"The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World" Roll 3, Section 31/44

[ The Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ‘Round the World is viewed from right to left ]

The rock balanced so precariously on the nearby mountain top is called “The Nose.” It is a navigational reference point for almost 20 miles out to sea from Pitcairn Island. Russell includes several details including the famous Banyan tree under which the people from the H.M.S. Bounty built their village in 1790, later named Adamstown, for the patriarch and last-surviving mutineer, John Adams.

The artists show the islanders paddling in their little canoes. After landing at the island in 1790, Fletcher Christian removed every useful thing from the Bounty, ran her close ashore and burned the hull which sank in 25 fathoms of water. Russell includes a few timbers protruding from the water as the last visible remains of H.M.S. Bounty, doubtless a dramatic point in his narrative.