512 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



with rocks almost like spikes upon them. The highest of 

 these is 1,800ft., but rising from the ocean they look higher. 

 The names of the peaks, points, and islets tell of the visit of 

 the x\ntarctic expedition in 1840^ — Lyall Pyramid, Terror Point, 

 &c. ; and of the French Transit of Venus Expedition in 1874 — 

 Venus Cove, Vire Point, Jaquemart Island, and others named 

 after Courjolles, Filhol, &c. The island was discovered in 

 1810 by Frederick Hazelburg — wdiose name appears appended 

 to a small group of islands near Stewart Island — master of the 

 " Perseverance," owned by Mr. Eobert Campbell, of Sydney. 

 It has several fine harbours, and was for this reason selected 

 by the French in 1874. For some mouths the " Vire " lay 

 there erecting the observatory under the superintendence of 

 M. Bouquet de la Grye, the Hydrographer to the Navy, and 

 his staff. The day was cloudy, and they never saw the 

 transit. Dr. Filhol, the distinguished naturalist, was there 

 with the ship; and collected and observed birds, fish, and 

 marine animals. 



My personal acquaintance witli these men added to the 

 interest I otherwise felt in this island, my previous knowledge 

 of which was mainly derived from descriptions given by Dr. 

 Filhol when we lived together fifteen years ago. This gentle- 

 man has since published a great work on the island, which I 

 have not had the advantage of seeing. The only recent inci- 

 dent in its history is the story of the " Sarah A. Hunt," a seal- 

 poacher from America, which was blown away with two men, 

 abandoning two boatloads of men, one of which, after the 

 vessel's arrival in New Zealand, was rescued by the " Stella." 

 Mr. H. Armstrong, in a recent article in the Leisure Hour, 

 described his visit there in the brig " Amherst " in search of 

 castaways after the wreck of the " General Grant," and men- 

 tions finding wreckage and several graves there, including one 

 of a Frenchwoman. 



After passing round most of the west coast we put into 

 North-west Bay. Here there is a small cliff of lithographic 

 limestone, bearing fossils. It is much contorted by volcanic 

 action. An underlying rock is studded with iron-pyrites, which 

 may be the " tin " which tempted Musgrave's charterers. We 

 landed, and went up the ridge in front of us to the height of 

 900ft. till we looked down a fine cliff facing southwards, From 

 here we could see across the island to the head of Perseverance 

 Harbour, in which was the white house of the depot. I felt 

 tempted to walk down to it, but feared that some low land 

 might contain a swamp. The walking was everywhere ex- 

 tremely heavy. The tussocks were very large, and their 

 heads matted together. Among them were a few albatroses. 

 These were very beautiful birds, almost all pure-white except- 

 ing the wings. Once when I turned one off its nest it did 



