132 H. A. LENEHAN. 



The New Zealand coast has not been neglected. More 

 than 20 papers have come from there, of which 17 have 

 been plotted on the charts. The general trend of papers 

 put off in the low latitudes has been northerly, but two are 

 here shown as southerly drifts. It was only in following 

 out a fundamental rule in plotting the courses, i.e., plot 

 the shortest route — that such a course has been followed, 

 for I am most certain that the papers did not arrive at 

 their destination in the manner marked. In all probability 

 they first went to the north, passed around the Three Kings 

 and thence down the east coast of New Zealand. Two 

 papers, Nos. 1,103 and 1,098 partly bear out the theory of 

 a drift along the east coast of that colony. Of these papers 

 the most rapid was a short drift in the Foveaux Strait. 

 Shipmasters trading to the south New Zealand ports know 

 with what strength the current at certain makings of the 

 tides passes through these straits, and so it is not at all 

 surprising that we find a drift of nearly 17J miles per day. 

 The paper was only six days on its journey of 104 miles, 

 and if it was not found the day it came ashore, the rate of 

 drift must have been considerably more. 



The next section is on the eastern seaboard of Australia, 

 and again we see that papers are found north from where 

 they are put over, although the drift of the current is 

 south. The rates of drift are so small that I think that 

 they must invariably reach their destination by a more 

 circuitous route. One paper cast overboard off the north 

 coast of New South Wales ultimately reached New Caledonia, 

 but of this I am unable to state the rate of drift owing to 

 the writer not saying when he found it. Here I may men- 

 tion that several papers have been received, but owing to 

 negligence, most likely unintentional, on the part of the 

 finder not giving any information as to where, when, and 

 by whom found, we are unable to make any use of them. 



