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The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty (73 page)
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Charles Christian’s memoir, which includes Bligh’s conversation with Captain Taubman, is found in MNHL MS 09381, pp. 27ff.
The biography of Captain Sir Hugh Cloberry Christian is given in
The Naval Chronicle
21 (1809), pp. 177-89. For the biography of John Christian Curwen, see Edward Hughes,
North Country Life in the Eighteenth Century,
vol. 2 (Oxford, 1965); and Henry Lonsdale,
The Worthies of Cumberland
(London, 1867).
The Naval Chronicle
21 (1809), pp. 177-89. For the biography of John Christian Curwen, see Edward Hughes,
North Country Life in the Eighteenth Century,
vol. 2 (Oxford, 1965); and Henry Lonsdale,
The Worthies of Cumberland
(London, 1867).
Bligh’s theory that Fletcher Christian deliberately mishandled the ship is given in Edward Christian’s “Appendix” to Stephen Barney’s
Minutes of the Proceedings . . .
(London, 1794), p. 71.
Minutes of the Proceedings . . .
(London, 1794), p. 71.
The majority of correspondence to or from the Heywood family is from “Correspondence of Miss Nessy Heywood,” E5. H5078, the Newberry Library, Chicago. Some letters are printed in Edward Tagart,
A Memoir of the Late Captain Peter Heywood, R.N., with Extracts From his Diaries and Correspondence
(London, 1832).
A Memoir of the Late Captain Peter Heywood, R.N., with Extracts From his Diaries and Correspondence
(London, 1832).
Bligh’s letters to Elizabeth Bligh, Duncan Campbell, and Joseph Banks are in Brunton,
Awake Bold Bligh!
Awake Bold Bligh!
The
Times
’s comments remarking on the lack of resistance to the mutineers are from March 26, 1790.
Times
’s comments remarking on the lack of resistance to the mutineers are from March 26, 1790.
The transcripts of the courts-martial held for both the loss of the
Bounty
and William Purcell are in Adm. 1/5328 (part 2). Purcell’s mutinous behavior is described in Bligh’s
Narrative . . . ,
p. 55. The suggestion that Purcell was recommended by Banks is made in Edward Christian,
A Short Reply to Capt. William Bligh’s Answer
(London, 1795), p. 10.
Bounty
and William Purcell are in Adm. 1/5328 (part 2). Purcell’s mutinous behavior is described in Bligh’s
Narrative . . . ,
p. 55. The suggestion that Purcell was recommended by Banks is made in Edward Christian,
A Short Reply to Capt. William Bligh’s Answer
(London, 1795), p. 10.
Bligh’s comments to Banks about the courts-martial are given in his letter of October 24, 1790, SLNSW: the Sir Joseph Banks Electronic Archive, 46.03.
Purcell and Fryer played modest but significant roles in another naval drama at the Cape, en route from Batavia to Europe. Toward the end of February 1790, the
Guardian,
a British ship that had been crippled by an encounter with an iceberg, limped into Table Bay under the skillful and courageous command of Lieutenant Edward Riou—another of Cook’s men. Finding the remainder of the
Bounty
’s company on hand, Riou had gratefully taken the opportunity to recruit skilled British seamen to help him make necessary repairs and had officially taken on Purcell, Fryer, and Robert Tinkler. Purcell, who was in no blazing hurry to get back to England, being still technically a “prisoner at large,” was as a professional carpenter an especially welcome addition to Riou’s shattered crew. As for John Fryer, this stint at the Cape was probably the high point of his long and dogged ordeal and, spreading his cramped wings, he had risen to the occasion, proving a reliable and invaluable mover of stores. When, in early June, Riou at last prepared to send the detained men home, he had entrusted Fryer with letters for his family and the Admiralty. “Mr. Fryer will give you this,” he had written to his family, “he is [a] good honest plain modest man.” Riou’s correspondence is found in M. D. Nash, ed.,
The Last Voyage of the Guardian: Lieutenant Riou, Commander, 1789-1791
(Cape Town, 1990).
