On the 28th we sent up studding-sails and began a passage for New Zealand. The next morning, at daybreak, whilst carrying all sail, we sighted sperm whales. After a short delay, we lowered for them. The second mate fastened to a large one, fired a bomb-lance into him, and had his boat capsized. The crew were picked up and brought to the ship, also the boat, which was found uninjured. The first and third mates continued in pursuit of the whales, and, after a short interval, the latter fastened to the same whale. The fourth mate approached the fish, and in giving him a lance, got his boat on to the whale’s flukes, and stove. The boat was towed to the ship; whilst hoisting her aboard, she broke in two amidships, was condemned as useless, and broken up for firewood. In the evening we had the whale alongside. The following morning we began to cut, being surrounded by thousands of sharks. The boatsteerer, who went down on to the whale to hook on, was seized by a shark, who caught him by the back of the heel. Fortunately, the man who attended the monkey-rope attached to the boatsteerer, saw the movement of the shark and dragged him on deck. The wound inflicted was severe but not dangerous. Sharks around a whale, generally, are contented with what they pick up from his carcass, and to the plenitude of this kind of food for their ravenous appetites, the boatsteerer owes his safety. In this case the sufferer was barefooted, and his flesh being covered with spermaceti, probably the shark thought it a dainty piece of blubber. The barque Columbus also captured a large whale on this same day. In 1855, this barque visited Vasse and carried away a prisoner, agreeing to place him aboard some merchant ship, on the first opportunity. This was accordingly done, for which the captain received, it was said, a large sum of money--the criminal being well-provided with funds. Whilst we lay in Vasse, it leaked out, somehow or other, that the government intended seizing the vessel on her next entry into a colonial port. When we saw her we gave her the news, and it was timely, too, as they were just going in to discharge men, whom they had engaged in Vasse the preceding year.