A vessel that was very well known in Otago in the early 'seventies was the Christian McCausland (a sister ship to the Jessie Readman), built in 1869 by Scott, of Greenock, for Patrick Henderson. She was an iron craft of 962 tons, and was specially fitted up for the conveyance of passengers to New Zealand. The only port she visited in the colony was Port Chalmers, to which she made six voyages between 1870 and 1874. She made good average passages out and Home.

In 1873 the ship had an exciting experience when bound Home round the Horn, and Mr. R. E. Smith, who is living in Auckland and was an A.B. aboard at the time, has been good enough to let me have some particulars of that eventful trip. The skipper was Captain Tilly, who had as his first mate Mr. Kerr, who subsequently commanded the Wild Deer and other vessels trading to New Zealand. The second officer was Mr. Angus, who afterwards joined the P. and O. Company, commanding their well-known steamer China, and now for many years past has been nautical adviser to the company. The late Hon. J. A. Millar of Dunedin was an apprentice aboard the Christian McCausland on the trip I am speaking about.