THE MUTINY OF THE NORE. 249 



expressed his willingness to go io England, but this was strongly opposed by his 

 daughter. " All the women burst into tears, and the young men stood motionless and 

 absorbed in grief; but on their being assured that he should on no account be 

 molested, it is impossible/' says Pipon, "to describe the universal joy that these poor 

 people manifested." 



When Christian had arrived at the island, he found no good anchorage, so he ran the 

 Bounty into a small creek against the cliff, in order to get out of her such articles as 

 might be of use. Having stripped her, he set fire to the hull, so that afterwards she 

 should not be seen by passing vessels, and his retreat discovered. It is pretty clear that 

 the misguided young man was never happy after the rash and mutinous step he had 

 taken, and he became sullen, morose, and tyrannical to his companions. He was at length 

 shot by an Otaheitan, and in a short time only two of the mutineers were left alive. 



The colony at this time comprised forty-six persons, mostly grown-up young people, 

 all of prepossessing appearance. John Adams had made up for any share he may have 

 had in the revolt, by instructing them in religious and moral principles. The girls were 

 modest and bashful, with bright eyes, beautifully white teeth, and every indication of 

 health. They carried baskets of fruit over such roads and down such precipices as were 

 scarcely passable by any creatures except goats, and over which we could scarcely scramble 

 with the help of our hands. When Captain Beechey, in his well-known voyage of discovery 

 on the Blossom, called there in 1825, he found Adams, then in his sixty-fifth year, dressed 

 in a sailor's shirt and trousers, and with all a sailor's manners, doffing his hat and smoothing 

 down his bald forehead whenever he was addressed by the officers of the Blossom. Many 

 circumstances connected with the subsequent history of the happy little colony cannot 

 be detailed here. Suffice it to say that it still thrives, and is one of the most model 

 settlements of the whole world, although descended from a stock so bad. Of the nine 

 who landed on Pitcairn's Island only two died a natural death. Of the original officers 

 and crew of the Bounty more than half perished in various untimely ways, the whole burden 

 of guilt resting on Christian and his fellow-conspirators. 



The mutiny just described sinks into insignificance before that which is about to be 

 recounted, the greatest mutiny of English history that of the Nore. At that one point 

 no less than 40,000 men were concerned, while the disaffection spread to many other 

 stations, some of them far abroad. There can be little doubt that prior to 17U7, the year 

 of the event, our sailors had laboured under many grievances, while the navy was full of 

 " pressed " men, a portion of whom were sure to retain a thorough dislike to the service, 

 although so many fought and died bravely for their country. Some of the grievances 

 which the navy suffered were probably the result of careless and negligent legislation, rather 

 than of deliberate injustice, but they were none the less galling on that account. The pay 

 of the sailor had remained unchanged from the reign of Charles II., although the prices of 

 the necessaries and common luxuries of life had greatly risen. His pension had also 

 remained at a stationary rate ; that of the soldier had been augmented. On the score of 

 provisions he was worse off than an ordinary pauper. He was in the hands of the purser, 

 whose usual title at that time indicates his unpopularity : he was termed " Nipcheese." 

 The provisions served were of the worst quality ; fourteen instead of sixteen ounces went 

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