Pages From The Past
pp. 43-44 · Read in the full issue
By Eric Ramsden
The Pitcairners Return to Tahiti
nPHOUGH the facts concerning the trans fer of the Pitcairners from their native island to Norfolk Island in 1856 are suffici ently well known, little has been placed on record concerning their former migration to Tahiti in 1831.
In the first week of March of that year the total inhabitants, numbering 87, em barked for Papeete, which was reached on the 23rd. The transfer was carried out by Captain Alexander A. Sandilands of His Majesty’s sloop Comet and the barque Lucy Anne, of Sydney (Captain J. Currey).
It was unfortunate, however, that the re moval took place that year because Tahiti was then on the brink of civil war. An epidemic soon reduced the ranks of the newcomers by 12. The change, too, in other respects was drastic. The immoral ity then rife in Tahiti appalled the Pit cairners: they were not happy until they returned to their own island that same year.
Everything possible was done to make the Pitcairners feel at home. Queen Pomare VI. (Aimata) who was then on the threshold of her chequered career, pro vided land for them, and ordered her fel low-countrymen to build them houses.
During their stay she also accommodated some of the Pitcairners in a large native house in Papeete.
“Although the island was in the most disturbed state on my arrival,” Captain Sandilands reported to the Governor of New South Wales (Sir Ralph Darling), “I was greatly relieved from the anxiety for the situation in which I was placed with the inhabitants of Pitcairn’s Island by re ceiving from the Queen and her chiefs on one side, and the hostile party on the other, assurances that the promises made by her father . . . would be most strictly exe cuted.”
In the early part of their stay the Pit cairners resided near the Queen’s own pro
perty at Papa-oa, a few miles distant from Papeete. Meanwhile, the missionaries and the naval officer's examined what they considered “a very eligible territory” for their future residence. The Queen as sembled the chiefs and gave them to under stand that the land selected had been given for all time to the newcomers. Through out the island, declared Captain Sandilands, the Tahitians manifested a feeling of ‘great regard” for the Pitcairners.
With considerable diligence, the local natives endeavoured to trace their relatives among the newcomers: half a century had passed since the Tahitian women had left the island with the Bounty mutineers. In one instance a native woman actually dis covered that one of the four remaining Tahitian women who had returned was her long lost sister.
From Sydney Sir Ralph Darling ack nowledged Captain Sandiland’s report on March 26, 1831. ‘‘The manner in which this service has been conducted,” he de clared, “cannot fail to prove highly satis factory to His Majesty’s Government.”
But when Captain Fremantle arrived at Tahiti some months later he found that all the Pitcairners had returned to their own island. Assistance in inducing an Ameri can vessel to convey them thither was given by the missionaries and other friends.
“It is an extraordinary circumstance,” reported the naval officer, “that many of the copper bolts of the Bounty which had been brought to Otaheiti from Pitcairn’s Island by the Islanders, were taken by the master of the vessel as part payment of their freight to the amount of 200 dollars.”
The Pitcairners’ own journal provides additional details.
Lucy Anne Quintal was born on the voyage to Tahiti, and died shortly after.
The journal records death after death. To wards the end of April, 1831, John Buffett and family, Robert and Frederick Young, and Edward, Joseph and Charles Christian sailed from Tahiti in a small schooner, but “owing to contrary winds, the afore said persons landed at Lord Hood’s Island, and the vessel returned to Tahiti.” Ed
ward Christian died at Lord Hood’s Island on June 3. His companions returned to Tahiti to find many relatives either dead or dying.
In June, Buffett and some others embarked in the French brig Bordeaux Packet and within six days were back at Pitcairn.
“During our absence our hogs have gone wild anJ destroyed our crops,” they re-
ported. “After our return we employed ourselves in destroying the hogs.”
It was not until September 2 that the American brig Charles Dagget, of Salem, arrived off the island with the remainder of the party. Until the end of that year (1831) there were additional deaths: it was cne of the most disastrous chapters in the history of the Islanders.
Lord Goderich, then Secretary of State for the Colonies, when informing Sir Richard Bourke in June, 1832, to furnish the Pitcairners with “a small supply of what they most needed,” remarked: “They have been compelled, from the unhealthi ness of Otaheiti, to return to their former island.” It was to be distinctly under stood, however, that the Governor of New soum Wales was not to incur “any great expense on this account.”
Commander G. H. Macmurdc, of H.M.S.
Z ehra, in a report to Bourke was more
explicit. He wrote, “Though every pos sible attention and kindness was shown by the Queen, tho chiefs, and the Tahitians in general, and although every want was amply provided for by the agent appointed to supply them, they (the Pitcairners) became so wretched and melancholy and pined so much after their native island that after five months’ residence here dur ing which period 12 of their number died, the missionaries (with that Christian feel ing which marks their character) raised a subscription of 650 Spanish dollars and chartered a vessel which took them back to Pitcairn’s Island in September last.”
One sequel to the Tahiti sojourn was that some of the Pitcairn Islanders imbibed a liking for strong drink —despite the short ness of their stay. Walter Brodie (later an Auckland merchant and New Zealand Parliamentarian), who visited the island in 1850, when the removal was fresh in the minds of the Pitcairners, says that on their return some of the men distilled spirits from the root of the ti-tree and “drank to excess.” However, in 1833 all stills on the island were destroyed. “Which was a great blessing to all,” he declared.
In succeeding years an effort was made to secure the return of the Pitcairners to the Society Islands. The Queen of Hua hine (then an independent island which had declined French sovereignty) offered to make land available for three families.
The offer was put forward for an interest ing reason. Puni, one of the original native women who had gone off with the Bounty mutineers, was a Huahine girl with considerable land on her own island.
As it so happened she was on a visit to Tahiti when the mutineers sailed, and, having fallen in love with one of the Eng lishmen, she accompanied him to Pitcairn.
Though Puni had long since been dead, the Queen of Huahine regarded her de scendants as the rightful owners of her land.
Offers of land were also received from Tahiti and Hawaii.
At one time the Pitcairners were inclined to settle on Juan Fernandez, but the fact that the island was Chilian territory was a bar. At all costs they were determined to remain British. At last, however, they accepted the British Government’s offer of Norfolk Island, and eventually removed to what was formerly a penal settlement.
Nevertheless, within a year some of them were pining for Pitcairn and were not happy until they returned to the island of their birth.