On the safe haven of Pitcairn, Adams
(a cockney orphan who had joined the Bounty under the pseudonym Alexander Smith) reverted to his own name and helped form a fledgling society with his Tahitian bride. With the death of mutiny leader Fletcher Christian, he became leader of the island, and the capital Adamstown was later named after him.
Measuring 2ft 10in (86cm) long, the gnarled branch bears a silver cap, right, with the inscription: "This stick grown in the Pitcairn Island was the property of John Adams, last of the mutineers of the Bounty, given by him to W Northwood Esq many years an Alderman of Sydney N.S.W. by whom it was presented to W.H. Palmer. September 23 1862". It has been consigned to Sworders by Palmer's great great grandson and has a £15,000-25,000 estimate.
