Geological Survey oj Canterbury. 59 



Malvern Hills Coalfields, 1863. 



Since my last surveys in the Malvern Hills and the adjacent district, 

 considerable discussions had taken place, as to the value of the 

 different fields, and as to the quantity and quality of coal in each, 

 therefore, by direction of his Honor the Superintendent, Samuel 

 Bealey, Esq., I proceeded at the end of August, 1863, to that district, 

 and examined once more the detached basin behind the Fourteen 

 Mile Bush range, near the sources of Macfarlane's stream, visiting on 

 my return the works of the Kowai Coal Mining Company. However, 

 the latter having been abandoned for some time, I was not able to 

 obtain a great deal of additional information on them. The results of 

 these new examinations, together with a former report* on the same 

 district, were published in a New Zealand G-overnment Gazette, 

 Province of Canterbury, on September 23rd, 1863. 



Building Stones, 1864. 

 According to instructions received from the Provincial Government, 

 to examine the districts around Christchurch, for the purpose of fixing 

 the principal localities whence good building materials were available, 

 I first visited Banks Peninsula, where I inspected all localities in which 

 quarries had already been opened, and afterwards noted a considerable 

 number of places where good building stones might be obtained advan- 

 tageously. During these examinations I ascended all the principal 

 peaks on Banks Peninsula, noted the main geological features, and 

 studied the rather complex structure of that interesting volcanic 

 system. Having accomplished this object, I proceeded to the Malvern 

 Hills, where I examined a great number of localities, where building 

 stones of fine quality and other rocks of economic value could be 

 obtained, collecting a number of specimens in illustration. During 

 this journey I ascended Mount Torlesse, Big Ben in the Thirteen 

 Mile Bush range, and several other mountain summits, and being in 

 the right season of the year, reaped a rich harvest of plants, amongst 

 which were several new species, not before collected by me. During 

 the month of January, 1864, I finally visited the Waipara and Weka 

 Pass districts, and examined the large deposits of rocks possessing 

 economic value, which cover there a considerable portion of the country. 



* Eeports of the Provincial Geologist on the Coal Measures and lignitiferous beds of the River 

 Kowai. 



