Tuesday, 17 February, 1948. The light in the reading and writing rooms is so poor in the evening and also during the day that I have been writing this in the cabin for the last few days. We are the fortunate possessors of two portholes. I think I omitted to say that this hell ship is certified for only 248 pwsosn; we have 552 passengers plus whatever the crew is. This morning we rounded North Cape, New Zealand, and headed due west for Sydney, about 5 AM. On looking out about 7 AM, the sea was almost glassy, with an underlying heave and swell. There was hardly a ripple disturbing the surface but the bows of the ship passed through an arc of something like 25 degrees. On our starboard, three rugged crags stuck up from the water. They are called the Three Kings and are joined together by a line of smaller separated rocks, the whole looking something like half a lower jaw. There are no inhabitants and according to the chart are the last bits of land we see until the coast of Australia heaves into sight sometime during the night og the 19th. My stock of who-done-its has made the journey somewhat less tedious for many of the passengers but it has been monotonous in the extreme. I wonder how I have managed to fill fourteen pages of this, but at least it is practice and I have learned in the past how quickly one loses not only extent of vocabu- larly when on a job like this, but even the ability to write at all. No matter whom I may bore, I shall try to avoid that,. The Smithsonian men, who left New York on January 24th by one of the Port ships and are not due in Brisbane until March 6tj, should be almost speechless by the time they reach there. Wednesday, 15th February 1948. A strong wind blew all night from the north through the portholes of our cabin, making it necessary for them to be closed. Oddly enough the wind from that direction seemed to compensate for something and there was less motion to the ship than any night since leaving the U. S. In the afternoon, things were enlivened by a school of whales, a shoal of porpoises and several birds which careered around the ship, making noises. In the morning we were honored by a [illegible] visit from Capt. Johnson and staff; it was the first official inspection there has been on the ship during the trip. There probably will be little to write about tomorrow except the land- ing instructions. Should just comfortably fill this page and have it ready for mailing [illegible] at Sydney on the next day. Thursday, 19 February 1948. The "Terrible Tasman" has completely failed to live up to its reputation and the passage, now almost completed, has been accomplished with no trace of bad weather. Last night's weather was simply a repetition of the day previously; a strong wind from the north counteracting the motion of the ship. At noon we were reported 224 knots from Sydney and are due there about 5 AM tomorrow. Breakfast is advanced an hour and tickets for medical inspection have been issued. I hope our delay at Customs will not be too great and that I can get my urgent calls made during the afternoon as nobody is likely to be in his office on Saturday or Sunday. Anyway, the voyage is now over and we can begin to think and make plans for the real work.