The Voyage to the Pacific.

The pioneer Bishop's first voyage to New Zealand was an Odyssey of adventure in perilous seas and among strange peoples. He did not sail direct to this country, but cruised among the tropic islands of his wide diocese for many months before he at last turned New Zealand-ward. He sailed in all manner of vessels, from large ships to small ill-equipped schooners, and all the lore and stress of sea-life were his before he finally set foot on the shores of the Maori. He left Rome at the end of July, 1836, and sailed from Havre de Grace on Christmas Eve of that year, in the “Delphine,” for Valparaiso, where he hoped to meet with another vessel to carry him to the South Seas. Damage to the rudder necessitated putting into Santa Cruz, Teneriffe, where the ship remained for fifty days for repairs. After a long and stormy voyage, during which water and food ran short, the Bishop and his staff reached Valparaiso in June 1837. One of the priests died on the voyage.