158 



REPORT — 1891. 



the old glacier rested, of which the old moraiue-stones are now 

 found at the south end of Lake Pukaki, it follows that the rate 

 at which it travelled was probably very much less than the 

 velocity of the Mueller Glacier at the present day, and conse- 

 quently it probably took even a longer period to bring the 

 moraine-stones to the place where they are now found than 

 the time assigned to them. 



The survey of the Murchison Glacier was only undertaken 

 this season. Mr. Brodrick reports that — 



"The terminal face of this glacier is situated about five 

 miles north-east of the lateral moraine of the Tasman Glacier ; 

 it is 3,308ft. above sea-level. The ice-face above the outlet 

 of the river is 193ft. high. The Murchison river-bed is a 

 very smooth one, with a fall of about 100ft. to a mile ; 

 while the average fall of the Tasman Kiver, of which the 

 Murchison is an affluent, is only 23ft. per mile to the 

 Pukaki Lake. In the valley vegetation grows at an alti- 

 tude of about 6,000ft., and dense scrub at 4,000ft. In its 

 present state the country, even were it accessible to stock, 

 which it is not, is valueless, though on patches wdiich had 

 been burnt a fine native grass resembling Italian rye was 

 growing luxuriantly. No plants which are not common to 

 other parts of the mountains were to be found except an alpine 

 variety of anise, wdiich I do not remember having seen before. 

 A stratum of bright-red rock crops up in several places along 

 the Liebig Eange. I have shown it by a red mark in five 

 different places, the first just opposite the terminal face of the 

 Murchison, the last high on the range nearly in line with the 

 northern portioTi of the bulge of the Tasman Glacier. It is 

 also visible between Mount Blackburn and Trig. T. The speed 

 of the Murchison was obtained by ranging the line (marked on 

 tracing) from the spur above the Dixon Glacier. The numbers 

 along the line represent the rods set. They were put in on the 

 29th December, and were reset tvv^o days afterwards. The 

 average rate for twenty-four hours was, — 



