410 Transactions. — Geology. 



their present positions ever since, yet that this re-elevation was not sufficiently- 

 great to cause the formation anew of glaciers in any parts of the range in 



which they do not now exist. 



Haast 



different, except in so far as he has associated the glaciation mentioned in his 

 report with an elevation of the land. As will be seen in the sequel, our first 

 great point of difference is as to the time when the glaciation to which the 

 glacier remains in question are referable took place ; for, whilst I contend that 

 it occurred during an elevation of the land commencing at the close of the 

 miocene, and in all probability continued during a large portion of the 

 pliocene period, he states that these islands were entirely submerged during 

 and until the close of the tertiary epoch, and that the glaciation mentioned in 

 his report (and of which he, also, considers the existing glaciers in the Mount 

 Cook valleys to be continuing remnants) began almost coincidently with the 

 re-emergence oi the land, increasing in intensity with increasing elevation. 



Our next great point of difference is as to the extent of the glaciation 

 itself, for, whilst I contend that it never exceeded that which would occur, in 

 the latitude of New Zealand, in a range of mountains averaging 14,000 feet 

 in height and exposed to physical conditions similar to those which now exist, 

 except, of course, in parts of the range which in the general rise of the land 

 would attain an elevation materially exceeding that altitude, Dr. Haast 

 contends that it was an universal glaciation, similar to that which now exists 

 in Greenland and in the antarctic lands. He tells us, indeed, in the report in 

 question (and throughout this paper I intend to quote his own words, merely 

 changing the present to the past tense where such a course will best fit in 

 with my own language), "that it was not necessary for him to give a picture 

 of the desolate aspect of the country in those pleistocene times, but that, when 

 recalling the descriptions of Greenland by Dr. Kane, and of other arctic and 

 antarctic explorers, it brought vividly before his mind that the South Island 

 during that era would have presented a very similar appearance; or (he 

 enquires) might it not more appropriately be compared to the inner Thibetan 

 glacier region as it at present exists V 



But differing materially, as we do, both as to the time at which the 

 glaciation in question occurred, and as to the dimensions which it attained, we 



origin and subsequent disapj 



ance. 



After having stated, as above extracted, the exact character of the glacia- 

 tion in which he alleges the South Island to have been involved, in pleistocene 

 times, the learned doctor proceeds to give the following as his views of the 

 " causes" which brought it about, and of those which afterwards led to its 

 extinction, heading that part of his report which is specially devoted to this 



