126 Historical Notes on the 



protected by lofty ranges in front, many shrubs and annual and 

 perennial herbaceous plants, already in seed in other localities, were 

 here still in full bloom, and I was able to collect many interesting 

 specimens, of which several proved new to science. After half a mile 

 of slow and tiresome travelling through vegetation so dense, that it 

 often allowed us literally to walk on the top of the branches, we 

 descended again to the river-bed, and an equal distance of climbing over 

 huge boulders brought us to the shingle wall stretching across the 

 valley, and along which the river flows on the eastern side, issuing 

 from the central chain near the summit of the Pass. Even alpine 

 shrubs disappear here, and ascending the saddle, a close grown carpet- 

 like turf is found to cover the hill sides, except where shingle slips or 

 rocks occur. This turf, notwithstanding the lateness of the season, 

 was studded with innumerable flowers, mostly belonging to the orders 

 ManunculacecB, Composites, and Umoelliferce. Among them, a magnifi- 

 cent large Ranunculus, with yellow blossoms, was conspicuous ; since 

 described by Hooker as B. Godhyanus. A further ascent of about 40 

 feet over enormous blocks of rocks lying in a narrow channel, formed 

 by two taluses of debris, brought us on to the summit of the Pass. 

 The barometer at one o'clock read 25*94, thermometer 54*2 deg. It 

 was a magnificent day, only a few Cirrocumuli rose in the north, dis- 

 appearing soon amongst the wooded ranges forming the horizon 

 towards the TTest Coast. 



A considerable sized torrent descends on the western side of the 

 Pass into a shingle valley, it is nearly straight for about eight 

 miles, with occasional grassy flats on its banks. On both sides the 

 mountain chain rose majestically above the valley, mostly covered with 

 snow-fields, from which numerous glaciers descend, their outlets 

 swelling the body of this, the most important of the sources of the 

 Hokitika river. The contrast is very striking between these rugged 

 alpine ranges and the quiet outlines of the "West Coast mountains, 4000 

 to 5000 feet high, heavily timbered to their summits, which bounded 

 the horizon, and through which the river forces its way in a succession 

 of deep gorges. The stupendous mass of Mount "WTritcombe rises 

 here so steeply above the Pass, that only very little snow can cling to 

 its sides, making it appear still higher and wilder. The reading of the 

 barometer at that time in Hokitika, as I afterwards ascertained, 

 differed only from that at Christchurch by 0"01 inch, and a double set of 

 observations gave me, as mean result for the summit of the Pass, 4312 

 feet above the sea level. On skirting the wall of debris on the western 



