rolling in with the wind from the N.W. It contains a good boat harbor. On the beaches were lying several spars and planks all very old, and a ship’s gangway-rail, (metalled) looking fresh. We saw no traces whatever of castaways. Taking one of the spars we set it on end, and left a letter at its foot, in a bottle, to indicate the position of the pigs, goats, &c. From the top of the hills dividing the two harbors we could see very distinctly our signal mast with its white boards—a very welcome sight it may prove to some poor naked and despairing sailor.

To visit the third harbor, (North Harbor) we crossed the range of hills dividing it from Perseverance. From the top of the highest on this range, Mount Lyall, (which I measured with the sextant, and found to be 1330 feet high) I took bearings of the headlands, which, with some I obtained whilst on the coast, have enabled me to make a rough sketch map of the Island.

North Harbor, about three miles to the north of Perseverance, is but a narrow inlet, three-quarters of a mile wide, two and a-half miles long. Through the valley at its head runs a fine creek, which pours its waters into the inlet. A large bed of kelp stretches more than half-way across the entrance. Our search here was as fruitless as elsewhere, we had lingered for long on the top of Mount Lyall, scanning carefully all the neighboring elevations, had made fires every where, and raised a smoke which might have been seen 15 miles off, and now, perfectly satisfied that none of our species, existed on the island, we prepared to return to the brig. Before doing so, however, we raised a cairn of stones, leaving on it a bottle with a letter, as before.

Campbell Island (Erebus Point, lat. 50 deg. 32 min. S., long. 169 deg. 12 min. E.) is about eight miles from north to south, and the same from east to west. It is traversed by ranges of hills of considerable height—Honey-hill, to the south, being close upon 1600 feet. The geological formation does not differ materially from that of the Aucklands. In West Bay, however, the cliffs are composed of chalk and beds of flints, resting on limestone. Having heard a rumor that copper was to be found here, I kept my eyes open, but I saw no indications whatever of its presence. Iron pyrites may probably be present, and have given rise to the report. In Perseverance Harbor the geologist will be interested by the appearance of the basaltic dykes, of columnar structure, the pillows vertical, horizontal, and in one place radiating from a common centre, as though the basalt, forced up through a small orifice, had spread out in the shape of a fan. The ground is very uneven, which made our travelling toilsome, the foot constantly going into holes two feet deep. The soil is very wet and peaty, the surface between the tussock (Patiti) carpeted with beautiful mosses and lichens of most varied hues; even the branches of the scrub are so clothed, an unerring indication of the humidity of the climate. The M’Quarry cabbage, cotton plant, (I have an idea that good serviceable paper might be made from the latter), and wild carrot grow abundantly forming most excellent feed for the pigs which we put ashore. The inevitable piri-piri appears everywhere. Of timber proper, there is none on the island. It would take a boat’s crew a considerable time to collect a supply of firewood, the scrub being of the very smallest growth. There is no rats, and the enaki is of a smaller and finer species than that of the Aucklands, bears a small white bell-shaped flower, with a strong perfume, as of hawthorne. There are of course copious supplies of water of an excellent kind. This island seems to be the favorite haunt of the larger sea birds, the molly mawks frequenting the north-east side; the albatross affecting the ranges between the north and south harbors; mutton birds par-tout. I think Nature has contented herself with fitting up this island for the reception of such birds—and pigs. The (so called) highland albatross—the noblest of all sea birds) lays but one egg in a nest raised about ten inches from the ground. The young birds were just breaking the shell at the time of our visit. The grey duck is found here. Of land birds I only saw the common ground lark and a small bird like the wren. Rats are numerous, and of a large size. No traces were seen of the pigs, game cock, hens, and geese, landed by Capt. Norman, of the Victoria. The barometer, during our stay, stood at 29 deg. 20 min.; average temperature of the air, 51 deg.

On Friday, 29th Feb., after having made more than one attempt to leave our anchorage, we succeeded in getting out of the harbor, and with a steady breeze from the S.W., we soon ran the distance to the Antipodes Islands, making the land before daybreak on the 2nd March, and verifying their position as fixed by Capt. Norman. But for his observations we might possibly have ascertained their true position for ourselves, in a manner far from pleasant, the chart placing them some fifty miles to the eastward, and ten miles to the north. When close to the Island, we fired our gun; and lowering a boat, I went ashore with an officer, effecting a landing very easily under the lee (east side), although a considerable sea was running outside. Firing the grass as we went, we made for a hill in the centre of the island, which we climbed, and from its summit carefully scanned the whole surface around. We saw nothing but the tussock waving in the wind, the albatross sitting quietly on their nests, and a few parroquets flitting about. We remained four hours here; the men spread out in different directions, and then returned to the boat with the conviction that no human beings (with the exception of ourselves) were present on the island. Before leaving, we placed a board on a high rock, securing it with stones, on which is carved "Brig Amherst, in search of castaways, March, ’68; by order of the Government of Southland." With it, two bottles, one containing some matches, a flint and steel, fish-hooks, and a parcel of dressed flax; the other, a letter, in which I mentioned what had been done on the Auckland and Campbell Islands, &c.

Those Antipodes Islands (two, a small one lying about half a-mile off the S.E. end of the main), are situated in lat. 49 deg 42 min S., long. 178 deg 43 m. E., the coastline bold and rugged, the cliffs having a weather-beaten bleached appearance. The Main Island is about three miles from east to east, two and a-half miles from north to south. Greatest elevation, 700 feet, the hills dotted with high tussock (pa-ti-ti), and patches of M’Quarrie cabbage and cotton plant. The soil is peaty, but drier and firmer than that of Campbell Island; of scrub, there is none worthy of the