The Eventful History of the Mutiny and Piratical Seizure of H.M.S. Bounty

by John Barrow, Stephen Wentworth Roskill (Introduction), Fernanda Pinto Rodrigues (Tradução)

Excerpt: ...the arrival of the Gorgon at Spithead the prisoners were transferred to the Hector, commanded by Captain (the late Admiral Sir George) Montague, where they were treated with the greatest humanity, and every indulgence allowed that could with propriety be extended to men in their unhappy situation, until the period when they were to be arraigned before the competent authority, and put on their trials for mutiny and piracy, which did not take place until the month of September. In this period of anxious and awful suspense, a most interesting correspondence was carried on between this unfortunate youth and his numerous friends, which exhibits the character of himself and the whole family in the most amiable and affectionate colours, and in a more particular manner, of that adorable creature, his sister Nessy, who, in one of her letters, accounts for the peculiar warmth of her attachment and expressions by their being nearly of the same age, and engaged in the same pursuits, whether of study or amusement in their juvenile years. The poor mother, on hearing of his arrival, thus addresses her unfortunate son:

Genres: History, Classics, Nonfiction, Adventure, Travel, Survival, Historical

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1831

About the author

Sir John Barrow, 1st Baronet, FRS, FRGS was an English statesman. He was born the son of Roger Barrow in the village of Dragley Beck, in the parish of Ulverston, then in Lancashire, now in Cumbria. He started in life as superintending clerk of an iron foundry at Liverpool and afterwards, in his twenties, taught mathematics at a private school in Greenwich.

Through the interest of Sir George Leonard Staunton, to whose son he taught mathematics, he was attached on the first British embassy to China from 1792-94 as comptroller of the household to Lord Macartney. He soon acquired a good knowledge of the Chinese language, on which he subsequently contributed interesting articles to the Quarterly Review; and the account of the embassy published by Sir George Staunton records many of Barrow's valuable contributions to literature and science connected with China.

Although Barrow ceased to be officially connected with Chinese affairs after the return of the embassy in 1794, he always took much interest in them, and on critical occasions was frequently consulted by the British government.

In 1797 he accompanied Lord Macartney, as private secretary, in his important and delicate mission to settle the government of the newly acquired colony of the Cape of Good Hope. Barrow was entrusted with the task of reconciling the Boer settlers and the native Black population and of reporting on the country in the interior. On his return from his journey, in the course of which he visited all parts of the colony, he was appointed auditor-general of public accounts. He now decided to settle in South Africa, married Anna Maria Truter, and in 1800 bought a house in Cape Town. But the surrender of the colony at the peace of Amiens (1802) upset this plan. He returned to England in 1804, was appointed Second Secretary to the Admiralty by Viscount Melville, a post which he held for forty years,(apart from a short period in 1806-07 when there was a Whig government in power).

In particular, when Lord Grey took office as Prime Minister in 1830 Barrow was especially requested to remain in his post, starting the principle that senior civil servants stay in office on change of government and serve in a non-partisan manner. Indeed, it is during his occupancy of the post that it was renamed Permanent Secretary.

He enjoyed the esteem and confidence of all the eleven chief lords who successively presided at the Admiralty board during that period, and more especially of King William IV while lord high admiral, who honoured him with tokens of his personal regard.

During his travels through South Africa, Barrow compiled copious notes and sketches of the countryside he was traversing. The outcome of his journeys was a map which, despite its numerous errors, was the first published modern map of the southern parts of the Cape Colony. William John Burchell (1781–1863) was particularly scathing "As to the miserable thing called a map, which has been prefixed to Mr. Barrow’s quarto, I perfectly agree with Professor Lichtenstein, that it is so defective that it can seldom be found of any use."

In his position at the Admiralty, Barrow was a great promoter of Arctic voyages of discovery, including those of John Ross, William Edward Parry, James Clark Ross, and John Franklin. The Barrow Strait in the Canadian Arctic as well as Point Barrow and the city of Barrow in Alaska are named after him. He is reputed to have been the initial proposer of St Helena as the new place of exile for Napoleon Bonaparte following the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Barrow was a fellow of the Royal Society, and in 1821 received the degree of LL.D from the University of Edinburgh. A baronetcy was conferred on him by Sir Robert Peel in 1835. He was also a member of the Raleigh Club, a forerunner of the Royal Geographical Society.

He retired from public life in 1845 and devoted himself to writing a history of the modern Arctic voyages of disco

Reviews

[Michael Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating history and recounting of an exciting event in history. Really a very interesting perspective and insight into how the Royal Navy and judicial systems worked back in the 1790's and early 1800's. All told thought the fascinating tale of mutiny and treachery.

[Cindy DeLong · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about the interactions with the natives of Tahiti and the obstacles faced by the men traveling by sea. I had a little trouble keeping all the names straight. I got bored of chapter after chapter explaining the court martial and wished the book would end.

[D'face · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating story, tragic at so many levels. I learnt that there is real danger in being passive. Peter Heywood almost hanged because he did not actively protect or obstruct the mutiny.

