ACCIDENT ON THE ISLAND. 137 
The history of this gun is curious, and, in some 
respects, painful. It once belonged to the 
Bounty, and was fished up from the bottom of 
the sea in 1845, with one of its companions, 
which had been spiked, and which was therefore 
useless. The better of the two, after remaining 
many fathoms deep for five-and-fifty years, was 
much honeycombed; and, when brought into 
play, it was generally used with caution. 
It has been stated above, that H. M. steamer, 
Virago, left Callao for Pitcairn, last winter, on an 
errand of kindness. She arrived at the island on 
the 24th of January, 1853, and the officers and 
such of the crew as had landed were about to 
take their leave. The Virago was the first steam 
vessel the people had ever seen, no steamer having 
before visited Pitcairn; and they had enjoyed, 
by the captain's invitation, an agreeable excur- 
sion in the vessel round the island. Captain 
Prevost had wished all farewell, and had gone 
on board to start for Otaheite. 
This was on January the 26th, when a 
most serious accident occurred. The magistrate, 
Matthew M'Coy, and two others, Charles Driver 
Christian, and William Evans, were employed in 
loading the old gun of the Bounty, to salute the 
Virago, on her departure. The rammer used was 
an old rafter, on the top of which was a nail. 
Whilst Matthew was in the act of ramming home 
the charge, the friction caused by the nail effected 
the explosion of the powder. He was blown 
away several yards from the gun, and his arm 
was knocked to pieces. The two other men 
were severely wounded. 
K 
