( 7 ) 
time in the dark, the Waimakariri river, the bed of which is composed of round 
boulders, sometimes a quarter of a mile wide, the latter part when it was quite 
dark, we at last reached the Bealey Hotel where the coach from Christchurch had 
arrived, also full of people. The next day, after an early start, and much grumbling 
about boxes, &c., having to be left behind, we reached Springfield, and went on by 
train, arriving in the evening at Christchurch. Here I stayed six weeks painting ; 
first the flowers I had brought with me in tins, and then some out of the native garden 
(the best in the colony), in the beautiful Botanical Gardens, where the Armstrongs, 
father and son, have cultivated the indigenous flora with great success, collecting 
the plants from the mountains, and also from Stewart’s and the Chatham Islands. 
They were very kind in giving me those I wanted, and also packets of seeds 
which I brought over to my friends in England. They have many orders, but 
it seems very difficult to acclimatize the New Zealand flowers. It was intensely 
hot when we arrived, but soon after there was a fall of snow on the mountains, 
and I had to give up going to Lake Wakatipu, for which I was very sorry. We 
went for two days to Dunedin and back, and saw Mr. Buchanan, who, when he 
was the Government botanist, drew for the Transactions of the New Zealand 
Institute all the newly discovered plants, but he has now retired, a martyr 
to rheumatism, the usual result of exposure to our climate. He was much pleased 
that the flowers should be painted and made known before they were lost by 
burnings and the cultivation of the ground. He asked how he could help me, 
and kindly painted for me the two Senecios (plate 20), which I could not get, 
and gave me the paragraph published in my prospectus. I went back to Wel- 
lington, and overland to Taranaki by another route, by train and coach along 
the sandy beach for six hours, then by train again from Foxton, and steamer 
to Auckland, seeing some more beautiful scenery, and having some adventures, 
which, as my account is, I fear, already too long, I must not relate. 
My sketches created some surprise in Auckland, as even people who were 
born in New Zealand had no idea we had such lovely flowers. I left shortly after 
for England in order to have my plates well done. On seeing some works similar 
to mine, published by Messrs. Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington, 
beautifully produced, I determined to give them mine to do, and I have great reason 
to be pleased that I did so. I have to thank them for their great kindness and 
consideration, without which this book would never have appeared. 
I am also much obliged to Messrs. Leighton Brothers for the way in which 
they have executed the plates, they have rendered my paintings exactly, except in 
a few cases. The proofs were sent to me for correction in Madeira, and the 
Portuguese Government detained the parcel in Lisbon two months. It was only 
from agitating through the Postmaster-General in England that I received them 
at all. This caused the long detention of Parts H. and HI.; the plates were 
