272 - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
his accepting the post of Colonial Botanist was far from 
meeting the wishes of his more intimate and anxious 
friends, who, with a better (as it unhappily ultimately 
proved) knowledge of his somewhat debilitated constitution, 
were most apprehensive for the results of his again exposing 
himself to the labours of exploratory expeditions, either in 
the dry, heated atmosphere of New South Wales, or the 
more humid, frequently varying climate of New Zealand ; 
from both of which he even after a residence in England of 
upwards of four years, at times suffered severely. How- 
ever, the desire to carry out further the botanical discoveries 
of his unfortunate brother in New Zealand, and his en- 
thusiasm for scientific research, rendered him deaf to the 
wishes and apprehensions of his friends, and he resolutely set 
orward for another sojourn in the Southern Hemisphere. 
The Norfolk sailed from Spithead on Sunday morning, 
the 30th of October, and reached Port Jackson, on Sunday, 
the 19th of February, 1837. The following extract from 
Mr. Cunningham’s first letter gives a most interesting detail 
of his voyage. 
" I pity the man who can travel from Dan to 
Beersheba and say all is barren.” 
STERNE. 
* Our 104th day at sea, on the 
Horn bearing N.N.E. 70 miles. 
** Convict "Transport, Norfolk, 10th 
Feb. 1837.” 
* My dear Heward, 
* As we have, at length, got a fine steady wind at 
W.S.W., after having been four days little other than be- 
calmed at, and to the south-west of, our present position, and 
as we have now every chance of entering the Port, to which 
all of us, honest and otherwise, are destined, I commence 
this, my first communication to you in the Southern Hemi- 
sphere, with no ordinary pleasure, to tell you something of 
