Canterbury and Westland. 207 



-eastern slopes of Mount Martius and of the Agassiz range. The Mathias, 

 containing much less water than the Eakaia, has advanced with its fan 

 considerably towards the main stream. At the same time, a very large 

 shingle cone of the Chhnaera creek, several miles in extent in each 

 direction, preserving the base of Mount Algidas from the encroach- 

 ment of the Eakaia, has given existence to extensive swamps, which 

 are impassable for man or horse. Similar swampy tracts exist in 

 nearly all our rivers, below the junction of an important branch. The 

 main river itself, at its junction with the Mathias, flows in a narrower 

 channel than usual along the northern base of Double Hill, but being 

 bounded also on its northern side by rocks, which rise in an isolated 

 hill to an altitude of 30 to 40 feet above the river, another instance 

 that running water, when lowering its bed, will more easily cut through 

 the solid rock than remove the beds of shingle deposited during the 

 raising of its bed in an anterior epoch. Having passed Groat Hill, the 

 hitherto easterly course of the Eakaia becomes now for eight miles 

 east-south-east. 



The Wilberforce, which, after the Eakaia, is the most important 

 source branch of the whole river system, drains, together with its tribu- 

 taries, a considerable portion of the Southern Alps, beginning at Mount 

 Oollet and reaching to Mount Harman, or a length of about fourteen 

 miles. The main sources of the Wilberforce drain the eastern slopes 

 of the Hall range and the western slopes of Mount Harman, 

 both bordering the alpine depression called Browning's Pass 

 (4752 feet), the lake on the summit of which forms, how- 

 ever, the main source of the Arahura (Westland) . For seven miles 

 the direction of the Wilberforce, which so far has the character of 

 a true mountain torrent, is nearly south, after which it is joined 

 by two other branches, the principal one turning to the west, I 

 named the Stewart. Another minor one joins the main valley 

 opposite, having its glacier sources in the cluster of ice-clad mountains, 

 where lie also the sources of the Waimakariri, and of the Avoca, the 

 main branch of the Harper. Between the junction of the eastern 

 creek (Sebastopol creek) and the Wilberforce, Sebastopol rock is 

 situated ; it is remarkably ice-worn, showing that the large ice-masses 

 from the three valleys, uniting here into one stupendous trunk glacier, 

 were so gorged that for 2000 feet above the present river-bed the 

 pressure on the surrounding mountain sides was enormous. 



The Stewart has its principal glacier source (3584 feet) near those 

 of the Mathias; its bed is generally broad, and no difficulties are 



