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AROUND the story of the life of William Bligh and of his administration of the government of New South Wales, more romance and misrepresentation have gathered than around the story of any other governor of the colony. The distortion of facts has been due in part to bitter party animosities, already prevalent in the colony, and in part to new antagonisms created by the determined, somewhat tactless action of a rugged, irascible nature. Throughout his life, Bligh possessed in a remarkable degree the faculty of making bitter and vindictive enemies. In the words of George Caley, he was "a man whom nature has intended to be the subject of abuse."

Prior to accepting the government of New South Wales, Bligh had spent his life in the navy. He was accustomed to the stern realities of service on the quarter-deck of a ship of the line. He was used to the rough manners of the navy and to the forceful and virile speech of the period. At that time, the press gang and its methods had full swing; stern measures were necessary to repress the opposition of men impressed; floggings were frequent; the seamen had long been restless, and this feeling had culminated in the mutiny at the Nore; human life was thought little of; men were punished severely for small offences; commissions were readily obtainable by purchase. Life generally was stern and hard. Men served their country in naval, military, and civil capacities with a keen intensity; but at the same time they sought with eagerness the emoluments and perquisites of office.

The birth and parentage of William Bligh are obscure. His own statement is not definite. He said* that he was born about 1753, probably at Tinten or Tynten in the parish of St. Tudy, Cornwall, and was the son of Charles and Margaret Bligh. Other accounts** affirm that his birth took place at Plymouth on the 9th of September, 1754, and that he was the son of John Bligh, of Tretawne in the parish of St. Kew, Cornwall.

[* See R. Polwhele's "Biographical Sketches in Cornwall", ii. 19.]

[** cf. Maclean's "Deanery of Trigg Minor."]

On the 1st of July, 1762, he entered the navy as captain's servant to John Storr on the Monmouth, a ship of 60 guns, and in that capacity served seven months and three weeks. After his discharge his career is not known, until he shipped as A.B. on the Hunter on the 27th of July, 1770. He was made midshipman on the same ship on the 5th of February following, and was transferred as midshipman to the Crescent on the 22nd of September, 1771, and to the Ranger on the 2nd of September, 1774. From the Ranger he was discharged on the 17th of March, 1776, and on the 1st of July in the same year was appointed master of the sloop Resolution, under Captain James Cook, for his third and last voyage of discovery. Bligh, in his previous career, must have distinguished himself, for Cook selected him for this expedition, and thought that he "could be usefully employed in constructing charts." After the death of Cook and the return of the Resolution to England, the crew were paid off on the 24th of October, 1780. Under Admiral Parker, Bligh was present at the battle off the Doggerbank on the 5th of August, 1781. On the 5th of October following, he received his commission as fifth lieutenant on the Berwick, and was transferred to a similar rank in the Princess Amelia on the 30th of December. On the 20th of March, 1782, he was commissioned as sixth lieutenant on the Cambridge, and fought under Lord Howe at Gibraltar.

On the 14th of January, 1783, Bligh was placed on the half-pay list and obtained permission to seek employment in merchant vessels. During the next four years he sailed several voyages to different parts of the world. In a ship called the Britannia, he sailed for Jamaica under employment to a Mr. Campbell, a West Indian merchant. Fletcher Christian, afterwards leader of the Bounty mutineers, was a member of the Britannia's crew. Bligh rated him as a gunner, but gave instructions that he should be regarded as an officer. In the words of Edward Lamb, second in command of the Britannia, Christian was very indifferent in his duties, but Bligh treated him as a brother, was "blind to his faults, and had him to dine and sup every other day in the cabin."

Bligh returned from the West Indies on the 6th of August, 1787. During his absence, an expedition was organised with the object of transplanting bread-fruit and other trees and plants from the island of Otaheite to the West Indies. Sir Joseph Banks, who, for reasons unknown, had become a great patron of Bligh, had secured for him the command of this expedition. Accordingly, Bligh was appointed lieutenant and commander of the Bounty, an armed storeship of 215 tons, with a complement of forty-five men. Bligh's final instructions were issued on the 20th of November, and he sailed from Spithead on the 23rd of December, 1787. On the 26th of October, 1788, the Bounty anchored in Matavai bay, Otaheite. She remained there until the 25th of December, when she was removed to the neighbouring harbour of Toahroah. After securing the desired bread-fruit trees, Bligh sailed on the return voyage on the 4th of April, 1789. Twenty-four days later, when near Tofoa in the Friendly Islands, twenty-five of the crew, under the leadership of Fletcher Christian, the master's mate, mutinied and seized the ship.

Bligh and eighteen companions, provided with scanty provisions, were cast adrift by the mutineers in the ship's launch. In this open boat he successfully accomplished a daring voyage of about 3,600 miles to Koepang in Timor, without charts and through little known seas. At Timor, he purchased a small schooner and sailed for Batavia. From Java, he travelled viâ the Cape of Good Hope to England, and arrived at Portsmouth on the 14th of March, 1790. In November of the same year, he was tried and honourably acquitted by a court martial on the loss of the Bounty.

