many others in the vessel who had a much stronger claim on my consideration, as the New Zealand prince, and my faithful follower Martin Bushart, who looked up to me as a parent and protector.

17th. Not being able to depart to-day from Diamond Harbour, on account of the register not being yet sent, I employed the crew as necessary about the rigging, artillery, smallarms, &c.

18th.-Received orders to proceed to Kedgeree. At nine weighed and made sail, and stood down the river. At eleven, the flood coming in, anchored a little above Culpee. The carpenter was employed fitting cleats and making a cabin for the dresser Helmick. At half past three weighed. At sun-set came-to off the Silver Tree in seven fathoms: wore to thirty-five fathoms: furled sails.

In reply to my letter of the 16th instant, addressed to the secretary to the Marine Board respecting the surgeon's assistant, I received the following:

To Captain P. DILLON, commander of the Hon. Company's ship Research.

SIR-I am directed by the Marine Board to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated yesterday, and in reply to acquaint you, with regard to the dieting of Leonard Helmick, dresser to Doctor Tytler, that he should, the Board think,

in addition to the rations already allowed him, be furnished with fresh victuals from your table to the extent of a plate-full at each meal, and for which an allowance will be made you, to be adjusted on your return, of two sicca rupees per diem.

Marine Board,

17th Jan. 1827.

I have, &c.

(Signed) J. TROTTER, Secretary.

This letter shews at once the laudable disposition of the Marine Board to conciliate the outrageous person who was unfortunately to accompany us; and proves the utter groundlessness of his first public attack on my conduct, commencing as it did, 1st. with a charge against me of defrauding his dependent of the provisions due to him; 2d. with an imputation on my veracity, in demanding written proof that I was not defrauding him of any thing; and 3dly. with an attack on my public character, in accusing me to the Board of violating my instructions. The assignment of a new ration for the loblolly boy, with an allowance for the same, proved clearly that no such allowance or ration had previously been intended.

19th. At day-light weighed, made sail, and run a little below the Silver Tree, where we anchored. At eleven again weighed and made all sail, but in consequence of a strong tide made little progress. At two P.M. Mr. Seppings, the Hon. Company's Marine Surveyor, came on

board with the ship's register, and orders to proceed on the voyage.

20th. At daylight weighed and made sail, and at nine passed Kedgeree: carpenter employed caulking in the ports. Noon, light northeast winds, making but little progress over the flood tide. At half past four P.M. anchored in eleven and a half fathoms in Saugor Roads, and sent on board an Indiaman to get some caulkers to assist in caulking in our ports. Furled sails. Wore to forty fathoms. Midnight, pleasant. breezes and thick weather.

21st.-Commenced with moderate breezes and thick weather. Employed getting ready for Carpenter and two caulkers from the ship Rose employed caulking in the ports. Noon, northerly winds and gloomy weather. At four finished the caulking, weighed, and made sail. At sun-set came to an anchor off Saugor Point in nine and a half fathoms, wore to thirty fathoms, furled sails, and hoisted the top-sail yards to the mast head, ready for a start in the morning.

22d. At day-light weighed and made sail. At eight P.M. came too in the eastern channel in five and a half fathoms, with the starboard bower; wore to thirty fathoms, and furled sails.

23d. About six A.M. we got the anchor up, set all sail, and stood down channel towards the floating-light. At half past eight we passed the

Reef buoy, and shortly after one of the pilot brigs sent a boat to the Research to take out the pilot. We immediately set all sail and passed the Torch floating-light vessel at eleven o'clock. The Torch is moored in the eastern channel of the Tail of the Saugor Sand, for the purpose of guiding ships into the proper channel in both

monsoons.

At noon the latitude observed was 21° S′ north, and longitude 88° 27' east. The carpenter of the ship appearing to be a very indifferent one, and totally unfit to perform the duty for which he shipped, I disrated him.

24th.-This day commenced with increasing breezes and fine weather; the latitude at noon was 19° 57' N., the longitude by chronometer 88° 0′ 30′′. Run about seventy-one miles from noon yesterday on a S.E. course.

Shortly after noon I received a letter and book from Doctor Tytler, ruled to contain the ship's latitude and longitude each day at noon. This book being made out in a different way to that in which I was directed to supply him with the ship's situation each day, I declined making any entry in it. The letter contained a request, or rather a demand, that I would allow my private servant, Martin Bushart, to undergo a private examination in the Doctor's cabin. This I considered an extraordinary demand, as he

was not on the sick list, and wrote the Doctor a letter to that effect.

This day at dinner the first officer and myself had some conversation respecting a Mr. Fresher, a botanist and naturalist at New South Wales. I said it was my intention to get him to proceed with us on this voyage to aid us in our scientific researches. Doctor Tytler immediately remarked that he would be very glad of it. The cause of my making the observation was, that Doctor Tytler had frequently asked me if he could not get a few stones and fragments of rock at Van Diemen's Land, to fill up the chest sent by the Bengal Government for specimens of natural history. I replied, that specimens of botany, mineralogy, &c. the produce of Van Diemen's Land had already been well ascertained by naturalists of the first-rate ability, and that it would be exceedingly wrong to impose on the Government such trash as he mentioned, while there were many valuable specimens of botany and natural history to be procured at the islands to which we were bound. The Doctor replied, that it was immaterial whether it were clods of dried mud or stones of any sort so that he brought a large cargo it would answer the purpose, as there was no person, he said, in the Asiatic Society capable of judging as to their qualities. He further