356 Transactions. — Geology. 



those at the head-waters of the Godley Eiver — the Godley 

 and Classen Glaciers; and those at the head- waters of the 

 Tasman Eiver — the Mueller, Hooker, Tasman, and Mur- 

 chison. 



Amongst the names of men who have first explored these 

 glaciers, that of von Haast natuially occurs to us, and the 

 records he has left of his work will always be regarded as a 

 valuable tribute to science and a lasting memoir of his in- 

 domitable energy and perseverance in opening up the orolog}' 

 of our magnificent chain. 



The Eangitata glaciers were first visited in 1S60 by the 

 Hon. J. B. A. Ac land and Messrs. C. G. Tiipp and Charles 

 Harper ; and in 1861 von Haast made his first jotuiiey to the 

 same quarter. 



In 1S62 von Haast explored the head- waters of the Godley 

 and Tasman Eivers, travei-sing parts of the Godley, Classen, 

 Hooker, Mueller, and Tasman Glaciers, and observed from the 

 last-named the Murchison Glacier, which Hes in the great 

 valley on the eastern side of the Tasman, enclosed by the 

 Make Bmn and Liebig Eanges. 



Some few yeai-s later, however, these glaeiei*s were more 

 thoroughly explored by Mi-. E. P. Sealy, of Timaru, who in 

 one instance — \iz, that of the Godley Glacier — crossed the 

 saddle at its head, which leads to the tVest Coast. 



In still more recent yeais the more important observations 

 of note are those of the Eev. W. S. Green in 1882, of Dr. von 

 Lendenfeld in 1883 on the great Tasman Glacier, and of the 

 Government surveys, conducted by Mr. Brodrick, of the Godley, 

 Classen, Mueller, and Hooker Glaciers. 



Von Lendenfeld's work on the Tasman is that of the most 

 scientific interest, and his book (pubhshed in German) is, I 

 believe, a valuable work to those interested in glacial pheno- 

 mena, whilst the map which he made is (with the exception of 

 one glaring error— viz., the com-se of the Linda Glacier) a 

 wonderfully correct and beautiful chart of the glacier and its 

 tributaries and surrounding peaks. 



Some obsei-vations for altitude, taken at the tenninals of 

 the Eangitata glaciers by the Hon. J. B. A. Acland dm-ing a 

 course of twenty years from 1860, ai-e very interesting, and 

 tend to show that the glaciers ai-e receding. The more inter- 

 esting of Mr. Acland's observations go to show that in 1866 

 the altitude at the terminal face of the Clyde Glacier was 

 3,239ft., and that the point above, where the clear- ice was lost 

 in the moraine, was 1,057ft. higher. In 1867 this point was 

 980ft. above the terminal, and in 1871 only 752ft., thus show- 

 ing a shrinkage of 305ft. in altitude between these two points 

 in a period of five years. In 1880 Mr. Acland again visited 

 the glacier, but, while being unable to take anv measurements. 



