population of nearly forty thousand within the municipality, and seventy thousand in the city and suburbs. "It has," said Frank, in his journal, "handsome streets, a great number of well-constructed public buildings, such as post-office, custom-house, exchange, courts, Government offices, and the other paraphernalia of a well-established city, and it has also a fine museum, a public library, and a park and botanical garden. No city would be complete without a cemetery, and Auckland is not behind in this respect, as it has a very pretty one, and, as the French say, it is well peopled.
"We were much interested in the Queen Street wharf, where we landed; it extends nearly two thousand feet into the harbor, and affords facilities for thirty or forty vessels to discharge or receive cargoes at once. There are several other wharves, including a fine one, nearly completed, at the end of Hobson Street. I have heard often of 'Hobson's Choice,' and never knew exactly what it was. This city seems to have been Hobson's choice, since Captain Hobson founded it; all I can say is, that I shall have more respect for the old saw than I ever had before.
"You can get an idea of the commerce of the place when you know that about two hundred and fifty sailing-vessels are owned here of an aggregate burden of twenty thousand tons, and sixty-five steamers of seven thousand tons altogether. It has regular steam communication with Australian ports by the vessels of the Union Steamship Company, has a monthly line to Feejee, and is a port of call for the mail-steamers between Australia and California. The Northern Steamship Company of Auckland has a fleet of thirteen steamers, principally engaged in coast navigation, so that New Zealand is well served by its own boats.
"Of course the port has graving or dry docks for the accommodation of the ships that need them. There was one three hundred feet long, and forty-two feet wide, but it was found inadequate after a few years, and now they are completing another five hundred feet long and ninety feet wide. This ought to be long and wide enough; but if ships go on increasing in size as they have been, it won't be a great while before another and longer dock will be needed at Auckland as well as in other ports."
While Frank was noting the foregoing points in regard to Auckland, Fred was writing a few paragraphs relative to New Zealand. And first he wondered how it came to be New Zealand instead of New England or New Britain.
"That's easily explained," said Doctor Bronson, "by the fact that it
