ARTOCARPUS. 



babJe that the inhabitants will rather be 

 under the necessity of preventing their 

 progress ; for young trees spring abun- 

 dantly from the roots of the old ones, 

 which run along near the surface. Ac- 

 cordingly they never plant the bread-fruit 

 tree at Otaheite. The bread-fruit is dis- 

 tinguished into that which is destitute of 

 seeds, and that in which seeds are found. 

 The natives of Otaheite reckon at least 

 eight varieties of trees which produce the 

 former. This most useful tree is distri- 

 buted very extensively over the East In- 

 dian continent and islands, as well as the 

 innumerable islands of the South Seas. 

 In Otaheite, however, and some others, 

 the evident superiority of the seedless 

 variety for food has caused the other to be 

 neglected, and it is consequently almost 

 worn out. We are informed by Captain 

 King, that in the Sandwich islands these 

 trees are planted and flourish with great 

 luxuriance on rising grounds ; that they 

 are not indeed in such abundance, but 

 that they produce double the quantity of 

 fruit which they do on the rich plains of 

 Otaheite ; that the trees are nearly of the 

 same height, but that the branches begin 

 to strike out from the trunk much lower, 

 and with greater luxuriance ; and that the 

 climate of these islands differs very little 

 from that of the West Indian Islands, 

 which lie in the same latitude. This re- 

 flection probably first suggested the idea 

 of conveying this valuable tree to our is- 

 lands in the West Indies. For this purpose 

 his Majesty's ship the Bounty sailed, for 

 the South Seas, on the 23d of December, 

 1787, under the command of lieutenant 

 William Bligh. But a fatal mutiny pre- 

 vented the accomplishment of this bene- 

 volent design. His Majesty, however, 

 not discouraged by the unfortunate event 

 of the voyage, and fully impressed with 

 the importance of securing so useful an 

 article of food as the bread-fruit to our 

 West Indian islands, determined, in the 

 year 1791, to employ another ship for a 

 second expedition on this service ; and, 

 in order to secure the success of the voy- 

 age as much as possible, it was thought 

 proper that two vessels should proceed 

 together on this important business. Ac- 

 cordingly, a ship of 400 tons, named the 

 Providence, was engaged for the purpose, 

 and the command of her given to captain 

 Bligh ; and a small tender, called the As- 

 sistant, cemmanded by lieutenant Na- 

 thaniel Portlock. Sir Joseph Banks, as 

 in the former voyage, directed the equip- 

 ment of the ship for this particular pur- 

 pose. Two skilful gardeners were ap- 



pointed to superintend the trees and 

 plants, from their transplantation at Ota- 

 heite, to their delivery at Jamaica ; and 

 captain Bligh set sail on the 2d of August, 

 1791. The number of plants taken OH 

 board at Otaheite was 2634, in 1281 puts, 

 tubs, and cases ; and of these 1151 were 

 bread-fruit trees. When they arrived at 

 Coupang, 200 plants were dead, but the 

 rest were in good order. Here they pro- 

 cured 92 pots of the fruits of that coun- 

 try. They arrived at St. Helena with 830 

 fine bread-fruit trees, besides other plants. 

 Here they left some of them, with differ- 

 ent fruits of Otaheite and Timor, besides 

 mountain rice and other seeds ; and from 

 hence the East Indies may be supplied 

 with them. On their arrival at St. Vin- 

 cent's they had 551 cases, containing 678 

 bread fruit trees, besides a great number 

 of other fruits and plants, to the number 

 of 1245. Near half this cargo was depo- 

 sited here, under the care of Mr. Alexan- 

 der Anderson, the superintendant of his 

 Majesty's botanic garden, for the use of 

 the Windward islands : and the remain- 

 der, intended for the Leeward islands, was 

 conveyed to Jamaica, and distributed as 

 the Govenor and Council of Jamaica 

 were pleased to direct. The exact num- 

 ber of bread-fruit trees brought to Ja- 

 maica was 352, out of which five only 

 were reserved for the botanic garden at 

 Kew. Though the principal object of 

 this voyage was to procure the bread- 

 fruit tree, yet it was not confined to this 

 only ; for the design was, to furnish the 

 West Indian Isles with the most valuable 

 productions of the South Seas and the 

 East Indies. Captain Bligh had the satis- 

 faction, before he quitted Jamaica, of see- 

 ing the trees which he had brought, with 

 so much success, in a most flourishing 

 state ; insomuch that no doubt remained 

 of their growing well, and speedily pro- 

 ducing fruit ; an opinion which subse- 

 quent reports have confirmed. But though 

 the fruit has been produced in great 

 abundance, it is said not yet to have arriv- 

 ed at that high state of perfection in which 

 it is described to be at Otaheite. Thun- 

 berg sent seeds of the East Indian bread- 

 fruit tree from Batavia to the botanic gar- 

 den at Amsterdam, in 1775. In 1777, he 

 sent some small living plants ; and the 

 year following, he brought with him to 

 Europe a great number of plants, both of 

 this and the following species. But the 

 true seedless sort, from the South Seas, 

 was first introduced into the islands of 

 St. Vincent and Jamaica, and into the bo- 

 tanic garden at Kew, by captain Bligh, in 



