DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE OR JOURNEY. 9 
Camping on the western side of this outlet, 1 devoted one day 
in examining the neighbourhood of our camp. On walking about 
a mile down its eastern side, I found, close to a little ferny hill, 
one of Mr. Brunner’s old camps, near which were plenty ot fresh 
water mussel-shells (unio), and some felled trees. My men had 
gone eel catching, having crossed a little rivulet on the western 
side of the outlet of the lake, and in doing so came to another 
camp, and found the letters B, H, and F cut on a tree, which satis¬ 
fied us that this also had been one of the camping places of 
Messrs. Brunner, Heaphy, and Box, on their visit to the lake many 
years ago. 
The view from the outlet towards the end of the lake is mag¬ 
nificent. High rocky mountains form the back ground, whose 
bold outlines and patches of snow add very much to the beauty of 
the scene. A large valley runs from the upper end of ' the lake 
towards the mountains, and at a distance ot about three or four 
miles up, the river flowing through this valley forks, its branches 
running parallel to the mountain chain. On the southern side 
the chain terminates in a mountain rising into the form of a 
cupola, after which it falls abruptly. _ further to the south lie 
the Spencer mountains, whose peaks rise high above the nume¬ 
rous wooded spurs at the south-western end ol the lake. 
These wooded spurs descend on both sides to the water’s edge, 
and the colour of the water changing there from a clear green to 
a dark intense blue, reminded me in this respect of the appearance 
of some of the most celebrated lakes of Switzerland, which it fairly 
rivals in beauty and grandeur. How much I should have liked 
to have built a canoe, and sailed over this beautiful expanse of 
water, may be easily understood. 
The next day we employed in measuring a base line, but owing 
to the overhanging vegetation on the margin of the lake, we were 
obliged to do so in the waters of the lake itself, wading as far 
round as was possible. From the north-western side of the lake 
a mountain rose, which I called Mount M‘Lean, and although it 
appeared to be covered to its summit with dense vegetation, 1 
determined to ascend it, in order to obtain a better topo¬ 
graphical view over the country, and to make some geological 
observations. 
Mr. Mackay joining us, we started on the following morning, 
and arrived at the summit about noon; but we found it im¬ 
possible, notwithstanding we had attained an altitude of almost 
9,700 feet, to obtain a complete view, owing to the dense vegeta¬ 
tion, although here and there we had fine partial views in various 
directions. This would offer a great obstacle to a survey of the 
country, where no higher mountains existed, and I therefore in 
future always selected those whose apparent altitude and bare 
summits satisfied me that I should not be disappointed. It is not 
necessary to state that the ascent of high mountains, and travel- 
