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to these seas. Amongst the many harbors that he visited was the beautiful Bay of Akaroa, the perfect safety of whose sheltered waters went straight to the heart of the rough seaman, after the fierce gales he had encountered in the stormy southern seas. The luxuriant vegetation that everywhere fringed the inlets, showed that the soil was of exceeding fruitfulness; the mighty pines that towered above their meaner fellows gave promise of a vast supply of timber; whilst the innumerable kakas, pigeons, and other native birds, that woke the echoes of the bush with their harmonies and discords, and the fish that swarmed in the waters of the bay, showed that an abundant supply of nutritious food would always be obtainable. So charmed was Captain L’Anglois with the tranquillity of the spot, that, with a true Frenchman’s love of France, he coveted it for his country, and determined to found a colony on this scene of primeval loveliness. It was in the year 1837 that he first had an opportunity of taking the premier steps in this direction, by purchasing all that part of the Peninsula from the Maoris which lies between Peraki and the Akaroa Heads. Mr Waeckerlie did not know the name of the chief from whom Captain L’Anglois purchased the land, and the price paid for it, but doubtless the amount was a comparatively small one,

In 1838 Captain L’Anglois returned to France, and on his arrival he told some of his countrymen of the purchase he had made, and the result was the formation of a company to colonise his estate. The company appears to have been encouraged by the French Government, for an old ship of war called the Comte de Paris was lent to Captain L’Anglois to take out any persons who might be desirous of settling on his land, and another armed ship, called the L’Aube, was sent out to New Zealand beforehand, under the charge of Commodore Lavaud, to