurred. Bligh and eighteen others were set adrift in an 

 open cutter.* 



Then followed that wonderful feat of seamanship for 

 which Bligh will ever be remembered. Through uncharted 

 seas Bligh navigated his small craft 3,618 miles, and on the 

 12th of June sighted Timor, Coupang being safely reached 

 on the 14th. 



During the stay at Coupang, Nelson, the botanist, died 

 on the 20th of July. Some years later, when the French ex- 



*The dimensions of the cutter were (1790, pi. I.) : — Lenifth, 23ft. Oin. ; 

 Breadth. 6ft. Oin. : Depth, 2ft. »in. 



