378 Proceedings. 
Seconp Meetine. 18th August, 1873. 
J. C. Crawford, F.G.S., Vice-President, in the chair. 
His Excellency Sir James Fergusson and about 30 members were present. 
1. “ Port Nicholson an ancient Fresh-water Lake," by J. C. Crawford, 
F.G.S. (Transactions, p. 290.) 
The Hon. Mr. Waterhouse wished to know whether any fresh-water 
shells had been found, or any evidence of glacial action. 
The author stated that fresh-water shells were mixed up with marine 
shells. ` He had observed no glacial marks. 
Mr. George pointed out that in the borings for the patent slip at Evans 
Bay no shells were found deeper than 2 feet below the surface. 
Dr. Hector described the character of the valley which descends from the 
Tararua Mountains, the lower part of which forms Wellington harbour, and 
said that he considered it а valley of erosion, and that there was no evidence 
of its ever having been occupied by the sea to a much greater extent than at 
present. Drifts belonging to earlier valley systems are to be found up to 
. 1,000 feet above the sea, but only on the west side of the harbour. The 
destruction of these showed that the harbour basin had been, at all events, 
greatly widened, if not also excavated, since these drifts were formed, and 
there was no reason to suppose that they, or any of the subsequently formed 
deposits that skirt the harbour, were of marine origin. Except the slight rise 
of the shore-line in very recent times, the most evident change has been the 
erosion by the sea of the ancient barrier across tbe outlet of the harbour. 
This was, no doubt, assisted by inequalities in the movement of the parallel 
ranges among which the harbour lies. Such inequalities of movement have 
actually been observed within the last thirty years, and their tendency appears to 
be to throw the outlet of the valley towards the east. He, therefore, on the 
whole, was inclined to agree with the author of the paper. 
Captain Hutton agreed with the author that the harbour had been hollowed 
out by sub-aerial denudation, but there was no evidence that it had ever 
formed a lake. The pleistocene beds, on which a large part of Wellington 
was built, were distinctly stratified, and therefore must have been deposited in 
still water; but they rose to a height of 150 feet above the sea level, and 
were continued uninterruptedly across to Island Bay. Wellington harbour 
had, therefore, geologically speaking, three openings, viz., the present entrance, 
-that between Evans and Lyall Bays, and that from Te Aro to Island Bay. But 
no lake can have more than one opening, consequently the pleistocene beds of 
Thorndon, Te Aro, and the cutting going down into Evans Bay, must be 
either marine, or else they must have been formed in a lake in which 
Mount Victoria and Miramar Peninsula stood as islands. “The latter 
