Cockayne. — Botanical Excursion to Southern Islands. 231 



Before concluding this introduction I must offer my most 

 sincere thanks to the Hon. W. Hall-Jones, M.H.R., Minister 

 of Marine, for affording me facilities to visit the Southern 

 Islands. Also, I must express my great obligation to the 

 following for most valuable assistance in many ways : Pro- 

 fessor Charles Chilton, D.Sc. ; Mr. George Laurenson, 

 M.H.R. ; Mr. R. Speight, M.A., B.Sc. ; Mr. D. Petrie, M.A. ; 

 Mr. H. Woods; Mr. W. Joss; and Mr. J. Gordon. Finally, 

 I am bound to express my gratitude to Captain J. Bollons, of 

 the Government s.s. " Hinemoa," who did all in his power 

 to assist my work, and who, in addition, has given me much 

 valuable information regarding the Southern Islands. 



I. The Auckland Islands. 



GENERAL EEMARKS. 



The Auckland Islands lie between the parallels of about 

 50° 30' and 50° 55' south latitude and the meridians of 

 165° 55' and 166° 20' east longitude (90, p. 405). They were 

 discovered by Captain Abraham Bristow on the 18th August, 

 1806, during a whaling voyage in the ship "Ocean," a vessel 

 belonging to Mr. Samuel Enderby. The group was named 

 by its discoverer after Lord Auckland. In 1807 Captain 

 Bristow visited the islands for a second time, and on that 

 occasion took formal possession of the group. 



Since its discovery, the Auckland Island Group has been 

 repeatedly visited by sealers and whalers, the former having 

 lived for months at a time on the main island, and made 

 tracks across the mountains to the "seal-rookeries." During 

 the years 1839-40 three scientific expeditions visited the 

 northern part of the group, the botanical results of which 

 have been already dealt with. In the year 1850 the Messrs. 

 Enderby made the Auckland Islands the headquarters of the 

 Southern Whale-fishery Company (31), the islands " having 

 been granted by Her Majesty's Government " [so runs the 

 prospectus of the company] " to Mr. Enderby and two of his 

 brothers." Accordingly Mr. C. Enderby formed a settlement, 

 consisting of three hundred Europeans and Maoris, in the 

 neighbourhood of Port Ross ; but the company was not suc- 

 cessful, and after three years the settlement was abandoned. 

 Shortly before the Enderby Settlement a number of Maoris 

 from Chatham Island had taken up their abode in the north 

 of Auckland Island, but these also did not stay long. During 

 the Enderby Settlement a considerable piece of forest was 

 cleared. This clearing is referred to later on. 



Since the Auckland Islands lie in the direct route of 

 sailing-vessels to Cape Horn it is not surprising that several 

 disastrous shipwrecks have taken place. These led to the 



