CRUISE OF H.M.S. BLANCHE

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 161, 18 April 1874, Page 2

CRUISE OF H.M.S. BLANCHE

THE AUCKLAND ISLANDS. (From the Evening Post.)

The Blanche experienced light variable winds on her way down from this port to the Auckland Islands, encountering a stiff S.W. breeze on entering the N.E. harbor of Port Boss. She proceeded to the head of the bay, which is a deep indentation of about seven miles, and anchored in the inner, and almost landlocked Laurie Harbor at 9.30 p.m. on Thursday, 25th February. A party, including the Captain, landed that afternoon at a spot on the shore where a sign board (placed by the crew of the Blanche in 1870) showed the road to Pig Point. This path, which led through a most luxurious and dense vegetation of ferns, moss, shrub, &c., brought them soon to Pig Point, where a large landmark (painted white so as to be discernible at a great distance) is erected over the provisions. The landmark resembles a large flagstaff, and secured to it were various hermetically sealed bottles with papers inside ; these were opened bv the Captain, and found to contain records of the visits of different ships to the island and the state of the provisions, &c , at the time of examination. Within a few hundred vards was another depot, and hanging close by the bottles were two slates, with the sad words inscribed on them “Sacred to the memory of 68 persons (giving their names), wrecked on the coast in the General Grantand also another slate having inscribed on it “ Sacred to the memory of six seamen (giving their names,) who survived the wreck of the Grant startecl (giving date, &c..) for Southland in an open boat without compasses, provisions, or any necessary articles for a sea voyage of 200 miles, and who have never been heard of since.” These melancholy records are all that now remain to remind visitors of the sad fate of the General Grant and hen-passen-gers- ———