Guardian,
a British ship that had been crippled by an encounter with an iceberg, limped into Table Bay under the skillful and courageous command of Lieutenant Edward Riou—another of Cook’s men. Finding the remainder of the
Bounty
’s company on hand, Riou had gratefully taken the opportunity to recruit skilled British seamen to help him make necessary repairs and had officially taken on Purcell, Fryer, and Robert Tinkler. Purcell, who was in no blazing hurry to get back to England, being still technically a “prisoner at large,” was as a professional carpenter an especially welcome addition to Riou’s shattered crew. As for John Fryer, this stint at the Cape was probably the high point of his long and dogged ordeal and, spreading his cramped wings, he had risen to the occasion, proving a reliable and invaluable mover of stores. When, in early June, Riou at last prepared to send the detained men home, he had entrusted Fryer with letters for his family and the Admiralty. “Mr. Fryer will give you this,” he had written to his family, “he is [a] good honest plain modest man.” Riou’s correspondence is found in M. D. Nash, ed.,
The Last Voyage of the Guardian: Lieutenant Riou, Commander, 1789-1791
(Cape Town, 1990).
Francis Masson discusses John Fryer and the seeds in a letter to Banks of May 27, 1790, SLNSW: the Sir Joseph Banks Electronic Archive, 13.45. Masson used a number of the other Bountys as seed couriers.
John Fryer’s visit to Joseph Christian is referred to in the pamphlet by Edward Christian,
A Short Reply . . . ,
p. 4 (reprinted in facsimile by the Australiana Society, Melbourne, 1952). For Jane Austen’s patronage, see Deirdre Le Faye, ed.,
Jane Austen’s Letters,
3d ed. (Oxford, 1997), p. 211 and note on p. 506. That John Christian resided with Joseph Christian following his elopement is evident from Andrew Oliver, ed.,
The Journal of Samuel Curwen, Loyalist,
vol. 2 (Salem, Mass., 1972), pp. 879 ff.
A Short Reply . . . ,
p. 4 (reprinted in facsimile by the Australiana Society, Melbourne, 1952). For Jane Austen’s patronage, see Deirdre Le Faye, ed.,
Jane Austen’s Letters,
3d ed. (Oxford, 1997), p. 211 and note on p. 506. That John Christian resided with Joseph Christian following his elopement is evident from Andrew Oliver, ed.,
The Journal of Samuel Curwen, Loyalist,
vol. 2 (Salem, Mass., 1972), pp. 879 ff.
The merchandise “proposed to be Shipped for Capt. William Bligh” from Joseph Christian is found in Adm. 1/1507; the fact that this invoice survives amid official Admiralty papers, and not Bligh’s personal correspondence, is in itself intriguing. Bligh’s list of personal losses to the Admiralty is also found at Adm. 1/1507.
Correspondence of Bligh and Banks regarding the second breadfruit voyage is found in SLNSW: the Sir Joseph Banks Electronic Archive; for Bligh’s memo, see “Capt. Bligh, Hints for an outfit, March 1791,” 49.05; Banks’s orders to his new gardeners are found in his memo of June 25, 1791, “Instructions for Mr. James Wiles,” 49.09; Bligh’s letter to Banks concerning Peckover, dated July 17, 1791, is in 50.05.
For Fanny Burney’s remark about her brother and Bligh’s narrative, see
Diary and Letters . . . ,
part 3, pp. 101 ff. James Burney’s role in the preparation of Bligh’s published accounts is discussed in Rolf du Rietz, “Three Letters from James Burney to Sir Joseph Banks,”
Ethnos,
no. 1-4 (1962), pp. 115-25.
PORTSMOUTHDiary and Letters . . . ,
part 3, pp. 101 ff. James Burney’s role in the preparation of Bligh’s published accounts is discussed in Rolf du Rietz, “Three Letters from James Burney to Sir Joseph Banks,”
Ethnos,
no. 1-4 (1962), pp. 115-25.
Descriptions of Portsmouth at this time can be found in
A New Portsmouth Guide; Being a Description of the Ancient and Present State of the Place
(Portsmouth, 1790); and G. J. Marcus,
A Naval History of England,
vol. 1 (Boston, 1962), pp. 394 ff.
A New Portsmouth Guide; Being a Description of the Ancient and Present State of the Place
(Portsmouth, 1790); and G. J. Marcus,
A Naval History of England,
vol. 1 (Boston, 1962), pp. 394 ff.
Advance press concerning the capture of the mutineers is found, for example, in
Scots Magazine
54 (April 1792), pp. 196f.; the
General Evening Post,
April 10-12, 1792, describes Heywood’s tattoos.
