he day was celebrated by taking a Cheshire
cheese from a locker where it had been preserved for the purpose, and
tapping a cask of porter, which proved to be in excellent order. On the
morning of the 30th a comet was seen in the east, a little above the
horizon. After this, a heavy sea and strong gales were met with from
the westward, and the ship being wore round, stood to the northward. On
the weather moderating, the cruise was continued westward during the
whole month of September, and on the 6th of October land was seen from
the masthead bearing West-by-North.

On the evening of the next day the voyagers got near enough to observe
that the country was of great extent, with several ranges of hills
rising one above the other, and beyond them a lofty chain of mountains.
The general notion was that they had found the _Terra Australis
Incognita_. Night coming on, they were compelled to stand off, but the
following day again sailed for the shore.

They saw some neat small houses, and a large number of people seated on
the beach. Farther on was discovered a high regular paling, enclosing
the whole top of a hill. In the afternoon the ship came to an anchor
off the mouth of a river in a bay, the sides of which were composed of
white cliffs of great height.

Such was the first view the English obtained of New Zealand, which has
since become the home of many thousands of our countrymen. Captain
Cook, Mr Banks, Dr Solander, and a party of men having landed, tried
to open a communication with the natives across a river. While they
were on the bank, a party of savages with long lances rushed out of a
wood, and were on the point of spearing the men left in charge of the
boat, when the coxswain fired and shot one of them dead. The natives
then ran away. On examining the dress of the dead man, it was found to
answer the description given in an account of Tasman's voyage, which
convinced the explorers that that navigator had previously visited the
country. On the following day the natives again appeared on the
opposite side of the river, inviting the strangers to cross; but Tupia
warned them to be careful, and prepared for hostilities. Ultimately the
savages swam across, almost all armed. At first they appeared inclined
to trade, but in a short time made an attempt to seize the weapons of
the English, and one of them carried off the cutlass of a seaman, which
he flourished about his head as he made his escape. Others