130 Transaciiuns. — MmeUaneous. 



" On the 7tli February we weighed anchor and proceeded along the 

 straits with the tide and a fine breeze which set us through with great 

 rapidity, and, being willing to satisfy ourselves whether the north part of 

 this land was an island, we resolved to sail as far N. as Cape Turnagain. 

 The two easternmost points of the straits we called Cape Campbell and 

 Cape Palliser. On the 8th we sailed along the south coast of the (North) 

 Island. In the afternoon three canoes came off to us — two of them were 

 large and handsome. The natives in them behaved peaceably, and, by 

 asking for nails, we concluded they had heard of us from the people of 

 some other islands where we had been. They were very much like the 

 natives of Matarukau, a village in Tolago Bay, being very neatly dressed, 

 having their hair knotted on the crown of their heads in two bunches, one 

 of which was Tamoou, or plaited, and the wreath bound round them the 

 same. In one of the canoes there was an old man who came on board 

 attended by one of the natives : he was tattooed all over the face with 

 a streak of red pamt over his nose and across his cheek. His brow, as well 

 as the brows of many others who were with him, was much furrowed ; and 

 the hair of his head and beard quite silvered with age. He had on a flaxen 

 garment ornamented with a beautiful wrought border, and under it a 

 petticoat made out of a sort of cloth which they call " Aooree Waoiv ;'' on 

 his ears hung a bunch of teeth, and an ear-ring of poonamoo or greenstone. 

 For an Indian, his speech was soft, and his voice so low that we could 

 hardly hear it. By his dress, carriage, and the respect paid to him, we 

 supposed him to be a person of distinction amongst them. On the 9th, at 

 noon, we had a good view of Cape Turnagain. We passed two points of 

 land to which we gave the names of Castle Point and Flat Point. 



" On the 14th we j)assed Cook's Straits, without seeing them, on the 

 east side of Te wai pounamu. In the afternoon four double canoes, in 

 which were fifty-seven people, came off to us ; they had some leaves about 

 their heads, but few clothes on their bodies. They kept aloof from us ; nor 

 could we persuade them to traffic with us. Having beat to windward for 

 several days without gaining any way, with the weather gloomy and very 

 cold, on the 24th we had a fresh breeze from the N. which carried us 

 round the outermost point of the land we had seen, which we called Cape 

 Saunders, beyond which the land tended away to the S.W. On the 4th 

 March, after having beat about near a week, we got sight of land again 

 and saw the appearance of a harbour which we named Molineux's Harbour, 

 after the name of the master of our ship. We had light breezes and calms 

 till the 9th, and, at the dawn of that day, we narrowly escaped running the 

 ship upon a ledge or parcel of craggy rocks, some of which were but just 

 seen above water. They were luckily discovered by the midshipman's going 



