SOME NEW ZEALAND NATURALISTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3330, 9 January 1918, Page 55

SOME NEW ZEALAND NATURALISTS.

By G. M. Thomson, F.L.S

XIII.—JULIUS VON HAAST,

Half a century ago the German people were in the van of the nations in all that concerned education, science, and discovery. When their energies were directed to peaceful avocations their energy and perseverance carried them along in a, continued wave of progress. In those days Germans of intelligence and push were welcomed in all British colonies, and they proved themselves good colonists and,citizens. Of such a type was the subject of this sketch. Julius Haast was born at Bonn, in Germany, on the Ist of May, 1824, his father being" a Avealthy merchant of that city, and for many years occupying the position of burgomaster. After passing through the Grammar Schools of Bonn and Cologne he entered the University of Bonn, and there devoted a considerable portion of his time to geological and mineralogical studies. After leaving the university he spent.some years in Prance, and afterwards returned to his native land. For about eight years from 1850 he made somewhat extensive journeys over the chief parts of Europe, including Russia, Austria, and Italy. A large portion of these journeys was spent in mountain explorations, and during the eruption of Etna in 1852 he ascended the mountain for scientific investigations. A large firm of Hamburg shipowners, who wished to direct the stream of emigration from Germany to New Zealand, made him an offer to visit the colony on their behalf, and report upon it as a field for emigration for his countrymen. Dr Haast visited London and accepted the offer. Arriving at Auckland in December, 1858, he met Dr Hochstetter, who was a distinguished member of the staff of the celebrated "Novara" expedition. The eminent Bavarian geologist was invited to stay for some months in the colony and report to the Government on various geological problems, and Dr Haast agreed to accompany him on his rambles. In company" with him he visited the greater part of the North Island, and a portion of Nekon, writing full reports of all he saw to the leading German periodicals. The state of the colony at the time, and the fact of the breaking out of the Maori war at Taranaki, forced upon him the conclusion that th 3 colony was not then a suitable field for his countrymen to emigrate to; he therefore wrote requesting his employers to terminate the engagement he had made with them.

The Provincial Government of Nelson having requested Dr Haast to explore the western and southern portions of that province, he accepted the offer, and, accompanied by Mr Burnett and three others—one of whom was a Maori,—he started on an expedition which took him for eight months away from civilised life. During the journey, in addition to the discovery of the Grey and Buller coalfields and of several gold-bearing districts, he filled in the topography of a large part of Nelson, and added largely to the knowledge of the geology, as well .as the fauna and flora of these alpine portions of New Zealand. On his return the Government printed .a full report of the journey, and of the scientific and other discoveries made. Anyone who knows the West Coast even today can form a slight conception of the arduous nature of the work and the dangerous character of the country investigated. Besides the steepness of the mountain sides and the precipitous nature of many of the rock passes, there were peculiar difficulties in the exploration of this country arising from the density of the forest,"the treacherous character and swift courses of the rivers, the uncertainty of the climate, the almost entire want of animals or vegetables fit for human food, and the absence of inhabitants.

The _ remarkable success of this enterprise induced the Canterbury Provincial Government to offer to Dr Haast the position of Provincial Geologist. Accepting the offer, he commenced work by similarly investigating the topography and mineral resources of the western "ranges, of that province. This work was carried to a successful issue, and the result is given in Haast's Report of the Geology of the Provinces of Canterbury and Westland. Dr Haast always considered this work his magnum opus, and it attracted very favourable notice not only throughout Australasia, but also in Europe and America. The marvellous mass of geological detail, and the breadth and completeness of the generalisations ae to the stratification and the mode of formation of those vast mountain ranges, their subsequent carving and denudation by ice and water, the evidence of a glacial epoch apparently similar to that which produced the striaj and boulders of Europe; the account of the nature of Canterbury's rivers, and the formation of its plains—all testify to the industry and acuteness of the author. Perhaps to the geologist the most interesting account of all is the description of Banks Peninsula, which is shown to be a. most perfect specimen of vulcanism, demonstrating in a most remarkable manner the nature and mode of formation of dykes.

