EXPLANATORY LETTER. 
Nelson, November 27, 18GO. 
g IR —X liave the honour to enclose to you the Report of my 
recent Exploration of the West Coast District of this Province, 
undertaken at the request of the Provincial G overnment. 
I also enclose Topographical and Geological Maps, illus¬ 
trative of my Report, which X liave deemed most convenient 
to divide into six parts. 
The first comprises a Descriptive Narrative of my Journey, 
the second contains the Physical Geography of that part of 
the Province which I visited, and the third treats of the 
Geology of the country. 
In the fourth part, under the head Passes, Roads, and 
Available Lands, I have endeavoured to give as full and 
detailed a description as I thought would be useful to faci¬ 
litate the opening for settlement of this important district. 
I have devoted the fifth and sixth parts to such general 
observations,on Zoology and Botany as the difficulties under 
which I laboured during my journey permitted me to make. 
