Captain Cowan had the _Wellington_ for 18 years. He told me that the _Wellington_ was such a fast ship with the wind abaft the beam that he never remembers her being passed under such conditions, but that she was nothing out of the way when braced sharp up. This indeed may be said to have been the general case with Duncan’s ships. From 1877 to 1884 _Wellington_ ran from Glasgow to Otago with first class passengers and emigrants. Under these favourable conditions her average outward passage was about 80 days, her four best being 73, 75, 76 and 78 days. Soon after the amalgamation with Shaw, Savill, _Wellington_ had freezing machinery put on board, and henceforth came home with 18,000 carcases a trip. The _Wellington_ had her freezing machinery on board for four voyages, after which the mutton was sent on board frozen. “Wellington” Collides with an Iceberg. Early in the nineties she nearly finished her career by colliding with an iceberg to the eastward of the Falkland Islands. Her bows were stove in, two men being killed in the foc’s’le by the deck being driven down on top of them, broken down by a mass of ice falling aboard. The bowsprit and jibboom were, of course, carried away, and also the fore topmast; only the collision bulkhead saved the ship from sinking. Captain Cowan shored up his bulkhead and squared away for Rio de Janeiro. He was a month getting there and repairs were hardly under weigh before the Civil War broke out, and all work was stopped for six months. Meanwhile in order to keep the mutton frozen, the engine had to be kept going at full speed night and day; owing to the heat not even a rest for an hour to overhaul it could be thought of, and it says a good deal for Captain Cowan and his engineer that they managed to keep the engine running without a breakdown for so many months. Orders came out from home that the mutton was to be sold; whereupon Captain Cowan rashly sold some of it to the rebels—the Government at once issued a warrant for his arrest—and he had to be smuggled aboard the New Zealand Shipping Co.’s steamer _Norangi_, the mate being left in charge. After this very trying experience Captain Cowan, feeling that he needed a rest, retired from the sea. [Illustration: “TIMARU.” _Photo by De Maus, Port Chalmers._] [Illustration: “WELLINGTON.” At Picton, Queen Charlotte Sound. _Lent by F. G. Layton._] In 1904 the _Wellington_ was sold to S. O. Stray, of Norway, for £3150. In December, 1906, she was abandoned on her beam ends and foundered when bound from a Gulf port to Rosario. “Oamaru” and “Timaru.” Not content with Duncan’s six beautiful ships, Patrick Henderson ordered two from Scott, of Greenock, in 1874. These were the _Oamaru_ and _Timaru_, which measured 1306 tons, 239.1 feet length, 36.1 feet beam, 21 feet depth. The _Oamaru_ was launched in October and the _Timaru_ in December. These fine little ships were well worthy of ranking with Duncan’s beauties.