NARRATIVE OF THE CRUISE. 468 



Expedition met with great hospitality from the Governor, Sir Hercules Robinson, and 

 the inhabitants of New South Wales. The collections made during the Antarctic cruise 

 were carefully packed and catalogued, and despatched to England in sixty-five large 

 boxes and ten casks. 



On the 8th June, at 4 p.m., the Expedition left Sydney for Wellington, New Zealand. 

 At 5.30 p.m., when well outside the heads, sail was made and the ship lay to for the 

 night, ready to sound and dredge the next day, but towards midnight the wind freshened 

 considerably, and the morning of the 9th was so stormy and the sea so short and confused 

 that being unable to get satisfactory soundings, the vessel returned to Port Jackson and 

 anchored in Watson's Bay at 4.30 p.m. until the weather should improve. 



Sydney to Wellington. 



Rough weather detained the ship in Watson's Bay until 7.30 a.m. on the 12th, when 

 the Expedition again left for Wellington. When outside the heads a course was shaped 

 to the eastward to get a line of soundings into ocean depths, in order to ascertain the 

 nature of the slope from the land for the submarine cable to connect Australia with 

 New Zealand. At 11 a.m. a sounding of 85 fathoms was obtained in lat. 33° 55' S., 

 long. 151° 35' 'E. (see Sheet 26), the position of the ship being fixed by angles to objects 

 on shore, but after this hour the rain squalls hanging over the land prevented the points 

 on shore being seen, so that it was necessary to trust to astronomical observations in 

 ascertaining the position of the other soundings. Proceeding eastward, depths of 120, 

 290, 650, and 950 fathoms were successively obtained, as shown on Sheet 26. The last 

 sounding, at 5.30 p.m., was fixed by satisfactory observations of Jupiter, Sirius, and 

 Canopus ; and observations of the sun for longitude were obtained when the other 

 soundings were taken. The current was found running to the southward at the rate 

 of 2 miles per hour from 0.30 p.m., at which time the surface temperature had risen 

 to 69 0, 5. After the line was hove in the ship made sail to double-reefed topsails and 

 stood to the northward to stem the current, in order to retain as nearly as possible the 

 same position during the night, so that sounding operations might be resumed early 

 next day. 



On the 13th June, at 6 a.m., the position of the ship as ascertained by observations 

 of Saturn, Canopus, and Rigel showed a current of 1 ?,- miles per hour to the southward 

 during the night, the surface temperature continuing steady at about 70°. At 7 a.m. 

 a sounding was obtained in 1200 fathoms, the surface current running to the southward 

 at the rate of 1^ miles per hour. The ship then stood in towards the land to dredge. 

 At 11 a.m. a sounding was obtained in 410 fathoms (see Sheet 26), and the trawl then 

 put over. From this Station (164b) the land was distinctly visible from the deck, but 

 Mount Kembla was the only conspicuous object. The current still continued strong to 



