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points, as soon as tlie decision was made, the law was
issued verhally on the spot. This Tahitian parliament lasted
for several hours ; and when it was over Captain FitzRoy
invited the queen to pay the Beagle a visit.
N o v e m b e r " G t h .— 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 Tahici,
the island to which every voyager has offered up his tribute of
admiration.
D e c e m b e r 1 9 t i i .—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 Archipelagoes,
the islands are mere specks, and far distant one
from the other. Accustomed to look at maps, drawn on a
small scale, where clots, 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 everv league, thanks to our good fortune, which we
travel on'wards, 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
harrier, 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.
D e c e m b e r 2 1 s t .— Early in the morning we entered the
Bay of Islands, and being becalmed for some Lours near the
mouth, we did not reach the anchorage till the middle of the
day. The country is hilly, hut 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
1
with coarse pasture, but this in truth is nothing but fern.
On the more distant hills, as well as in patches in some of
the valleys, there is a good deal of wood-land. The general
tint of the landscape is not a bright green; and it resembles
the country a short distance to the southward of Concepcion
in Chile. In several parts of the bay, little villages
of square tidy-looking houses were scattered close down
to the water’s edge. Three whaling ships were lying at
anchor ; but with the exception of these, and of a few canoes,
now and then crossing from one shore to the other, an air of
extreme quietness reigned over the whole district. Only a
single canoe came alongside. This, and the aspect of the
whole scene, afforded a remarkable, and not very pleasing
contrast, with our joyful and boisterous welcome at Tahiti.
In the afternoon we went on shore to one of the larger
groups of houses, which )'et hardly deserves the title of a village.
Its name is Pahia: it is the residence of the missionaries;
and with the exception of their servants and
laliourers, there are no native residents. In the vicinity of
the Bay of Islands, the number of Englishmen, including
their families, amounts to between two and three hundred.
All the cottages, many of which are white washed, and look
as I have said very neat, are the property of the English.
The hovels of the natives are so diminutive and paltry, that
they can scarcely be perceived from any distance. At Pahia,
it was quite pleasing to behold the English flowers in the
platforms before the houses ; there were roses of several
kinds, honeysuckle, jasmine, stocks, and whole hedges of
sweetbriar.
D e c e m b e r 2 2 d .—In the morning I went out walking;
but I soon found, that the country was very impracticable.
All the hills are thickly covered by tall fern, together with a
low bush which grows like a cypress ; and very little ground
has been cleared or cultivated in this neighbourhood. I then
tried the sea-beach ; but proceeding towards either hand,
my walk was soon stopped short, by creeks and deep streams
of fresh water. The communication between the inhabitants
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