192 CAPT. F. W. HTJTTOIf ON THE 



by changes in the obliquity of the ecliptic, or by any purely cosmical 

 cause -whatever, must find its parallel in New Zealand, and, con- 

 sequently, New Zealand is to Europe a base of verification for all 

 such-like hypotheses. 



The geology of New Zealand has been studied for the last twenty- 

 five years, and a great deal is known about it. Yaluable memoirs 

 on various detached districts will be found in the ' Quarterly Jcurnal,'^ 

 in Dr. Hochstetter's works, in the ' Transactions of the New Zea- 

 land Institute,' and in the records of the geological survey's of the 

 colony. In the official 'Handbook of New Zealand' (2nd ed., 

 "Wellington, 1883), Dr. Hector has given a geological map of the 

 island, and an excellent summary of the distribution of the different 

 formations and their principal fossil contents : but, up to the pre- 

 sent, no one has attempted to describe the geology of New Zealand 

 as a whole. I have therefore thought that, as during the last 

 eighteen years I have travelled over the greater part of both the 

 North and South Islands, from the Bay of Islands to Foveaux 

 Straits, it might be useful to offer to the Society a slight sketch of 

 the general geological structure of the country. 



Tor those places which I have not personally examined I have 

 used the observations of others ; but in all such cases I have given 

 my authority and a reference to the publication in which it will 

 be found. Several of the opinions expressed are not universally 

 agreed to by other New-Zealand geologists. I merely state my 

 own views, which may be wrong, but which have been arrived at by 

 a long and conscientious study of New-Zealand geology. The chief 

 point of difference between the Survey and myself, I have already 

 discussed in a paper which I have had the honour to submit to the 

 Society*. On this point I have always followed Dr. von Hochstetter, 

 and have never consented to the removal of the Aotea series and 

 the brown coals of the ^'aikato from the Oligocene into the Cretaceo- 

 Tertiary formation of Dr. Hector, where they are grouped with the 

 Saurian beds of the Waipara, and with the Coal-measures of Pakawau, 

 near Nelson. The other points of difference are of minor impor- 

 tance ; and I have not thought it advisable to discuss them here, as 

 discussion would be out of place in a mere sketch like the present. 



GKOTJPDfG OF THE EoCKS. 



The geology of a district can be studied quite irrespective of any 

 other part of the world. We can group its rocks by means of un- 

 conformities (stratigraphical and palaeontological) into systems and 

 series, and after having made out its geological history, we can com- 

 pare it with that of other parts of the world by endeavouring to 

 refer the systems and series to their probable equivalents in Europe. 

 On the other hand, we may commence by trying to refer the rocks 

 of the district to their European equivalents, and refrain from 

 giving names to the local systems. The first plan has been adopted 



* " On the Geological Position of the Weka-pass Stone." Eead 25th June, 

 1884, but not yet published. 



