Queen Of The Age.

The N.Z. Shipping Co. chartered the smart barque Queen of the Age for one voyage only to New Zealand. She was a vessel of 757 tons, built at Sunderland in 1855. The vessel sailed from Gravesend on November 16, 1873, for Auckland with 165 immigrants, and after a somewhat eventful voyage arrived at that port on March 2, 1874, making the passage under Captain Montgomerie in 105 days from Torbay. She struck heavy weather at the start, followed by light north-east trade winds, crossing the Equator on December 18, 32 days out from Gravesend. The south-east trades, which were fallen in with two days later, were also light, and the meridian of the Cape was not passed until January 12. The vessel made a good run thence to Tasmania of 29 days. Here she encoun-page 247tered severe gales from the north-east, which continued for several days, followed by calms and light winds, until sighting the New Zealand coast. At this stage one of the immigrants, William Denny, died, and during the gale one of the seamen was knocked overboard and drowned.

During the heavy squalls off Tasmania some of the sailors, led by a bully named Thitbourn, created a mutiny, which necessitated the captain putting them in irons. The men broke open several cases and appropriated their contents, and when charged with the offence threatened to burn the ship. Having saturated the men's quarters with oil, their intention was, after firing the ship, to get away in the lifeboat, which was discovered packed with stores. After the men had been placed in irons Captain Montgomerie placed a guard, under arms, over them, composed of passengers, until the ship arrived at Auckland, when the men were sent to gaol.

Among the passengers who arrived by the ship was Dr. Payne, who settled at the Thames.