X PEEFACE. 
forces in the Southern Pacific, will explain 
the circumstances of Mr. Nobbs 's visit to 
England : 
" Valparaiso, August, 1852. 
" DEAR SIR, This will be conveyed to 
you by Mr. Nobbs, the pastor of Pitcairn's 
Island. It was not until after our departure 
from thence, that I found he had received a 
letter from you, dated the 29th of November, 
1850, which, I confess, has relieved me of 
much anxiety on the responsibility I have 
taken upon myself of sending Mr. Nobbs to 
England. 
" I can most conscientiously assure you, 
that the state of society at Pitcairn has not 
been too highly described. The Bible and 
Prayer Book -of 'the Bounty,' as handed to 
Mr. Nobbs from John Adams, have been, and 
continue to be, the objects of their study, and 
have enabled them to withstand the innova- 
tions, that too fervid imaginations, in America 
and elsewhere, have thought, by their corre- 
spondence, it was their calling to effect. 
" The affectionate attachment of the island- 
ers to Mr. Nobbs (who, in the triple capacity 
of pastor, surgeon, and teacher, is as neces- 
