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[Page 8]
they had a regular establishd allowance, & they frequently exchanged together Salt for fresh Provisions: Again when their Ships Stock was expended, they mutually assisted each other with Meat & repaid punctually the first good opportunity; all this was carefully noted down in the Journal.
I made it a point to inform myself particularly, respecting the name of the Island, & from the information I received from John Adams it appears, Fletcher Christian certainly considrd it to be Pitcairn, which is very extraordinary, for what we call Pitcairn's Island in the Charts is laid down three degrees of Longitude to the Westward of this & nine Miles difference of Latitudes. Our Longitude was ascertained by three good Chronometers, which differed very little, it is therefore certain there must be a great error in the laying it down in our Charts.
I next come to the interesting narrative of Fletcher Christian. It appears that this unfortunate & ill fated young Man, was never happy after the rash & inconsiderate step he had taken, but always sullen & morose, a circumstance which will not surprise any one, this moroseness however led him to many acts of cruelty, & inhumanity, which soon was the cause of his incurring the hatred & detestation of his Companions here: one cannot avoid expressing astonishment, when you consider that the very crime he was then guilty of towards his Companions (who assisted him in the Mutiny) was the very same they so loudly accused their Captain B---- of. It is indeed very singular this circumstance should not have been a serious lesson to him, for his guidance in his future treatment of his Shipmates in error. This miserable young man, after having left Otaheite the last time, (for he has visited Anamooka one of the Friendly Islands after his desertion from his duty & disobedience to his Captain not finding the reception he expected there, or rather that his Plans could not be carried into execution without the fear of detection) returned to Otaheite with a feigned Story, which the Islanders readily gave ear to ; of having met Captain Cook who had sent him (Fletcher) for a supply of Provisions; his wishes were readily complied with Capt Cook being a great favourite there; & having filled the Bounty with Hogs, & such other Articles as he thought necessary, he sailed away suddenly in the night, on or about the 22d Sepr 1789 & never since been heard of: this was the period when 16 of his crew left him & went on Shire [Shore?]: his object was to find an uninhabited Island, where he could establish a Settlement & hither he at last arrivd,