On the twenty-ninth day of December, 1787, the _Bounty_ left England, under orders to proceed to the Society Islands, for the purpose of procuring plants of the breadfruit tree, to be conveyed to the West Indies. Lieutenant William Bligh was appointed commander, and about forty-five persons, including a gardener, made up the crew. Provisions for eighteen months were put on board. The different feelings that possessed the minds of the men who were leaving behind them what they held most sacred and dear on earth, may be imagined; yet were they doubtless cheered by the thought of one day meeting again the dear friends at home, when the long separation was ended. But for the ship, and for some of the crew, it was never to be, and could the results of that voyage have been foreseen, it is a question how many of those who then left their native land would have dared to embark on a journey that was to be fraught with events so startling in their nature, and that was to end so strangely, that even at this distant day the story is repeated and listened to with sustained interest, not only by strangers, but by the immediate descendants of the misguided men, who themselves fell victims at last to their own wrongdoing. The voyage out was safely accomplished, the _Bounty_ having arrived at Tahiti in the month of October, the year following her departure from England. Six months were spent at the island collecting and stowing away the plants, the crew in the meanwhile becoming very friendly with the natives. A violent storm threatening, Captain Bligh deemed it prudent to leave. This was in April, 1789. Leaving Tahiti, the _Bounty_ went on to Anamooka, where Captain Bligh took in water, fruits, goats, and other live stock, and put to sea again on the 26th of the same month. It was after leaving the last mentioned island that some dissatisfaction was first noticed among the crew. Hitherto, if there had been cause for complaint respecting the captain’s treatment of those he commanded, it had not been openly manifested. It has now become matter of history that William Bligh possessed a tyrannical temper, and frequently had misunderstandings with his officers and men. This, and the fact that many of the crew had formed intimate acquaintance with the people of the islands, doubtless caused them to conceive the plan of seizing the ship, after having disposed of the officers.