306 Essays. ■ 



In 1845, Darwin's Yoyage of a Katuralist was publislied, witli some 

 account of tlie geology of the Bay of Islands. 



In tlie year 1855, Br. C. Forbes, E.N., of H.M.S. "Pandora," con- 

 tributed a valuable paper to tbe Greological Society on the geology of New 

 Zealand. 



In 1856, tlie Eev. E. Taylor, of Wauganui, published bis work on New 

 Zealand and its inhabitants, which contains the results of his long geological 

 experience. 



In 1859, Dr. Thomson's Story of New Zealand was published, in which 

 he refers instructively to the geology of the colony, and describes some 

 points of great interest. In the same year Dr. Hochstetter arrived in New 

 Zealand, in the I. and H. Austrian frigate "Novara," and commenced that 

 investigation of the Provinces of Auckland and Nelson which has resulted 

 in the valuable contributions to science now before the public. In this 

 investigation he w"as assisted by the present government geologist of Can- 

 terbury, Dr. Julius Haast. 



In the Province of Wellington, Mr. William Lyon has done miich during 

 a long series of years to advance the cause of geology, and Mr. Thomas 

 Dawson Triphook has investigated the rocks of the Province of Hawke Bay. 

 Erom him, in the year 1860, I obtained a valuable " tabular view " of the 

 rocks of that province. 



Having now brought^down these observations on our previous knowledge 

 of the North Island rocks, I will state that for the purpose of this essay I 

 shall principally make use of the results of Hochstetter's investigations in 

 the Province of Auckland, and my own observations in the southern part 

 of the island, while engaged as government geologist of the Province of 

 Wellington, from the year 1861 to 1864. In this investigation I received 

 valuable assistance from the Bev. W. B. Clarke, of Sydney, whose zeal for 

 the advancement of geological knowledge is so well known. 



As a considerable portion of the North Island of New Zealand has never 

 been subjected to a systematic geological investigation, many parts of it still 

 require to be scientifically examined ; and as indeed too short a period has 

 been devoted to the study of any one part of the island, I can do no more 

 than collate all the evidence that is already before the world on the subject 

 — ^^^hich is, at all events;, considerable, and amply sufficient to give a good 

 general idea of the age and character of the rocks, and of the changes which 

 have taken place in them. 



In the North Island there appears to be an absence of the older crystal- 

 line and plutonic rocks, and the various formations appear to be principally 

 composed of a flooring of palaeozoic age, overlaid in general by sedimentary 

 tertiary rocks, which cover an extensive area (comprising about half the 



