Geological Survey of Canterbury. 31 



me to describe in adequate words . the majestic scenery by which we 

 were surrounded ; the weird mountain chains with their crowning peaks 

 in stately forms, and numerous tributary glaciers on their flanks, often 

 broken into innumerable seracs, of which the glorious ice cascade of the 

 Hochstetter glacier was the most conspicuous, and the wide ice stream 

 itself carrying slowly its enormous load of debris to its terminal face, 

 crevassed and with deep ponds all around us — all this impressed our 

 minds with deep admiration. But the magnificent pyramid of Mount 

 Cook or Ao-rangi, stood high above all, towering into the sky. 

 As far as the eye could reach everywhere snow and ice and 

 rock appeared around us, and in such gigantic proportions that I 

 sometimes thought I was dreaming, and instead of being in New 

 Zealand I found myself in the Arctic or Antarctic mountain regions. 

 In returning to our camp, keeping to the western side of the glacier 

 we discovered lying amongst the western lateral moraine deep below 

 us, three very pretty lagoons, their water of an intense blue colour, 

 unruffled by any breeze, and enlivened by numerous Paradise ducks, 

 forming a pleasing contrast to the wild and desolate scenery around us. 



The next day was devoted to an examination of the terminal face of 

 the great glacier, along which we intended to measure a base line. 

 Following along the base of the morainic accumulations for about a 

 mile no ice was visible ; we then came to a depression on the surface of 

 the glacier, the terminal face retreating here for about fifty yards, and 

 now exhibiting a vertical wall of ice about 50 feet high and one hundred 

 vards broad. However, although a little water was trickling down, 

 there was no outlet, but a deep and wide channel in the shingle deposits 

 in front proved that in heavy rain a large stream must rush down here 

 in a cascade which received its principal supply from the broad channel 

 on the top of the glacier. After this short space of visible ice the 

 morainic accumulations concealed it again till we reached the eastern 

 termination of the glacier, when the united outlets of the Murchison 

 and Tasman glaciers hurried along their muddy waters in a broad and 

 deep torrent. The glacier vault, situated about one hundred and fifty 

 yards above the terminal face of the Tasman glacier, was rather low and 

 insignificant, considering the considerable amount of water issuing 

 from it. We had taken two horses with us, so that in case we were 

 obliged to cross any outlet we could do so, and it may be easily 

 imagined that we were not a little astonished to ride thus all along th e 

 terminal face of one of the most gigantic glaciers in the Temperate 

 Zone for more than one mile and a half without meeting with any water 



