Travers.—On the Lake Districts of Province of Auckland. ° 9 
the water rises occupying positions almost in the centre of the separate 
masses. Here, as in other parts of the district where similar volcanic 
phenomena are exhibited, there is the like variety of effects: beautifully 
clear springs of almost tasteless boiling water, of the richest blue colour, 
being found in the closest contiguity to springs of boiling mud and to 
steaming fissures, emitting sulphurous and other malodorous gases of the 
most unpleasant kind; whilst, what had once been the surrounding rocks, 
have been converted, by long-continued exposure to the action of these 
forces, into masses of many-coloured clays. The low ground on the western 
side of the lake, upwards of a thousand acres in extent, contains innumerable 
boiling ponds, and geysers, steam holes and fissures, rendering it dangerous 
to attempt to pass, except along established tracks, through the fern and 
manuka serub with which it is covered, and, singular enough, it 1s found that 
by sinking for a few feet almost anywhere on this tract tabular masses of flinty 
deposit, similar to those which are now being formed by the existing boiling 
springs, are obtainable, indicating the enormous extent and long duration 
of the phenomena still exhibited within the same area. I think it not im- 
probable, moreover, that a third stratum of this material is to be found at a 
still greater depth. During my stay at Ohinemutu I sounded, as well as 
the difficulty of doing so would permit, one of the boiling mud wells on the 
flat in question. This well is about four feet in diameter, and the mud in 
it boils furiously, but does not overflow the surface. I found the depth to 
be little over 20 feet, and the sinker, except in one particular spot, inva- 
 riably rested on a hard but apparently flat surface. At the excepted spot 
there was evidently a small rugged fissure, for whenever the sinker reached 
it it sank a few inches and occasionally got entangled in it. I observed, 
also, that there was then a jerky motion in the string which I used, which 
led me to think that the boiling mud in the well rose through this fissure. 
On the surface of this well there was a greenish oily matter of which, as 
well as of the mud itself, I obtained a small quantity by skimming. The 
ground is so treacherous all round these wells that it was not without diffi- 
culty that I succeeded in sounding the one in question, and in obtaining the 
specimen of oil already referred to. I was informed by Mr. Wilson, the 
landlord of the hotel at which I stayed, that one of the clear-water ponds on 
this flat yields a water which removes almost every stain from soiled linen, 
without any injury to the fabric, and that it is, for this reason, used by 
all the European residents for washing purposes. In consequence of a 
heavy fall of rain on the previous day I was unable to visit this pond; but 
assuming that the water possesses the properties indicated, it would be useful 
to obtain a quantity of it for analysis, as in all probability its composition 
could easily be imitated to the great advantage of housekeepers. 
