It must be said, that the 'Bounty' was not wrecked in Australian waters nor did it have a great bearing on our history, but indirectly, the 'Mutiny on the Bounty', its loss, and the subsequent sinking of the 'Pandora' is entwined in our early history, along with the fact that the Captain of the Bounty was Capt. William Bligh, who later was to become the Governor of the colony of New South Wales. A lot has been said about "Bully" Bligh as he was known by many, some of his detractors obviously took the side of the mutineers, this leading to the name given to Capt. Bligh. There are two definite sides to William Bligh, on one hand he was a brilliant navigator and cartographer, he was courageous, dedicated to his profession, he had a strong sense of duty to his country and its Admiralty and required total adherence to the navy's rules and regulations of the sea. The fact that Capt. James Cook appointed William Bligh the sailing-master if the 'Resolution' on his third voyage, is testament to his capabilities. 

On the other hand, Bligh did not have the physical presence to always carry off his duties as he would have liked. In many instances he showed excellent foresight, but was prone to abuse, berate his officers and men in front of each other, then appear to behave quite normally a short time later. Bligh's stature was of a small, chubby doll like person, with curly hair and bright blue eyes and it hard to believe that sea hardened seamen would not find it hard to take orders and abuse from such an officer. When Capt. James Cook stood tall and barked out orders, he set an imposing picture of authority and sternness. Bligh's lack of understanding to others, his pettiness and his almost feminine appearance must be taken into account when considering the outcome of the story. It should also be pointed out, that many events were not of Bligh's making and considerations, such as the crews behaviour, the stealing and petty pilfering and weather conditions, all attributed to the events which occurred. The story often circulated that Bligh was mad with power and too heavy handed with the lash, nothing could be further from the truth. While the penalty for desertion was death by hanging, Bligh ordered a mere four dozen lashes. When the rules and regulations of the Navy were broken, Bligh would administer punishment as laid down by Naval decree. Three pivotal events occurred in the early part of the voyage, Bligh appointed Fletcher Christian to the rank of Acting-Lieutenant, Matthew Quintal was flogged for insolence and mutinous behaviour and two failed attempts to round Cape Horn, all brought pressure to bear. But in the end, it was not Bligh's Physical cruelty that lead to the mutiny, but more his venomous tongue and lack of understanding, that brought him undone.