Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 - 1953), Monday 2 October 1933, page 1


[ THREE Lýk- 5 BY CHARLE: CHAUE THlE STORY OF THE PICTURE T SA NAM ýDDIfTRkBUTED BY UNIVERJAL PICTS!

(Continued.) WHEN I read the story of the Bounty as a boy, I little dreamed then that.some day Iwould beshaking hands with Christians, Youngs, and McCoys, on lonely Pitcairn Island, listening to old Benjamin Young's stories of early Pitcairn history, and dining at the hospitable Stables of Edgar, Edwin, and Fred Christian.' TWELVE.,t t The reader will ask what these e people are like-that is' the first question which everyone asks of a community, who, shut. off from the world for more than a century, have inter-married into one great heterogeneous family tree. There are 48 families on Pitcairn to-day, and of these there are 23 familites of Christians, 19 families of Warrens, two families of Coffins, two of Clarks, and one sole survivor of the McCoy family. Thursday 'October. Christian married back into the pure native blood. This almost obliterated the white blood of the direct Christians, who to-day are quite dark. From" the Outside World. John Buffit and John Evans were the first from the outside world to join the island community, and both married into the first generation of Pitcairners. Five years later George Nobbs and Noah Bunker arrived at the island, after a sixweeks' voyage from Callao. Bunker died soon after his arrival. Next we come to the era of the windjammers, when Pitcairn became a haven for many a destitute crew. Whaling captains left their womenfolk upon the island during a hardpressed voyage, and many a ship was repaired .and re-provisioned by this little community.. During this period many new names found their way on to the Pitcairn family tree, such as George Pailmer and Charles William Grant, the son of a whaler who was born on the island. Then there is Holland, the pastor, who lived with the islanders in 1852, and in place of Thursday and' October for Christian names, we find others creeping in such as Henry, Chad and Parkinsall gathered' from the whaling days. 'Little New Blood. Engraved upon many tombstones in the little cemetry are names that are not those of the mutineers, so that the general belief that Pitcairn's population has increased purely from its own stock is trot strictly correct, although the, infusions of sew blood lave been few and far between. SThe removal of the Pitcairn community to 'Norfolk Island badly splintered the old family tree. For nearly three years the little village of Adamstown reniained uninhabited -a forlorn'skeleton village, its empty huts echoing the ceaseless boom I of the sea, .and its cattle running wild and multiplying. In January,. 1859, two of the Pitcairn familie' returned to the old J home. The, 'families consisted of Moses Young, grandson-of mutineer i midshipman, Young, his wife, and five 1 youngchildSen ; and.Mayhew Young,. who had, maried the widow of Matthew McCoy, their infant daughter, and six . Other children by the woman's first husband. These made up the first return party-16 souls in1 all, four males and 12 females. Old Families Return. Seven years after the return to Pitcairn of these families, the t schooner St. Kilda conveyed the seeond party of Pitcairners honme. Thursday October Christian, his t wife and nine children, were accom- c ipantiled by Mrs. Christian's aged mo- t ther for the purpose of seeing her n son once again, Mayhew Young. t This old lady was Elizabeth Mills, n the only daughter of John Mills, of y the Bounty. f f The other families were Robert p Buflit and his wife, and Samuel Warren and his wife, who was the daugh- ii ter of Thursday Octoher Christian. F These two were married on the eve u of leaving Norfolk Island. In ad- c dlition to those already mentioned sl were Simon Young, his mother (liHan- n Inahl Adams), his wife, and eight g chiltldlren. The number of persons p composing the second party was 27, soaking the total on Piteurn Is- o lund 43. All those ws'hso returned to 'Pit- fi ciohn from Norfolk Island, except e Samuel Wastsr-cn, were direct descend- tl outs of the nustinCers, Chs'istian, r Yonun7, Adsluns, end 'P-1Coy. It is n frsnn those fmilies that the present bI sisy I'itcnirnci's ha-vi sprung. I