[Roxana Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book written in a very beautiful manner, more beautiful than I would have expected. When I read the foreword I somehow expected it to be hard to read, given the subject, but then when I got to the actual story, I really enjoyed it.

In the beginning, when the Otaheite (Tahiti) island and its people were described as a result of exploration, it was my favourite part because it describes a civilisation of interesting people, from their personality to their wealth and own customs. A civilisation of people who even if seemed kind knew to defend themselves if there was the case.

Then, when Bounty ship is "shaken" by the mutiny and the captain is forced to leave it together with another souls, is when the story really begins. Captain Bligh, even if bad in the eyes of others, was in my opinion in this position for a good reason. His ability to resist the harshest condition on the sea, to split the food and drink into ratios in order to ensure his and his crew's survival and to motivate people is what made him a great captain. Hadn't it been for his ambition, he wouldn't have reached the sea shore again together with his entire crew and that says a lot.

Peter Haywood is the character brought into the centre of attention, because when the mutiny started he did not follow his captain, but did not stand up against the offenders either. His correspondence with his relatives shows how resigned he is when facing the trial for being considered a traitor together with the others who actually did something explicitly to turn against their captain. His relatives are living the tense trial and hoping for the best. It is the story of the struggle for the entire family.

This story is incredible through the fact that it shows how bad it is to disobey the martial rules, to judge the ship captain and turn against him just because of his firm and harsh character and most importantly: how not doing something against a mutiny makes one and accomplice of it and this is what Peter Haywood went through but luckily for him, he received forgiveness.

As for the others who really conspired against Bligh and who left him and half the ship floating in a boat with little to no reserves, in the end the faith paid them back in a way or another: either by divine justice or legal justice.

I recommend reading this story especially because what you will read there is real but told in a nice way.

[Hal Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent early attempt to collect and synthesize all the information on the mutiny and its aftermath. Extremely partisan and sympathetic towards Peter Haywood, and you might think that is a strange statement—who isn't sympathetic towards Peter Haywood? (*) But few books have been sympathetic towards their subject the way this one is to Peter Haywood. It quotes extensively not only from hagiographic letters praising Haywood's character, but also from the poetry Haywood's sister wrote about poor Peter—all paeans and odes, or course. (Later, after the sister dies, we also get poetic paeans and odes about her, because why not?)

Perhaps overfond of quoting primary texts at length, but still fascinating.

----
(*) Answer: Catherine Alexander

[Rianna Dumitrescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

🩷🪅👩‍❤️‍👨💞🌝🖍️👁️🏡🧳🌁🌉☕🧋🍵🎞️🎬👗🥿👒📒📔📕📗📘📨🏷️♦️⏳🧩👔🎩💼
,.Christian,conducătorul rebelilor,se trăgea dintr-o familie respectabilă,originară din nordul Angliei.
-🧩👩‍❤️‍👨👒👗📑🔖🗺️🗾🎗️👁️✍🏻🎯
,, Căpitanul Ewards a mărturisit că Morrison s-a predat voluntar.''
-🪅📑🗾🗺️🎗️🔖👁️✍🏻🎯👗🥿👒📨🏷️♦️🧩👔🎩💼
,,Draga mea Nessy a avut un atac în timp ce era în vizită la Major Yorke,la Bishop's Grove,de lângă Tombrige Wells...''.
-📑❤️👩‍❤️‍👨🦋👓
,,Se respectau recțiile de căsătorie între rude,la fel ca noi,și era strict aplicate atunci când cineva trebuia să se căsătorească.
-❤️💞🩷🧑🏻‍💼👰🏻💋🫂🌹

[Sayan Chakraborty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read this as a kid and it was a really good read TBH

[Alistair Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I read a kindle edition, not the quoted annotated one).

Reading Val McDermid's Grave Tattoo made me wonder about how truthful or fictional its account of the mutiny was. (Spoiler alert: It suggests Fletcher Christian returned to England). I thought I'd look up a more factual account - and found I already had this one on my kindle, which I had apparently read already. I read it again.

I came to realize that 'Mutiny on the Bounty' is a film. It is also a book by Patrick O'Brian, which is probably the one I meant to read. This book has a similar, but different, title, and is by no means the only book on the story. This one sets out to be quite factual and historical. As such, it is not an easy read, but it does clarify some things - including that McDermid's story might not be so fanciful.

For some reason, the book centres largely on one of the lesser participants, Thomas Hayward. His story is an interesting one, though, since there was a question as to whether he willingly took part in the mutiny, or whether he was forced so to do. This culminates in a trial.

Interesting points are raised. For instance, was the behaviour of the mutineers any worse than that of some of the members of the Royal Navy who arrested them? Grave Tattoo hints that there should be some sympathy for the mutineers because of Captain Bly's behaviour, but this book does not shed much light on that. It does seem that the Pacific islands on which they settled were quite paradisical, that fruit and other crops grew with minimal intervention, making it an easy life (and collecting breadfruit was the original objective of the Bounty's voyage).

