121 
“T left Lyttelton, New Zealand, on Dec. Ist, 1909, at 10 p.m. 
in-a small steamer capable of steaming about 9 knots under very 
favourable circumstances, in order to cover the 476 knots of 
Southern Pacific Ocean which neqiatabis the Chatham Islands from 
the mainland. Our course lay about E. by N., and from the very start 
we met a strong head wind which lasted more or less the whole way 
across, but, after a good bucketing lasting 3 days 12 hours, we at 
last sighted through ‘the mist some land rising sheer out of the sea 
and arrived soon afterward in the Port of Weitangei. It was a dull, 
thick, misty day when we arrived and it soon turned into deluges of 
rain. As we approached the small wharf and let go the anchor ia 
three and a half fathoms of water, just outside the kelp and within 
a biscuit-throw of the cliff, I noticed that we had steamed into a 
very large bay surrounded by sand dunes. At first the place 
seemed deserted ; but presently people began to arrive, a few on 
foot but most on horseback, and as far as ‘the eye could see came 
knots of cantering horsemen along the beach accompanied by a 
swarm of dogs, each man or woman seemed to have at least six, until 
at last there must have been 60 or 70 horses and about 300 dogs 
all collected on the beach to await the landing of the mails, &c. 
~ “Capt. Allsop, who commanded our vessel, and who had been 
most kind to me on the voyage across, kindly introduced me on 
landing to the maha bieahts of the place. Everywhere’ I was most 
5 tod received and everyone was anxious to learn my mission 
and what they could do for me, a point which I was not long in 
Beelatain ng; so havi secured a room at Mr. Odman 
the beach (there are two hotels) I was directed to Mr. F. A. D. Cox’s 
house some two miles off and kindly lent a horse to get there. I had 
been in communication with Mr. Cox for some years, through the 
kindness of Dr. L. Cockayne and pete and as he is the living 
authority on the Chatham Island flora I was most anxious to 
meet him. After fording the Weitangei river at its mouth and 
then crossing the sand dunes, my way lay across a fine grass flat, 
which comprises the race course, and beyond this, on some rising 
ground a short distance further, | came to the house, Whangama- 
rino, where I was most hospitably received and where I eventually 
stayed for the remainder of my visit to the islands. 
“The Chatham Islands are composed of two large islands and 
several rocks and rts: Chatham Island itself is by far the 
largest, with an area of about of 230,000 acres or about 30 miles 
long, and Pitt Island of about 15,000 acres ; they lie on either side of 
44° S$. lat., some small islands of the group being known as the 
maori unversed i in the art of war, until the Maoris came an 
“ Denis pies in the Trans. N. Z. In nst., VO ol. xxxiv, gives 
be made to s paper for an account of their flora 
*T found dust ring my visit that the climate is particularly * soft,’ 