The story of Bligh's wonderful voyage in an open boat, the subsequent discovery of the survivor and descendants of the mutineers on Pitcairn Island under romantic and idyllic conditions. and the false use of the circumstances of the mutiny made by Bligh's enemies to damage his reputation have all tended to give an undue prominence to this minor episode in the history of the navy. It has been frequently asserted that the mutiny was due to the severity and harsh measures adopted by Bligh in his command, but probably no more unjust charge could have been made. Sworn testimonies * are extant which are directly contradictory to this assertion. It is recorded that though, when things went wrong, Bligh frequently damned his men, "he was never angry with a man the next minute"; that he was not fond of flogging, and that "some deserved hanging who had only a dozen"; and that he was a father to every person on the ship. Christian received many special favours from Bligh. He was given the use of Bligh's cabin and liquor; he was taught navigation and drawing; he was asked to dine every third day with Bligh.

[* These are contained in the "Answer", published in 1792 by Bligh in reply to Edward Christian's criticism.]

The actual causes of the mutiny were undoubtedly the attractions to the toil-hardened sailors of a life of indolence and sensuality at Otaheite. In his reports, Bligh mentioned these as the cause of the mutiny. The amours of the staff and crew of the Endeavour, when captain Cook visited the same island in 1769, are well known, and a mutiny was narrowly averted on that ship, the men having the same motives as Christian and his colleagues. Christian was twenty-four years of age, and, according to Lamb's testimony, during the voyage of the Britannia he had shown that he "was then one of the most foolish young men I ever knew in regard to the sex." In a spurious account ** of Christian's travels, published in 1796, the cause of the mutiny is indicated. It is stated that Bligh, on his arrival at Otaheite, ordered the crew to be examined for venereal disease, as "the ladies in this happy island are known not to be the most reserved in granting their favours. . . . . . . The women at Otaheite are not only constitutionally votaries of Venus, but join to the charms of person such a happy cheerfulness of temper and such engaging manners that their allurements are perfectly irresistible." In the same book, testimony in Bligh's favour is given: "At the same time, it is but justice that I [Christian] should acquit Captain Bligh in the most unequivocal manner of having contributed in the smallest degree to the promotion of our conspiracy by any harsh or ungentleman-like conduct on his part. So far from it that few officers in the service, I am persuaded, can in this respect be found superior to him, or produce stronger claims upon the gratitude and attachment of the men whom they are appointed to command."

[** "The Voyages and Travels of Fletcher Christian", etc., London, H. D. Symonds, 1796.]

After his return to England, the crew of the Bounty was paid off on the 22nd of October, 1790, and Bligh was put on the half-pay list with the rank of commander. Three weeks later he was given the command of the Falcon, and on the 15th of December he was promoted to the rank of captain. On the 7th of January, 1791, he was again placed on the half-pay list. In the meantime, a second expedition to obtain the bread-fruit trees from Otaheite was organised. The ship Providence, of 24 guns, and the brig Assistant, as a tender, were selected, and Bligh was appointed to the command on the 16th of April, 1791. The fact that Bligh was selected a second time for such a command indicates that the Admiralty did not consider that his conduct had contributed towards the mutiny. Bligh sailed from England on the 2nd of August, 1791. He was successful in securing the bread-fruit trees, and after landing some at Jamaica and some at St. Vincent's, he returned to England on the 4th of August, and the Providence was paid off on the 6th of September, 1793. For his services in successfully transplanting the bread-fruit trees, Bligh was awarded the gold medal of the Society of Arts.

Captain Bligh

During Bligh's absence eleven of the Bounty mutineers had been brought to England and tried by court martial on the 12th to 18th of September, 1792. At this time strong efforts were made by the friends of the mutineers to vilify Bligh's character. Edward Christian, brother of the mutineer, wrote many letters to the press alleging cruelty and harshness against Bligh in his command, but at the court martial no evidence in proof of this was tendered. Christian wrote a commentary on the court martial, and this provoked a rejoinder from Bligh in a pamphlet * which he published.

[* "An Answer to certain assertions", etc., by Captain Wm. Bligh, London, 1792.]

Similar allegations were made against Bligh in his second voyage. Matthew Flinders, who sailed as midshipman on the Providence, stated that Bligh's harshness caused discontent. The facts were that during the voyage from Otaheite a shortage of water occurred; as the bread-fruit trees were the primary object of the expedition, Bligh put the men on a short allowance in order that the plants might be watered. Someone secretly watered the plants with salt water, and Bligh threatened to flog the ship's company. This incident is certainly insufficient to justify the statement that Bligh's harshness caused any permanent discontent. In a letter to the Times, dated 16th July, 1794, Edward Harwood, the surgeon during the voyage, wrote: "Captain Bligh's general conduct during the late expedition, which was crowned with the most ample success, his affability to his officers and humane attention to his men gained him their high esteem and admiration, and must eventually dissipate any unfavourable opinion hastily adopted in his absence." This opinion is confirmed by a notice in the Kentish Register, dated 6th September, 1793, which reported the paying off of the crew of the Providence: "The high estimation in which Captain Bligh was deservedly held by the whole crew was conspicuous to all present. He was cheered on quitting the ship to attend the Commissioner, and at the dock gates the men drew up and repeated the parting acclamation."

