Hutton. — On the Lower Gorge of the Waimakariri. 449 



Tellurium Minerals. 



In October, Dr. Hector received from Mr. Pond two specimens obtained 

 from the Maria Mine, Karangahake, and the Moa Mine, Te Aroha, which 

 yielded respectively to Mr. Pond's assay : — 



Silver. Gold. 



Maria Mine . . . . 447 oz. 10 dwt. Trace. 



Moa Mine .. .. 3,928 oz. 234 oz. 5 dwt. per ton. 



These minerals were subsequently tested for Tellurium by Mr. Skey, 

 with the result that in each case its presence in considerable quantities was 

 proved, and from that from the Moa Mine the Tellurium was isolated. 



In the case of the Maria Mine the Tellurium is evidently in combina- 

 tion with silver, and the mineral is accordingly Hessite ; but at the Moa 

 Mine the presence of gold, in the proportion of 1 gold to 16-5 silver, would 

 indicate that the mineral must be Petzite if the gold is in combination with 

 the Tellurium, or Hessite if the gold occurs in an uncombined state. 



This is the first instance of Tellurium being found in New Zealand, and 

 is therefore of special interest. 



Art. LI. — On the Lower Gorge of the Waimakariri. 

 By Captain P. W. Hutton. 



[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 15th November, 1883.] 

 A triangular portion of the Canterbury Plains projects into the mountains 

 jusfc north of the Malvern Hills. On the north it is bounded by Mount 

 Torlesse, on the south-west by the Malvern Hills, to the east it merges into 

 the main portion of the plains. This triangular portion of the plains slopes 

 rather rapidly to the east, being at an elevation of 1,400 or 1,500 feet at the 

 base of Mount Torlesse, and falling, in a distance of ten or twelve miles, to 

 about 800 feet at the eastern end of the Malvern Hills and at West Oxford. 

 The even surface of the plain is broken by deeply terraced valleys of the 

 rivers that run through it, and by several small hills situated towards the 

 eastern margin. Two of these hills— Eacecourse Hill and Little Eacecourse 

 Hill— near the south-east corner of the triangle, are entirely composed of 

 rounded shingle like that of the plains, and remind one of the Eskers of 

 Ireland or the Karnes of Scotland. I have not closely examined Eacecourse 

 Hill, but Little Eacecourse Hill contains large angular erratic blocks 

 washed out of some former morainic deposit, and now completely mixed up 

 with river shingle, but there is no boulder clay. 



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