465 
ranges and Mt. Owen , then the Tasman mountains and the Mt. 
Arthur ranges; finally in the North, bordering on Golden Bay, the 
Whakamarama , Haupiri and Anatoki ranges. South of the Buller 
is situated the isolated mountain-stock of the Paparoha range with 
the Bucldand mountains, and the Victoria, Brunner and Mantcll 
ranges. In the Victoria range the mountains attain a height of 
7500 feet above the level of the sea. The most important plains 
and valleys are the Grey and Mawhera plains , the Buller or Ka- 
watiri plains with their southern branches, the Matakitaki, Maruia 
and Inangaliua plains; furthermore the Mokinui and Karamea (or 
Mackay) plains, the Wakapuia valley; finally on Golden Bay the 
broad valleys of the Aorere and Takaka rivers. The area of the 
Grey plains alone is estimated at about 250,000 acres; and we may 
take it for granted, that the Province of Nelson possesses all to- 
gether in those Western mountain-ranges about half a million acres 
of available land. 
The Eastern Ranges, stretching from Southwest to Northeast, 
consist of stratified sedimentary rocks of sandstones, red, green and 
gray clay-slates, with few limestone banks intervenig. The strata 
are highly inclined, all more or less vertical, and the parallelism 
of their strike from Northeast to Southwest continues with remark- 
able regularity. They are accompanied by an immense dyke of 
intrusive rocks, striking in the same direction from the northern 
extremity of d’Urville’s Island across the French Pass, through the 
Croixcllcs by the Dun Mountain, Upper Wairoa and traceable as far 
as the Cannibals Gorge in the South of the province , a distance 
of 150 miles; thus constituing one of the most prominent geological 
features of the country. The nature of the rocks is very varying 
in the longitudinal extent of the dyke , the intrusive masses present- 
ing themselves now as serpentine and olivin-rock (Dunit) , now as 
syenite or diabase; at other points as diallage -rock and pyroxene- 
porphyry. To the serpentine and olivin range in the South of the 
city of Nelson belongs the famous Dun Mountain , the copper-ore 
and chromate of iron of which has for several years past given rise 
to mining enterprises. 
llochstetter, New Zealand. 
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