"I must express my thankful sense of the kindness with which my friends Dr. Monro, Capt. Rough Travers, Messrs. Adams, Curtis, and many others, contributed minerals, plants, and zoological specimens to the enrichment of my collections of natural history. I am also deeply indebted to Messrs. Campbell and Burnett for several exquisite landscape sketches, and the Provincial Government for a variety of interesting photographic pictures of the environs of Nelson.
"It was with regret I tore myself from a region where so much remained to discover, and so much hitherto unexamined to explore. In the higher and more remote regions of the Southern Alps, never yet trodden by human foot, there was nothing left for me to do. From the shores of the Rotoito lake (Lake Arthur) I could see the southernmost point reached by me, where the lofty pinnacles of the southern range, crowned with perpetual snow, rose grandly before me. I could but picture to myself the majesty and sublimity of those hills, which my friend and travelling companion, J.
Haast, succeeded in ascending in 1860-61, after indescribable difficulties and hardships, which redounded to the credit of German 'pluck' and perseverance, as the results did honour to German science.
"My time had now been stretched to its utmost limit, and I had to prepare for my return to Europe. In a lecture upon the geology of the province, which I delivered at Nelson on 29th September, I presented in a succinct form the results of my observations. An extract from this lecture, accompanied by a copy of my geological map, I presented to the Provincial Government of Nelson and the Colonial Government of Auckland.
"I cannot conclude without recording the numerous instances of consideration and unexpected kindness which I received at the hands of the inhabitants of Nelson, and especially for their flattering and gratifying appreciation of my labours, which at the close of the lecture already mentioned took the form of an address,[59] accompanied by an elegant and appropriate souvenir, consisting of a beautifully-finished cabinet, composed of the various coloured woods of New Zealand.
"On 2nd October, 1859, I embarked for Sydney, on board the steamer Prince Alfred. After a short sojourn in the capital of New South Wales, I went on to Melbourne, whence I visited the most important of the gold-fields of the colony
of Victoria, and by the middle of November returned viâ Mauritius and the Red Sea to Europe."
Such is the account given by our geologist of his proceedings while the Novara was steering homewards. The voyage to the Society Islands Archipelago promised at first to be very speedy, but ere long was seriously delayed by strong contrary winds, and while, on the one hand, we could make but short tacks, we had on the other not merely to forego the pleasure of clear sunny weather, but had the miserable prospect of nothing but squalls and rain. Our additions to our natural history collections were likewise very scanty, and even our most important capture, a shark 10 feet 4 inches in length, and weighing 174 lbs., was much more of a treat to the sailors than an acquisition to science.
The only circumstance throughout the voyage which made a certain impression was the passage of the meridian of 180°, about 11 P.M., on the 10th of January, so that we had now entered upon W. longitude again. Accordingly, there was no small astonishment among the sailors, when a day seemed suddenly to be dropped out of our reckoning, and orders were issued that Monday, 10th January, should be entered twice in all journals and reckonings, that is, should be entered for that and the following day also, so as to prevent our returning to Europe with the log one day ahead of the calendar. Of course a little explanation soon satisfied all landsmen of