four feet above the level of the sea, with the water breaking on it lightly.

The latitude observed at noon was 20° 51' S, longitude 159° 12′ E. At this time the thermometer in the shade stood at 72°.

30th.-Fine trades. The sick still continued in a very bad state. The surgeon observed to me to-day, that he was apprehensive, if the ship returned within the Tropics towards Tucopia under the vertical rays of a scorching sun, the sickness on board would increase, and endanger the safety of the ship and the lives of all on board. As I considered it proper to attend to his suggestions, I desired him to address me officially on the subject. He replied, that he should consider himself as failing in the principal object for which he engaged in the service if he delayed doing so; and that he would have written to me already in his official capacity, but wished first to communicate with me verbally. I shortly after received the surgeon's certificate, as follows:

1, the undersigned, do hereby certify, that in my opinion this ship ought to proceed immediately to a port in New South Wales, or New Zealand, for the purpose of procuring refreshments for the sick now on board, as well as to give them an opportunity of recovering from the diseases under which they labour. I also certify that it is my opinion, if the ship should immediately proceed to the northward into warm weather towards Tucopia, that the diseases now raging on board cannot be got rid of, without running the risk of

losing several lives, and by that means endangering the safety

of the ship.

(Signed) JOHN GRIFFITHS, Surgeon.

On board the H.E.I.C. ship Research, at sea,

the 30th of October 1827.

On receipt of such a document I considered myself bound to abide by the tenor of it, in order to avert the calamities which a neglect of the advice it contained might entail on all concerned.

There being now only one person on board in good health who was capable of navigating the ship, and he as liable to be attacked by disease as those in the surgeon's list, it became incumbent on me to lose no time in making for a port where my crew might recover and the ship refresh. But the enormous expense attendant on putting into a port at New South Wales deterred me from going there; and as the Bay of Islands in New Zealand lay in my track for the islands, in a climate more salubrious than New South Wales in summer, which was now setting in, and as I could obtain refreshments, fire-wood, and water in abundance, I determined on steering for that place, where, during the time I should be employed in recruiting my stores, the sick could be put ashore and recover sufficiently to allow of my proceeding for the islands to land my interpreters, and from thence pursue my voyage for Calcutta through the straits of Manilla.

course S.E. I

3d November.-Strong trades throughout the day the wind blew from N. to N.W. the first part strong breezes with cloudy weather; the latter part, light airs with rain. Our run up to noon was 166 miles, on an 84° expected to have seen the Three Kings at 9 A.M., the well known islands situated to the north westward off Cape Maria Van Diemen on the coast of New Zealand. Their latitude by Captain Cook is 34° 12′ S., longitude 172° 12′ E.

Noon approached without discovering land, and on observing the latitude my disappointment was accounted for, the ship being set by a current twenty-five miles to the southward of the islands during the last twenty-four hours.

Throughout the afternoon and night I took advantage of every favourable shift of wind to get to the northward.

4th. First and middle part of the day strong gales, with rain; towards noon the weather cleared up a little, but throughout the afternoon and night was exceedingly squally and unsettled. At 3 A.M. the wind shifted from N. to S.S.W., where it settled. I took advantage of this change and steered to the northward, shortening sail as necessary in the squalls. At 8 A.M. got sight of the Three Kings bearing S.E. by E., distance off six leagues. At 10, got sights for the chronometer, which brought forward to noon gave the longitude the same as Captain Cook's, viz.

172° 12′ E., and the latitude 34° 10' S. At noon the centre of the largest of the Kings bore per compass E. by S.S. three miles. At 5 P.M. the weather cleared up a little, which gave us a view of the North Cape of New Zealand, bearing S.E. five or six leagues, and at 8 P.M. it bore S.E., distance two or three miles. I stood along the coast steering S.E. by E. the remainder of the night.

5th.-Fine weather, with wind from the southward: thermometer in the shade 64°. At 5 A.M. it was clear daylight, our distance off shore being five or six miles: the extremes of the land in sight bore from N.N.W. to S.E. by E. At 6 we passed close to the eastward of the most eastwardly of the Havalley Islands, and stood on for Point Pocock; and at 9 we hauled into the Bay of Islands.

In consequence of being exposed for the last two days, I had a return of my illness, and was obliged to quit the deck. Not having any person on board sufficiently acquainted with the port to undertake the pilotage of the ship to her anchorage, I ordered half-hour guns to be fired as a signal for a pilot, and at past 5 P.M. one came on board. Soon afterward the captain of a whaler called the Indian, which was lying in the harbour bound for England, visited me. At 7 P.M. we anchored in six fathoms, with the village of Carroraricka bearing N.E.

E., and distant from half to three-quarters of a mile.

The captain of the Indian was accompanied on his visit by Captain Duke, part-owner of a whaler, which had sailed six weeks before for the fishery off Tongataboo, but being ill he was not able to proceed on the voyage, and was now busily engaged erecting a dwelling-house on shore, close to the village off which we anchored. The daughter of king George undertakes the management of this gentleman's household affairs, her father affording him protection for his property, chiefly consisting of ships' stores.

There were several of our countrymen residing in the vicinity of the bay, employed as missionaries to instruct the natives; and although these gentlemen possessed numerous flocks and herds, they were too much occupied by their spiritual avocations to allow us to derive any benefit from them-too deeply immersed in the theoretical parts of christianity, to emerge into the ordinary practice of its most essential dictates, to succour the helpless and visit the sick. Most willingly would I have paid them any price for a daily supply of fresh meat for the use of the sick, but could not obtain it.

Captain Duke, from a feeling that did him honour, sent on board two fat wethers, six fowls, and a dozen of wine, observing, in allusion to our failure in meeting with such supplies from