532 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



covery of the second rotation of the earth, as to the increase of 

 the obliquity of the earth's axis of daily rotation to the plane 

 of the ecliptic during a period of some 16,000 years, terminating 

 about 7,500 years ago, are in perfect accord with the geologi- 

 cal facts in the Northern Hemisphere, yet in the Southern 

 Hemisphere the accord is not yet so well established. The 

 southern extremity of South America is the only land in this 

 hemisphere in which, on account of its latitude south, we 

 could expect to find very marked evidence of the Glacial epoch, 

 and such imperfect acquaintance as we have with this little- 

 known part of the world leads us to believe that in recent 

 geological times glaciers on a large scale existed in latitudes 

 much farther north than they are now to be found. Tas- 

 mania, in its western highlands, gives similar evidence, and 

 even in southern Australia there are some concurrent records 

 of lower temperature in winter than at present. In New 

 Zealand, however, the record appears to be different, and Sir 

 James Hector considers that any evidences of former glacial 

 action should be referred to a rnuch more distant date. The 

 geology of New Zealand is very peculiar : the great faults 

 and dislocations of strata show that in comparatively recent 

 times great changes in level have occurred, and consequently 

 the records of a changed climate during the ice age are very 

 difficult to unravel ; mountains which show evidences of glacial 

 action are now at a lower level than neighbouring mountains 

 which show no such evidences. The great sounds on the 

 south-west coast of the Middle Island, if cut out by glaciers, 

 would seem to require a very much longer time than 16,000 

 years for their excavation. We cannot therefore, at present, 

 draw any geological support for the second rotation of the 

 earth from New Zealand, beyond the fact that in recent 

 times there were glaciers here where there are none now. 

 Possibly tire climatic changes due to the changes in the ellip- 

 ticity of the earth's orbit ascertained by Dr. Croll and Sir 

 Eobert Ball have here left their mark. I will not pretend to 

 be able to decipher what our most able geologists are in doubt 

 about, and must therefore leave New Zealand outside my 

 argument, as an exceptional and perplexing problem ; but I 

 must, nevertheless, maintain that the surface of the rest of the 

 earth, within the limits of the extension of the arctic and 

 antarctic regions caused by the second rotation of the earth, 

 has undoubted records of that extension both in the Northern 

 and Southern Hemispheres, and that in Patagonia, Tasmania, 

 and South Australia there is no real reason for supposing 

 that these records were not of the same date as those in the 

 Northern Hemisphere. It seems to me that, when this is esta- 

 blished, it will give in the Southern Hemisphere a sure point 

 of departure in time by which we may synchronize the southern 



