It is of course extremely improbable that Christian managed to leave the
island before the arrival of the _Topaz_ (Folger's ship), and if Heywood's
impression that he had seen Christian had occurred to him anywhere near
the date of the _True Briton_ paragraph, one might easily account for it
on the ground that the _True Briton_ was a sensation-loving modern daily,
born before its time, and Heywood had read the paragraph. But between 1796
and 1809 was a long interval; no news had come to England of the
mutineers to revive memory of the event, and the curious ignorance of the
Pitcairners of the place of Christian's burial are all circumstances which
leave the manner of the mutineer officer's ending by no means settled.

The Rev. Mr. Nobbs, to whom the early Pitcairners are indebted for so
much, carried on the work of John Adams so well and so piously that he was
sent home to England, ordained a clergyman of the Established Church,
returned to Pitcairn, and then accompanied the emigrants to Norfolk
Island, where he died about ten years ago.

Mr. Nobbs had a very curious history, which we reprint from the Rev. T.B.
Murray's book on Pitcairn:--

"In 1811 he was entered on the books of H.M.S. _Roebuck_; and,
through means of Rear-Admiral Murray, he was, in 1813, placed on
board the _Indefatigable_, naval storeship, under Captain Bowles.
In this vessel the young sailor visited New South Wales and Van
Dieman's Land, whence he proceeded to Cape Horn and Cape of Good
Hope, and thence, after a short stay at St. Helena, he returned to
England. He then left the British Navy, but after remaining a
short time at home he received a letter from his old commander,
offering to procure him a berth on board a ship of 18 guns,
designed for the assistance of the patriots in South America. He