mber of that year.

Blida is the chief town of a commune of the same name, having (1906) a
population of 33,332.

BLIGH, WILLIAM (1754-1817), English admiral, was born of a good Cornish
family in 1754. He accompanied Captain Cook in his second expedition
(1772-1774) as sailing-master of the "Resolution." During the voyage,
the bread-fruit, already known to Dampier, was found by them at
Otaheite; and after seeing service under Lord Howe and elsewhere,
"Bread-fruit Bligh," as he was nicknamed, was despatched at the end of
1787 to the Pacific in command of H.M.S. "Bounty," for the purpose of
introducing it into the West Indies from the South Sea Islands. Bligh
sailed from Otaheite, after remaining there about six months; but, when
near the Friendly Islands, a mutiny (April 28, 1789) broke out on board
the "Bounty," headed by Fletcher Christian, the master's mate, and
Bligh, with eighteen others, was set adrift in the launch. The mutineers
themselves settled on Pitcairn Island (q.v.), but some of them were
afterwards captured, brought to England and in three cases executed.
This mutiny, which forms the subject of Byron's Island, did not arise so
much from tyranny on the part of Bligh as from attachments contracted
between the seamen and the women of Otaheite. After suffering severely
from hunger, thirst and storms, Bligh and his companions landed at Timor
in the East Indies, having performed a voyage of about 4000 m. in an
open boat. Bligh returned to England in 1790, and he was soon afterwards
appointed to the "Providence," in which he effected the purpose of his
former appointment by introducing the bread-fruit tree into the West
India Islands. He showed great courage at the mutiny of the Nore in
1797, and in the same year took part in the battle of Camperdown, where
Admiral Duncan defeated the Dutch under De Winter. In 1801 he commanded
the "Glatton" (54) at the battle of Copenhagen, and received the
personal commendations of Nelson. In 1805 he was appointed "captain
general and governor of New South Wales." As he made himself intensely
unpopular by the harsh exercise of authority, he was deposed in January
1808 by a mutiny headed by Major George Johnston of the 102nd foot, and
was imprisoned by the mutineers till 1810. He returned to England in
1811, was promoted to rear-admiral in that year, and to vice-admiral in
1814. Major Johnston was tried by court martial at Chelsea in 1811, and
was dismissed the service.