70 Letter I. 
and return with me to the little brigantine “ Dayspring,” when, 
having passed Port Phillip Heads, she turned her bow towards 
the New Hebrides and her stern towards the fair west wind. 
It was on the morning of Saturday, the 13th of April, that 
our voyage really began. There were thirteen adult «pas- 
sengers on board—a considerable number for a vessel of 
only 120 tons to carry ; the “Dayspring” however having won- 
derful cabin accommodation for her size, we all managed to 
stow ourselves somewhere without much inconvenience. With 
a fresh fair wind, our square-sails alone being set, we ran along 
the coast of Victoria as faras Cape Howe. There we left the 
land and struck out across the watery waste, with the good wind 
following. 
The majority of the passengers did not seem properly to 
appreciate the glorious breeze which was doing us such good 
service, but looked as if they would have infinitely preferred 
a dead calm and a smooth sea. I was able fortunately to take 
quite a different view of the matter, and used to stagger about 
the deck triumphantly, glorying in my newly-discovered sail- 
ing powers. 
By Wednesday the 17th we had gone goo miles—fully half 
way—which wasn’t at all bad work. Towards evening on that 
day two lonely little islands appeared, and helped to break the 
monotony of the voyage; Howe’s Island and Ball’s Pyramid. 
The first is inhabited I believe by a few whalers, while the 
latter is but a bare rock, rising abruptly from the sea, to the 
height of about 1800 feet. 
After bringing us this length in such good style the wind 
died away, and then we had the usual amount of calms, light 
winds and occasional breezes. Though some days we did not 
make much progress, still at the end of each twenty-four hours 
there was always something to be added to the number of 