The adverse criticism to which Bligh was subjected appears to have had some influence on Lord Chatham, for he showed some diffidence in receiving Bligh at the Admiralty. This feeling must have been of short duration, for in 1794 Bligh was in service ** off Ushant in command of the Warrior, of 74 guns. On the 30th of April, 1795, he was commissioned as captain of the Calcutta, and was employed in the North Sea with Admiral Duncan's squadron. On the 7th of January, 1796, he was given the command of the Director, of 64 guns. In this ship he was present first at the mutiny of the Nore in 1797, where he distinguished himself by his intrepidity and resourcefulness, and later in the year at the battle of Camperdown. In that engagement, the Director was in the larboard division of Vice-Admiral Onslow's squadron, and first silenced and then boarded the Vryheid, flagship of Admiral de Winter.

[** This service is not recorded at the Admiralty. Between the 6th of September, 1793, and the 30th of April, 1795, Bligh's name is on the half-pay list. It has been generally accepted on Bligh's own statement.]

On the 3rd of July, 1800, the Director was paid off, and Bligh placed on the half-pay list. In the following September he was occupied in surveying the Irish coasts. On the 13th of March, 1801, he was given the command of the Glatton, on the 12th of April of the Monarch, and on the 8th of May of the Irresistible. In the Glatton, he was present in the action off Copenhagen, and for his services on that occasion was personally thanked by Lord Nelson.

On the 21st of May, 1801, Bligh was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. In the following year, Bligh was again put on the half-pay list when the Irresistible was paid off on the 28th of May. On the 2nd of May, 1804, he was appointed to the command of the Warrior, and was detailed for service in the channel. Whilst in command of this ship, Bligh was tried by court martial on charges preferred by his lieutenant. The latter had been ordered on deck when suffering from an injury to the foot. Bligh was acquitted by the court, but was cautioned to be more careful in the use of his words.

Whilst in command of the Warrior, Bligh was offered and accepted the government of New South Wales. The offer was conveyed to him by Sir Joseph Banks in a letter, dated 15th March, 1805. The fact that the salary attached to the governorship was increased from £1,000 to £2,000 per annum proves that it was the desire of the government to induce officers of a higher rank to accept the office. In his letter to Bligh, Sir Joseph Banks stated: "In conversation, I was this day asked if I knew a man proper to be sent out in his [Governor King's] stead—one who has integrity unimpeached, a mind capable of providing its own resources in difficulties without leaning on others for advice, firm in discipline, civil in deportment, and not subject to whimper and whine when severity of discipline is wanted to meet emergencies. I immediately answered: As this man must be chosen from among the post captains, I know of no one but Captain Bligh who will suit." Banks was not blind to the faults of his friends, for example the irascibility of Governor King. But he sincerely held the highest opinion of Bligh. What Bligh's enemies called unnecessary harshness was regarded by Banks as necessary "severity of discipline."

Bligh had been inured to the stern realities of exploring in unknown seas during his voyage under Captain James Cook and in the two expeditions under his own leadership. His long experience on the quarter-decks amidst the hardships of naval warfare had hardened him. In consequence, Bligh was a strict disciplinarian, and unfortunately had acquired an exaggerated coarseness of speech, which rebuffed an importunate petitioner, made him a man of few friends, and gave his enemies an opportunity to cavil. He was a fellow of the Royal Society, and a man of varied and considerable attainments, if it is possible to judge from the books he requisitioned for use at the government house in Sydney. Apart from the standard legal, geographical, and historical works, these included such varied books as Malthus on Population, Fontana on Venoms and Poisons, Dickson's System of Agriculture, Cooper's complete Distiller, Emmerson's Mechanics, Kiel's Astronomy, and a work on experimental researches in permanent dyes. The appointment of Bligh to the government of New South Wales placed a martinet in command of a colony whose inhabitants, during the thirteen years since the departure of Governor Phillip, had developed habits of unbridled license. Governor Hunter had attempted to stem the torrent, and had failed. Governor King had announced drastic reforms which he had proved unable to carry out. Governor Bligh was sent out with instructions to curb the will of a people who had become emboldened by their previous success, and his failure was perhaps almost inevitable. It was impossible for the efforts of any governor to be crowned with success until the disturbing elements, the New South Wales Corps and its partisans, were removed.

Bligh sailed from England on board the transport Sinclair in February, 1806, under the convoy of H.M.S. Porpoise, commanded by Joseph Short. During the voyage many disputes arose between Short and Bligh, and Bligh's participation in them was criticised adversely by the secretary of state.* On an examination of the evidence given at the inquiries ** held in Sydney in connection with Short's conduct, it is clear that his command was irregular and that he was a difficult man to work with. It is probable that in the disputes with Bligh, his superior officer, Short was in the wrong, notwithstanding the criticism of the secretary of state.

[* See page 80.][** See page 44 et seq. and page 65 et seq.]