View source for 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Pitcairn

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'''PITCAIRN''', an island in the mid-eastern Pacific Ocean, in
25º 3' S., 130º 6' W., belonging to Great Britain. It lies south
of the Paumotu archipelago, 100 m. from the nearest member of
this group. Unlike the majority of the islands in this region, it
is without coral reefs, but rises abruptly with steep and rugged
cliffs of dark basaltic lava. The extreme elevation is over
2000 ft., and the area 2 sq. m. The soil in the valleys is volcanic
and fertile, but the gradual utilization of natural timber increases
the liability to drought, as there are no streams. The climate
is variable and rainy. Stone axes, remains of carved stone
pillars similar to those of Easter Island, and skeletons with a
pearl-mussel beneath the head have been found on the island,
though it was uninhabited when discovered by Philip Carteret
in 1767. Pitcairn was the name of the midshipman who first
observed it.

The island was destined to become the scene of a curious
social experiment. On the 28th of April 1789 a mutiny broke
out on board the "Bounty," then emploued by the British
government in conveying young bread-fruit trees from Tahiti
to the West Indies. The commander, Lieutenant William
Bligh, was set adrift in the launch with part of the crew, but
managed to make his way to Timor in the Malay Archipelago.
The twenty-five mutineers at first all returned to Tahiti. Some
remained, and six of these were ultimately court-martialled in
England, three being executed in 1792. Meanwhile in 1790
a party consisting of Fletcher Christian, the leader of the
mutiny, eight Englishmen, six Polynesian men and twelve
Polynesian women had taken possession of Pitcairn Island and
burned the "Bounty." Treachery and debauchery filled the
first years of the annals of the beautiful island. By 1800 all
the men were dead except Alexander Smith, afterwards known
as John Adams, who rose to a sense of his responsibility and
successfully trained up the youthful generation left in his charge.
An American vessel, the "Topaze," discovered the strange
colony in 1808; again, by accident, it was visited by the
"Briton," Captain Sir F. Staines, and the "Tagus," Captain
Pipon, in 1817; and by the exploring ship "Blossom" in 1825.
On the death of John Adams on the 29th of March 1829 George
Hunn Nobbs, who had settled at Pitcairn in 1828, was appointed
pastor and magistrate. Through fear of drought the
islanders removed to Tahiti in 1830, but disapproved of both the
climate and the morals of this island, and returned to Pitcairn
in 1831. Shortly after this an adventurer named Joshua Hill
appeared, and, claiming government authority, tyrannized
over the islanders till his removal by a British man-of-war in
1838. In 1856 the whole of the islanders—60 married persons
and 134 young men, women and children—were landed on<!-- p. 660 -->
Norfolk Island, but in 1858 two families chose to return, and
their example was afterwards followed by a few others. Visited
in 1873 and 1878 the colony was found in excellent order, but
by the end of the century it was stated that intermarriage was
bringing a deterioration of intellect, morals and energy, and
that the islanders would probably drift into imbecility. Later
accounts made it appear that this was an exaggeration, although
the standard of morality was unquestionably low on the
whole.

In religion the islanders are Seventh Day Adventists. "They
have adopted an extraordinary patois, derived from the language
of the Tahitian women who accompanied the mutineers of the
"Bounty" to Pitcairn Island, although most of the adults
can speak the English language fairly well" (R. T. Simons,
''Report'', 1905). The island is a British colony by settlement,
and is within the jurisdiction of the High Commissioner for the
Western Pacific (since 1898). There is a governing body chosen
from among the islanders, the constitution of which has been
altered more than once owing to internal jealousies, &c. The
island produces sweet potatoes, yams, melons, bananas and other
fruits, arrowroot and coffee. Goats and chickens run wild.
Some trade is carried on with Mangareva in a vessel owned by
the islanders. The population is about 170.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.—J. Shillibeer, ''The "Briton's" Voyage to Pitcairn's''
''Island'' (London, 1818); F. W. Beechey, ''Voyage to the Pacific''
(London, 1831); Sir J. Barrow, ''History of the Mutiny of the "Bounty"''
(London, 1831); W. Brodie, ''Pitcairn's Island . . . in 1850''
(London, 1851); C. E. Meinicke, ''Die Insel Pitcairn'' (Prenzlau,
1858); T. B. Murray, ''Pitcairn'' (London, 1860), revised to date by
C. C. Elcum (1885); Lady Belcher, ''The Mutineers of the "Bounty"''
(London, 1870); J. A. Brown, "Stone Implements from Pitcairn
Island," in ''Journ. Anthropol. Instit.'' (1900), xxx.; R. A. Hermann.
"Die Bevölkerung der Insel Pitcairn," in ''Petermanns Mitteilungen''
(1901), xlvii.; Parliamentary Papers C. 9148, and Cd. 754 (London,
1899, 1901); Cd. 2397 (ibid., 1905; Mr R. T. Simon's report).