Canterbury and Westland. 347 



the Seven Brothers, of which the two highest (the Knobs) reach an 

 altitude of 1880 feet. On the northern side of that pass Cass' Peak 

 rises to 1660 feet, and from here to Mount Pleasant (1615 feet), of 

 which the summit is situated behind Lyttelton, the caldera wall is 

 much broken, one of the principal saddles being the Bridlepath (1080 

 feet) formerly much used by riders and travellers on foot between 

 Lyttelton and Christchurch. Between Mount Pleasant and One-tree- 

 hill (2310 feet) on the southern side of Lyttelton Harbour, the 

 barranco or entrance passing through the caldera wall has been 

 formed. Separated from the last-mentioned mountain by a saddle 

 about 1200 feet high, appears Bhodes' Sugar Loaf (2005 feet), of 

 which the western continuation, after half a mile, disappears under 

 the slopes formed by the lava-streams of Mount Herbert. Then 

 follows the newer Mount Herbert and Castlehill system, terminating 

 in a precipitous slope on the western side of Kaituna Pass. Prom 

 here to the southern side of Gebbie's Pass opening, the older caldera 

 wall, rising again to a considerable altitude, continues without any 

 other break, falling abruptly towards that latter pass. 



We arrive now at the last stage of volcaDic action, of which any 

 clear signs have been preserved, and which again took place in the 

 very centre of Lyttelton Harbour. This time the new eruption was 

 doubtless of submarine origin. It appears that the country had sunk 

 gradually, at least 300 feet below the sea-level, when from the present 

 centre of Quail Island and in the neighbourhood, eruptions of basaltic 

 rocks repeatedly took place, the lava-streams being generally separated 

 by beds of conglomerate which were formed between the eruptions. 

 The magnificent sections open to our inspection on Quail Island give 

 us a good insight into the modus operandi, and I have added, on 

 plate ]STo. 6, two illustrations of them to those showing the more 

 general characteristics of Banks' Peninsula. The oldest portion of 

 that picturesque island, the vertical cliffs of which towards Lyttelton 

 form such a conspicuous feature, is its eastern side, where the 

 island narrows in the centre. Here a series of beds have been 

 preserved, with all the appearance of having been deposited close to 

 the mouth of a volcano. They consist of ashes, tufaceous beds, and 

 breccia, enclosing blocks and fragments of rock of all possible shapes, 

 but which have all undergone such considerable changes that their 

 lithological character has been considerably altered. There are many 

 fragments resembling porcelain jaspers, some are chalcedonic, others 

 are quartziferous porphyries, trachytes, and other eruptive or volcanic 