This one may be accurate, but I suspect O'Brian's is more entertaining.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many accounts of the most well documented mutiny have been presented in both print and film but none can compare to The Eventful History and Piratical Seizure if H.M.S. Bounty: Its Causes and Consequences by John Barrow. This book presents a collection of written documents presented by all participants, before, during or after the court marshal in Portsmouth in 1792. It can’t be denied that Lieutenant William Bligh, captain of the H.M.S. Bounty, made a remarkable voyage and saved all of the loyal crew. However, the reader can’t help to see the conflict in his account with those of all the other participants of the mutiny. It leaves no doubt that he was the cause of this tragic event. Much of the book concerns with the trial of Peter Heywood, a midshipman aboard the Bounty. Although the court marshal convicted him, he was later pardoned and eventually reached the rank of post captain in the British navy. The book offers a good insight into history, the British navy and life at the end of the eighteenth century. I would recommend it to history lovers everywhere.

[ile · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most fascinating historical pieces to have read. This has it all, to the point it makes you feel you are reading some fiction book, but no, this is all historical. The mutiny was just the beginning, for which you come to understand why it happened in the first place. But the events that take place after are much more fascinating. The dangers that were overcome by the survivors, both on the sea and at home, the incompetence of those that were sent to bring the guilty to justice, and the injustice done to the innocent will make you angry but that is reality. The outcome of the remaining mutineers is equally fascinating, at first looking optimistic, followed by cruel and tragic, to contempt and somewhat level of understanding, to finally a mystery, one that will leave you to decide what the outcome ought to be. This book had me guessing and being surprised as each chapter went on. The way it was told, in some investigative historian type of way, with reliance on diaries, eye witnesses, and court transcript was superb.

[Vasco Ribeiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relatório "quase" oficial, em que o senhor secretário do almirantado manifesta muita simpatia por alguns dos revoltosos -os amnistiados. Interessante.
Dá ideia que este episódio só ficou famoso porque o capitão Bligh (o alvo da revolta se safou miraculosamente com mais 18 marinheiros num batem onde os revoltosos o colocaram do meio do pacífico até Timor) e o navio PANDORA (enviado para averiguar o que se passara e apanhar os revoltosos) se afundou. O principal revoltoso foi Fletcher Christian. O que se escapou e foi ter às ilhas Pitcairn foi Alexander Smith que depois mudou o nome para John Adams. O alvo de todas as simpatias do autor, Sir John Barrow, é Peter Heywood que foi agraciado por sua majestade.
O episódio passou-se em 1789.

[Iarina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mă așteptam la o carte în stilul "Robinson Crusoe".
În schimb am dat de o salată cu de toate. Descoperirea unei noi insule, o revoltă, o calatorie lunga într-o șalupă, un proces, o grămada de scrisori, o bucată de insulă locuita de oameni fericiti- cam aceasta a fost "salata" de care m-am lovit in "Revolta de pe Bounty".
Aș minți dacă nu aș spune ca m-a și plictisit pe alocuri (acum sincer, chiar nu eram curioasa sa stiu lista cu alimente luate pe corabie). In concluzie, pot să spun că a fost o carte ok, mai mult nu am de adaugat despre ea

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. The funny thing is that I did not know it was about a true story when I first started reading it and I just couldn't figure this while reading it. It was quite amusing the way it was written, in a ironic way. When I realised it was after a true story I was amased to see the judiciary system that existed in England 300 years ago.

[Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book in the Livrovox library. This is far from a boring dry read. It is an engrossing detail of the back story, the actions, and the aftermath of the Mutiny on the Bounty. I highly recommend this read. If you prefer to read rather than listen, this book is also available in the Gutenburg.org library.

[Wendy Wolpert-DeWitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating read, in part because the author relies on primary and secondary sources rather than conjecture. He clearly expects his readers to contemplate all sides and decide for themselves what happened.

[D.W.Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a factual account of the mutiny and its aftermath, primarily from first sources, including letters, journal entries and the court marshal proceedings. It gives a relatively balanced account of the events, and includes footnotes to cite sources.

[Vlad Boerescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunt relatate niste evenimente reale petrecute pe la sf secolului al 18-lea. Marinarii care s-au revoltat si au luat in stapanire corabia s-au ascuns pe o insula pustie, Pitcairn, unde s-au stabilit impreuna cu niste tahitieni. Descendentii lor mai traiesc si azi pe acea insula.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

More information on the HMS Bounty mutiny. One of many books that try to explain this interesting event.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read a Folio Society edition of this work. It was brilliant. What Captain Bly accomplished in the navigation of the open boat was heroic. A great tale.

[Steve Hadfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected. Too much about sailing facts and figures. All about Capt Bligh, you don't even know why Fletcher Christian mutinied. What a let down.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several stories in one is the brilliant and fascinating Mutiny of the Bounty . One of my favourites .

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to an audiobook of this and enjoyed it for the most part some were better readers than others. It was interesting to me the culture and civilization founded on Pitcairn island.

[Ami13F · Rating 4 out of 5]

- it quites remember me of Hanya Yangihara, if you have patience to read until the end, won't regret, a life of surprising adventure will get into shape, with a base in reality, that will be surprise