Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 5]
the Inhabitants might retire to such haunts as to defy our utmost search, a measure which they would naturally have had recourse to, the moment any intention of seizing on any of them had been manifested. The Family of John Adams at this moment consists of himself his wife & three Daughters of from 15 to 18 years of Age & a Son of eleven. His wife has also a Daughter by a former husband, this Daughter is a Widow her Husband having been drowned whilst Fishing. A Son in Law who has married one of his Daughters resides with them.
When the Bounty arrivd here she had on board the undermentioned persons viz, nine white Men (English) including Christian, eleven Otaheite women & six black men or Natives of Otaheite. The names of the British as well as I could collect were as in the Margin, but all have been either killed or paid the debt of Nature except John Adams. Five of the Women are dead, as are all the Black or Otaheite Men. The Colony now consists of about 40 people, exclusive I believe of Children, so that they have multiplied considerably; the Children we saw were very young. those born in the Island are extremely fine young Men, very athletic, with the finest forms, & countenances indicating much benevolence & goodness. The young women are still more to be admired, wonderfully strong, most pleasing countenances, & a degree of modesty & bashfulness that would do honour to the most virtuous nation : Their Teeth are beautiful, without a single exception, & all both Men & Women bear strong resemblances to English faces. When therefore you consider these are many fine young Men & certainly very handsome women here, it is natural to expect hereafter there will be a progeny of beautiful people upon the Island. There is no debauchery here, no immoral conduct, & Adams informd me, there is not one instance of any young Woman having proved unchaste: the Men appear equally Moral & well behaved, & from every information there has not appeared any inclination to seduction on the part of the young men, as many of them assured me they wait patiently till they have required property to marry, & then if a proper choice is made, Adams performs the Marriage ceremony, but this I imagine is simply giving the young girls away. The greatest harmony now prevails in this Island, by their own accounts no quarrels ensue, except it be occasionally a few words which may pass, & to use their own expression a quarrel sometimes by mouth: they are perfectly honest, bartering a Hog for a Goat &c. with each other in a most
[in margin]
Fletcher Christian
John Adams
George Young
-- McCoy
-- Smith
-- Stanfell - this last not certain