A Strange Submarine Forest.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5619, 14 November 1889, Page 2

A Strange Submarine Forest.

Ed A travelling correspondent of the N. J a Herald, who is " doing "the Bay of Plen '~ s district, thus refers to to an extraordinai l *' e submarine forest :— Stretching away fro KS Whale Island is a small cluster of isle j ie called the Rununa Islands, and hen lie abouts, and to the outside of Whale 1 l . a land for about a mile, are to be found tl ls best hapuka grounds on the coast. Som lI S of the fish caught will turn the scale ; ot 1201 b, but from that down to 801 b is th 18 general run of the weight. Hapuka fish ()r ing is very exciting work, as they ai "J caught at a great depth, and their siz er makes the sport very great ; and a ver >Sl few of them serve to make a respectab] show for a day's outing. Outside VVhal to Island about a mile, and where some c m the best of the hapuka grounds are situate )g are some wonderful submarine forest [c of trees of the nature of the well know et totara. The sites of many of these patche n- of forest are well known, especially to th is natives, who call them totara, th ig branches and leaves that have been draw: le up to the surface being exactly like th y. totara of the forests on land. The tree is grow to a height of about twelve or fif teei it feet, and are objects of great speculatioi •c as to their origin and nature. Limbs am branches of the trees at the bottom havi d been often hauled up, and these quee samples of trees are matters of never it ending interest and speculation. Frorc it what has been seen of the portion: il of the trees hauled to the surface the ■, stems of the trees are found to be a; hard as iron and equally tough, and, ir fact, are so hard and tough as to be hardlj % breakable. The wood is also as iron, and „ looks very much like petrified wood in appearance. The leaves and foliage are t as touch as leather, but a branch of one g of the trees when hauled up has a very s pretty appearance. The depth at which 1 they are found is some 11 or 25 fathoms, , and how apparently growing timber trees j came to grow at the bottom of the ocean (. and thrive in such an unusual element, is a f. question that has not yet been solved, . although many conjectures have been ' ventured. Attached to some of the branches drawn up very curious paraj sites are occasionally found. In more than one case, attached to a small branch, a long worm or snake-like parasite has been found of much the consistence and appearance of leather. The color was , a sort of buff stone color, with dark ' stripes horizontally all along the body. It curled about the wood, and apparently did not seem to move, although sensitive to touch, and although decidedly alive when drawn up, died shortly afterwards, and had a petrified appearance similar to the wood, and apparently got equally as hard and tough. The length of this specimen was many feet, as it was wound closely round and round the branch, and its thickness would be about that of the small finger on a man's hand. After dying, instead of decaying, as an ordinary living thing would, this queer specimen of submarine forest life seemed to harden and toughen to that extent as to appear almost indestructible. Mr Saunders, M.H.R., addressed his constituents at Lincoln last week, and received a vote of thanks. The following was his characteristic analysis of the present House : — lt was a very general opinion outside Wellington that their present Parliament was an uneducated one. This was decidedly wrong. Among the members were fourteen lawyers, a considerable number of doctors, scientists, authors, and writers for the press ; indeed the House was distinctly above the average in educational advantages. The popular error was mainly brought about by the fact that there were five members, four of whom were practically uneducated, who had as much to say as the other ninety put together. These five gentlemen thought no subject too high or too low for their attention. They were prepared with advice for the Premier on matters of finance ; could tell the farmers how to get rid of the small birds, initiate Dr M'Gregor in the treatment of lunatics, settle the difficulties of the Native Department, and show how simple it would be to keep up wages and a constant demand for labor by Act of Parliament. There were five other members who confined their attention almost entirely to one particular subjeot ; were, in fact, faddists, and this brought him to one of. the important subjects with which he had to deal. There were many, perhaps, who thought he should be included in the roll of faddists, and that his particular fad was opposition tq the expendituro of public moneys.''