THE BEAGLE ORDEllED HOME. 437 



to work on a smaller scale than I could have wished. 

 It seemed to me that detached portions on a very 

 large scale would be of far inferior utility to a com- 

 plete survey on a comparatively small one. 



It was not, however, my being prevented from 

 completing Bass Strait in the manner most satisfac- 

 tory to myself that occasioned the greatest part of 

 the regret that accompanied this summons for the 

 old Beagle to w^end her way homewards ; for we 

 were thus also deprived of the opportunity of gratify- 

 ing our desire to explore the southern parts of New 

 Guinea, which we had always looked forward to 

 as one of the most interesting parts of our voyage, 

 containing elements of excitement sufficient to cheer 

 the hearts that were yearning for home, and a cha- 

 racter of novelty that would have amply compen- 

 sated for whatever fatigue and exertion we might 

 have experienced. On many occasions, during the 

 heavy and monotonous part of our labours, the anti- 

 cipated delights of discovery refreshed our imagina- 

 tions and elevated our spirits, imparting to our most 

 irksome occupations an interest that did not belong 

 to them, but was borrowed from those hoped-for 

 scenes of adventure on the unvisited shores of New 

 Guinea to which we believed that each dull day's hard 

 work brought us nearer. But it was not destined to 

 he our lot to add any more new lands to the geogra- 

 phy of this part of the world ; and H. M.S. Fly and 

 Bramble had been commissioned at home for 

 surveying service in Australasia. This expedition, 



