Haast. — Recent JEarthqualces on Land and Sea. 151 



Before, however, leaving this part of the subject, I wish to state a few 

 facts observed in or near Lyttelton Harbour, so as to preserve them from 

 oblivion. 



A skeleton buoy, placed near the breakwater in course of construction, 

 and attached to an anchor of 4 cwt., was removed up the harbour, during 

 the rush of the water, for a distance of half a mile, with anchor and chain, 

 thus showing the enormous force of the wave. 



I may observe at the same time that it would be interesting to find, by 

 soundings in well known spots, if that harbour has not been deepened to 

 some measurable extent, as the vehemence with which the water rushed in 

 and out must have been able to remove a great quantity of the fine silt or 

 mud of which the bottom of that harbour is formed. It appears from the 

 accounts given to me by some of the passengers of the steamer " Taranaki," 

 which arrived in the morning of that memorable day in Lyttelton Harbour, 

 that when about thirty miles from that port, and approaching the peninsula, the 

 water of the sea became very muddy ; moreover, it was covered with drift- 

 wood, cut timber, and now and then with what-they supposed to be portions 

 of wrecks. Except a very strong N.E. swell, the steamer had not experienced 

 the least disturbance of the usual movement of the surface of the sea, and 

 therefore crew and passengers did not know how to account for this strange 

 and unusual appearance of the sea. At last they came to the conclusion 

 that a tremendous and destructive flood must have taken place inland, 

 similar to that which visited the interior of this island in February last, 

 when the sea had a similar discoloured appearance near land, carrying at the 

 same time an enormous amount of driftwood and remains of human 

 habitations and industry. 



Entering now into a consideration of the second subject of this paper — 

 the earthquakes experienced on the morning of the l7th — it would appear, at 

 least at a first consideration of its direction, that the focus of this disturbance 

 on land was situated near the spot where the earthquake waves in the sea 

 had radiated, as the direction of both was apparently the same. 



But when we examine the subject more closely, with the aid of the exact 

 time at which that shock was felt in different localities in New Zealand, 

 we shall at once find that it will not answer. We shall observe that the 

 vibrations of the ground advanced at such an enormous velocity, that the 



Jcainga near this spot, forming a favourite fishing station. The natives informed me that 

 the earthquake wave in the sea had not crossed this shingle bank ; in fact, they had not 

 observed any disturbance, but they felt distinctly the earthquake shock of the 17th August, 

 The lake, being near its highest level at the beginning of this month, broached the shingle 

 bank on the 8th or 9th.— 18th Sept., 1868. J. H, 



