PITCAIRN ISLAND.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 19 October 1901, Page 4

PITCAIRN ISLAND.

Decendants of “Bounty” Mutineers Interesting Parliamentary Paper.

(Evening Post’s Correspondent.) London, August 31. On Thursday a Parliamentary paper was issued containing an interesting report from Commander George F. S. Knowling, of His Majesty’s ship Icarus, dated Honolulu, 31sc March, giving a description of his visit to Pitcairn Island. Commander Knowling arrived in Bounty Bay on 21st February of this year, but as there were several oases of dengue fever on the ship he only allowed Mr James R. 'M’Ooy, the Chief Magistrate, on board. Ho reported all well in health with 126 people on the island, and the adult females in excess of the males. Mr M’Ooy had only recently returned to the island, he having very pluckiiy piloted a burning ship to Mangareva, beaching her there rather than allow the captain to beach her on the coast of Pitcairn. During the last iour years 55 vessels on an average called yearly at Pitcairn ; but the ships scarcely ever anchored, and in most cases only the masters landed for a short time. Mr M’Coy has endeavoured to arrange something in the way of a regular trade between Pitcairn and the Gambier Islands, the former supplying bananas, pumpkins, and arrowroot, lo is thought that the trade will be maintained. There is now a very fa r road leading to the landing-place. Life on the island is described by the Commander as follows : “The adult males have to give all their labour during the early part of the day —namely, from after an early breakfast at 5 a. ra. until 2 p. m.—to works for the public good, directed by the lecal Parliament of seven. At the present time ■29 man are available, and their labour is divided between building a now church adjoining the present schoolroom, a new whaler, and ihe necessary boat work, shooting of goats, etc. Two p.,m. is the dinner hour, and the remainder of the day the people employ themselves about their own business of gardening, etc. The -women of the family do all the housework, and many of them smooth and plant cocoanuts, plait and decorate mat gabs, etc. “Disease appears to be still unknown. Too typhoid of 1895 was brought here by a shipwrecked crew, and no other epidemic has touched the island since. The leading people prefer to continue, as hitherto, without medicine pf any a crfcj %

“ Thursday October Christian, son of the man of the same name, and grandson of Fletcher Christian-, master’s mate of the Bounty, is the oldest man on the island* aged How 83 ; two other men are oVer 75, and the oldest woman is 72. None of these people suffer from anything beyond the wonkness of old age, and all seem thoroughly contented and happy. “ The early loss of the front teeth in the upper jaw continues among many of the islanders, but the teeth of the numbers of adults, as well as of the children, are without a Haw. No one smokes or uses intoxicating liquor. “Thanks to the care of the elected Parliament —consisting cf seven members, with Mr M’Coy as President —full employment is found for every one. The discipline seems to be all it should bo, and the day’s work often such as would astonish many a British labourer, as it astonished, on more than one occasion, mvself and the ship’s company. Thenreligion remains that of the Seventh Day Adventists, and the religious feeling onc-c so marked a characteristic of the islanders appears —after the check it received some few years ago—to have again gathered strength.”