In justice to many of the passengers, I should state, that those who complained the most were the very men who had paid nothing towards remunerating the captain for his services. They were some of the worst characters aboard; and, without making any allowance for the circumstances under which we were placed, found fault with everything on the whaler. I believe, they did so for the simple reason that she was an American ship. Luckily we reached Auckland at last, though not a day too soon: for by the time we sighted land the patience of the passengers with each other, and their temper towards the captain, were well nigh exhausted. Had we remained at sea a few hours longer, some strange scenes would have taken place on the whaler, which all aboard of her would not have survived to describe. No doubt the Yankee captain saw us go over the side of his ship with much heart-felt satisfaction, though certainly this feeling was not all to himself. His late passengers, one and all, equally participated in it. I saw but very little of Auckland, or rather of the country around it; but, from that little, I formed a very favourable opinion of its natural resources and abilities; and I believe that colony to be a good home for English emigrants. Being myself a Rolling Stone, I did not regard it with the eyes of a settler; and therefore I might be doing injustice either to the colony itself, or to intending emigrants, by saying much about it. Guided by recent experiences, there is one thing I can allege in favour of New Zealand as a colony, which, in my opinion, makes it superior to any other; that is, that a home can be there had _farther away from London_, than in any other colonial settlement with which I am acquainted. From Auckland to reach any part of Australia required a further outlay of six pounds sterling. The gold-diggers thought this rather hard--alleging that they had already paid their passage twice; but they were forced to submit to circumstances. For myself, after remaining in Auckland a few days, I obtained a passage in a small vessel sailing for Sydney, which port we reached, after a short and pleasant run of nine days' duration. I had been exactly five months in getting from San Francisco to Sydney-- a voyage that, under ordinary circumstances, might have been made in fifty days! Volume Two, Chapter XIV. THE GUARDIANS OF THE ORPHAN. I had at length reached the place where, in all probability, I should find my long-lost mother. A few days might find me happy, with my relatives restored to me, and all of us on our way to Liverpool--where I should see Lenore!