Archive for the ‘News’ Category
TWO OF BLIGH’S THREE ORIGINAL LOGBOOKS MISSING
Controversies Surrounding Bligh’s Bounty Logbooks Resurface: Consistent with findings in Conspiracy on the Bounty a commission to examine and conserve Bligh’s surviving logbooks failed to demonstrate that one of them was the original journal that Bligh had penned. The official position of the State Library of New South Wales (where the journal is held) “is […]
A ROYAL BOTANIST IN THE PHILIPPINES
‘A ROYAL BOTANIST IN THE PHILIPPINES’ and CAPTAIN BLIGH’S ROLE IN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY BREADFRUIT MYTHMAKING ! Almost two years before HMS Bounty set sail for Tahiti, Juan de Cuéllar, having been appointed Royal Botanist in the service of the Real Compañía de Filipinas, embarked from Cádiz on board the Águila Imperial heading for the Philippines. […]
A MASON ON A MISSION
Sailing master, and rookie Freemason, twenty-two years William Bligh, seen posing here in silk cravat and bob-wig civilian aplomb; his shirt pinned with a masonic square and compass badge (enlarged). * Bligh’s patron at The Royal Society, Sir Joseph Banks, is known to have been a Freemason. Likewise Bligh’s business friend and protégé, Duncan Campbell, […]
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THE ‘CONSPIRACY’ DELIVERS A COMPREHENSIVE VERDICT
THE VERDICT ‘Conspiracy on the Bounty’ tables a great deal more on Bligh, Christian, and the Bounty than was ever published, indeed was ever known before. Without heading into a labyrinth of critiques let us compare the verdicts of five recognized works: 1. Caroline Alexander’s exhaustive ‘The Bounty’ is a well-written 450-page book of what’s […]
Lieutenant Bligh escaped the fate of Admiral Byng !
Admiral John Byng’s Execution. Voltaire quipped, “In this country (England) it is wise to kill an admiral from time to time so to encourage the others.” Ever since 14 March 1757, the execution of Admiral Byng by a platoon of royal marines was etched firmly on the minds of commissioned officers. The execution took place […]
The French lost most of their breadfruits too !
The Recherche and Espérance: 1791–1794. An expedition to find two missing vessels commanded by Jean-François de La Pérouse (1741–1788). On 9 April 1793, under Commodore d’Entrecasteaux in the Recherche and the Espérance, the plant naturalist, Labillardière, sailed from Tonga for New Caledonia with a collection of two hundred A. altilis (seedless) breadfruit transplants. Despite Labillardière […]
A Sweep Under Bligh’s Dirty Rug
“Not to read it would be un-Australian”! For those interested in William Bligh, the man, whatever historic record hasn’t already been corrected about Bligh in Conspiracy on the Bounty is boldly laid bare in David Hunt’s popular witty book, Girt — the Unauthorized History of Australia. Doing away with euphemisms, Hunt has cited material or […]
Isn’t “She” Beautiful !
More often than not we refer to a ship, boat, yacht, as “She”. Arguments abound as to why this is so? One source suggests that a ship “was nearer and dearer to the sailor than anyone except his mother.” Therefore what better reason to call his ship “she”? Another source suggests “the use of ‘she’ […]
One Man Lived To Tell The Tale
The Bounty screenplay 1984. A seemingly unnecessary disclaimer during the end credits of this classic movie states that 35 years later, only John Adams and his new English-Tahitian mixed race family was found on Pitcairn Island by a passing British warship. The descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers continue to live on Pitcairn Island. The […]