SOCIETY'S EFFORTS FOR PITCAIRN. 121 
The reader may feel desirous of learning how 
this " Instruction for the Indians" had reached 
the island. It is satisfactory to find that 
Pitcairn's Island, as long since as the year 
1819, partook of the benefits conferred by the 
Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. In 
the Society's transactions for that year, ten 
years before Adams's death, the following parti- 
culars appear, under the head of the Report from 
Calcutta; the Right Reverend Dr. Middleton 
being then Bishop of Calcutta, and President of 
the Calcutta Diocesan Committee : 
"In July 1819, an opportunity having oc- 
curred of communicating with the little colony 
on Pitcairn s Island in the South Pacific Ocean, 
by the departure from Calcutta of the ship 
Hercules for that place, the Committee were 
unwilling to lose so interesting an occasion of 
adding to the various benevolent contributions 
made for the use of those islanders. It having 
been intimated that a ^supply of Bibles had been 
furnished by another Committee, the Diocesan 
Committee made such a selection of other books 
and tracts as. appeared most suited to the situ- 
ation of these people, which, together with 
New Testaments, Prayer-books, and children r s 
school-books, were placed under the care of 
Captain Henderson, accompanied by the follow- 
ing letter, addressed to John Adams and the 
other islanders, and dated Calcutta, July 15th, 
1819: 
