430 Transactions. — Geolocjij. 



the data then avaihible, many wells have been sunk in varioiis 

 parts of the plain, and, as far as I am aware, they all tend to 

 •show the truth of the inferences drawn by me as to the forma- 

 tion of the artesian basin in the district under notice. But 

 among tlie numerous sinkings which have been carried on to 

 supply the growing wants of population and settlement there 

 are four wells, or, rather, four sinkings, to which I wish to 

 direct particular attention, as they provide information of much 

 geological interest and importance in connection with the 

 formation of the plain, and its relation to the other rocks 

 in the district. Of the four wells referred to, two of them were 

 put down within the Borough of Napier, one in the immediate 

 vicinity of Napier, at a spot locally known as the Western 

 Spit, and the fourth one was sunk at the Greenmeadows, 

 situated a mile or so on the Napier side of the Township of 

 Taradale. (See topographical map of plain, " Trans.," vol. xx., 

 p. 284.) The two Napier w-ells were successful ones, each 

 having an excellent flow; whilst the other two — viz., the one 

 at the Spit and the one at the Greenmeadows — were failures. 

 In certain places water is found in the vicinity of the Green- 

 meadows ; but the spot selected for the sinking referred to here 

 is w'ithin a few chains of the hills, which are composed of marl 

 and limestones, and which hereabouts have had the more 

 sloping portions fronting the plain slowly ground down by the 

 back-wash at a time, not so long ago, when the sea covered 

 this portion of the district. The sinking for water in this place 

 has proved conclusively — so it seems to me — the limit of the 

 artesian basin in this direction, as no trace of water was met 

 with, and the characters of the beds passed through differ 

 greatly from those that are found withiii the true artesian 

 basin. During the process of sinking I visited this well, and 

 from the workman in charge gleaned that after the first 

 24ft. had been passed, of which 10ft. were made up of shingle, 

 there were 9Gft. of a yellowish clay — pumiceous clay or loess — 

 similar to that covering most of the Napier hills and district at 

 the present time. This has evidently been washed from the 

 surroundmg hills as the plain was in process of formation. 

 Following this clay was a succession of blue-clay beds, which 

 continued as far as the sinking was carried — viz., 273ft. — 

 except tha.t at the depths of 140ft. and 181ft. Gin. respectively 

 a bed of fine pumice-sand about 18in. in thickness was passed 

 through. The appearance of these two pumice-bands is a very " 

 interesting geological find, as they give a clue to the rela- 

 tionship between the Kidnapper beds at the point and those 

 which abut on the artesian basin to the north-west of the 

 plain. Clay-marl beds containing one, two, and sometimes 

 three pumice-bands are ti'aceable over a large extent of coast 

 and inland country (see " Trans.," vol. xx., p. 273), and 



