100 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
I append a table of Taieri River floods, data from Dunedin Meteoro- 
logical Observatory ; also a map of the Taieri Basin (pl. XI.) 
Dae el a 
1867—November 19th to December Ist... N.W. to N.E. - 4002 
1868—January 29th to February 8th .. N.E. to S.W. 5-246 
1876—January 22nd to 24th .. at S. to 8.W. 4-960 
1877—February 2nd to 9th ns o N.E. to 8.W. 6-200 
1879—March 24th to April 1st .. és N.E. to W. 4-728 
» Sune2sthto30th.. .. .. S.E. to 8. 4:560 
Arr. VI.—On the Reclamation of Waste River Beds. 
By A. D. Dosson, F.G.S. 
[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 2nd June, 1881.] 
One of the most striking features of the Canterbury Plains is the great area 
of ground occupied by the shingle beds of the rivers, an area quite out of 
proportion to the size of the rivers were they confined so as to flow in one 
deep channel instead of spreading as they now do in numerous shallow 
streams over their wide shingle beds. ; 
From the Waipara to the Rangitata the area of the shingle beds is at 
least 100,000 acres, one half of which would be amply sufficient for the 
water-way were the rivers properly regulated. Not only do the rivers 
occupy a much greater area than is at all necessary for the water-way, but 
in the lower part of their courses they are continually filling up their beds 
with the shingle brought down from the mountains, and cutting fresh 
channels in the adjoining lands, thus destroying valuable property, and — 
being @ continual source of expense and anxiety to those who live on their 
banks. 
The Waimakariri in Canterbury, and the Wairau in Marlborough, are 
well-known illustrations of this statement. 
All rivers have a tendency to raise their beds in the lower part of their 
courses, this action being slowest when fine silt only is brought down, such 
as that deposited by the Nile and Mississippi, and most rapid in shingle- 
bearing torrents, such as our own rivers. 
Even in the case of large rivers with long courses and little fall, the rise 
of the river bed, and often the adjoining overflowed country, is more rapid — 4 | 
than would be expected by a casual observer. From long before the 
historical period, the Nile has been steadily raising its bed, but as its 
ig coats ees ie peters 
a a a i ee 
