THE ALPS IN NEW ZEALAND AND THE AMAZON RIVER IN SOUTH AMERICA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 154, 11 May 1864, Page 4

THE ALPS IN NEW ZEALAND AND THE AMAZON RIVER IN SOUTH AMERICA.

At a. mcet:::g of Mm* J\o\:d <_*t-cjt)il Snrieiv. on i the Mil, Loocriek in; ji jtM.ii jit list: chair. ih. brst paper i\ ud w;is " ijii I!;<• ."-oulbern Alps of < ai.terbury Province. .Uid.d" Uiand, .New /a'aland/' bx Dr. iiaast, provincial Lvl-.cjst, illustrated L»\' a >ercot ehromomhograp;i>. a.snnrabSv o.cenicu in tie colon \ itself Jron» spirited w alcr-coioiir .sketches la la n on I lit* sp< »f. i iii-M- A i ps, a- ih< y■ j t je tci mcd, aic t he highoi portion of a « h:ti ** • >!' ;<,:n hiajw -i <.veivd pcak"vv liij-Ji l*t. 11 i in oitii.'i but ho:' i he main i-i :i in and .iiv oniv broken thru jjii at Cook's JMrait.-, and at a r« - j lJiarkabie »ap o;:!\ J i.i.t•• feet above va-ie\el. inline- • uiatel\ east «»i .viuiinr Aspiring, thiough v\ iiit•]t alone the ul.»I e«.aM i>J ,\J ii J i; j (• J.»;and j*> iirirs-ililc frr-m Canterbury province. The .-iricunv of the mountains is pyramidal, with abrupt, almost lUipa-sihic cols hi twecn and with lateral spurs running norili and south thrown i.if upon the ea-t Mde. uown ihe valleys sepaiaiing wiiiiii t un enormous ters, thai 7uiii»ed ut'.er 'iasmun I 'J, miics mji.lt bv 1 j' mile ; wide. Tln-r-e J'urui.-ii a perennial supply of water. | t he inundat em.-ol \\ !•;*•! i are cheeked ov I lie oi«nr- J relices ot numerous I'.rcp iakc.-* which regulate then ] outilow, and convert I he enilre pro\mce into a most j eligible held ior ion, ihe lianks of the moun- | tains supplying abundance of excellent limber, adap- ' ted cither lor the lumber trade or the construction ol" j loghouses. Mr. (.ookson, a resident ol'the province, j pointed out, at tin- repu->t of the President, the \ .localities ol ihe gold gs of as alsoseve- ! rill beds ol ci.ai rccenliv uiseovcrcd, the most valu- i able being I hut (iiscu\cri il bv tin* valiant e.\])lorcr » Tvir. Wliinom.be (who ailci wards uasdi-ouncd ynlhe - ■west eoa?t), near ihe mouih ol' tin* 11 rev : Kiver, whieii the h"(;in.iaiT between Ni'l-onand • and Canterbui'v p'ro\ mc« s on tliat side ot" the idlancl. The second paper read was: "On (he Province of Loreto, in -Northern iVru," l>y Don Antonio 3*aimondy, of Lie a, which contained an interesting account ol* the little-known head aflluents of the Amazon in Peruvian territory. The soil in tlio mountainous portion of the province is a very >oft. friable bundstone, which even in the capital, Vl uvobamba, is woni alter each rainfaU into deep dangerouscrevicep.

In the y/iains ; on tin 1 ot'ier h.;.i I, th -r.- i- the a;lij\ial -t*il ol" tne A-ice-V'!. 'all: 1 , >► d-ililuto Ot even a pebhie lii-U liie natives ia des-el. !;ni: I b ' v arious sir -an.- f, oia the nn-uutnni- are u loaie . 0» «. arr 1 . a stone in their eanue> h*r tin* oaoi-. -.> ~urpe.se >>•' w he' t'li;' t li.-ir i'he v n*. aa.i . medium in one por*it»n oi !'"e p e.mec i- va\. 'n anot;.er n-'cdles. but tiieve i> a lniiie:i;a l ):e deii.eiency | r»f ml.-rpri.-e generally, owin-y in i_iv.it measure t" ti!.* | dili'eulty of coinmunicaliO'4 with the I'aeill--over *'ie | lofty Corddlera-. on one side, as al.-o iio\v:t the \maiion on the otJiej*, owinu to tiie monopoly oi j na\i_ation whieli ihe ilrar.il.an it oveniiir.-nt has been |so dl-a 'vised a. to establish. < ;wmj; to this -horts::di!et{ poh,\ even steam navigation, wldeli had ahi a.iy I ecu pushed a- !ar as .N auta, l.'- 1 ' mde< li'oni I'ar.t, had he, /; .--..l'ertal to la'i.ni b, an i a- tic coi'iun-vend tr atie- b» ,J .t' =r • i a"'d I> i a i: 1:: i*-• *v L so ij.i, i);e trader of ,N..':ia ui-i .aa : ;y eM nnrue .a'd. >e\. ral •p. <ke <•: :lv • -d ■ :>•!; . .-in • ••« 1 t/«e i iintry. i:' in proo. rh m a:.o V ir*\* ad'. 1 -- led the !. on ,!; ; . r o ( io! !.i , i A n !■'- »bei a - or :di 11 " 1 ions. V ; . Hate-, *!i I c.:.» f.-\ «• lup -n n«. 1h ' i J :v-c h nt. -one in: d-'. :;! "! ta-' mama and I«a;»ii< >t' \ !i.- i - pi, ■, a• e« ed ;a :n. r his re-airn-'e as ;i naT'a.'an-t m t!ie C'.*ntral eon!*-.' the Amazon, in lite eour- • ol' wldt it be S tita! lie coidd e'-unt nnrnj j;-- niunber oi Innvor spades he ha.d - -en .isi--:_ vi n > -''viini. w iu;«- tlieiv" was not a dr:. I '' p..-a:.)! ra tic whole A ::::;/on *, aoe v. Tiie sn'i.-.'on *.;u:ive jades «.1 »: l * Ama/on \":dl"'.'-i.e-n.,•:•!'•.! br.t K l 11 ndadi'tants. oi* <-ne lo e--.i-v ! i»' 11* s i: U i.' n w'a-rra.- 'he lilac"; -t "pVCS td' A tin- l.ie-'. i nh< >-p it al-'»• !l!ld t!i;]dv-]injv v daied v.-;. ion in !'."n v ope. ■upported f"nr inh.ddtants to out;, s- ;tan* tnde, or -ix'een a.manv. and this norw hea.'; Inn--.- ami enormous natural weait hoi" i !.e •; ii ii i-\. .'dr. Wallace de-eribed the a a-tr e.-s oi !!:-,• l'nv.v'.s the upper centra! A tna/oti, m which it woiihl be pos-if'!e to put doun sta*h C'-icilies as i'.iiidan'i , and France, and travel about for months without e\ er s!umi>lin<; to er tli.-m. iie -polo* • ■!" t*»■ * rieli ie-.-«»l the virgin soil a- nmrvellou.-, only en mil led, hv t he il" noranc oi th- • rat iv» .-. \.!io i aid no eon.-Cpl ion of 111 e)*■' b. ii:ii at ;> mo.le of i»i : a-r i ountri. e\» api a- 1h -v v\. re o:t «>..«• s.-..c -r Ii I e otlh rof *• ril' - ri'tr." a- the;, ealltlie Ai.-a/on. wU'u-U, !;c say.-, t!aw .>uppo-e to ran ri "h! r -u:.;t iiie •a::!;.