Scots Magazine
54 (April 1792), pp. 196f.; the
General Evening Post,
April 10-12, 1792, describes Heywood’s tattoos.
The description of Nessy Heywood is found in Lady Diana Belcher,
The Mutineers of the Bounty and their Descendants in Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands
(London, 1870), p. 142. Nessy’s biographer was A. W. Moore; his
Nessy Heywood
(Douglas, Isle of Man, 1913) also gives descriptions of Douglas at this time. Both of these works also quote from the Heywood family correspondence, as does Edward Tagart,
A Memoir of the Late Captain Peter Heywood, R.N. with Extract from his Diaries and Correspondence
(London, 1832). The petition served on Mrs. Heywood and her daughters for debts, with reference to their “contumacious” behavior, is found in MNHL (MS M4 Lib. Wills, 9L 725 1791 [1], Braddon and Douglas—Episcopal, 13/8/02). Nessy’s claim that her father died of gout is found in Nessy Heywood to Dr. Thorkelin, October 9, 1790, Edinburgh University Library, Edinburgh, Scotland, La. III. 379/446ff. 818-19. All quoted correspondence between Nessy and other members of the Heywood family is from “Correspondence of Miss Nessy Heywood,” E5. H5078, the Newberry Library, Chicago.
The Mutineers of the Bounty and their Descendants in Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands
(London, 1870), p. 142. Nessy’s biographer was A. W. Moore; his
Nessy Heywood
(Douglas, Isle of Man, 1913) also gives descriptions of Douglas at this time. Both of these works also quote from the Heywood family correspondence, as does Edward Tagart,
A Memoir of the Late Captain Peter Heywood, R.N. with Extract from his Diaries and Correspondence
(London, 1832). The petition served on Mrs. Heywood and her daughters for debts, with reference to their “contumacious” behavior, is found in MNHL (MS M4 Lib. Wills, 9L 725 1791 [1], Braddon and Douglas—Episcopal, 13/8/02). Nessy’s claim that her father died of gout is found in Nessy Heywood to Dr. Thorkelin, October 9, 1790, Edinburgh University Library, Edinburgh, Scotland, La. III. 379/446ff. 818-19. All quoted correspondence between Nessy and other members of the Heywood family is from “Correspondence of Miss Nessy Heywood,” E5. H5078, the Newberry Library, Chicago.
The
Dictionary of National Biography
(London, 1917) has entries for a number of the naval officers referred to in this chapter.
Dictionary of National Biography
(London, 1917) has entries for a number of the naval officers referred to in this chapter.
Information about Thomas Pasley is found in
The European Magazine, and London Review,
September 1805, pp. 162 ff.; Louisa M. Sabine Pasley,
Memoir of Admiral Sir Thomas Sabine Pasley
(London, 1900); and Rodney M. S. Pasley, ed.,
Private Sea Journals 1778-1782, Kept by Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, Bart. when in command of H. M. Ships
Glasgow
(20),
Sybil
(28) and
Jupiter
(50)
(London, 1931).
The European Magazine, and London Review,
September 1805, pp. 162 ff.; Louisa M. Sabine Pasley,
Memoir of Admiral Sir Thomas Sabine Pasley
(London, 1900); and Rodney M. S. Pasley, ed.,
Private Sea Journals 1778-1782, Kept by Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, Bart. when in command of H. M. Ships
Glasgow
(20),
Sybil
(28) and
Jupiter
(50)
(London, 1931).
Captain Edwards’s letter to C. Christian of July 17, 1792, is in the Papers of Edward Edwards, Admiralty Library MSS 180, held at the Royal Naval Museum and Admiralty Library, Portsmouth. The only known contenders for this “C. Christian” are Fletcher’s brother Charles Christian, whose own papers make no mention of the Heywoods, and Captain Hugh Cloberry Christian, known as Captain Christian—and whom John Curwen informed Nessy he would be meeting, and whom he recommended to her as the person most likely to be of assistance to Peter.
Montagu’s career is given in James Ralfe,
Naval Biography of Great Britain,
vol. 2 (Boston, 1828), p. 6; and John Marshall,
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 1 (London, 1823-1835), p. 39.
Naval Biography of Great Britain,
vol. 2 (Boston, 1828), p. 6; and John Marshall,
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 1 (London, 1823-1835), p. 39.
For the career of Colpoys, see
Naval Chronicle
11 (1804), p. 265. Hamond’s biography is found in Marshall,
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 2, pp. 54-60; and Records of the Trinity House (Adm. 81449).
