Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse In November 1790, Captain Edward Edwards—in command of HMS "Pandora"—had sailed from England with orders to comb the Pacific for the mutineers of HMS "Bounty". In March of the following year, "Pandora" arrived at Tahiti and picked up 14 "Bounty" men who had stayed on that island. Although some of the 14 had not joined the mutiny, all were imprisoned and shackled in a cramped "cage" built on the deck, which the men grimly nicknamed "Pandora's Box". "Pandora" then left Tahiti in search of "Bounty" and the leader of the mutiny, Fletcher Christian. Captain Edwards' search for the remaining mutineers
Bounty Day Bounty Day Bounty Day is a holiday on both Pitcairn Island, destination of the HMS "Bounty" mutineers, and on Norfolk Island. It is celebrated on 23 January on Pitcairn, and on 8 June on Norfolk Island, the day that the descendants of the mutineers arrived on the island. It is named for the "Bounty", although the ship never saw Norfolk Island. Bounty Day is celebrated on Pitcairn Island on 23 January, in commemoration of the burning of the HMS "Bounty" by the mutineers in 1790. Model replicas, made by the islanders, are burned. Bounty Day is the national holiday of