214 
seen and enjoyed it, with, it may be said, 
a new world to work upon, Mr. Cunning- 
ham's career, alas! was destined to be but 
short! But the sad details of the arrest he 
met with, in the midst of his public labours, 
will be told in a few words presently. 
In 1833, the Home Gov 
determined to despatch a store ship to New 
outh Wales with convicts, and with in- 
structions to proceed afterwards to New 
Zealand, to cut spars of Kauri Pine, (Dam- 
mara Australis, Lamb.) forthe Royal Navy, 
His Majesty’s Ship Buffalo, having been 
put on commission, sailed from Portsmouth 
on that service. The master commanding 
this vessel received instructions from the 
Admiralty to take Mr. Cunningham on 
board at Sydney, in order that he might 
accompany the Expedition to New Zea- 
land, with a view of affording his botanical 
aid in the selection of the particular spars 
adapted for main-top-masts for first-rates, 
which were then required for the public 
service, Of the particular tree, as it stood 
majestic in its native forests, not a soul on 
board had the least knowledge. The Buf- 
falo reached Sydney at the latter end of 
the year, and having landed her convicts, 
was soon again ready for sea. At length 
the Colonial Botanist embarked, and was 
received with joy by the Commander and 
Officers, who were glad to have a scientific 
man with them on the speculative voyage 
on which they were to proceed. With 
what energy did our friend enter upon this 
new service! The repeated voyages of 
circumnavigation of the Australian conti- 
nent, made, years before, by his brother 
with Captain King, recurred to his mind, 
and if there were wanting a further incen- 
tive to exertion, beyond the gratification 
of having so excellent an opportunity of 
exploring islands, the Botany of which was 
so little and so imperfectly known, that 
stimulus was supplied by the public letter 
sent from the Colonial Government by 
order from England, which stated that all 
the expenses he might incur, whilst engaged 
in that service, would be discharged out of 
the Colonial coffers. 
, having 
A BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
for sea, stood out of the port, wi 
As the Commander of His Maje 
ship had to confer with the Missionar 
on the best mode of proceeding so as to 
obtain the prescribed kind of spars, those 
gentlemen, from their intimate acquaint- 
ance with the natives, and their knowledge 
of various remote inlets on the eastern - 
coast, occasionally visited by them in pro- — 
secuting the designs of the Mission, being 
supposed to possess the best information 
on the subject, the Bay of Islands, on the 
shores of which are situated the Mission : 
Stations, was the first port visited by 
Expedition. The information obtained, 
however, proving by no means equal to 
what he had been led at Port Jackson to 
expect, the Commander made but a short 
stay at the Bay of Islands (the rendezvous 
i 
Cunningham, who had landed with the 
Officers at the Bay of Islands, it may be 
observed, had his first look at the indigen: 
ous vegetation, on its southern shore, a 
among the plants recognized several that 
he had already seen in the Herbarium, 
formed by his brother in 1826. ge 
At Wangaroa, circumstances obliged 
Mr. Cunningham to quit the Store Ship 
altogether; and having furnished : 
at Port Jackson with tents, he encamped, 
and lived entirely on shore ; having, more 
over, made a friendly acquaintance gai 
Chief, he hired natives to accompany him | 
on his excursions, and purchased a can0® — 
to enable him to examine with i 
attention, the shores of the meet 
rform excursions along the coast Wh 77 
= It may here be just observed, 
in his outset to procure 
at Wangaroa, 
and preparing 
th the de- 
the Store Ship, 
the trees from the ravınes 
he recalled the felling gangs, 