Those who remained on Norfolk Islanld, the Mills, the Quintals, and menmbers of the Adams and McCoy families, have so inter-married with .other families of Norfolk island settlert that there is little of the original blood left. . SFor the direct descendants of the mutineers we must turn to the :Youngs and Christians of Pitrairn Island. Since the return of the Pitenirners to their isolation, Hannah Adams has died, leaving no descendants of -the Adams on Pitcairn. The last of the McCoy men tlied two years ago. After the going back of tlhe three old mutineer families to Pitcairn, the family tree has prodluced new branches from the survivors -if wrecks and lonely ocean wanderers, who have found a happy r&treat on the little island. Dentist's Mechanic. Sanmuel Warren was a whaler, who married a Christian girl, and joined the second party back to Pitcairn. Front shipwrecks on the Qeno and Ducie reefs came the Coffin and the Clark families. Only a year ago a wandering dentist's mechanic joined thp little community with his wife and family. A month before our arrival a jovial Scotsman, fleeing from the depression, joined the commnunity, antd has become adopted into the membership of Arthur Young's family. Two New Zealand women have also settled, and made, their home on Pitcairn. Inbreeding. During the past 70 years, following the return of the Pitcairners rfrc.'nNolrfolk, thor.o.has been a constant in-breeding, particularly among the Christians and Youngs. Although a mental dullness can he seen in sonic mnembers of these very entangled families, the average Pitcairner has surprising , physical strength, and a keen intellect, and a very fine group of yonug men is developing on the island to-day. A peculiarity note as a probable result of in-breeding is the Ipreponderance of males, there being at least 20 young men on the island totday, without girl companions of their own age. Most of the children to*day are males. The number of males born on the islandi has increased every year for 70 years, aid the, present position on Pitcairn is a serious one, more serious than the droughts of the past or 'isolation through lack of shipping facilities. A ipeculiar type of meningitis has made its appearance at times, and although some of the islanders have at times suffered from hallucinations, there-have been no cases of extreme mental trouble. Never at any time in the history of thei vorld has coitmnunity systen been- so successfully achieved as at Pitcairn. As one large family they work and play, practise the same beliefs, and adtlhere to the one religion. There is seldom friction, and the gaol has fallen into decay. Pitcairn is a democratic self-governing community, with' a magistrate and two Houses of Legislature. Two Houses. The present Constitution was subgested by the captain of I-H.M.S. Champion in 18112, and superseded an earlier one. . Thq ;Lower House, known as the Cotnmittee, comprises a chairman and two members, with an oflicial seexetary. ' It makes regulations, which are, submitted to the Upper House, or Council. Tihe Council consists of the Chief Magistrate, with two assessors and the secretary, and it acts alsbo as a I court of justice. The two Committee members and a constable are nominated by the magistrate, but the other olicials are, nominated alnupliy by all inhabitants -over 18 years of age, Pitcairn was,. therefore, the first part of the British Ernpire to possess female suffrage. Old John Adanms is said to have laid down a rule that the people of Pitcairn were never to make a law until it was wanted. The simlple .1 cotde of the Pitcairners serves to show with how few. laws a rightminded Chilstian community may be governed. The 'nmagistaea is to ponvene the public on occasions of coinplaint being made' to him, and, on hearing both sides, commit the mattor to a jury. He is to see allt fines levied and all liublic- works executed. A public journal, kefle by r the magistrate, fron time to tinme is read, so that no onb shall pluad ignoranco of the law. This journil 1 is sent to the High Commissioner t for the Western Pacifle, at Fiji, at t

the end of eaonch year. There. is a works committee, a committoee for the distribution of goods fronm passing ships, goat mastors, and indldidulns elected to care for the sugar nmill, the shlippl g flags and the reservoird. (To be concluded.) Printed and published by 0. G. Pettit, at the "Guardian" Office, Bentinck Street, Portland, Victoria.