223 



bury, where the shock was severe, no damage whatever was done ; nor do I 

 believe that, any tidal wave was noticed on the sea coast. A wave, however, 

 came up the Avon to within two miles of Christchurch. I was at the time 

 living close to the river, and heard the rushing sound of the water ; I did not 

 however know what it was until the next morning when I noticed that the 

 river weeds had been washed on to the grass, for about one foot in height. It 

 may be worth recording that a heavy rain from the north-west fell on the day 

 of the earthquake ; this is a very rare occurrence in the neighbourhood of 

 Christchurch. 



It is worthy of notice that earthquakes happened along the coast of South 

 Ameiica at the same time, and were felt by different ships at sea in the neigh- 

 bourhood of New Zealand. The earthquake waves in Palliser Bay were about 

 30 feet high, and showed a white crest although the night was cloudy ; they 

 succeeded the shocks. One family would certainly have been drowned had not 

 some sailor, who had been on the South American coast, recognized the 

 character of the approaching wave the moment it became visible. 



A remarkable wave was observed some time during the month of March, 

 1856, by Mr. Michael Studholme, who happened to be near the beach at the 

 mouth of the Waiho river. He saw the wave at some distance in the offing, 

 approaching from a south-easterly direction ; it was many feet in height and 

 broke with great violence on the beach, washing over into the lagoons which 

 there line the shore ; shortly after, on riding towards Timaru, he noticed the 

 effects on the beach at different places. It does not, however, appear to have 

 been noticed by any one at Timaru. 



I happened to be at Akaroa some day during that month, and whilst 

 engaged in surveying near low-water mark, was surprised to find the water 

 suddenly rise, which it continued to do for some minutes, and then again began 

 to ebb. I remember mentioning it at the time to some of the inhabitants of 

 Akaroa, but not thinking of earthquake waves we attributed it to a change of 

 wind in the offing sending in the tide before the proper time. This supposition 

 would not, however, account for the ebb again commencing, and I now believe 

 it was the same wave noticed by Mr. Studholme. 



The recent earthquake waves have been so fully and ably reported upon 

 by Captain Gibson, and our learned president, Dr. Haast, that it is not 

 necessary for me to add anything to their observations. 



Art. LVI. — On a series of Tables far facilitating the Calculations of Attitudes 

 from Barometrical Observations in Mountainous Countries ; with explana- 

 tions* By E. Dobson, C.E., Assoc. Inst. C. E. 



[Abstract, by the Assistant Secretary, of Paper read be/ore the Wellington Philosophical 

 Society, November 13, 1869.] 



The author commenced by explaining, that in the year 1865, when engaged in 

 exploring the Canterbury Alps, for the purpose of finding a route available for 

 the construction of a coach road, between the eastern portion of that province, 

 and the then newly-discovered goldfields on its western coast, the necessity 

 for such tables as he proposed to describe had been manifest to him. 



" The broken character of the country, and the denseness of the forests, 

 which stretch everywhere from the banks of the rivers up to the line of 



* The valuable tables appended to this paper, not being suitable for insertion in tins 

 volume, have been returned to the author for separate publication in a convenient form 

 for the use of engineers. — Ed. 



