Mayhew Folger

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Mayhew Folger (March 9, 1774 - September 1, 1828) was a ship's captain, whaler, who captained the sealing ship Topaz that rediscovered the Pitcairn Islands in 1808. Only one of the HMS Bounty mutineers was still alive: Alexander Smith, whose real name was John Adams.

1 Early life
2 Rediscovery of Pitcarin Island
3 The Bounty's Chronometer
4 Accounts of the rediscovery
5 Later years
6 See also
7 External References

[edit] Early life

Mayhew was born on March 9, 1774, in Nantucket, Massachusetts to William Folger and Ruth Coffin. Mayhew was a member of the Folger whaling family of Nantucket, Massachusetts. He was a first cousin three times removed of Benjamin Franklin on his father's side. He married his second cousin, Mary Joy on March 7, 1798 on Nantucket.

[edit] Rediscovery of Pitcarin Island

Mayhew Folger captained the ship Topaz that left Boston on April 5, 1807 hunting for seals. They rediscovered the Pitcairn Islands on February 6, 1808. Only one of the original HMS Bounty mutineers, Alexander Smith, whose real name was John Adams, was still alive. The Topaz remained at the island for only ten hours.

[edit] The Bounty's Chronometer

Captain Folger was given the Bounty's azimuth compass and Larcum Kendall K2 chronometer by Adams. The K2 was the third precision maritime chronometer made after the H4, which won the Longitude Prize. The compass and chronometer were confiscated by the Spanish governor at Juan Fernandez Island. The chronometer was later purchased by a Spaniard named Castillo. When he died, his family conveyed it to Captain Herbert of the HMS Calliope, who had it conveyed to the British Museum around 1840. The chronometer is now in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England.

[edit] Accounts of the rediscovery

The discovery was reported by Folger to the Royal Navy 1808, a report of which reached the British Admiralty on May 14, 1809. It was published in the Quarterly Review in 1810. Captain Folger also related an account of the discovery to his friend Captain Amasa Delano, who published the account in his book A Narrative of Voyages and Travels in 1817. This account is also included in the book Pitcarin Island, written by Charles Nordoff and James Hall.