Death Of Pitcairn Island Leader

rr\HE chief magistrate and postmaster X of Pitcairn Island, Mr. Edgar Christian, died on June 20, aged 58.

It was a shock to the little community; he had been fit and well, until a few weeks before his death. He was a great

great-grandson of Fletcher Christian and Edward Young, the two officers who were aboard the “Bounty” when she was cast away on Pitcairn. The photo graph shows him on the left of the group, which com prises his wife and family.

The method of Mr. Christian’s ap pointment as post master is worth recalling. Soon after the Panama Canal was opened a bag of mail came to

Pitcairn Island from Mr. Gerald D. Bliss, United States postmaster in the Canal Zone. In the bag was a letter addressed to “Whoever opens the bag”. Edgar Christian, being the Island’s official secretary at the time, opened the bag

and so claimed the letter. In the letter Mr. Bliss explained that from then on his post office at Canal Zone would be the central office for Pitcairn Island mail, and that “Whoever” would be responsible for mails when they arrived

at Pitcairn. A correspondence was at once carried on between the two (Mr.

Bliss and Edgar Christian), and until he died, Edgar Christian was the recognised postmaster of Pitcairn Island.

M. Oscar Meyer, the French anthro pologist who visited Tahiti, the Mar quesas, and New Guinea recently, is in the French army in Indo-China. He hopes to return to Australia, when he is de mobilised; but owing to the delicate political situation there, this date is un certain.

Mr. W. McKechnie, who was mining for three years in the Parchee River

area, near Wewak, New Guinea, and who was held there in high regard, visited Sydney recently and was married. He re turned to New Guinea with his bride — it is reported he now is settled in the Pondo district.

Professor Watson, who had been a noted surgeon and an authority on anthropol ogy, died recently at Thursday Island.

He was over 90 years of age.