SuTHERLAND.—On Discoveries near Milford Sound. 455 
valley being bounded on either hand and closed at its upper end by high 
and excessively rugged mountains, presenting some of the most remarkable 
scenery to be met with in the whole district. 
The mountains on the north-east side of the valley are specially striking, 
and have been called by their explorers the Balloon Mountains. From the 
river valley these rise as vertical precipices to a height of 5,000 feet, and 
attain an altitude between 8,000 and 9,000 feet above sea-level. It is here 
that the Sutherland Falls are situate, which have a height of 500 feet, a 
considerable volume of water being precipitated from that height in an 
almost unbroken sheet into the valley where this is not more than 800 feet 
above sea-level. At the source of the more westerly branch of the river, a 
pass was discovered leading in the direction of the head of Bligh Sound, by 
which it is hoped communication may be established with some of the 
western arms of Te Anau Lake. 
It seems certain from Maori report that by this way an available route 
exists, but as yet no European has reached Te Anau Lake, starting from 
Milford Sound,—or Milford Sound from the other end of the journey. : 
It is, however, probable that a route this way to Milford Sound was 
known to the Maoris, as on several points of it traces of temporary or more 
permanent camps have been discovered. 
It is not with the results of these explorations that this paper more par- 
ticularly deals, but with those of subsequent date made on the coast-line 
between Milford and Bligh Sounds. 
Highteen months ago McKay left Milford Sound, and Mr. Sutherland 
has since, for the most part, explored single-handed. A few days since he 
passed through Wellington and gave me an account of his later discoveries 
which, in his own words, is as follows :— 
* During the month of October last I made an attempt to reach the top 
of Mitre Peak following the valley on its south side, hoping thus to gain the 
top of the ridge connecting the Mitre with the Llawrenny Peaks to the south. 
In this I failed, as the upper end of the valley is surrounded by precipices 
or smooth rock surfaces, sloping at high angles on which no footing could 
be found. The upper end of this valley is considerably wider than the 
middle and lower part forming a semi-circular basin surrounded by precipices 
as pronounced on the side next the Llawrenny Peaks as towards the Mitre. 
“Towards the upper end of the valley blocks of marble occur in. the 
detritus covering the low grounds, but marble was nowhere observed i» siti. 
There is also considerable quantity of the purer hornblende rock of which 
samples had formerly been obtained in the lower part of this valley. 
“I next determined to examine the coast-line south of the entrance to 
Milford Sound, and as weather availed used the boat for this purpose. 
Landing two miles south of Fox Point, at the mouth of a valley running 