Dr Haast's appointment as Provincial Geologist lasted from 1861 to 1871. He did a great deal more, however, than study the geology alone. He made most extensive zoological and botanical collections, which were begun during his explorations in Nelson, and continued

throughout the rest of his active life. Regarding the latter, Sir Joseph Hooker said : "The opportunities enjoyed by the distinguished geologist and explorer, Julius Haast, have been used to the best advantage in the furtherance of botanical science, he having contributed more new species to the flora of the islands than any collector since Mr Colenso. I am indebted to him also for a scries of maps, notes, and observations, especially respecting the ranges of the mountain p'ants, including the most alpine species hitherto discovered, which have been of great service. It is difficult to imagine how, with so many and such arduous duties as surveyor and geologist, Mr Haast can have personally effected so much for botany as lie has done, and I anticipate that his method of making complete collections on each mountain and on each line of march will eventually do much to develop the extremely curious subject of the variations of New Zealand plants." Most of Dr Haast's work in botany wats performed in the years between 1860 and 1870; but his. interest in the subject remained undiminished as long as he lived. As Cheeseman says: "His name is appropriately commemorated in the genus Haastia, the three or four species of which rank amongst the most curious and remarkable in the flora. His collections were either forwarded to Kew or distributed among European museums, but few being retained in the colony." In the flora he adds that Haastia- pulvinaris is "one of the most remarkable . plants known. The branches are everywhere covered and altogether concealed by the densely imbricated woolly leaves, and are so closely compacted together that it is impossible to thrust the ringer in between. In fact, the whole plant has the appearance of a woolly cushion marked with mamillated projections corresponding to the tips of the branches. The flowerheads are sunk in the top of these projections, and are almost hidden by the woolly hairs of the leaves." The first time I gathered this plant, during an ascent of .Mount Torlesse, I passed several of them without noticing that they were plants, .being under the impression that I was looking at tufts of discoloured wool. The mistake was fostered by the fact that there were several dead sheep still lying about in the neighbourhood of the snowdrifts. In addition to this genus, the name Haastii has been given to species belonging to 10 genera of New Zealand plants. « During his tenure of office of Provincial Geologist, Dr Haast commenced the formation of the Canterbury Museum, and his ambition was to make it the best in the Southern Hemisphere. This he certainly achieved during his lifetime, though others in . Australia have perhaps outstripped it since. Competent authorities, such as Professor Ward, of New York, and Dr Otto Finsch, placed it very high —twelfth or thirteenth —among the museums of the world. Haast's close association with Dr Hochstetter and the amount of material ho was able- to -collect gave him very great powers of exchange. The great deposit of moa and other bones at Glenmark and elsewhere in the Canterbury district not only enabled him to endow the Canterbury Museum with an uncommonly fine set of the remains and skeletons of many species of moas, but furnished the most valuable means of exchange with other museums. - In an account of the museum, written as far back as 1884, it was stated, that the entire collection contained "over 150,000 labelled specimens, thousands of which are of great rarity and value and many are quite unique." In addition to his mineralogical, geological, and botanical collections and papers, Dr Haast did much original work in palaeontology and zoology. He discovered and described the interesting extinct bird of prey—Harpagornis moorei—in the bones froni. Glenmark swamp. He worked up the subject of New Zealand Whales, and contributed eight papers on them to the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute. These volumes also contain papers on new fishes, distribution of plants, stone weapons of the Morion and Maori, and others, which testify to the wide range of his knowledge. In 1876 Dr Haast was appointed Professor of Geology in Canterbury College, and four years later was" elected a member of the Senate of the New Zealand University. The greatest scientific distinction came to him early in his career, for he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1867. The Royal University "of Tubingen created him a doctor of philosophy in 1862. Some 50 academies and learned societies in various parts of the world elected him a fellow or honorary or .corresponding member. The Emperor of Austria conferred upon him a patent of hereditary nobilitv, and a number of sovereigns' in Europe sent him their orders. At the time of the Colonial Exhibition in London in 1887 her late Maiesty Queen Victoria created him a Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George. - Thus, as far as public honours are concerned, Sir Julius von Haast's work and scientific services received very full recognition. In New Zealand his name lives in connection with his researches in the Alps and in botanical discoveries.