274 
THE CABINET OP NATURAL HISTORY 
made into a sour paste, called mahe in the islands, which is 
eaten during the unproductive season. The planting of the 
seedless variety is now saved, as the creeping roots send up 
suckers which soon grow to trees. When the fruit is roast- 
ed till the outside is charred, the pulp has a consistency not 
very unlike that of wheaten bread; and the taste is inter- 
mediate between that of bread and roasted chesnuts. It is 
said to be very nourishing, and is prepared in various ways. 
The timber of the bread-fruit, though soft, is found use- 
ful in the construction of houses and boats; the male flowers, 
dried, serve for tinder; the juice answers for bird-lime and 
glue; the leaves for packing and for towels; and the inner 
bark, beaten together, makes one species of the South Sea 
cloth. 
The earliest account of the bread-fruit is by Captain 
Dampier, in 1688. “ The bread-fruit,” says this naviga- 
tor, “ grows on a large tree, as big and high as our largest 
apple trees; it hath a spreading head, full branches, and 
dark leaves. The fruit grows on the boughs like apples; it 
is as big as a penny loaf, when wheat is at five shillings the 
bushel; it is of a round shape, and hath a thick tough rind. 
When the fruit is ripe, it is yellow and soft, and the taste is 
sweet and pleasant. The natives of Guam use it for bread. 
They gather it when full grown, while it is green and hard; 
they then bake it in an oven which scorcheth the rind, and 
maketh it black; but they scrape of the outside black crust, 
and there remains a tender thin crust; and the inside is soft, 
tender, and white, like the crumb of a penny loaf. There 
is neither seed nor stone in the inside, but all of a pure sub- 
stance like bread. It must be eaten new, for, if it be kept 
above twenty-four hours, it grows harsh and choky, but it 
is very pleasant before it is too stale. This fruit lasts in 
season eight months in the year, during which the natives 
eat no other sort of bread kind. I did never see of this 
fruit any where but here. The natives told- us, that there 
is plenty of this fruit growing on the rest of the Ladrone 
Islands; and I did never hear of it anywhere else.” 
Thq, scientific men who accompanied Captain Cook in his 
voyages, came home with the most enthusiastic ideas of 
the bread-fruit. Hr. Solander calls it “the most useful 
vegetable in the world,” and urges that no expense should 
be spared in its cultivation. The mere idea of bread, the 
most valuable food of man, growing spontaneously, was 
doubtless calculated to excite attention — almost, perhaps, as 
strongly as the subsequent description of the poet: — 
“ The bread-tree, which, without the plougshare, yields 
The unreap’d harvest of unfurrow’d fields, 
And bakes its unadulterated loaves 
Without a furnace in unpurchased groves, 
And flings off famine from its fertile breast 1 , 
A priceless market for the gathering guest.” Byron. 
A tree, of the value and easy culture of which so very 
encouraging accounts were given, could not but attract the 
notice of the public generally, and more especially of those 
colonists of Great Britain who lived in a climate warm 
enough fot its cultivation. An application to be furnished 
with plants of the bread-fruit tree was accordingly made to 
his late Majesty by the planters and others interested in the 
West Indies, and it met with a favourable reception. The 
Bounty, a vessel of about two hundred and fifteen tons 
burthen, was fitted up for a voyage to Otaheite. Lieute- 
nant (afterwards Admiral) Bligh,. who had accompanied 
Cook on his last voyage, and shown himself an officer of 
great talents, enterprise, and bravery, was appointed to 
the command. In addition to the crew of the vessel, two 
men were appointed at the recommendation of Sir Joseph 
Banks, to take immediate charge of the procuring, shipping, 
and tending of the plants. 
The Bounty was skilfully fitted up for her intended pur- 
pose. A large cabin between decks, in midships, was 
prepared for the reception of the plants. This had two 
large skylights on the top for light; three scuttles on each 
side for ventilation of air, and a double bottom ; an upper 
one of timber on which to place the pots and tubs contain- 
ing the plants, which was drilled full of holes to allow es- 
cape to the superfluous water which might have injured 
them by stagnation — and a leaden one upon the lower deck, 
in which the water that ran through the other was collected, 
and from which it was conducted by a leaden pipe at each 
corner, into casks below for future use. 
Thus prepared, the vessel put to sea about the middle of 
November, 1787, but was beat about and baffled by contrary 
winds, so that the voyage was not commenced till the 23d 
of December. The instructions given to Lieutenant Bligh 
were full and explicit. He was to resort to those places in 
the Society Isles where Captain Cook had stated that the 
bread-fruit tree was to be found in the greatest luxuriance, 
and there procure as many plants as the vessel could carry; 
after which he was to proceed with them to the West Indies 
with all possible expedition. 
The commander sailed first for Teneriffe, and thence for 
the South 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 voyage, which had occu- 
pied ten months terminated on the 25th 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 soil was moist; and this operation was continued 
