HiLD. — On Artesian Wells. 437 



limestones coveiins; the hills farther to the south-east, and had 

 fallen towards, and were about to slip underneath, the plain. 

 At Napier the general dip of the limestones is N.W., just 

 as at Havelock ; whilst the limestones to the south-west of 

 Redcliffe dip S.E. and form with the Havelock limestones. 



Here, then, on the north-west and south-east sides of the 

 plain, are deposits of enormous water-carrying capacity passing 

 under the plain, forming a longitudinal trough, open to\vards 

 the ocean, and overlain by a series of beds that have been 

 deposited on a subsiding area. That the Heretaunga Plain, 

 the Kidnapper conglomerates, and the area around Pakipaki 

 have been disturbed by earth-movements, even within the 

 memory of living evidence, is beyond question. In the great 

 earthquake of 1853, wdiich w^as felt over the larger portion of 

 the colony, 1 am informed by our ex-president, the Eev. 

 William Colenso, F.Pt.8., that the Ngaruroro River overflowed 

 its banks at Waitangi, near Clive, and the ground showed a 

 rift lOin. to 12in. wide, running north-w^est and south-east 

 across the plain, through which rift a lambent flame flickered 

 for some time. A similar phenomenon was noticed by the 

 IMaoris who then dwelt on the west of the inner harbour, 

 and so frightened were they at the unusual event that 

 they quitted the locality. Disturbances were also noticed at 

 Pakipaki, and the land in some places was raised several feet 

 in height. It was during this earthquake that the Kidnapper 

 conglomerates were riven and torii in many places. These 

 rifts may still be seen, and they can even be distinguished by 

 an observer standing on the Napier hills by the circumstance 

 of the conglomerates falling in sections towards the north-west, 

 and by the greater slope of the north-west side of each rift 

 than of the south-east side. Here, then, the evidence seems 

 clear that the Heretaunga Plain has been built up on an area 

 of subsidence, and, such being the case, it is easy to account 

 for the appearance of shells — shallow-water shells — at com- 

 paratively great depths, together with bits of wood, raupo, 

 and even resin from the rimu-tree. The beds overlying the 

 true water-bearing beds overlap limestones and conglomerates, 

 and it is to this circumstance tliat the flowing wells are due, 

 as the water in the underground l)asin is unable to find an 

 outlet, except b\" percolation where the beds thin out under- 

 neath the ocean. As to the age of the artesian and overlying 

 beds, it will have been inferred that they follow in succession 

 the upper shingle-deposits belonging to the Kidnapper beds. 

 No single extinct shell has been found among those brought 

 up with the sands from the wells, as enumerated above. 

 Curiously, all the shells are represented in the rocks forming 

 what is known as the Wanganui system, an upper division of 

 the Pliocene formation, a list of fossils from which apj)ears in 