Naval Chronicle
11 (1804), p. 265. Hamond’s biography is found in Marshall,
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 2, pp. 54-60; and Records of the Trinity House (Adm. 81449).
Lord Hood’s correspondence with the Admiralty regarding the allocation of ships, and other matters relating to the court-martial, is found in Captains Letters, Adm. 1/1002.
A number of memorials describe Duckworth’s life and career: G. G. Cunningham,
Lives of Eminent and Illustrious Englishmen
(Glasgow, 1836), pp. 198-202;
The Annual Biography and Obituary
(London, 1818), pp. 136ff.;
British Naval Biography: Comprising the lives of the most distinguished admirals, from Howard to Codrington; with an outline of the naval history of England, from the earliest period to the present time
(London, 1839), pp. 597 ff.; his physical description is given in
Gentleman’s Magazine,
September 1817, p. 275, and October 1817, pp. 372 ff. His fondness for his own pigs is described in Mrs. Cornwell Barron-Wilson,
Memoirs of Miss Mellon, Afterwards Duchess of St. Albans
(London, 1886).
Lives of Eminent and Illustrious Englishmen
(Glasgow, 1836), pp. 198-202;
The Annual Biography and Obituary
(London, 1818), pp. 136ff.;
British Naval Biography: Comprising the lives of the most distinguished admirals, from Howard to Codrington; with an outline of the naval history of England, from the earliest period to the present time
(London, 1839), pp. 597 ff.; his physical description is given in
Gentleman’s Magazine,
September 1817, p. 275, and October 1817, pp. 372 ff. His fondness for his own pigs is described in Mrs. Cornwell Barron-Wilson,
Memoirs of Miss Mellon, Afterwards Duchess of St. Albans
(London, 1886).
The scant career notes of Captain Bazely can be found in David Syrett and R. L. DiNardo, eds.,
The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815,
rev. ed., vol. 1 (Brookfield, Vt., 1994), p. 52; and
Gentleman’s Magazine,
April 1809, p. 389. Details of his finest hour on the
Alert
are found in William Laird Clowes and Clements Robert Markham,
The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present,
vol. 4 (London, 1899), pp. 8 ff.
The Commissioned Sea Officers of the Royal Navy 1660-1815,
rev. ed., vol. 1 (Brookfield, Vt., 1994), p. 52; and
Gentleman’s Magazine,
April 1809, p. 389. Details of his finest hour on the
Alert
are found in William Laird Clowes and Clements Robert Markham,
The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present,
vol. 4 (London, 1899), pp. 8 ff.
Curtis’s biography is given in
The Annual Biography and Obituary
(London, 1817), pp. 380-91;
Naval and Martial Biography
(1806), pp. 120-24. The anecdote about his coach ride is told in “Old Sailor,”
The Log Book; or Nautical Miscellany
(London, 1830), p. 461.
The Annual Biography and Obituary
(London, 1817), pp. 380-91;
Naval and Martial Biography
(1806), pp. 120-24. The anecdote about his coach ride is told in “Old Sailor,”
The Log Book; or Nautical Miscellany
(London, 1830), p. 461.
Keats’s biography is from his obituary in the
Times
(London), April 8, 1834; and Marshall,
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 1, pp. 342-47.
Times
(London), April 8, 1834; and Marshall,
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 1, pp. 342-47.
For biographies of Captain John Knight, see Marshall,
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 1, pp. 154-65; and
Naval Chronicle
11 (1804), p. 425.
Royal Naval Biography,
vol. 1, pp. 154-65; and
Naval Chronicle
11 (1804), p. 425.
An obituary in the
Maidstone Journal,
February 24, 1807, contains biographical information about Colonel Holwell. In his will much can be learned about this military man from the cherished objects he passes on: a Falkland Island stone seal “with my crest set in gold,” “my pistols and fiddle,” a “model of the monument erected over the Black Hole Calcutta ‘in petrified water,’ ” “my faithful horse Dicky” (PROB 11/1457, 201).
Maidstone Journal,
February 24, 1807, contains biographical information about Colonel Holwell. In his will much can be learned about this military man from the cherished objects he passes on: a Falkland Island stone seal “with my crest set in gold,” “my pistols and fiddle,” a “model of the monument erected over the Black Hole Calcutta ‘in petrified water,’ ” “my faithful horse Dicky” (PROB 11/1457, 201).
