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BLIGH, WILLIAM (1754-1817)

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Originally appearing in Volume V04, Page 59 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BLIGH, See also:WILLIAM (1754-1817) , See also:English See also:admiral, was See also:born of a See also:good Cornish See also:family in 1754. He accompanied See also:Captain See also:Cook in his second expedition (1772—1774) as sailing-See also:master of the " See also:Resolution." During the voyage, the See also:bread-See also:fruit, already known to See also:Dampier, was found by them at Otaheite; and after seeing service under See also:Lord See also:Howe and elsewhere, " Bread-fruit Bligh," as he was nicknamed, was despatched at the end of 1787 to the Pacific in command of H.M.S. " See also:Bounty," for the purpose of introducing it into the See also:West Indies from the See also:South See also:Sea Islands. Bligh sailed from Otaheite, after remaining there about six months; but, when near the Friendly Islands, a See also:mutiny (See also:April 28, 1789) See also:broke out on See also:board the " Bounty," headed by See also:Fletcher See also:Christian, the master's See also:mate, and Bligh, with eighteen others, was set adrift in the See also:launch. The mutineers themselves settled on See also:Pitcairn See also:Island (q.v.), but some of them were after-wards captured, brought to See also:England and in three cases executed. This mutiny, which forms the subject of See also:Byron's Island, did not arise so much from tyranny on the See also:part of Bligh as from attachments contracted between the See also:seamen and the See also:women of Otaheite. After suffering severely from See also:hunger, thirst and storms, BIigh and his companions landed at See also:Timor in the See also:East Indies, having performed a voyage of about 4000 M. in an open See also:boat. BIigh returned to England in 1790, and he was soon afterwards appointed to the " See also:Providence," in which he effected the purpose of his former See also:appointment by introducing the bread-fruit See also:tree into the West See also:India Islands. He showed See also:great courage at the mutiny of the See also:Nore in 1797, and in the same See also:year took part in the See also:battle of Camperdown, where Admiral See also:Duncan defeated the Dutch under De See also:Winter. In 18os he commanded the " GIatton " (54) at the battle of See also:Copenhagen, and received the See also:personal commendations of See also:Nelson. In 18o5 he was appointed " captain See also:general and See also:governor of New South See also:Wales." As he made himself intensely unpopular by the harsh exercise of authority, he was deposed in See also:January 1808 by a mutiny headed by See also:Major See also:George See also:Johnston of the 102nd See also:foot, and was imprisoned by the mutineers till 1810. He re-turned to England in 1811, was promoted to See also:rear-admiral inthat year, and to See also:vice-admiral in 1814.

, Major Johnston was tried by See also:

court See also:martial at See also:Chelsea in 1811, and was dismissed the service. Bligh, who was an active, persevering and courageous officer, died in See also:London in 1817.

End of Article: BLIGH, WILLIAM (1754-1817)

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