351 



VOYAGE AND ESTABLISHMENT AT RODRIGUEZ. 



THE Government chartered steam transport Elizabeth Martin sailed from 

 Woolwich, 1874, May 23, having on board the greater part of the personnel 

 and stores of the Expeditions intended for Rodriguez and Kerguelen's Land. 

 She arrived in Table Bay, Cape of Good Hope, June 25, where the Rodriguez 

 detachment was reinforced by H.M.S. Slwarwater, Commander J. "W. L. 

 WHARTON, employed in surveying those coasts. Both vessels proceeded to 

 the Mauritius, where all final arrangements were made, with the cordial co- 

 operation of the Colonial Government. Here Lieutenant Neate placed 

 himself in communication with Mr. Charles Meldrum, Director of the Royal 

 Alfred Observatory, and received much valuable information in regard to 

 the climate of Rodriguez, and especially to the hurricanes so prevalent there. 

 Lord Lindsay's Expedition, under the charge of Mr. David Gill, arriving at 

 Mauritius before Lieutenant Neate's departure, a plan was concerted for 

 connecting the stations at Mauritius and Rodriguez by the transportation of 

 Lord Lindsay's large collection of chronometers in H.M.S. Slieanvater.* 



The Shearwater, having on board the entire Expedition, arrived at 

 Rodriguez August 18, and anchored at Port Mathurin. 



After a thorough examination of the island, with the courteous assistance 

 of C. Bell, Esq., the resident magistrate, a good site was selected (to be more 

 fully described hereafter) on the ruins of an old fort, formerly called FORT 

 DUNCAN, where foundations could be obtained for all the instruments on solid 

 rock without digging, and fresh water was abundant at the distance of 

 300 yards. 



Lieutenant Neate writes : 



" Rodriguez is an island of basaltic rock, rising somewhat abruptly from 

 the sea, and fringed by coral reefs. A level sand-bank, varying in breadth, 

 nearly surrounds the island, and is dry at ordinary high water. The dis- 

 embarkation of the huts, instruments, and other heavy stores was necessarily 

 a tedious operation, and could only be effected at high water. The larger 

 and heavier cases were hoisted up to the observatory plateau by means of a 



* The plan was subsequently carried out ; the Shearwater, starting from Mauritius, twice made 

 the double journey with the chronometers, arriving at Rodriguez September 13 and 23. The 

 details of these operations form no part of the present work. 



