Notebook and list of mutineers, 1789 [manuscript]
- Bib ID:
- 801340
- Format:
- Manuscript
- Author:
- Bligh, William, 1754-1817
- Online Version:
- National Library of Australia digitised item. MS 5393 copy
- Access Conditions:
- Available for research. Not for loan.
- Description:
-
- [1789]
- 107 p., 3 fol. leaves.
- Summary:
-
MS 5393 comprises the unpublished autograph manuscript documenting Lieutenant William Bligh's voyage in the Bounty's launch from the ship to Tofua and from thence to Timor, 28 April to 14 June 1789. This manuscript is the original notebook from which Bligh wrote all his subsequent narratives. The notebook itself belonged to Mr Hayward who was in the launch with him and there are 1 1/2 p. of navigational recordings and calculations, 8 rough sketch charts of islands and showing the boat's track through the Barrier Reef and along the coast of Australia to the Torres Strait and one autograph chart headed "Eye sketch of part of New Holland in the Bounty's launch by Lieut. Wm. Bligh". The list of mutineers is headed by Fletcher Christian who was second-in-command before the mutiny. Each mutineer's physical appearance is described in detail.
- Biography/History:
-
William Bligh, son of Francis and Jane Bligh, was born at Plymouth in 1754. In 1776, he was appointed master of the Resolution under the command of Captain James Cook and in 1787 took command of the Bounty on an expedition to the West Indies. The crew, under Fletcher Christian, mutinied in 1789. Bligh became Governor of New South Wales in 1806. He was recalled to England in 1810 and in 1812 became Rear-Admiral of the White. Bligh died in London in 1817.
- Notes:
-
- Manuscript reference no.: MS 5393.
- Transcripts and 10" x 8" positive glossy photographs of the notebook available for reference.
- Also available on microfilm at the National Library of Australia Main Reading Room - Newspapers and Family History at mfm G 20815.
- MS 5393 copy Also available online https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-233730285
- The Bligh notebook : "rough account - Lieutenant Wm Bligh's voyage in the Bounty's launch from the ship to Tofua & from thence to Timor", 28 April to 14 June 1789, with a draft list of the Bounty mutineers / edited by John Bach. Canberra : National Library of Australia, 1986.
- Cited In:
- Guide to collections of manuscripts relating to Australia, D922.
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Finding aid (7 p.) available in the Special Collections Reading Room.
- Subject:
- Time Coverage:
- 1789
- Occupation:
- Exhibited:
-
- Exhibited: Treasures Gallery, National Library of Australia, 16a April, 2016
- Exhibited: "Treasures Gallery", National Library of Australia, 7 October 2011 - 15 December 2012.
- Selected items exhibited: "William Bligh - hero or villain" - Australian National Maritime Museum, 25 July 2019 - 2 February 2020.
- Selected items exhibited: Treasures Gallery, National Library of Australia, 13 May 2019 - 11 November 2019.
- Copyright:
-
Copyright Undetermined
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- Reason for copyright status:
- A Manuscript Collection may have a range of formats and dates.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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