The

did, certainly not less important and meritorious. method which he discovered, and so successfully practised, of preserving the health of seamen, forms a new era in navigation, and will transmit his name to future ages amongst those of the friends and benefactors of mankind. Those who are conversant with naval history need not be told at how dear a rate the advantages, which have been sought through the medium of long voyages at sea, have always been purchased. That dreadful disorder which is peculiar to this service, and whose ravages have marked the tracks of discoverers with circumstances almost too shocking to relate, must, without exercising an almost unwarrantable tyranny over the lives of our seamen, have proved an insuperable obstacle to the prosecution of such. enterprises. It was reserved for Captain Cook to show the world, by repeated trials, that voyages might be protracted to the unusual length of three, or even four years, in unknown regions, and under every change and rigour of climate, not only without affecting the health, but even without diminishing the probability of life in the smallest degree.

With respect to his professional abilities, I shall leave them to the judgment of those who are best acquainted with the nature of the services in which he was engaged. They will readily acknowledge, that to have conducted three expeditions of much danger and difficulty, of so unusual a length, and in such a variety of situations, with uniform and invariable success, must have required, not only a thorough and accurate knowledge of his business, but a powerful and comprehensive genius, fruitful in resources, and equally ready in the application of whatever the higher and the inferior calls of the service required.

H

Having given the most faithful account I have been able to collect, both from my own observation and the relations of others, of the death of my ever-honoured friend, and also of his character and services, I shall now leave his memory to the gratitude and admiration of posterity; accepting, with a melancholy satisfaction, the honour which the loss of him has procured me, of seeing my name joined with his, and of testifying that affection and respect for his memory, which, whilst he lived, it was no less my inclination than my constant study to show him.

ARRIVAL OF THE PIONEER VESSEL THE "TORY" IN NEW ZEALAND.

A FINE Vessel of 400 tons, the Tory, had been bought and prepared for the voyage by the New Zealand Company. She was armed with eight guns, and small-arms for all the ship's company; filled with the necessary stores, provisions, and goods for barter with the New Zealanders, and manned with a strong and select crew. She sailed from Plymouth on the 12th of May 1839, and arrived in sight of the high hills of New Zealand on the 16th of August, about noon. The land first sighted was the western coast of South Island, not far south of Cape Farewell.

In the morning of the 17th we proceeded to the eastward, and as we neared Point Jackson in Cook Strait, the breeze died away, and we remained for a time becalmed in the entrance of Queen Charlotte Sound. A bright, warm sun gave the most charming appearance to the romantic shores of the sound, and we exclaimed against the calm

which seemed likely to detain us another night at sea. Two or three of the most impatient got into the cutter, and pulled towards Point Jackson, to try to catch some fish; but they had not got far before a light air sprang up, and we glided into the sound; and, as the tide favoured us, they had some trouble in overtaking the ship.

The scenery became more and more majestic as we advanced into this noble estuary. Its outer mouth is nine miles wide. High wooded mountains rise on both sides; numerous islands and projecting points dot the expanse of still water, which penetrates far into the interior, and a glimpse of the Southern Alps is obtained in the extreme distance. As we entered the sound, we saw four canoes under sail coming from the westward; and before we anchored for the night, in the S. E. entrance of Ship Cove, another canoe came pulling off to us containing eight natives. As they came alongside the ship, the canoe was lashed to the chains, and the men scrambled on deck with great activity. We were at first startled by the quickness with which this was done, and by their wild and halfnaked appearance. Our anticipations had not at all prepared us for this first meeting; and Nayti (the New Zealand native whom we had brought with us from England) was so quiet and silent in his manners, that the contrast of their demeanour was striking. They ran about shaking hands with everybody they met, and could all speak more or less of broken English. They had brought on board. some fish and potatoes, which we bought in exchange for a little tobacco. We let go our anchor as night closed in, and they returned to their village.

August 18th.-This morning, at daylight, we had warped farther into the cove, and we lay anchored in eleven fathoms of water, within 300 yards of the shore, where we

1

fastened a hawser to a tree; thus occupying, probably, the same spot as Captain Cook in his numerous visits to this harbour. There were a good many natives on board already; but as I was eager to touch the land, I got into a small canoe with Nayti, who paddled me ashore. The hills, which rise to the height of at least 1000 feet, on three sides of the cove, are covered from their tops to the water's edge with an undulating carpet of forest. How well Cook has described the harmony of the birds at this very spot! Every bough seemed to throng with feathered musicians, and the melodious chimes of the bell-bird were especially distinct. At the head of the cove is a small level space of land, formed by the alluvial deposit of three mountain rills which here empty themselves into the bay. Landing here, I stood for some time absorbed in contemplating the luxuriant vegetation of the grass and shrubs, and of the wild carrots and turnips which remained as relics of our great navigator. A host of historical recollections crowded upon my mind as I tried to fix on the exact spot where Cook's forge and carpenter's shop had stood; and I was only roused from my reverie by the arrival of some more of the party, bent upon the resolution of the same inquiry. We collected some shells, pebbles, and plants, and returned to breakfast on fresh potatoes, and some of the fish which had been caught in abundance round the ship in the evening.

The four canoes which we had described yesterday arrived this morning, and came alongside the ship. Having seen us stand in, they followed, in hopes of having a deal with us; but they had not abandoned any of their savage customs, and rubbed noses with Nayti, instead of shaking him by the hand. They were also covered with oil and red ochre, and seemed much wilder in their manners than

the natives of Ship Cove, who had visited us the previous day.

August 19th.-The work of filling our water-casks, and refitting the ship, commenced to-day. The storekeeper was very busy laying in a stock of potatoes and pigs obtained from the natives. A pipe bought a basket of potatoes weighing 20 lbs., and a red blanket was worth three good-sized pigs.

In the afternoon we went over in the boat to Motuara, the island on which Cook had his observatory and garden. The island had a very gay appearance, being covered with wild shrubs and flowers, like an ornamental plantation. We fell in with plenty of pigeons, parrots, and other birds, from which, by the help of our guns, we soon added to the supplies for our table, or to the collections of the delighted naturalists.

On the 22d we visited the village of Anaho, on a level piece of ground at the head of Cannibal Cove, and we were much amused with the sleeping-houses of the natives. They are exceedingly low, and covered with earth, on which weeds very often grow. They resemble, in shape and size, a hot-bed with the glass off. A small square aperture at one end is the only passage for light or air.

September 1st, Sunday.-After prayers on board, we landed and visited the whaling-town of Te-awa-iti. Mr Richard Barrett, who was at the head of one of the whaling parties, had come off to us in his boat the evening before, and his extraordinary stoutness was demonstration beyond a doubt of the good effects of life in New Zealand. He was dressed in a white jacket, blue dungarre trousers, and round straw hat, the whole at once revealing and concealing a figure of the most perfect rotundity; while his jovial ruddy face, twinkling eyes, and good-humoured