LETTER OF MR. JOSHUA HILL. 177 
age, informed the inhabitants that he had been 
authorized by the British Government to reside 
at Pitcairn's Island ; when, in fact, he had 
received no such authority. Mr. Nobbs appears 
to have been of too plain and straightforward 
a character to suit this new-comer, whose pre- 
sence amongst the people caused much trouble, 
and who divided their little society into two 
factions ; one siding with him, the other with 
the constitution a3 it was. At length, partly by 
splendid promises, and partly by instilling into 
the simple minds around him the terror of giving 
offence to the Government at home, whom he 
affected to represent, he enlisted some of the 
natives against the three Europeans, and suc- 
ceeded in excluding them and their families, for 
a time, from the island. 
Certain misrepresentations concerning Mr 
Nobbs, which are alluded to by Admiral 
Moresby, in his letter contained in the Preface, 
took their rise at about this time. 
It is fortunate for any one who may have 
been misrepresented by Mr. Hill, that he wrote 
in June, 1834, a long letter, full of his own 
praises, which has been published,* and which 
sufficiently shows into what sort of hands 
the islanders of Pitcairn had fallen during 
the time of Hill's influence. The author can- 
not refrain from quoting a specimen of this 
epistle : — 
" I have visited the falls of Niagara and Mont- 
morency, the natural bridge in Virginia, the great 
Reciprocating Fountain in East Tennessee, the 
* Brodie, p. 211. 
m2 
