William completes his mission
By Chelsie Vandaveer
August 26, 2003
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March 14, 1790. Lieutenant William Bligh arrived back in England. One can only imagine his anger and embarrassment; he failed his commission and lost His Majesty's Armed Vessel, a ship specifically outfitted for the mission. On October 22, almost two years since the Bounty arrived at Tahiti, Bligh was court-martialed for the loss of the ship. He was honorably acquitted and in December was promoted to Post (full) Captain.
In March, 1791, King George authorized a second voyage to collect and carry breadfruit to Jamaica. Bligh found a suitable ship, the Providence, for the voyage; the HM Brig Assistant under command of Lieutenant Nathaniel Portlock would sail along on the voyage. This time, the ships' crews were seasoned seamen and marines were present to protect the commanding officers. The ships left England August 3, 1791.
Bligh fell ill shortly after leaving England. He suffered from raging fevers, muscle spasms, and blinding headaches that lasted for weeks. He would never regain his health. But his officers were loyal and the ships arrived in Tahiti on March 9, 1792. ("Captain Bligh's Awful Voyage", Ian Campbell, see link below)
Christopher Smith, ship's botanist, and James Wiles, his assistant, set to potting breadfruit trees and other plants. The Providence and the Assistant left Tahiti with five varieties of breadfruit, a total of 2126 trees, and over 500 other tropical plants at noon on July 19, 1792.
January 1793, Bligh's ships arrived in the Caribbean. Alexander Anderson, the superintendent of the St. Vincent Botanic Garden wrote in his book, "About nine o'clock at night of the 23rd of January arrived in Kingstown Bay the long wish'd for Providence, Captain Bligh, from the South Seas with the breadfruit and other useful and curious plants. The voyage was remarkably short and in every respect prosperous. Such a number of live plants were never before seen on board a single ship. On her arrival she was one of the most beautiful objects of the kind it is possible to conceive...Too much praise cannot be given to Captain Bligh...nor to the two young men who had the collecting and immediate management of them...." (Cited by James W. Cropper and posted on RootsWeb.com)
It is said William Bligh wanted to be remembered as a great navigator, a successor to Captain Cook, and known for his discoveries and accomplishments. But during his absence from England, the families of the mutineers, Christian and Heywood, damaged Bligh by innuendo. Bligh was tried by the press; his reputation was never recovered. When he returned to England, successful in getting breadfruit trees to Jamaica and bringing plants back for Kew, the Admiralty would not even grant him an audience. ("Captain Bligh's Awful Voyage", Ian Campbell, The Maritime History and Naval Heritage website)
The State Library of New South Wales has posted the letter written by Bligh to Sir Joseph Banks concerning the events of the fateful voyage of the Bounty. To read this enlightening document, click on the link:
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/banks/series_46/46_27.htm
Each page of the letter is one of the CY 3004 links on the page.
There are also numerous letters and other correspondence between Banks and Alexander Anderson (St. Vincent's Botanic Garden). To view the documents, click on the link:
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/banks/series_56/56_start.htm
Follow links in the left frame.
Special Thanks to:
Dr. Richard Frazier, Central Missouri State University for pointing the way to the State Library of NSW and author of "Breadfruit and Rubber in the Movies: What might we learn?"
Plant Series: | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 |
History Series: | 1 | | 2 | | 3 |
Suggested Reading:
Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg Plant of the Week - August 11, 2003
What is 'ulu? Herbal Folklore - August 11, 2003
What was William's mission? Plants that Changed History - August 12, 2003
How are breadfruit propagated? Weird Plants - August 14, 2003
Who was Parkinson? What's in a Name? - August 15, 2003
Why ghosts gather at breadfruit trees Herbal Folklore - August 18, 2003
Paradise, breadfruit, and mutiny Plants that Changed History - August 19, 2003
William completes his mission Plants that Changed History - August 26, 2003
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