414 Transactions. 



battered by the sea, have something of a lugubrious though imposing appear- 

 ance. It is also accompanied by some pointed rocks of singular shape,, 

 some of which are very slender on top. For this reason we gave to that 

 part of Otea the name of Pointe des Aiguilles [still so called]. At the same 

 time the soundings were 72 fathoms, hard yellow mud. 



As soon as we had passed the Pointe des Aiguilles, we discovered suc- 

 cessively the numerous islands dispersed at the entrance to the Bay of 

 Shouraki [Hauraki], a view which produced a most picturesque and ani- 

 mated scene. Here the work of Cook was again found to be very unexact, 

 and a new exploration became indispensable. 



With the wind W.N.W. then prevailing I already flattered myself with 

 the hope of doubling the north point of Otea, and of penetrating into the 

 Bay of Shouraki by the channel which lies between that island and Shou- 

 tourou [Hauturu, Little Barrier]. A black squall, however, rose in the 

 S.W., and prevented me. and therefore I kept away to starboard. At 

 1.30 the squall burst upon us with violence, but it did not last long. Pre- 

 sently the sky cleared, and the wind returned to the S.S.W. and obliged me 

 to keep outside the islands, and soon after we sighted the Poule et les 

 Poussins [Hen and Chickens Isles], just before night. At 12 p.m. a brilliant 

 meteor showed in the east for some seconds. 



21st February. — When daylight came we sighted all the land seen the 

 previous evening, and at the same time found that the current had driven 

 us eight or ten miles to the north. We also commenced to see the Tawiti 

 Eahi (Poor Knights of Cook) [Tawhiti-rahi] and the broken summits of 

 Tewara [Bream Head], although distant one and the other nearly twenty- 

 five miles. 



At noon we passed, at six miles distant, to the north of the islets, 

 apparently uninhabited, of Moko-Hinou [Moko-hinau]. The breeze having 

 changed to the S.E. and even E.S.E., I steered the corvette under all sail 

 towards the Harbour of Wangari [Whangarei], where I hoped to cast anchor 

 before night. Unfortunately, at the moment when we arrived on the 

 meridian of the east group of Moro-Tiri (and it was already 4.30), the breeze 

 fell, and barely allowed us to move more than a knot an hour. It was then 

 impossible to stand out to sea, and I decided, as well as I could, to gain the 

 anchorage of Wangari, with the sounding-line in hand. We passed at 

 less than half a league the narrow and lofty chain {sic) of Moro-Tiri. [The 

 Moro-tiri, or Chicken Islands, however, are, comparatively speaking, quite 

 low ; probably D'Urville means the Hen Island.] On its desert shores 

 nothing but the monotonous sound of the breakers and the fearful cry of 

 the sea-birds was heard. 



Up to midnight we had successively from 48 to 22 fathoms of water, 

 sand, and shells. ... At 4.30 in the morning of the 22nd I laid to : 

 and at 6 a.m., having recognised the land at less than three miles off, I 

 stood towards Cape Rodney. Soon the sky, up to that time clear, became 

 overcast from the east, with a heavy sea, and it appeared as if bad weather 

 was again setting in. I did not judge it prudent to expose ourselves to the 

 fury of the wind on an open coast, and thought it better to find an anchorage 

 in shelter. 



In consequence, I steered towards the head of Wangari Bay, where I 

 hoped to place the " Astrolabe " under the shelter of Cape Tewara. Unfor- 

 tunately, we had already fallen too far to leeward, and a bank appeared in 

 our route, which obliged us to anchor in the mouth of the bay in a place 

 little sheltered against the wind prevailing. 



