X PEEFACE. 
in the Southern Pacific, will explain the circum- 
stances of Mr. Nobbs' s visit to England : 
"Valparaiso, August, 1852. 
" 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 innovations, that too fervid 
imaginations, in America and elsewhere, have 
thought, by their correspondence, it was their 
calling to effect. 
" The affectionate attachment of the islanders 
to Mr. Nobbs (who, in the triple capacity of 
pastor, surgeon, and teacher, is as necessary to 
them as their food), created some little difficulty 
in his leaving; but it was overcome by the 
