28 Trautactiovs. — Miscellaneous. 



Magnetic Obsekvations at the Township of Whiti- 

 anga, Mercury Bay, March, 1901, by Dr. C. Coleridge 

 Farr. 



Station A. — In a paddock just south of the township, in 

 lat. 36° 50' 15" S. and long. 175° 44' 13" E. (9th March, 

 1901.) 



Magnetic declination, 14° 22' 19" east at 10.02 a.m. 



14° 24' 15" „ 11.08 a.m. 

 14° 26' 28" „ 12.15 p.m. 

 14° 28' 23" „ 1.55 p.m. 

 14° 25' 27" „ 4.49 p.m. 



Horizontal magnetic force, 0-26737 c. g. s. units at 11 a.m. 

 Magnetic dip— Needle No. 1 = 61° 21' 03" at 2 p.m. 



2 = 61° 19' 57" at 3 p.m. 

 Mean dip =,61° 20' 30". 



Station B.- — Just south of the Whitianga Cemetery, close 

 to the ferrv landing and about 3 chains from high-water 

 mark; in lat. 36° 49' 47" S. and long. 175° 43' 47" E. (11th 

 March, 1901.) 



Magnetic declination, 15° 1' 42" east at 10.10 a.m. 



15° 4' 17" „ 11.15 a.m. 

 15° 6' 50" „ 12.18 p.m. 

 15° 8' 49" „ 2.0 p.m. 

 15° 6' 35" „ 4.30 p.m. 

 Horizontal magnetic force, 0.26917 c. g. s. units at 11 a.m. 

 Magnetic dip— Needle No. 1 = 61° 16' 26" at 3 p.m. 



2 = 61° 15' 1" at 3 p.m. 

 Mean dip = 61° 15' 44". 



Dr. Farr, in his letter to me, remarks, " The declination 

 undisturbed should be about 14° 35' E. There must there- 

 fore be magnetic rocks in the district affecting us, and, if so, 

 it will be difficult to compare Cook's result with ours unless 

 one knew the exact spot of the work and reoccupied it." 



That Cook bad a keen eye for the quality of the soil in 

 the places he visited will be acknowledged by any one who 

 has read his account of and seen the country to the south 

 of the Whitianga River. It has a thin sandy soil overlying 

 rhyolitic rocks, with patches h^re and there swept bare by 

 the wind. The vegetation for the greater part consists of 

 stunted fern aud tea-tree, and altogether this part of the 

 district has a most desolate appearance. 



Cook's trip up the Whitianga, which he named " Man- 

 grove Eiver," is thus described: "The next day (Tuesday, 

 the 10th) I went with two boats, accompanied with Mr. 

 Banks and other gentlemen, to examine a large river that 

 empties itself into the head of the bay. We rowed four or 



