496 



NEW ZEALAND. 



Dec. 1855. 



some points, as soon as the decision was made, the law was 

 issued verbally on the spot. This Tahitian parhament lasted 

 for several hours ; and when it was over Captain FitzRoy ' 

 invited the queen to pay the Beagle a visit. 



November 26th.— In the evening, with a gentle land- 

 breeze, a course was steered for New Zealand, and as the 

 sun set we took a farewell look at the mountains of Tahiti, — 

 the island to which every voyager has offered up his tribute of 

 admiration. 



December 19th. — In the evening we saw New Zealand 

 in the distance. We may now consider ourselves as having 

 nearly crossed the Pacific ocean. It is necessary to sail over 

 this great sea to understand its immensity. Moving quickly 

 onwards for weeks together we meet with nothing, but the 

 same blue, profoundly deep, ocean. Even within the Archi- 

 pelagoes, the islands are mere specks, and far distant one 

 from the other. Accustomed to look at maps, drawn on a 

 small scale, where dots, shading, and names are crowded 

 together, we do not judge rightly how infinitely small the 

 proportion of dry land is to the water of this great sea. The 

 meridian of the Antipodes likewise has now been passed; 

 and every league, thanks to our good fortune, which we 

 travel onwards, is one league nearer to England. These 

 Antipodes call to mind old recollections of childish doubt and 

 wonder. Only the other day, I looked forward to this airy 

 barrier, as a definite point in our voyage homewards ; but now 

 I find it, and all such resting-places for the imagination, are like 

 shadows which a man moving onwards cannot catch. A gale 

 of wind, which lasted for some days, has lately given us time 

 and inclination to measure the future stages in our long 

 voyage, and to wish most earnestly for its termination. 



December 21st. — Early in the morning we entered the 

 Bay of Islands, and being becalmed for some hours near the 

 mouth, we did not reach the anchorage till the middle of the 

 day. The country is hilly, but with a smooth outline ; and 

 it is deeply intersected by numerous arms, extending from 

 the bay. The surface appears from a distance, as if clothed 



