432 Transactions. — Geology. 



beds, and correspond in general characters to those found 

 ^vithin the artesian basin of the Heretaunga Plain. But, 

 although the beds to the north and south of Scinde Island are 

 almost identical in character, they belong to two distinct basins 

 of deposition, being separated from each other by a ridge of 

 rocks running from the lowest of the Napier limestones in 

 the direction of the Greenmeadows and the Quarantine 

 Station. This will be evident from what has already been 

 stated as to the dip of the beds between the Greenmeadows 

 and Napier in a south-east direction. From a careful study 

 of the beds between Petane and Napier I am inclined to the 

 opinion that water may be expected within certain areas of 

 what is a very limited district ; but it may be that the forma- 

 tion of the basin is such as to debar the possibility of flowing 

 wells, like those which are so common on the Heretaunga 

 Plain. The area composing the basin of the inner harbom-, 

 as far as Petane, appears to have no connection with any body 

 of fresh water except the Esk Eiver, which in its lower 

 reaches passes over beds corresponding to the Kidnapper 

 pumice and conglomerate beds. The road from Napier to 

 Petane is a shingle-deposit like that between Napier and the 

 Kidnappers. This deposit separates what is known as the 

 inner harbour from the ocean proper ; the inner harbour on 

 the Petane side representing an area corresponding to the 

 Heretaunga Plain. Through this shingle-baud water perco- 

 lates to and from the ocean and the inner harbour, according 

 to the state of the tide. The shingle has a depth reaching 

 in places to as much as 100ft., but it is curious that not far 

 from the place where the abandoned well is situated there is a 

 spring of fresh water of good quality, and during the driest 

 season the supply is fairly plentiful at a depth of a few feet in 

 the shingle. This fresh- water supply cannot be from shingle 

 drainage, as no fresh water is found elsewhere along the Spit ; 

 besides, the dip of the shingle is not in the direction of the 

 fresh-water spring. Possibly this fresh water may point to 

 the existence of a break in the beds below the shingle, through 

 which the water passes, and reaches to the height which may be 

 expected should a well be put down in this place. It is obsei-ved 

 that in places on the Heretaunga Plain, and even in Napier, 

 the artesian water has forced itself to the surface, in small 

 quantity, up the outside of the tube-bore; and the saturated 

 salt-water sliingle-beds would act somewhat like a tube-bore to 

 the fresh water of less specific gravity as it rises towards the 

 surface. Personally, I do not feel satisfied with the results of 

 the tests for artesian water on the Western Spit. The beds are 

 certainly suuilar to those met with on the Heretaunga Plain, 

 and more particularly to those presently to be described ; and, 

 although, as previously pointed out, the wells belong to two 



