firmly he himself believes the story.

ARRIVAL AT THE CAPE. HIRE THE LYNHER.

September 21.

We came in sight of land yesterday evening, and spent the greater part of the day in beating up False Bay to Simonstown, where we arrived about half-past six P.M. I instantly landed in a shore-boat with Lieutenant Lushington and Mr. Walker; and, having first hurried to Admiral Sir P. Campbell with some letters I had to him, we forthwith started to ride to Cape Town. Finding that a vessel for our expedition could be procured here more readily and economically than at Swan River I determined on making this my point of departure, and after diligent enquiry I finally hired the Lynher, a schooner of about 140 tons, Henry Browse master, and subsequently found every reason to be satisfied, both with the little vessel and her commander.

EQUIPMENT AND PLANS. SAIL FOR HANOVER BAY.

My time was now wholly occupied in completing the preparations for our future proceedings. I increased my party by a few additional hands of good character, and thought myself fortunate in engaging amongst them Thomas Ruston, a seaman who had already served on the Australian coast under Captain King. On the 12th October I with great difficulty got my affairs at Cape Town so arranged as to be able to embark in the evening, and on the morning of the 13th we hove anchor and made sail.

The party now embarked consisted of:

Lieutenant Grey.
Lieutenant Lushington.
Mr. Walker, our Surgeon.
Mr. Powell, Surgeon.
Corporal R. Auger, Corporal John Coles, and Private Mustard of the Corps of Sappers and Miners.
J.C. Cox, a Stock-Keeper.
Thomas Ruston, a Sailor who had been on the coast of Australia in the Mermaid with Captain King.
Evan Edwards, a Sailor.
Henry Williams and R. Inglesby, Shoemakers.

There were besides on board a captain, a mate, seven men, and a boy.

The livestock I took from the Cape consisted altogether of thirty-one sheep, nineteen goats, and six dogs. The dogs were as follows: one greyhound; one dog bred between a greyhound and a foxhound; one between a greyhound and a sheepdog; a bull-terrier; a Cape wolf-dog; and a useful nondescript mongrel.

RE-EMBARKATION FOR HANOVER BAY.

The plan that I had finally resolved on adopting was:

To proceed in the first instance to Hanover Bay, there to select a good spot on which to form a temporary encampment; and, having landed the stock, to despatch Lieutenant Lushington with Cox and Williams in the vessel to Timor for ponies.

PLANS ON LANDING.

I selected Cox and Williams for this service because the former was used to the management of horses on board vessels, and the latter understanding Dutch was well calculated to act as interpreter at Timor. During their absence I intended to practise the party in making short explorations in different directions.

Upon the return of the vessel I intended to move the whole party to some convenient spot to be chosen during their absence, then to advance, attended only by Coles, and to fix upon the next spot on our route which I designed to halt at. This plan I intended to adhere to as much as possible throughout the whole expedition, namely, never to move the party from one place of halt until I had chosen the next one. We bore with us tools and instruments of every description; so that we not only were fully capable of maintaining ourselves but could literally, if occasion had required it, have founded the nucleus of a colony.

Great then was my joy when all my preparations were completed and I felt the vessel gliding swiftly from Table Bay into that vast ocean at the other extremity of which lay the land I so longed to see, and to which I was now bound with the ardent hope of opening the way for the conversion of a barren wilderness into a fertile garden.

Part of my plan was not only to introduce all useful animals that I possibly could into this part of Australia, but also the most valuable plants of every description. For this purpose, a collection had been made at Tenerife by Mr. Walker, under my direction, and another in South America,* including the seeds of the cotton plant. From the Cape and from England I had also procured other useful plants, and had planned that the vessel, on quitting Timor with the horses, should be filled in every vacant space with young cocoa-nut trees and other fruits, together with useful animals such as goats and sheep, in addition to the stock we conveyed from the Cape.

(*Footnote. We had been able to introduce several useful plants into the Cape; amongst others the South American Yam, which, owing to the quality of the potatoes and their great fluctuations in price, will eventually be very serviceable to the colonists, more especially for the use of whalers.)