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[Page 10]
related, Fletcher Christian, behavd with such cruelty & oppression towards the people, as soon alienated them from him, & in consequence they divided into parties which ran very high, seeking every opportunity on both sides to put each other to death: Old John Adams himself was not without his enemies, having been shot through the neck; as however the Ball entered the fleshy part, he was enabled to make his escape, & avoid the fury of his pursuers, who sought his life. Another circumstance had arisen which gave particularly the Otaheite men still more discontent & roused their fury to a degree not to be pacified: Christian's Wife had paid the debt of nature, & as we have every reason to suppose sensuality & a passion for the females of Otaheite chiefly instigated him to the rash step he had taken, so it is readily to be believed he would not live long on the Island without a female companion, consequently after the demise of his Wife, he forcibly seized on one belonging to one of the Otaheitan men & took her to live with him. this exasperated them to a degree of madness, open war was declared & every opportunity sought to take away his life, & it was effected whilst digging in his own field. It is surprizing he should not have been more upon his guard, for he was well aware of the hatred & enmity of all the Blacks or Otaheitan men.
Thus terminated the miserable existence of this deluded young man, whose connexions in Westmorland were extremely respectable & who did not want talents & capacity to have become an ornament to his profession, had he adopted another line of conduct. We could not learn precisely the exact number of Blacks or Whites who were killed whilst this kind of Warfare continued, certainly however, many must have perished by the hands of each other & only Old John Adams remains of the Men that landed on the Island with Christian.
The Island has only been visited by one Ship since their Settlement in it: An American Ship called the Topaz Mayhem Folger (Master)s this took place on the 6th Feby 1808. The Master landed & procured all manner of refreshments the Island afforded, such as Hogs Goats Poultry & such Fruits & Vegetables as were then in season.
Another Ship appeard off the Island on the 27th Decr 1795 but did not approach the Island very near, neither could they make out by their Colours what Nation She belongd to.