At last, on 8th January, the frigate left the harbour of Auckland. Just as the sails were let fall, some boats made their appearance crowded with friends, who presented us with a last bouquet, ere we went on our way. There was also a boat with several natives, and the Vicar-General, who wished to saddle us with some wonderfully tattooed Catholic Maories, anxious apparently that Protestant Maories should not alone be shipped. The zealous father brought with him a letter from the Catholic Bishop, Pompallier, and was so intent upon his mission that despite the somewhat rapid rate at which the frigate was now cleaving the water, and the difficulty which his long black cloak interposed to his movements, he would not let go his hold, but held on to the Jacob's ladder in order to get personal speech with the Commodore. It was, however, obviously impossible to grant his request without further delaying the departure of the frigate, and the poor Vicar-general, a warm-hearted Irishman, had to make his way down the slippery ladder again into his little boat, and return with his _protégés_ to Auckland, his praiseworthy object unaccomplished.
As, favoured by fair winds, we sped gaily along to the next object of our travels, the Island of Tahiti, our thoughts and wishes were repeatedly reverting to New Zealand, where one of our number had remained behind, to undertake the solution of so difficult but important a problem. The information obtained by our colleague during his eight months' residence only came to hand long after the frigate had been safely laid up in ordinary in Trieste harbour. However, in order to show more fully the activity displayed in surveying this little-explored island, we avail ourselves of the following condensed narrative of his labours, drawn up by Dr. Hochstetter himself.
"My first field of employment was the province of Auckland. The ample assistance placed at my disposal by J. Williamson, Esq., the very deserving superintendent of Auckland, enabled me within the short space of five months to travel over the greater part of this province, which constitutes nearly the whole of the northern island, while pursuing my researches for the most part upon a definite plan.