Notices of Memoirs — Glacial Progress. 369 



alDsence of key maps, he omits tables, whicli would not be under- 

 stood without diaj^rams of the various localities. 



In the year 1892 an exploration was made in the hopes of finding 

 some practicable route for a road from the west coast, Middle 

 Island, New Zealand, across the main range to "The Hermitage." 

 Although this object was not completely attained, materials for 

 a survey of the country were collected, and a map by Mr. 0. E. 

 Douglas, explorer, Westland, is published in the Eeport for 1893 of 

 the New Zealand Surveyor- General, as also a sketch of the geological 

 formation of Copland District and sundry inspiring views of glaciers 

 and peaks. Messrs. Douglas and Cuttance describe the Copland, 

 Lyttle, Strauchon, and Cuttance glaciers amongst other features of 

 the scenery. 



In the Report for 1894 Mr. Douglas gives an account of a survey 

 of the Westland Alps, with the assistance of Mr. A. P. Harper, from 

 November, 1893, to April, 1894. On this expedition a satisfactory 

 triangulation was carried up several glaciers. In the case of Franz- 

 Joseph Glaciei-, points in its neighbourhood and on the ice itself 

 were determined in sufficient number to afford data for estimating 

 its future movements and bulk. This will serve as a typical glacier 

 on the north-west side of the range. Its "snout," 692 feet only above 

 the sea, is but four miles distant from the beach, in lat. 43° 25' 30" S., 

 and long. 170° 10' 58" E. It has made great winter advance and 

 summer retreat. Debris from lateral ranges have lodged in crevasses 

 of the higher layers of ice, which further down have become the 

 lower layers, the upper ice pushing over the lower, — as is exemplified 

 in photographs to be found in the library of the Alpine Club — 

 showing itself in alternate clear and dirty ice. The upper \qq 

 overlaps and breaks off at the terminal face, as also shown in the 

 photographs. Other illusti'ations and maps will be seen in the Survey 

 Keport for 1894, together with a text full of interest. Over one 

 matter the writer has been much exercised. Mr. A. P. Harper gives, 

 at page 77, a table of rates of ice movement during his stay. Au 

 average of his figures at diff'erent stations gives the daily rate as 

 154-2 inches. But five other entries are so different, being 5", 30", 

 63", 23-6", and 7-28", that to strike a mean of these figures would 

 evidently mislead. They refer to distances from the sides of the 

 glacier. At page 73 Mr. Douglas makes a statement of considerable 

 interest to students of ancient glaciers. He says : " In valleys con- 

 taining large glaciers I have always found four tiers of terraces, or 

 old ice-lines, as if there had been four distinct periods. These lines 

 keep a wonderfully regular distance from each other, and their 

 inclination is very uniform, from, say, 4000 feet to 600 feet or 

 700 feet The larger the valley the more gentle the slope." 



Mr. T. N. Brodrick, C.E., sent a paper, accompanied with four 

 maps, to the writer. The most important part of Mr. Brodrick's 

 work is a triangulation and survey carried up the Mueller glacier, 

 during which were determined, not only the position of stones on 

 the ice relatively to stations on the huge lateral moraines, but the 

 distance and bearings of many such blocks from each other. These 



DECADE IV. VOL. II. — NO. VIII. 24 



