A Spurious JJtopia. 
261 
whispers of discontent. Strangers, called “ in¬ 
terlopers,” had settled on the island, and were 
not satisfied with the patriarchal and family 
system of government. They wrote letters to 
the outside world—and talked. And they also 
openly asserted that the morals of the Bounty 
descendants were not as good as they were sup¬ 
posed to be. Then came dissensions among the 
community generally, and fierce quarrels among 
the Bounty families as to certain rights and 
privileges ; and out of all this came certain 
statements which gave a shock to the ordinary 
common Christian of the outside world. No 
one believed any evil, however, of the Norfolk 
Islanders for a long time ; but at last rumour 
became so strong, and the unchristian “ inter¬ 
lopers ” made such distinct charges against them, 
that the Government of New South Wales in¬ 
timated to the people that an investigation into 
the administration and condition of the island 
was desirable. The Norfolk Islanders rose up 
as one man and protested in a loud voice against 
such an indignity. For forty years they had 
basked in a world-wide reputation for un¬ 
blemished goodness, and why should they be 
“ investigated ” ? And least of all would they 
