Her Majesty's steam sloop Inflexible sailed from Auckland at noon of the 18th March, passed Raine's Island at 11 a.m. Of the 30th March, and anchored off Sir Charles Hardy's Island at 3-30 p.m. of the same day (the sun being too much to the westward to run further that day.) At noon of the 1st of April she was clear of the Straits, Wallis Islands being ten miles astern. She arrived at Sourabaya, in the Island of Java, on the 11th April - thus making the entire voyage from Auckland, a distance of 4200 nautical miles in twenty-four days, out of which she was twenty-six hours at anchor in Torres Straits. Although her arrival was not anticipated at Sourabaya, she was coaled and watered in five days, and sailed at noon of Sunday, 16th April ; and as she had 400 tons of fair coals on board, it was expected by her commander that she would be in Bombay in 13 or 14 days ; and if she saved the mail, which is supposed to sail on the 3rd May, letters from New Zealand would be in London in 70 days. She had 50 tons of coals remaining in her bunkers on her arrival at Sourabaya, which would have been sufficient to have taken her to Batavia or Singapore, if it had been requisite.

SG & SGTL Vol 5 ; page 158.

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