bridge, on 29 March 1823, as was wittily remarked, 'in the fiill vigour of his incapacity.' His connection, Lord Ellenborough, was equally emphatic in condemnation. On one occasion a very doubtful nisi prius decision was cited before that sarcastic judge, and the question 'Who ruled that?' was met with the answer, 'The chief justice of the isle of Ely.' The peer thereupon exclaimed that Christian was 'only fit to rule — a copybook.'
His literary publications were numerous, and some of them showed considerable research into the depths of antiquarian law. The earliest was: (1) 'An Examination of Precedents and Principles . . . that an impeachment is determined by a dissolution of parliament,' 1790. This was followed by: (2) ' A Dissertation showing that the House of Lords in cases of Judicature are bound by precisely the same rules of evidence as are observed by all other courts,' 1792 ; 2nd ed. 1821. His edition, with notes and additions' (3), of Blackstone's 'Commentaries on the Laws of England' appeared in four volumes, 179S-6, and was often reissued down to 1880, the successive editions bringing the editor 'Considerable gain. To the 'Minutes of the Proceedings on the Court-martial held at Portsmouth August 12, 1792,' on the Bounty mutineers, he added (4) an appendix purporting to give a full account of the causes of the mutiny, which evoked a reply from Admiral Bligh. In 1807 he published (5) 'A Vindication of the Right of the Universities of Great Britain to a copy of every new publication,' the second edition appearing in 1814, end the third in 1818. Down to the former date it had been considered to rest with the publisher's discretion whether, under the statutes for the security of copyright, copies of all publications should be sent to other libraries than the British Museum, but, in consequence of Christian's action, the university of Cambridge stepped forward to enforce on its own behalf, and that of ten other public libraries, their right to such works. Christian's other publications were (6) 'A concise Account of the Origin of the two Houses of Parliament,' 1810 ; (7) 'The Origin. Progress, and Present Practice of the bankrupt Law,' 1812-14, 2 vols, and 2nd ed. 1818 ; (8) 'Practical Instructions for suing end prosecuting a Commission of Bankrupt,' 1816, 2nd ed. 1820; (9) 'Plan for a County Provident Bank,' 1810, with which may be coupled (10) 'General Observations on Provident Banks,' with a plan of the unlimited Provident Bank at Cambridge, included in the 'Pamphleteer,' xvii. 276-88, and of which it may be said that the Cambridge bank ultimately involved many persons in a heavy loss ; (11) 'Treatise on the Game Laws,' 1817 ; (12) ' Charges delivered to Grand Juries in the Isle of Ely,' 2nd ed. 1819, 8rd ed. 1821, many of which had previously been issued in a separate form ; (13) 'Full Explanation of the Law respecting Prayers for the Queen and the Royal Family,' which passed through three editions in 1821. Christian was elected a bencher of his inn on 7 June 1809, and discharged the duties of treasurer in 1810-11. If any one wishes to see his system of lecturing as professor at Cambridge, he can consult 'A Syllabus, or the Heads of Lectures publicly delivered in the University of Cambridge by Edward Christian,' 1797.
[Gent. Mag. June 1823, pp. 669-70; Lady Belcher's Mutineers of Bounty, p. 6 ; Gunning's Reminiscences, i. 210-20, ii. 159; Bakers Hist. of St. John's (Mayor), i. 309, 310 ; Cooper's Annals of Camb. iv. 432, 468 ; Biog. Dict. of Living Authors (1816), p. 62.]
CHRISTIAN, FLETCHER (fl. 1789), seaman and mutineer, one of a family descended from the Christians of Milntown in the Isle of Man, but settled for three generations in Cumberland, was a younger brother of Edward Christian, the jurist [q. v.], and, having already served some years m the navy, was, in 1787, appointed to the Bounty discovery ship, as master's mate. The Bounty sailed from Spithead on 23 Dec. 1787, and, after touching at the Cape of Good Hope and Van Diemen's Land, arrived at Tahiti on 26 Oct. 1788. She departed on her homeward voyage on 4 April 1789, calling to take in some wood and water at Annamooka, whence she sailed on the 26th. On the morning of the 28th some of the petty officers and seamen, headed by Christian, took possession of the ship, turning Mr. Bligh the commander, the master, the surgeon, and many of the men adrift in the launch [see Bligh, William]. Bligh, on his return to England, published an account of the transaction favourable to himself. But the fact appears to be rather that the mutiny was caused by his own tyrannical conduct, which in those distant seas was absolutely uncontrolled. Christian, who had been doing duty as acting lieutenant and second in command, was more especially the victim of his temper, and on the afternoon of 27 April had been subjected to the most abusive insults. He determined to leave the ship on a small raft, trusting to fortune to carry him to land somewhere, but, being unable to carry out this design during the night, he seized an accidental opportunity the next morning of seizing the ship and sending Bligh adrift mstead. The few men he spoke
