28 Historical Notes on the 



For several miles we travelled over these huge moraines, often deeply 

 cut into bv small mountain torrents, and then reached the banks of 

 the River Jollie near its junction with the Tasman, as I named this 

 broad and rapid river. The descent into the bed of the former river 

 was not accomplished without considerable difficulty, as we had to take 

 the heavily packed horses down very steep and high banks where one 

 false step would have endangered their lives. On some roohes moatonnees 

 standing here above the morainic accumulations we obtained the first 

 full view of the upper valley of the Tasman. It was towards evening 

 when this grand sight first burst upon us. The majestic forms of 

 Mount Cook, Mount Haidinger, of the Moorhouse range, and many 

 other wild craggy peaks covered with snow and ice, rose in indescribable 

 grandeur before us, and whilst their summits were gilded by the last 

 rays of the sun, the broad valley of the Tasman river with its numerous 

 meandering channels was already enveloped in deep purple shade. It 

 was a moment of extreme delight never to be forgotten. Crossrng the 

 Jollie we camped on the other side on a fine grass flat, on which groves 

 of gigantic " "Wild Irishman" trees were growing, and prepared our- 

 selves for a passage over the river. In order to carry as many pro- 

 visions as possible, every horse had been packed, we were therefore 

 obliged to attempt the crossing of the swift river on foot, the rushing 

 dirty waters of which were divided here into a great many channels, 

 over a river-bed more than a mile wide. 



Hitherto the upper portion of the valley itself had been concealed 

 from us by a bold ice-grooved mountain spur, which advanced into the 

 river-bed on the left bank, but after crossing a small branch near it we 

 rounded this promontory, and a panorama of stupendous dimensions 

 was lying before us. The valley, more than two miles broad, continued 

 its straight course for about twenty-five miles, but ten miles above our 

 position the terminal face of a gigantic glacier filled it from side to side. 

 For more than fifteen miles the eye could follow the course of this 

 enormous ice stream up to the vast snowfields, in which the noble 

 mountains at the head of the valley were almost entirely enveloped. 

 Al;ine peaks appeared everywhere glistening with snow and ice,frowning 

 rocky precipices furrowing their sides, and, above them all, the bold and 

 majestic form of Mount Cook stood out conspicuously. This was still 

 more striking as this glorious mountain rises abruptly in the foreground 

 for more than 10,000 feet above the broad valley, and on its western 

 Banks it is also separated from its southern continuation by a low snow 

 saddle. After this low saddle the Moorhouse range rises again to a 



