On more than one occasion the celebrated Tweed has been credited by writers in the New Zealand Press with having made the record passage to New Zealand. This is not borne out by facts. the Tweed, originally built for the East India Co., and named the Punjaub, was purchased by John Willis. She was a beautiful ship and greatly admired by all nautical men. She was built throughout of teak, and all her fittings were in teak and greenheart. Like the

The Slipper Tweed On The Thames.

Thomas Stephens, her rival in the Sydney trade, she was tremendously sparred, her mainsail being 98ft on the head.

When the ship was purchased by Willis in 1863 Captain William Stuart was given command, and he made many remarkable passages to Sydney and Melbourne, and occasionally to India. He became a general favourite with passengers and shippers. Captain Stuart remained in command for fourteen years, and during all this time he never met with any serious mishap. He left the Tweed in 1877 to take command of a new clipper ship, Loch Etive. This vessel also made splendid runs to Australia, and in 1891 she sailed from the Clyde and anchored in Hobson's Bay, Melbourne, in 70 days.

In 1874 the Tweed was still owned by John Willis and Son, and was chartered to convey 639 passengers to Dunedin. She left Gravesend on June 16, and had a good run down the Channel, clearing it on the 18th. She passed Madeira on June 23, crossed the Equator on July 8, passed Cape Leeuwin on August 22. Stewart Island on September 2, and arrived at Port Chalmers on the following day at 8 a.m., making the passage in 79 days, anchorage to anchorage, and 74 land to land.

the Tweed as late as 1880 under Captain J. M. Whyte made the run out to Sydney in 75 days. On this occasion she averaged 240 miles a day from the Equator to the South Cape of Tasmania, which was passed on the sixty-seventh day out.

the Tweed came to grief in 1888. Mr. Basil Lubbock, in his interesting book the "Black Ball Frigates" states: "During this year the Tweed left Sydney for China, and loaded a cargo for New York. On July 18, when off Algoa Bay, she was dismasted. She was towed to Algoa Bay, but had received such injury and leaked so badly that she was not considered worth repairing, and was broken up. Her frames and timbers may still be seen forming the roof of a church in Port Elizabeth."