NEW ZEALAND. 407 



by deep and narrow ravines, clothed with a thick forest, except where 

 they terminate on the coast, and form a tolerably level spot of a few 

 acres in extent, available for cultivation. The forest consisted of an 

 abundance of fine timber, principally the Kaurie pine, from one 

 hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty feet in height, and 

 seven to eight feet in diameter. The fern was thick in patches, but 

 in no great variety; some scandent and parasitic plants were met with, 

 and a great number of flourishing ones observed ; but Mr. Couthouy 

 having no means for the purpose, was not enabled to secure any speci- 

 mens. He remarked that the vegetation appeared much more luxu- 

 riant and diversified than that of any country he had seen since 

 leaving Brazil. The soil is a rich black loam, composed of vegetable 

 mould and decomposed basalt; the structure of the rocks decidedly 

 columnar, exposing at the summit of the hills large masses of compact 

 dark gray basalt, containing numerous crystals of olivine, pyroxine, 

 and other volcanic minerals. At the base of the hill, the rock was 

 frequently a coarse cellular lava, and the beach was covered with 

 boulders of all these varieties. 



They next stopped at Pigeon Bay, but remained there only a few 

 hours ; the passengers who were in search of a position to establish 

 themselves, found this quite as unfavourable as either of the two pre 

 vious places. 



In passing to the northward, towards Cape Campbell, the coast is 

 high and broken, with no level land in the vicinity of the sea ; but 

 notwithstanding its abruptness, they found only fourteen fathoms of 

 water at a distance of four miles from the shore, with sandy bottom. 

 They had a fine view of the snowy peaks, called the " Lookers On," 

 about twenty miles to the southward. These are supposed to be 

 nearly as high as Mount Egmont, and tower up in sharp peaks, 

 covered with snow for fifteen hundred feet from the summit. The 

 land along this part of the coast is very rugged, is apparently un- 

 suited for any kind of cultivation, and has no harbours. Off Cape 

 Campbell, a line of rocks was seen extending to the eastward about a 

 league, which do not appear on the charts ; they are partly above and 

 partly below water. 



They then anchored in Cloudy Bay, which, contrary to the repre- 

 sentation of the charts, proved a good anchorage. The wind here 

 sweeps down the gullies in strong squalls, but the water is at all times 

 smooth. There are five whaling establishments in Cloudy Bay, each 

 employing from twenty to thirty hands, chiefly New Zealanders. 

 The kind of whale taken here is principally the right whale, and the 

 quantity of oil collected the previous year was four thousand five 



