He says his name is Thomas Shannon and that he is fifty years of age, and that he sailed from London viâ Lisbon in the barque “Speculation,” Captain Robinson, on a sealing voyage to Desolation or Kerguelen's Land, but that, owing to the loss of their tender in Saldanha Bay (West Coast of Africa) during the above year, the voyage was abandoned and they proceeded to Sydney and thence to the Bay of Islands. Having refitted they proceeded to the Auckland Islands, and onward above the Antartic circle, where they met with severe weather, and had to return north to the Bluff Harbour to refit. They had been in company far south with Commander D'Urville, as also the American Survey Expedition, under, he thinks, Captain Reller. Leaving the “Speculation” at the Bluff he joined a whaling party at Jacobs River under Captain Howell, and the following season, 1841–42, proceeded to the East Coast of this (the South) island on a sealing expedition in open boats. That season their operations extended as far as the Blue River (three miles north of Arnott Point) sealing, and at the same time looking for a band of natives to chastise (shoot) them for killing and eating the previous season a boat's crew whilst on a sealing voyage from Jacobs River. At that time there were several native pas on the coast between Jackson Bay and the Bruce Bay of the present day, but being at that time cannibals, the Jacobs River Maoris would not hold any intercourse with them.

Nothing was known at that time of any wreck on that part of the coast, nor was there any sign at the Blue River of any wreck, but on their return south, after passing Milford Sound, they came across several portions of cedar logs, showing evidence of fire, or that a vessel had been burnt at sea with a cargo of cedar timber on board. The cargo was strewed on parts of the coast from a little south of Milford Sound up south as far as Windsor Point, S.E. of Preservation Inlet. No portion of any wrecked vessel was seen or heard tell of except one in Facile Harbour (Dusky Sound), the date of the loss of which vessel seems uncertain, as no particulars of her loss were current amongst the oldest hands on the coast, except that she was a teak-built ship, and that portions of the skeletons of her crew were found and buried on Green Island, and supposed to be Lascar sailors from the small stature of the remains found. No name of the vessel, or further information relative to the loss of the vessel was known on the coast.

My informant Shannon is of the opinion that the piece of wreck in question recently brought up to this port is a portion of a Netherlands built vessel, and as to her construction he assures me that during the early time that he was on the coast of New Zealand, since 1839–40, he never heard of or saw any vessel of the same construction as the one about which inquiries have been made. I may state that in 1866–67 there was a portion of a figure-head lying in the bush about seven miles south of where the portion