Second breadfruit voyage[edit]

After his exoneration by the court-martial inquiry into the loss of Bounty, Bligh remained in the
Royal Navy. From 1791 to 1793, as master and commander of HMS  Providence and in company
with HMS  Assistant under the command of Nathaniel Portlock, he undertook again to
transport breadfruit from Tahiti to the West Indies.[20] He also transported plants provided by Hugh
Ronalds, a nurseryman in Brentford.[21] The operation was generally successful but its immediate
objective, which was to provide a cheap and nutritious food for the African slaves in the West
Indies islands around the Caribbean Sea was not met, as most slaves refused to eat the new
food. During this voyage, Bligh also collected samples of the ackee fruit of Jamaica, introducing it
to the Royal Society in Britain upon his return.[22] The ackee's scientific name Blighia
sapida in binomial nomenclature was given in honour of Bligh. In Adventure Bay, Tasmania, third
lieutenant George Tobin made the first European drawing of an echidna.[23]

Subsequent career and the Rum Rebellion[edit]

In February 1797, while Bligh was captain of HMS  Director, he surveyed the River Humber,
preparing a map of the stretch from Spurn to the west of Sunk Island.
In April–May, Bligh was one of the captains whose crews mutinied over "issues of pay and
involuntary service for common seamen" during the Nore mutiny.[24] The mutiny was not triggered
by any specific actions by Bligh; the mutinies "were widespread, [and] involved a fair number of
English ships".[25] Whilst Director's role was relatively minor in this mutiny, she was the last to
raise the white flag at its cessation. [26] It was at this time that he learned "that his common
nickname among men in the fleet was 'that Bounty bastard'." [25]
As captain of Director at the Battle of Camperdown on 11 October, Bligh engaged three Dutch
vessels: Haarlem, Alkmaar and Vrijheid. While the Dutch suffered serious casualties, only seven
seamen were wounded on Director. Director captured Vrijheid and the Dutch commander, Vice-
Admiral Jan de Winter.
Bligh went on to serve under Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen on 2 April 1801, in
command of Glatton, a 56-gun ship of the line, which was experimentally fitted exclusively
with carronades. After the battle, Nelson personally praised Bligh for his contribution to the
victory. He sailed Glatton safely between the banks while three other vessels ran aground. When
Nelson pretended not to notice Admiral Parker's signal "43" (stop the battle) and kept the signal
"16" hoisted to continue the engagement, Bligh was the only captain in the squadron who could
see that the two signals were in conflict. By choosing to fly Nelson's signal, he ensured that all
the vessels behind him kept fighting.

Propaganda cartoon of Bligh's arrest in Sydney in 1808, portraying him as a coward. State Library of New
South Wales, Sydney.
Bligh had gained a reputation as a firm disciplinarian. Accordingly, he was offered the position
of Governor of New South Wales on the recommendation of Sir Joseph Banks (President of the
Royal Society and a main sponsor of the breadfruit expeditions) and appointed in March 1805, at
£2,000 per annum, twice the pay of the retiring governor, Philip Gidley King. He arrived in
Sydney on 6 August 1806,[27] to become the fourth governor. As his wife Elizabeth had been
unwilling to undertake a long sea voyage, Bligh was accompanied by his daughter, Mary
Putland, who would be the Lady of Government House; Mary's husband John Putland was
appointed as William Bligh's aide-de-camp.[28] During his time in Sydney, his confrontational
administrative style provoked[citation needed] the wrath of a number