BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. I15 
highly interesting journeys of the Provincial Geologist, Dr. Haast, 
of whose deeds I was led to augur most favourably in conse- 
quence of the high character which he brought with him from 
Vienna, as testified to me in a letter from my eminent friend, M. 
von Haidinger, Director-General of the Austrian Geological 
Survey.” At another meeting he said—“ He was proud to pre- 
side upon an occasion when a gentleman who was a Geologist by 
profession had proved himself to be a good Geographer, and had 
shown how intimately the subjects of Physical Geography and 
Geology were united: Dr. v. Haast’s labours were worthy of all 
commendation.” Such testimony as this, from England’s 
createst geologist, will show the value of the work to those of our 
readers whose geological knowledge does not enable them to 
judge of this remarkable book for themselves. To geologists no 
such testimony is needed ; the work is enough in itself. The 
marvellous mass of geological detail, and the breadth and com- 
pleteness of the generalisations as to the stratification and the 
mode of formation of those vast mountain ranges, their subse- 
quent carving and denudation by ice and water, the evidence of 
a glacial epoch similar to that which produced the strize and 
boulders of Europe ; the account of the nature of Canterbury’s 
rivers, and the formation of its plains, all testifying to the in- 
dustry and acuteness of observation of Prof. v. Haast. Perhaps 
to the geologist the most interesting account of all is the de- 
scription of Banks’ Peninsula, which is shown to bea most singu- 
larly perfect specimen of vulcanism, demonstrating in a most re- 
markable manner the nature and mode of formation of dykes. 
The highly disturbed and contorted nature of the volcanoes of 
Europe gives only ground for speculation instead of the clear 
demonstration Dr. Haast has proved to exist in the undisturbed 
extinct volcanoes of the peninsula. 
In recognition of his researches, the Royal University of Tub- 
ingen created him a Doctor of Philosophy in 1862. He was made 
a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1867. Some fifty academies and 
learned societies in various parts of the world have elected him a 
fellow or honorary, or corresponding member. The Emperor 
of Austria has conferred upon him a patent of hereditary nobility, . 
and a number of sovereigns in Europe have sent him their orders, 
and Her Majesty has lately created him C.M.G. 
Dr. v. Haast was appointed Professor of Geology to the 
Canterbury College, New Zealand University, ‘in 1876, and in 
1880 he was elected a member of the Senate. During his explora- 
tions as Provincial Geologist he commenced the formation of the 
Canterbury Museum, which although so young has now attained 
such proportions as to be classified by two naturalists so dis- 
tinguished as Dr. Otto Finch and Prof. Ward of New York, by 
one as the twelfth and the other the thirteenth in the whole 
world, and by every one who is able to judge is considered the 
first museum of the Southern Hemisphere. The entire collec- 
tion consists of over 150,000 labelled specimens, thousands of 
which are of great rarity and value, and many are quite unique, 
