THE MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 715, 14 January 1910, Page 6

THE MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.

' A CORRECTION. . Sir,—ln an article on the "Mutiny on the Bounty".on p. 131 -of the October " number .'of the "New Zealand School. Journal," it is stated that "Captain ; flligti. was; very: much of a; bully, and had , madethe voyage a time of. misery l to: his crew," and it is inferred that his tyranny : was the, 'capse of. the. mutiny. - As this calumny on a:.brave' mail's, character 'is, a repetition of what is found. in "Cham-' berg's ; Encyclopaedia", arid several other . works of a ssmi-authoritative character, I venture to ask. you to find space for the following extract from the "Historical Records of 'Now South Wales," Vol. ELL,' p. 118:-' ' "Sept. 13, 1796. - Christian, chief mutineer on board his Majesty's ship ; : Bounty.—This ■ extraordinary' nautical character has at length transmitted to England an account of his - oon- ' duct in his mutiny on board ' the;. Bounty',' and ; a : . detail also, of his' . 'subsequent': proceedings, .after- he ob-, i tained .'command of;, the:, ship, in which, .after: visiting. Juan Fernandez.' and various islands: in' South America,, ho was shipwrecked in roscuirig Don ' Henriques," Major-General':of-, the,. : Kingdom !of; Chili, from .a similar . disaster; 1 an,;event whichi'after.-many; ■■ perilous circumstances,• led to ms. , : present . lucrative establishment un-.. ; der the • Spanish .. . Government in : South America, for. which, ho was. about, to",6ail when, the last accounts-, .'were received, from him. ; "In 'His voyage, etc.. which he has ' lately published at Cadii,. we are candidly :.told': by this enterprising • milr tineer that ' the' revolt, which' he headed-- on board'his Majesty's ship Bounty: was not. ascribable .to-''; any " .. dislike.-of;their . V commander,- ■ Cap-. tain. Bligh, but to the unconquerable' . passion which he...and.-.the ; -majorpart)..> of., the' ship's crew entertained: .for the: enjoyments which . Otaheite . still '■; .: held, out' to'their "voluptuous imagi-/-nations. It' is" but justice,' says, he,'," - ■;. 'that ; I should acquit"Captain Bligh, " in the most' ; unequivocal of ,- havrog .contributed in 'the smallest 1 degree to; the promotion.-of., our conspiracy by any harsh or ungentleman-: like conduct on his part; so' far from 1 it,'- that .few' officers in the - service) I" am :persuaded, can, in -..this respect, be found;superior, to him, or produce stronger a, claipis upon tho gratitude . ' andattachment ■ oftho; men 'whom .: theyvare appointed to'.'cimmand.-'0& •; mutiny .'-"is;;"whoIly' to be-ascribed' to — : the strong predilection we. ' had .' con-,* ; ; tracted;f or'living 'at Otahei te, "whore, . exclusive. /of '-. the happy; ".disposition;.: of ithe. inhabitants,, 'the. mildness '"'of -J. • -the ; 'climate," arid; the 'fertility', of'the ; ' ! soil,'V,we :had- formed' trader '..connections, ; whifih' banished- the'-re-'." , m'embrarice' ■of v Old!' England .'entirely ■ 1 from .'our; breasts." After idescxibing tte: seizure .and securing -'of, Captain/Bligh's'.person in'' his . Christian - thus concludes 'his.': accdimtpfVthi's brutal, revolt's"Luring, -the . whoM. of this trans- •. action, Captain Bligh'exertedhimself to' the/utmost to' Teduce' the "people. . .to,'>''san6o ! o'f;'their' diity bjr- harabgu-. ing -. and; expostulating . with . tham,which;; cau^ ; :m6;'to' ■:assumo' ; 'a„ degree;; " oife'routy quite repugnant to " my -.feel-;- ,' -".rings, 'S3 I 'dreaded- the'- "effect: which- . hie;- remonstrari'oes'- '-might', 'produce.- -. .- Henoe,{'F'sever.al''\ti|pesJ,' 1 threatened':'.'. eisted;'bat';: my 'meriaoes ' Were, ali' in "" vairii'- \He'coritinued.'tor harangue-'us-", with oo ;much manlyelonncnoe that I was fain to call in the dram bottle to my aid, which I: directed to be ' ; served round to my..associates. Thus, ; heartened and encouraged, wo went ; through the business;: though,'for my., .-..own.'.'part,'" - 1 must; acknowledge- that • . I suffered more than words' can ex-. . press,..from the.,conflict,of . contending ' passions; but I had-, gone too far • to recede; bo, putting the'best face.,' on the business,, I, ordered the boat ; to bo out''adrift;' wore ' ~ship, ..and;/,;, shaped our course back for Otaheite," This is as ooinpl^te'a'refutation' of this time-worn libel on Captain.'Bligh's..character as anyone could desire. I; 1 have al'ready sent this account of tbo mutiny given • by Hetcher • Christian,' the-" chief of the mutineers, to Mi. Spencer, the editor of ,the "New. Zealand School -Journal," , but he declines/to take this opportunity of showing' his pupils' how' ! t:b.ey shoald behave ' when" they, have '; in-, ■; cautiously made a statement unsupported! by facts; though probably-this would'be as useful a lesson , as 1 many he endeavours' to teaoh in the numbers of the:;"Schobl ; Journal."—l am, etc., . E. a. NUTTING. • Inglowood, Jaauaty 10, 1910. '