Voyage of Capt. Sir James C. Boss to the Antarctic. 23 



58° -2— that of the three spring months 57° -7. The coldest 

 month is July, the hottest January. 



At the Auckland Islands, about 100 miles south of New Zea- 

 land, Bay of Islands, the mean temperature is 59°, that of the 

 three summer months 67°-2, that of the three winter months 52°. 



They visited the missionary stations and the schools, and 

 found every thing prosperous, and as they travelled the natives 

 whom they met treated them with kindness. A large portion of 

 this part of the island was covered with fern. On their way to 

 the station of the Rev. Mr. Kemp, they met with a beautiful 

 cataract ; a broad sheet of water fell over basaltic columns sev- 

 enty feet high into a deep circular basin. Forests of the Kauri 

 pine were passed, and the Kauri resin was abundant in some 

 places, buried in the soil, where it is supposed to have been de- 

 rived from the former burning of the trees. This resin is largely 

 exported. They ascended Puki Nui, a volcanic mountain 1240 

 feet above the sea, and in the vicinity of some small lakes they 

 visited the hot sulphurous springs that rise here, with a tempera- 

 ture of 80° to 150° ; they are elevated 648 feet above the sea. 



The latitude of the Observatory was found to be 35° 17' 46" 6 

 S., long. 174° 8' 22"-7 E., and the mean magnetic dip from Au- 

 gust 23 to October 25, 59° 33' S. Highest tides 5 feet 10 inches 

 to 6 feet 10 inches. 



Departure from New Zealand. — On the 23d of November, 

 1841, they left New Zealand for Chatham Island, with a view to 

 magnetic observations there, and also to judge of the capabilities 

 for colonization and as a rendezvous for the whale fishery. For 

 this latter purpose, the Auckland Islands are considered preferable, 

 and are much frequented by the American whalers, being at a 

 convenient distance from New Zealand and Australia, and pos- 

 sessing excellent harbors. November 24th they descried the 

 East Cape, and during the 25th saw many sooty albatross, an 

 elegant blue petrel, and the cape pigeon. 



On crossing the 180th degree of longitude, they added a day 

 to their week, making it eight days instead of the usual number 

 seven. Having, by sailing to the eastward, gained twelve hours, 

 it was necessary on entering west longitude to make their reck- 

 oning correspond with other places in west longitude ; hence it 

 was necessary to have two days following of the same date, so as 

 by this means to lose the time they had gained and still were 

 gaming in their eastward course. ' ; We had therefore," Capt. 

 Hoss says, " two Thursdays and two twenty-fifth days of No- 

 vember in succession ; so that after crossing the meridian and 

 having made the alteration of a day, instead of being twelve 

 hours in advance, we became this much in arrear of the time in 

 England ; this would gradually diminish as we pursued our east- 

 erly course, until on our return we should find them in exact 

 accordance." 



