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Scoundrels & eccentrics of the Pacific /

Dunmore, John, 1923-

Scoundrels & eccentrics of the Pacific / Scoundrels and eccentrics of the Pacific John Dunmore. - 192 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Intro; Foreword; Chinese Explorer or Conman?; Pirates and Their Ilk; Bligh of the Bounty; Mary Bryant and the Aftermath of the Bounty; Mutinous Mutineers; William Hayes: Bully and Thief; Captain Bureau, Unlucky Trader; A Mormon Adventurer; Shipwrecked Victims; Colonial Scoundrels; Chinese Victims; Queen Emma Coe; James Proctor; Charles de Rays, King of Oceania; Count Von Attems; Father Rougier; Niels Sorensen; Select Bibliography.

" Delving into the adventurers who once made the great Pacific their playground – from likeable dreamers to outright conmen, slavers and pirates, and even one self-titled Queen Emma. There’s the extraordinary tale of James Proctor who used his wooden leg to trick natives in coming aboard his ship so he could spirit them away as slaves; or French priest Fr Rougier who used his position to amass a fortune, eventually became the "King of Christmas Island". But there are sad accounts as well, of Chinese or Indians fallen victim to human trafficking, goldfield fever and unscrupulous traders.This is a collection of the tales that have been told of the men, and in some cases the women, who sought to benefit from the discoveries of the early explorers; scoundrels and rogues with little conscience but great craftiness, and those who as a result found themselves victims of situations they could hardly imagine. It shows that mankind, in whatever period and whatever part of the world, may have its heroes, but always has its villains"--Back cover.

9781988516219 1988516218


Bligh, William, 1754-1817.


Crime--History.--Oceania
Criminals--Oceania--Biography.
Chinese--Oceania.


Oceania--History.
Oceania--Discovery and exploration.
Australia--History.
New Zealand--History.

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