THE BREAD-FRUIT. 





The commander sailed first for TenerifFe, and 

 thence for the soutli of America, intending to 

 enter the Pacific by the passage of Cape Horn. 

 But the storms of that inhospitable region beat 

 him back, and he was forced to bear away for 

 the Cape of Good Hope, and reach the Society 

 islands on the side of New Holland. This voy- 

 age, which had occupied ten months, terminated 

 on the 25th of October, by the arrival of the 

 Bounty at Otaheite. 



No time was lost in putting the instructions 

 into execution. , The young shoots that sprung 

 from the lateral roots of the bread-fruit trees 

 were taken up, with balls of earth, where the 

 Boil was moist ; and this operation was continued 

 till they were in possession of one thousand and 

 fifteen live plants, secured in seven hundred 

 and seventy-four pots, thirty-nine tubs, and 

 twenty-four boxes. To complete this cargo 

 took them till the 3d of April, 1789 ; and Bligh 

 sailed on the 4th, passing from Otaheite through 

 the group of islands', and bidding adieu to the 

 natives, with whom he and his crew had been on 

 the most friendly terms during their stay. 



Hitherto there had been no perils to contend 

 with but those of the sea ; but when four and 

 twenty days had elapsed, and they were, of 

 course, far from any land, a new scene took 

 place, which frustrated for a time the bounty of 

 the government and the skill of the commander. 

 Under the cloak of fidelity, a mutiny had been 

 forming of a very determined and extensive na- 

 ture ; and so well had the mutineers disguised 

 their intentions, that not one but those who 

 were in the plot liad the slightest suspicion of it. 



The known bravery of Lieutenant Bligh made 

 the mutineers afraid to attack him awake ; and 

 BO, on the morning of the 28th of April, he was 

 seized, while asleep in his bed, by a band of 

 armed traitors, and hurried upon deck in his 

 shirt ; and on coming there, he found the master, 

 the gunner, one of the master's mates, and Nel- 

 son the botanist, who had been with him under 

 Cook, confined in the fore hatchway, and guarded 

 by sentinels. The launch was hoisted, and such 

 individuals as the mutineers did not like were 

 ordered to quit the ship, and forced if they re- 

 fused or hesitated. Eighteen individuals, out of 

 the forty-six, remained true to the commander ; 

 and one of them, Mr Samuel the clerk, contrived 

 to save Mr Bligh's commission and journals; but 

 he failed in attempting to procure Bligh's sur- 

 veys, drawings, and remarks during fifteen years, 

 which were exceedingly valuable, and the time- 

 keeper. Fourofthemen, who kept their allegiance, 

 were detained by the mutineers contrary to their 

 wishes. The cause of this singular mutiny, for 

 which none of the usual motives could very well 

 account, could not with certainty be known; but 

 it was generally supposed that the instigator was 

 Mr Christian, one of the master's mates. Bligh 



himself says, in his most interesting account of 

 this voyage and mutiny, " It will naturally l)e 

 asked what could be the cause of this revolt J In 

 answer, I can only conjecture that the mutineers 

 had flattered themselves with the hope of a hap- 

 pier life among the Otaheitans than they could 

 possibly enjoy in England." 



Thus, after they had made certain of the suc- 

 cessful termination of an enterprise which was 

 looked upon with a great deal of interest, both 

 in a scientific and an economical point of view, 

 Bligh was disappointed ; and he and his faithful 

 associates were sent adrift upon the wide ocean, 

 in an open boat, with only an hundred and fifty 

 pounds of bread, a few pieces of pork, a little 

 wine and rum, a quadrant and compass, and a 

 few other implements of navigation. But they 

 were undaunted, and they were skilful; and 

 though they had hard weather to contend with, 

 they reached Tofoa, one of the Friendly islands. 

 But as the people there were as treacherous, 

 though not quite so successful in their treachery, 

 as their former shipmates, they again put to sea, 

 and stood for New Holland, which they reached 

 in safety, rested for a little, and got a supply of 

 provisions. From New Holland they again 

 sailed in the direction of the Eastern Archipe- 

 lago; and after suffering the greatest fatigue, 

 being exposed to the full action and vicissitudes 

 of the elements, and forced for some time to bear 

 famine, they reached the Dutch settlement of 

 Coupang, in the island of Timor, without the 

 loss of one individual by disease, though they 

 had traversed at least five thousand miles of sea. 

 Nay, so ardent was Bligh as a seaman, that, amid 

 all those perils, he was occupied in making some 

 very valuable observations. 



The Dutch governor of Coupang showed them 

 every attention; and from the care that was 

 taken of them, twelve were enabled to return to 

 England. Though the adventure had failed, 

 every body was disposed to bestow all praise on 

 the adventurer; and he was promoted to the 

 rank of captain, and appointed to the command 

 of his Majesty's ship Providence, in order to re- 

 peat the voyage. 



The Providence, with the Assistant, a small 

 ship in company, sailed on the 3d of August, 

 1791. His instructions were to procure the 

 bread-fruit trees for the West Indies, and on his 

 return, to examine the passage between the north 

 of New Holland and New Guinea — which, in his 

 former voyage in the Bounty, he had' been the 

 first to navigate. 



On the ninth of April, 1792, they reached 

 Otaheite ; and by the 17th of July they were 

 ready to leave the island, having on board twelve 

 hundred and eighty-one tubs and pots of plants, 

 all in the finest condition. There was no mutiny 

 on this voyag'e ; but the passage between New 

 Holland and New Guinea was dangerous; and 



