Cyprus mutiny Cyprus mutiny The "Cyprus" mutiny took place in 1829 off the British penal settlement of Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania, Australia). Convicts seized the brig and sailed her to Canton, China, where they scuttled her and claimed to be castaways from another vessel. On the way, "Cyprus" visited Japan during the height of the period of severe Japanese restrictions on the entry of foreigners, the first Australian ship to do so. The mutineers were eventually captured. Two of them, George James Davis and William Watts, were hanged at Execution Dock, London on 16 December 1830, the last men hanged for
William Watts Hart Davis William Watts Hart Davis William Watts Hart Davis (July 27, 1820 – December 26, 1910) was a brevetted Brigadier General of the United States Volunteers during the American Civil War. The rank was awarded to him on March 13, 1865, "for gallant and meritorious services, during operations against Charleston, South Carolina." Outside of his military service, he worked as a journalist, author and government official. He was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1820, to Major General John Davis and Amy (Hart) Davis. He was first educated at a private school run by Anna Longstreth and later attended a school