Revised Jun 12 2021
Saturday, 6th February.—First part light airs at east, steering west by south, half south by compass. At ½ past 1 P.M. saw land bearing southwest by west half west. Steered for the land with a light breeze at east, the said land being Pitcairn's Island, discovered in 1767 by Captain Carteret in his Britannic Majesty's sloop Swallow. At 2 A.M. the isle bore south two leagues distant. Lay off and on till daylight. At 6 A.M. put off with two boats to explore and look for seals.
On approaching the shore saw a smoke on the land, at which I was very much surprised, it being represented by Captain Carteret as destitute of inhabitants.
On approaching still nearer the land, I discovered a boat paddling towards me with three men in her. On aproaching her, they hailed me in the English language, asking who was the captain of the ship, and offered me a number of cocoanuts, which they had brought off as a present, and reqauested I would land, there being, as they said, a white man on shore.
I went on shore and found there an Englishmen by the name of Alexander Smith, the only person remaining out of nine that escaped on board the ship Bounty, Captain Bligh, under the command of that arch-mutineer Christian, Smith informed me that, after putting Captain Bligh in the longboat and sending her adrift, Commander Christian proceeded to Otaheite. There all the mutineers chose to stop except Christian himself, Smith, and seven others. They all took wives at Otaheite, and six men as servants, and proceeded to Pitcairn's Island, where they landed all their goods and chattels, ran the ship Bounty on shore, and broke her up, which took place, as near as he could recollect, in 1790. Soon after, one of their number party ran mad and drowned himself; another died with a fever, and after they had remained about four years on the island, their men servants rose upon them and killed six of them, leaving only Smith alive, and he desperately wounded, with a pistol ball in the neck. However, he and the widows of the deceased arose and put all the servants to death, which left him the only surviving man on the island, with eight or nine women and several small children. He immediately went to work tilling the ground, so that it produces plenty for them all, and he lives very comfortably as commander-in-chief of Pitcairn's Island.
All the children of the deceased mutineers speak tolerable English; some of them are grown to the size of men and women; and, to do them justice, I think them a very humane and hospitable people; and whatever may have been the errors or crimes of Smith, the mutineer, in times back, he is at present a worthy man, and may be useful to navigators who traverse this immense ocean.
Such is the history of Christian and his associates. Be it remembered that this island is scantily supplied with fresh water, so that it is impossible for a ship to get a supply. I place it in latitude 25° 2′ south, and 130° west longitude, from my last lunar observation.
Sunday, 7 February.—Light airs from the eastward and very hot. The ship laying off and on, I stayed on shore with the friendly Smith and his truly good people until 4 P.M., then left them and went on board and made sail, steering southeast and southeast by east, bound for Massafuero, having received from the people on shore some hogs, cocoanuts, and plantains. At noon the isle bore northwest by north by compass 34′ dist. Latitude observation 25° 31′ south, etc.