122 Historical Notes on the 



ponds, reached at last the upper end of Lake Coleridge. Crossing the 

 small ice-worn ridge, "by which its shores are here formed, we entered 

 the large Rakaia valley, where the glacial phenomena hecame more 

 sinip 1 e but of a still grander character. Before reaching the 

 Hon. John Hall's station, we at last crossed the remnants of the 

 lowest moraine wall, of which traces have been preserved, stretching 

 frcm the eastern foot of Mount Hutt to the Hororata river, and 

 forming a large semicircle with a radius of eight miles. On November 

 10th we reached town again, and, after calculating the principal altitudes 

 along the whole route, from the numerous meteorological observations 

 made by me, as well as from corresponding ones taken in Christehurch 

 and Hokitika, I presented on November 18th my report on that 

 journey to the Provincial Groverninent, giving also an analysis of the 

 altitudes obtained, a description of the principal features of the 

 country examined, and my views as to the value of the two passes. 

 This Report* was laid before the Provincial Council on October 18th, 

 and printed in Vol. XXIV. of the Journals of the Proceedings of the 

 Provincial Council. Another reportf was furnished by me in December 

 to the Secretary for Public "Works, on the "West Coast goldfields, prin- 

 cipally in reference to that portion which might be used for agricultural 

 and pastoral purposes. The latter was laid before the Provincial 

 Council on December 19th, 1865, and printed in the same volume 

 The great floods in the rivers of the Canterbury plains at Christmas, 

 1865, during which a portion of the Waimakariri flood-waters entered 

 the Avon, gave rise to several visits to that river, for the purpose of 

 examining its bed and the ancient channels on the lower fan, and, 

 although no written report was furnished, I was repeatedly consulted on 

 tbe subject by the Provincial Government. A Board of Conservators 

 was instituted, under whose superintendence such well-devised works, 

 for the protection of the lower plains, were executed, that since then, 

 no serious overflow has taken place. 



Tiest Visit to [Middle "Waipaea — 1866. 

 Before starting again for a longer journey into the Southern Alps, I 

 wished to examine the interesting region of the Middle Waipara 

 where, for some years past, Saurian bones and skeletons had been 



* Tables of Altitude from Christehurch to Hokitika, by Arthur's and Browning's Pass, with notes 

 and observations on the physical features of Browning's Pass. By the Provincial Geologist. 



t Eeport of the Provincial Geologist in continuation of Correspondence relative to the disposal 

 of Waste Land within the Goldfields on the West Coast. 



