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THE starry veil of night had scarcely been lifted from the silent city of Sydney by the pale-faced dawn, than the sound of upheaving anchor and the rattle of the rigging, as the

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Drawn &Engraved by J. Rapkin.

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through the blocks, warned us that we were about to depart from our temporary home. Dropping down the harbour by the influence of the sluggish tide, rather than by any strength in the soft-breathing wind, we hove to in Watson's Bay to undergo the customary police examination, a process to which all ships leaving the colony were subjected, to prevent the clandestine departure of convicts. Summoned upon deck, passengers and crew answered to their names, as the list returned to the Customs authorities by the captain was called over by the police superintendent. One man who had shipped as a sailor, on presenting himself, stated that although he was a convict his term had expired; but on shewing his ticket, it was observed that the name given to the captain on his engagement did not correspond with the name on his pass, an event which he had anticipated and prepared for: to receive an advance of wages for the voyage, and then be detained being the object of his trick.

The superintendent could not permit him to sail in the ship without rectification of this irregularity, and as the amount of his advance was too unimportant to justify any detention of the vessel, he was conveyed ashore by the police, to play off further clever dodges on the unsuspecting.

Eight days' sailing on waters justly termed Pacific, brought us, at early morning, within sight of the Three Kings' Islands, lying off the north point of New Zealand; and running down the coast past Doubtless Bay and Wangaroa Harbour, at dusk we anchored in the Bay of Islands, a good cable's length from Kororareka beach.

From the many whaling ships resorting thither, this place had gradually assumed the importance of a seaport, until it numbered two hundred houses, among which grog-shops and marine store depôts abounded; the boats continually passing between the ships and the shore, and canoes laden with agricultural produce giving animation to the land-locked bay, upon whose tranquil surface reposed numerous picturesque small islands.

Bidding farewell to our good ship for a season, we started on an expedition into the interior. A walk of several hours' duration through an open broken country, with many indications of volcanic origin, brought us to the Waimate, where our countrymen had formed a little English village, farms rich in cattle and sheep, gardens abounding in English fruits and flowers, substantial houses, and a church-the result and out-crop of many years' residence of English missionaries.

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While resting in this valley of peace, refreshing to the eye and suggestive of home, many tales were related of the dangers and odd incidents which had occurred at the early period of the settleThe following one particularly amused us:—we were told that a ship captain, desiring to consult the representative of the government, was informed that he would meet with that functionary at the new house which was building yonder. On reaching the spot indicated, he accosted two workmen, as he supposed, and enquired for the official of whom he was in search; great was his amazement on discovering that in the persons of the two besmocked bricklayers he beheld the types of government and religion, for one of the august workmen was the British Resident and the other the principal missionary, engaged in the useful though undignified occupation of building a chimney. We laughed as we imagined the British Premier assisting the Archbishop of Canterbury to fix a chimney-pot or dig a well.

After a sound slumber, we rose at daybreak, and prosecuted our journey to the head of the Waihou branch of the Hokianga, near which spot resided a French gentleman, the Baron de Thierry, who had created considerable excitement in the infancy of the colony-and upon this New Zealand lion we made a morning call.

Prefacing the visit by a note forwarded half an hour before our approach, at the expiration of that time we ascended the hill upon whose summit the Baron resided.

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