Voyage of H.M.S. 'Pandora' : $b despatched to arrest the mutineers of the 'Bounty' in the South Seas, 1790-91Edwards, Edward
History
Voyage of H.M.S. 'Pandora' : $b despatched to arrest the mutineers of the 'Bounty' in the South Seas, 1790-91
Edwards, Edward
Bounty (Ship); Pandora (Frigate); Voyages around the world -- Early works to 1800
In our run to Otaheite we discovered 3 islands: the first, which I called
Ducie's Island, lies in Latitude 24 deg. 40' 30" S. and Longitude 124 deg. 36'
30" W. from Greenwich. It is between 2 and 3 miles long. The second I
called Lord Hood's Island. It lies in Latitude 21 deg. 31' S. and Longitude
135 deg. 32' 30" W., and is about 8 miles long. The third I called
Carysfort's Island. It lies in Latitude 20 deg. 49' S. and Longitude 138 deg. 33'
W. and it is 5 miles long. They are all three low lagoon islands covered
with wood, but we saw no inhabitants on either of them.[30-1] Before we
anchored at Matavy Bay, Joseph Coleman, Armourer of the _Bounty_, and
several of the natives came on board, from whom I learned that Christian
the pirate had landed and left 16 of his men on the Island, some of whom
were then at Matavy, and some had sailed from there the morning before
our arrival (in a schooner they had built) for Papara, a distant part of
the Island, to join other of the pirates that were settled at that place,
and that Churchill, Master at Arms, had been murdered by Matthew
Thompson, and that Matthew Thompson was killed by the natives and offered
as a sacrifice on their altars for the murder of Churchill, whom they had
made a chief.
George Stewart and Peter Heywood, midshipmen of the _Bounty_, came on
board the _Pandora_ soon after she came to an anchor, and I had also
information that Richard Skinner was at Matavy. I desired Poen, an
inferior chief (who, in the absence of Otoo, was the principal person in
the district) to bring him on board. The chief went on shore for the
purpose, and soon after he returned again and informed me that Skinner
was coming on board. Before night he did come on board, but whether it
was in consequence of the chief's instructions, or his own accord, I am
at a loss to say. As soon as the ship was moored the pinnace and launch
were got ready and sent under the direction of Lt. Corner and Hayward in
pursuit of the pirates and schooner in hopes of getting hold of them
before they could get information of our arrival, and Odiddee, a native
of Bolabola, and who has been with Capt. Cook, etc., went with them as a
guide.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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