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the world has had the unkindness to think of him ; but, on the contrary, 

 a most worthy character, ruined only by having the misfortune, if it can 

 be so called, of being a young man of strict honour adorned with every 

 virtue, and beloved by all (except one whose ill report is his greatest 

 praise) who had the pleasure of his acquaintance." In the "Cumberland 

 Pacquet" for November 20th, 1792, I find this paragraph in reference to 

 the court martial: "For the honour of this county, we are happy to 

 assure our readers that one of its natives, Fletcher Christian, is not the 

 monster of wickedness which, with extreme and unexampled injustice 

 and barbarity to him and his relatives, he has long been represented ; 

 but a character for whom every feeling heart must now sincerely grieve 

 and lament. This character every officer and seaman, except one 

 (meaning, of course, Captain Bligh) on board the 'Bounty,' who have 

 yet arrived in England unite in bestowing upon him." When Joseph 

 Coleman, one of the mutineers who was tried by the court martial but 

 acquitted, was asked what he knew of Fletcher Christain, he replied 

 " I only know he was a very good man to me." Perhaps there could be 

 no severer test of a man's quality than the impression he would make 

 upon the kind-hearted and hospitable Otaheitan people of that day; and 

 Morrison says in his diary "Mr. Christian was beloved by the whole of 

 them ; but on the contrary none liked Mr. Bligh, though they flattered 

 him for his riches, which" — (Morrison dryly adds) — "is the case even 

 among polished nations, those in power being always courted ! " Thus 

 you will see that Mr. Heywood and Morrison not only agree in praise 

 of Fletcher Christain, but also in suggesting the inference that his 

 character formed a favourable contrast to that of Captain Bligh. And 

 in regard to Bligh's character, and as bearing upon the degree of 

 provocation received by Christian, I may quote the testimony of two 

 other excellent authorities. The editor of the "Universal Library" says 

 of Bligh: "His temper was infirm, and when under its influence he 

 suffered himself to use language to his officers and crew" which gave 

 rise to "many irritating altercations." And Lady Belcher states: 

 "Captain Bligh, besides being of an irritable and passionate disposition, 

 was of a most suspicious turn of mind. The language he indulged in 



