1864.] HAAST — CANTEKBirilT, NEW ZEALAND. 133 



4. Notes to a Sketch-map of the Province of Canterbuky, New 

 Zealand, shoiving the Glaciaxion dwring the Pleistocene and 

 Recent Periods as far as explored. By Julius Haast, Ph.D., 

 P.L.S., F.Gr.S., of the Geological Survey of Canterbury, New 

 Zealand. 



(With Appendix.) 



During the last four years I have occupied the autumn months in 

 tracing some of the rivers of this Province to their glacial sources, 

 hitherto entirely unknown. The accompanying map, which is a 

 reduction of a larger one, shows the principal results which I have 

 already described, in their geographical relations, in a paper read 

 last March before the Royal Geographical Society of London. 



Although the size of the principal glaciers is enormous, considering 

 the narrowness of the central chain, the astonishment of the geolo- 

 gical observer increases on meeting everywhere the signs of a still 

 more considerable glaciation during the Pleistocene period. 



It is not my intention to enter here into a detailed description of 

 this most remarkable feature of our Alpine regions, for I hope to 

 lay this at some future time before the Society, as this ancient gla- 

 ciation will illustrate in a remarkable manner many subjects of 

 the highest interest, being generally very distinct and undisturbed ; 

 but I may be allowed to point out some of the most striking phe- 

 nomena. 



The central range runs nearly from north-east to south-west 

 through this island, and the lakes on both sides of it lie in the same 

 line of direction. Most of the valleys are straight, and very little 

 inferior in breadth to the lakes where the former Pleistocene glacier 

 terminated. Most of these valleys run from north to south. 



According to information received from Mr. Arthur Dobson, my 

 former assistant, who is at present surveying the western slopes 

 of the central chain of the Province, all the principal glaciers and 

 valleys, from Mt. Hooker on the south to Mt. Tyndall on the north, 

 strike in a north and south direction. 



The west coast, at the same time, near the highest part of the 

 central range, is formed by the remains of huge moraines ; the pro- 

 montories of Abut Head, Bald Head, &c., of frontal moraines. 



In the map I have only shown those Newer Pleistocene glaciers 

 which have left clear traces behind them, whilst it is evident that, 

 in an epoch anterior to them, they extended much further and lower ; 

 this is proved by small remnants which exist in several locaUties. 



The CanterbuLry Plains are the accumulations of the outlets of the 

 Pleistocene glaciers, and the (Deltaic) subaerial deposits of torrents 

 falling, in the average, fifty feet to the mile, from the foot of the 

 ranges to the sea. 



The following are the distances of the Pleistocene glaciers from 

 the points in the central chain from which they took their rise : — 



