of the Islands and voyaged as far
north as Yokohama. The beauty of the scenes he visited lived in the
boy's memory, but the rigours of ship life were so severe that in after
years he looked back on the voyage with horror.

Henry Kendall returned to Sydney in March, 1857, and at once obtained
employment in the city and set about making a home for his mother and
sisters. Mrs. Kendall, granddaughter of Leonard McNally, a Dublin
notable of his day, was a clever, handsome woman with a strong
constitution and a volatile temperament. Henry was always devoted to
her, and considered that from her he inherited whatever talent he
possessed. She helped in his education, and encouraged him to write
verse.

The first verses of his known to have been printed were "O tell me, ye
breezes"--signed "H. Kendall"--which appeared in 'The Australian Home
Companion and Band of Hope Journal' in 1859. A number of other poems by
Kendall appeared in the same magazine during 1860 and 1861. But in a
letter written years afterwards to Mr. Sheridan Moore, Kendall says "My
first essay in writing was sent to 'The Southern Cross' at the time you
were sub-editor. You, of course, lit your pipe with it. It was on the
subject of the 'Dunbar'. After a few more attempts in prose and
verse--attempts only remarkable for their being clever imitations--I hit
upon the right vein and wrote the Curlew Song. Then followed the crude,
but sometimes happy verses which made up my first volume."

The verses on the wreck of the 'Dunbar', written at the age of sixteen,
were eventually printed in 'The Empire' in 1860 as "The Merchant Ship".
Henry Parkes, the editor of that newspaper, had already welcomed some of
the boy's poems, and in 'The Empire' of the 8th December, 1859, had
noticed as just published a song--"Silent Tears"--the words of which
were written by "a young native poet, Mr. H. Kendall, N.A.P." These
initials, which puzzled Parkes, as well they might, meant no more than
Native Australian Poet.

Kendall also sent some poems to 'The Sydney Morning Herald'; there they
attracted the attention of Henry Halloran, a civil servant and a
voluminous amateur writer, who sought out the poet and tried to help
him.

Kendall's mother brought him to Mr. Sheridan Moore, who had some
reputation as a literary critic. He was greatly interested in the
poems, and promised to try to raise money for their publication.
Subscriptions were invited by advertisement in January