Crawford.— On the great Cook Strait Hirer. 449 



when the land stood at a higher level We find the series of sounds and inlets 

 on the south side of the strait, Queen Charlotte Sound, Pelorus Sound,* etc., 

 with a depth of from ten to thirty fathoms. These sounds must have been 

 originally excavated by fresh water, and what are now arms of the sea must 

 have been river valleys. A rise in the level of 200 feet would again convert 

 them into valleys. 



The deepest sounding in Cook Strait that I can find on the chart is 

 178 fathoms. Therefore a rise in the land of 1100 feet would shut out the 

 sea, and lay the strait dry. Let us consider what the effect of this would be, 

 supposing the rise to be uniform over the whole plateau. The highest point of 

 the newly-reclaimed land would be between Cape Farewell and Taranaki, 

 where the soundings vary from thirty-three to fifty fathoms. The run of 

 water would therefore be from there towards the south-east, reaching the 

 present sixty fathoms off D'Urville Island, and eighty- four fathoms off Kapiti. 

 In the narrow part of the strait the depth is greater than on either side. This 

 may be caused either by a convulsion of nature, or, by what is just as probable, 

 the scour of the narrow channel being deposited outside, probably to the east- 

 ward. In the narrows there appears to be an irregular bottom from 100 to 

 1 78 fathoms, while between Cape Campbell and Cape Palliser there is a depth 

 of ninety-nine fathoms. It is clear that, on the before named supposition, the 

 great Cook Strait River must have run to the eastward. If we consider the 

 extent of its tributaries, we must suppose a very large river. 



Say on the north we commence with the Patea river. We have next the 



tehu, the Turakina, the Rangitikei, 

 the Manawatu, the Otaki, the Hutt, the Ruamahunga. On the south we 

 should have all the streams flowing from Massacre Bay, Tasman Gulf, the 

 sounds of Pelorus and Queen Charlotte, and the Wairau river. 



Suppose we carry the argument still further, and imagine a general rise of 

 the New Zealand plateau to the point of emergence, so that we should join on 

 the Chatham and Campbell Islands. "What rise might be required I do not 

 know, for I am not aware that soundings have been taken. In that case we 



Wh 



joined 



Marlborough rivers, from the Waitaki 



all 



The two systems combined would form a river worthy of a large continent. 



there 



than 



At the time when a large part of Europe emerged from the ocean, a corres- 



pondin 



It is by no means 



* Pelorus Sound is called a river. It has more of the characteristics of a sound, and 



is difficult to classify, being neither properly river, nor sound, nor frith. 



12 



