Smith. — Exploration of Tasman Bay. 417 



design for lack of time to accomplish it, and consequently 

 directed his course to the northwards, with a view of entering 

 and exploring those parts of Cook Strait which had not been 

 closely inspected by the great navigator after whom the strait 

 is named. 



The history of the voyage (vol. ii, p. 9) may now be given in 

 detail : — 



These tempestuous times finally determined me, on the 

 8th January, 1827, at 8 a.m., to steer to the E.N.E. in order 

 to approach more nearly the coast. We were already in about 

 lat. 43° south, and, no doubt, with a little more perseverance, 

 it had been possible to have attained the southern region of 

 New Zealand ; but I could not neglect the other objects of my 

 mission, and time was already pressing. 



10th January, 1827. — The weather was still very bad, and 

 we experienced frequent squalls of rain, with a heavy sea from 

 the S.W. ; whilst the presence of clouds of black-and-white 

 petrels, and, still more, of some terns, announced to us the 

 proximity of the land. In fact, at 7 o'clock I clearly distin- 

 guished it to the E.S.E. and S.E. As we were at that time 

 from thirty to forty miles distant at least, that to the S.E. 

 showed like a high island notched on the top. As we approached, 

 it extended more and more ; but the summit was still toothed 

 like a saw, with sharp teeth inclined towards the north, in a 

 uniform and singular manner, whilst it seemed to be separated 

 from the land on the left, so much so as to cause suspicion that 

 the intermediate space was occupied by the entrance to a port. 

 [The range referred to was no doubt the Paparoa Range of 

 mountains, and the apparent entrance to a port was the valley 

 of the Grey River.] 



We now steered right for that part of the coast, and at noon 

 were not more than four leagues distant. It was then easy for 

 us to convince ourselves that the coast was continuous, and 

 that our illusion had been caused by its sensible decrease in 

 height in the space where we supposed a bay to exist. The 

 geographical work was at once put in hand, and M. Gressian 

 was charged with the survey of all the extent of New Zealand 

 comprised from the most southerly land in view, situated in 

 lat. 42° 28' S., up to Cape Farewell. The soundings indicated 

 100 fathoms, sand and fine mud, whilst the temperature, 16-2° 

 in the air, 17-2° at the surface, and not more than 13-2° at that 

 depth. 



Each of us, at the view of this wild coast, those lofty moun- 

 tains battered by the furious winds of the Antarctic, rejoiced 

 to be at last, after so much fatigue, at the end of his wishes, 

 on a theatre worthy of his researches. Proud to follow the tracks 

 14— Trans. 



