501 
is about lat. 43 deg. 35 min. S., long. 170° 12' E. of Gr. , corre- 
sponding in the northern hemisphere with that of Montpellier, Pau 
and Marseilles in France, and Leghorn in Italy, where already 
the orange and lemon tree, the vine and the fig tree, are covered 
with juicy fruits, and where palm trees raise their graceful crown 
into the balmy air. Even in the European Alps, which lie some 
degrees further north, the average altitude of the terminal face of 
the larger glaciers is about 4000 feet, whilst we have to go twenty 
degrees more to the north, till we find, in Norway, glaciers des- 
cend fo the same low position , and to about 67° north, before the 
terminal face reaches the sea. Thus, we see, that the glaciers of 
New Zealand in proportion to the heights of the mountains are 
much larger, than the glaciers of the European Alps. 
We may, therefore, justly ask for the reasons of the enormous 
size of the glaciers in the Southern Alps , considering the narrow- 
ness of the central chain, and for the causes to which we must 
attribute the remarkable occurrence of a glacier in such a low posi- 
tion, as the Francis Joseph glacier on the West Coast. We may 
best explain that by regarding the equal and humid oceanic climate 
of New Zealand, and the great difference of the climate on the 
two coasts. From the first explorer, who ever set his foot on the 
West Coast, to the discovery of the gold-fields, the difference of 
rainfall on the two coasts has always been a topic of great interest. 
While on the East-side the country was languishing for rain , on 
the other side the exploring parties suffered day after day from 
deluging rain and heavy mists. Fortunatly we have now some 
data to go upon to determine that difference more accuratly. Ac- 
cording to the very valuable observations of Mr. J. Rochfort 1 during 
good distance, the mountains are covered with a luxuriant vegetation, amongst which 
fern trees, rimu, totara, rata and fuchsia are most conspicuous. 
1 I Rochfort, Results of meteorological observations taken at Christchurch, Canter- 
bury', for the year ending 31 s1 December 1865 , Christchurch. We extract the follow- 
ing table: 
1865 at Hokitika at Christchurch 
May .... 17,128 inches 4,225 inches 
June .... 14,530 „ 2,674 „ 
July .... 4,380 „ 3,417 „ 
