516 
Ocean will, I trust, plead my apo- 
logy for addressing your Lord- 
ships at this time. In February, 
1808, I touched at Pitcairn’s 
Island, in lat. 25. 2. S. long. 130. 
W. from Greenwich. My prin- 
cipal object was to procure seal 
skins for the China market ; and 
from the account given of the 
island, in Captain Carteret’s voy- 
age, I supposed that it was unin- 
habited ; but, on approaching the 
shore in my boat, I was met by 
three young men in a double ca- 
noe, with a present, consisting of 
some fruit and a hog. They spoke 
to me in ‘the English language, 
and informed me that they were 
born on the island, and their fa- 
ther was an Englishman, who had 
sailed with Captain Bligh. 
“ After discoursing with them 
for a short time, I landed with 
them, and found an Englishman 
of the name of Alexander Smith, 
who informed me, that he was 
one of the Bounty’s crew, and 
that after putting Captain Bligh 
in the boat, with half the ship’s 
company, they returned to Ofa- 
heite, where part of their crew 
chose to tarry, but Mr. Christian, 
with eight others, including him- 
self, preferred going to a more 
remote place ; and, after making 
a short stay at Otaheite, where 
they took wives and six men ser- 
vants, they proceeded to Pitcairn’s 
Island, where they destroyed the 
ship, after taking every thing out 
of her which they thought would 
be useful to them. About six 
years after they landed at this 
place, their servants attacked and 
killed all the English excepting 
the informant and he was severe- 
ly wounded. The same night, 
the Otaheitan widows arose and 
murdered all their countrymen, 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
leaving Smith with the widows 
and children, where he had resided. 
ever since without being’ resisted. 
“T remained but a short time 
on'the island, and on leaving it 
Smith presented me a time-piece 
and an azimuth compass, which 
he told mebelonged to the Bounty 
The time-keeper was taken from 
me by the Governor of theisland of 
Juan Fernandez, after I had it in 
my possession about six weeks. 
The compass I put in repair on 
board my ship, and made use of it 
on my homeward-passage, since 
which a new card has been put to 
it by an instrument-maker, in 
Boston. I now forward it to your 
Lordships, thinking there will be 
a kind of satisfaction in receiving 
it, merely from the extraordinary 
circumstances attending it. 
(Signed) ‘«* Maynew Foicer.” 
Nearly about the same time, @ 
further account of these interest~ 
ing people was received from Vice 
Admiral Dixon, in a letter ad- 
dressed to him by Sir Thomas . 
Staines, of his Majesty’s ship Bri- 
ton, of which the following is a 
copy:— ‘ Briton, Valparaiso, 
Oct. 18, 1814. 
“ Sir,—I have the honour to 
inform you, that on my passage 
from the Marquesas Islands to 
this port, on the morning of the 
17th September, I fell in with an 
island where none is laid down in 
the Admiralty or other charts ac- 
cording to the several chronome- 
ters of the Briton and Tagus. I 
therefore hove-to, until day-light,. 
and then closed to ascertain whe- 
ther it was inhabited, which EI 
soon discovered it to be, and, to 
my great astonishment, found that 
every individual on the Island (40 
in number), spoke very good 
