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was for a time in the navy, and then he turned his attention to the South Seas. Here he was cast away on his first voyage on one of the Society Islands. After this he made his way to Sydney, and from thence came to Otago in the schooner Return in 1838. Here he stopped for a time, but afterwards went in the same vessel to Timaru, where he was engaged during the whaling season of 1839. From thence he and two other men went to Oashore. They were fitted out with all requisites for whaling by Mr. Waller, of Sydney, and got plenty of hands to help them from the runaway sailors who left ships in Otago and Akaroa, for at that time there were a great many ships coming in. Mr. Price was at Ikeraki at that time, and there were whaling stations at Peraki and Akaroa also.

On August 9th, 1840, which was a glorious day, Mr. Ryan saw a man-of-war’s boat pulling into the Bay at Oashore, and a lieutenant soon landed, and, coming up to the house, asked him if he could give any information regarding the Comte de Paris. The Lieutenant told him he belonged to a British vessel of war named the Britomart. Ryan told the Lieutenant that a man named “Holy Joe” (the same mentioned by James Robinson Clough) had come over the hill that morning and could give all the news. “Holy Joe” told the Lieutenant that the Comte de Paris had been in Pigeon Bay, and that some of her people had landed, and had cut their names in the trees in that locality—now known as Holmes’ Bay,—but that no French flag had been hoisted, and there seemed to be no intention to land anything from the ship. This was all the news Joe could give; and as it was late the Lieutenant and his crew stopped at Ryan’s house that night, and left at 4 a.m. so as to be back in Akaroa at the ship by 8 a.m. There were boats ready to intercept the Comte de Paris if she had attempted to enter Akaroa