The outline of Aaron Graham’s biography is given most straightforwardly in
Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
vol. 5,
1801-1820,
(Toronto, 1991), pp. 361-62, where he is referred to as “incomparably the greatest civil servant in the history of Newfoundland”; and in
The Annual Biography and Obituary
(1820), pp. 402-22. His family details are confirmed by the records at Holy Trinity Church, Gosport. Adm. 36/7517 confirms Graham’s naval service with Pasley. Other aspects of his multifaceted career must be pieced together from other sources. His early love of theatrics is attested to in Sir R. Vesey Hamilton and John Knox Laughton, eds.,
Recollections of James Anthony Gardner, Commander R.N.
(London, 1906), Publications of the Navy Records Society, vol. 31; Gardner served with Graham in Newfoundland. Graham’s correspondence with Sheridan is found in Cecil Price, ed.,
The Letters of Richard Brinsley Sheridan,
vol. 2 (Oxford, 1966), passim. Graham’s service during the Nore mutiny is documented in James Dugan,
The Great Mutiny
(New York, 1965), passim; his relationship with Coutts and Harriet Mellon is found in Ernest Hartley Coleridge,
The Life of Thomas Coutts, Banker
(London, 1920), passim.
Dictionary of Canadian Biography,
vol. 5,
1801-1820,
(Toronto, 1991), pp. 361-62, where he is referred to as “incomparably the greatest civil servant in the history of Newfoundland”; and in
The Annual Biography and Obituary
(1820), pp. 402-22. His family details are confirmed by the records at Holy Trinity Church, Gosport. Adm. 36/7517 confirms Graham’s naval service with Pasley. Other aspects of his multifaceted career must be pieced together from other sources. His early love of theatrics is attested to in Sir R. Vesey Hamilton and John Knox Laughton, eds.,
Recollections of James Anthony Gardner, Commander R.N.
(London, 1906), Publications of the Navy Records Society, vol. 31; Gardner served with Graham in Newfoundland. Graham’s correspondence with Sheridan is found in Cecil Price, ed.,
The Letters of Richard Brinsley Sheridan,
vol. 2 (Oxford, 1966), passim. Graham’s service during the Nore mutiny is documented in James Dugan,
The Great Mutiny
(New York, 1965), passim; his relationship with Coutts and Harriet Mellon is found in Ernest Hartley Coleridge,
The Life of Thomas Coutts, Banker
(London, 1920), passim.
There is a tantalizing suggestion that Aaron Graham was related to Dr. James Graham, a Scottish quack doctor who had achieved enormous notoriety for his Temple of Health, a London “spa” in which nubile beauties were displayed clad in healthful mud and not much else before a leering public; Emma Hart, the future Lady Hamilton beloved by Nelson, made her London debut here. The relation to James Graham is suggested by A. G. K. L’Estrange,
Lady Belcher and Friends
(London, 1891), p. 13.
Lady Belcher and Friends
(London, 1891), p. 13.
The various legal considerations before and after the court-martial are discussed in D. Bonner Smith, “Some Remarks About the Mutiny of the
Bounty,
”
Mariner’s Mirror
22 (1936), pp. 200-237, which also discusses the mustering of the witnesses.
Bounty,
”
Mariner’s Mirror
22 (1936), pp. 200-237, which also discusses the mustering of the witnesses.
Events at Portsmouth for September 8 are described in
Gentleman’s Magazine,
September 1792, p. 860.
Gentleman’s Magazine,
September 1792, p. 860.
The life of the Right Honorable Samuel Lord Viscount Hood, Baron of Catherington and a Baronet, is amply covered in a number of memorials and biographies: see, for example,
The Annual Biography and Obituary
(1817), pp. 371-79;
British Naval Biography . . . ,
pp. 414-18.
The Annual Biography and Obituary
(1817), pp. 371-79;
British Naval Biography . . . ,
pp. 414-18.
The letter from Lord Hood to Lord Bridport is found in BL, Bridport Papers, Add. MS, 35194 f. 166.
Contemporary news accounts of the French massacres are found, for example, in
Gentleman’s Magazine,
September 1792, pp. 854 ff.; and the
Times
, September 12, 1792.
Gentleman’s Magazine,
September 1792, pp. 854 ff.; and the
Times
, September 12, 1792.
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