Wednesday, December 11th

Again a lovely morning, tho' slightly sharpened by the wind, a good earnest of New Zealand weather. Wind about N.W. All eyes on the lookout for land. Mr Bridger reports having seen a sparrowhawk early this morning. The Doctor, on coming on deck, declared he smelt the shore and seaweed. Wortley added 'and bathing boxes'. The cow was heard to low loudly during the night, in fact every sign rife, but the sight still withheld. At noon the Captain's confab' with the Mate was prolonged, and the chart, when it appeared, was not marked with the course—an unprecedented circumstance. There seems to be a difference of thirty miles or more between the position by Chronometer and by the Lunar Distance taken yesterday. If Chronometer be correct, we are only about sixty miles off Stewart's Island and close to the Snares if they exist. On the fore topmast crosstrees with Wortley, straining our eyes to no purpose. Bet the Captain a bottle of wine we should see land before midnight. page 78At noon Latitude 47.27, Longitude 165.30. Distance run about 206 miles. Yesterday I exhibited the model house in the cuddy, where it was the 'cynosure of all eyes'. After dinner to the fore crosstrees again, to be again mocked by imagination and again disappointed. Bowen on the maintop. The poop full. About half past four the Captain got up his glass and looked out anxiously into what he called 'the loom of the land'. The expression was soon in everyone's mouth, and 'looms of land' were soon seen in all directions. At length, at five o'clock, I was looking out more forward than anyone else, and as the vessel canted a little to one side, I called out to the Captain that there was land, right beyond the bowsprit. He put up his glass and pronounced it to be so at once. Every one was soon in the mizzen rigging trying to get a peep, and I ran to the forecastle to assure myself and to announce it to those there who might have seen it long before. Excitement was now in everyone's face and gesture. The forecastle was soon crowded by poop passengers, vying and jostling with the emigrants for a peep. Wortley, Bowen & I got up into the crosstrees and waved and shouted with joy as we looked at it from thence gradually becoming clearer and better defined. The appearance was that of a clump of high hills, divided at half their extent by a deep gap. Soon land was seen indistinctly to the northward of this, and the whole became before evening moulded into one uniform appearance, matching well my anticipations of Stewart's Island. One peak of singular conical form, a true sugar loaf cone, rises, with others less sharp and high, plumb from the lower ground. By eight o'clock, at which it became dusk, or half past nine, when it became dark (moonlight excepted) we were nearly abreast of the land. The Captain, however, as the wind was light and fair, determined to make a run all night between the 'Trap' rocks and Stewart's Island. The moon was bright and the land pretty distinct, so we ran on quietly. By twelve it was quite calm with a ground swell—two lookouts on the page 79forecastle and a reef in all the topsails. So, being all snug and likely to be abreast of the land all night, I turned in and was called at daylight. We have thus accomplished the voyage from land to land in ninety-four days. On Tuesday at twelve o'clock it would be ninety-four days since we left Plymouth, but as we have lost about twelve hours in the course of our voyage, we have a right to add that on, so that the ninety-four days would not be complete till Wednesday at noon. Then, as we saw the last of England six hours (at least) after leaving it, we may calculate the ninety-four days 'from land to land' as ended at six o'clock on Wednesday—we having seen the land at five o'clock on that day. About ten minutes before seeing land, the Captain asked me if I would double the bet about seeing land before midnight, to which I agreed at once, and so gained!