Revised Jun 1 2021
The day after the Shah sailed, we had another visit, of an altogether different nature. The Venus, a small trading-vessel, having for her master a Captain Scott, who had been here years before, called in for the express purpose of establishing, if possible, a trade between this island and a company in Liverpool, De Wolf & Co., who have also established a business among the other groups of islands in the Pacific. The plan proposed was that we should cultivate and gather whatever produce the island affords, fit for trade, and have the produce ready whenever their vessel should call for it. Here was now a good opportunity for maintaining ourselves by our own industry, and no longer having the feeling of depending on the charitable contributions of others. The offer was, for that reason, gladly accepted by most, while others expressed a doubt whether the plan would succeed or not.
Among the more valuable products of the island may be mentioned arrowroot, cocoa-nut, coffee, candle-nut, and cotton. The arrowroot, as has been before stated, if of excellent quality. The cocoa-nut trees are not now very productive, on account of the great age of many of them. Coffee could be made very profitable. Cotton-seed, of the right quality, was left by Captain Scott, and these, being planted, soon grew, and produced very fine cotton-wool. Many of the plants first put in the ground did not succeed in growing, owing to a long-continued dry weather coming immediately after the plants had been set. Cotton here needs planting but once in three or four years, for as soon as one harvest is gathered, the plants are covered with new shoots, ready to blossom again.
Some goods were left by Captain Scott to form a store, the person managing the business being Russell McCoy.
A telephone was brought ashore by Captain Scott for the amusement of the islanders, who took turns in speaking to one another at the distance of half a mile. A magic-lantern was also exhibited,—the first that was witnessed by many of the young people and children. When the captain sailed, he took with him two of the young men of the island and Peter Butler.
In March, 1879, the Enterprise—one of De Wolf & Co.'s ships—called to take away the first of the produce we had been able to collect, and which amounted to three thousand eight hundred of forty-two pounds of candle-nut and four hundred and seventy-three pounds of cocoa-nut; besides these, a small quantity of wool and cotton. At the same time, our two young men also returned, both having experienced the feeling that "there is no place like home," although that home may be on such a small, out-of-the-way place as Pitcairn Island. Peter Butler, having left the Venus some time before, has never been heard of since.