Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 2.djvu/92

74 therefore, they very naturally feel the greatest affection and regard.

H. M. S. Favourite arrived early this morning, when Commander Sulivan went on board, and superseded Lieutenant Dunlop, who had been acting commander of her since the death of her lamented captain. He was at this time suffering so much from the severe wounds he had received in that unfortunate affair which deprived the service of one of her most gallant officers, that it was necessary for him to proceed to England for the restoration of his health. He was accordingly invalided the next day, and returned to Auckland, where a ship was lying in readiness to sail for Sydney, and thence to England, which afforded me a favourable opportunity of sending despatches to the Secretary of the Admiralty.

Our magnetometric and pendulum observations proceeded to our entire satisfaction; but as these are now in course of publication, at the expense of government, and will shortly appear in a complete form, under the superintendence of Colonel Sabine, I need not here make any further allusion to them. But as any information respecting the nature of the climate of this newly-colonised country cannot fail to be useful, and as the importance of meteorological inquiries appears hitherto to have been wholly overlooked or neglected, I may hope, by inserting here a monthly abstract of the observations made on board our ships during the three months they were at anchor in the River