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Wellington Independent, Volume XV, Issue 1375, 28 October 1859, Page 3

provided fovtoVa'is'e a'fuifu , 'fpr its permanent' and. it is Tioped 'that the othei Dioceses In 'tljTs Colony, which have been, for si> many yeafs Tndell'tctl "to the indefatigable .labours of the Bislibjl'oi New Zealand, will feel it to be their duty to. give whijt aid they eaii tb the furtherance 'of this object," CosobeoatVisai.. C'rtuncn.—RkcooNiticiN of the llkv. ,H. W. Scott.-—On Wednesday evening, the slhinst., the BeV. 11. W Scott, formerly of KeWed'on-, Essek was publicly re* ; cognised as the Pastor 6f the 'Corigregiitional Church, WoodwaTd-stree\, 'Wellington. The Church was crowded by frfends of Various nomiuations, tlie usual week night service of several of them having been give,n up to enabte the town ministers to attend. There were present the Key. Messrs. Bullcrsind Vickers,'(Wesleyan ) Moir, (Free Church,) Smith, (Primitive Methodist,) and Woodward, (Congregational). The Bey. W. Kirton, (Church of Scotland,) was unavoidably absent from indisposition. ~Mr. JJuller preached an eloquent discourse iVom Coli. 1 chap., 28 v.; Mr. Smith aaked the usfl'ai Questions, which were replied to by Mr. Knbwles en bc'hSlf of the . Church, and by the Minister, }tfr. Scott, on bis own behalf; Mr. Moir gave the •exhortation to both pastor and people; Mr. "Woodward offered up the recognition prayer, and Mr. Viewers gave out the hymns. The •service was ti very impressive one, and a practical manifestation of how Christian union can be secured apart from uniformity. We are informed that the labours of Mr. Scott during his •five months Tesideitee have been much appreciated, and are likely to become very successful. Primitive MethoWist CftuacH.—The Anniversary of this Church has taken plane in Wellington during the present month. On Sunday the 9th, two sermouswere pfeach'fed by the Keys. J. Smith, the pastor, a'ncl H. W. Scott, Congregational Minister; and on Monday, a large party ef the Congregation and friends took tea together. Tea, being coucludeA, a public meeting ■was held, Mr. Woodward in the chair. A satisfactory report of the prosperity tif the lchurch was given by Mr. Smith, the pastor, after ■which, the other ministers present, Messrs. Moir, Bullet, Vickere, and Scott, severally addressed the audience in a fraternal and practical spirit. A Collection Vvas made in aid of the chapel debt, when the nieetiVig 'closed. We are happy to learn that it is probable the indefatigable pastor, Mr. Smith, way soon have a colleague. The former minister Mr. Greetv, lost his health in endeavouring to compass the large amount of labour imposed on the ministers of this connexion, and the failing health of Mr. Smith is giving evidences that his duties in the country, if persisted in, Will eventually prove too much for him. The arrival of a colleague, so as to give the country work to one, and the town work to another, is much to be •desired.

THE GEOLOGY OF NEW ZEALAND. Two months ago we gave a synopsis of a lecture delivered by Dr. Hochstetter, the Geologist attached to the scientific mission on board the Austrian frigate iVbfam.containing the results of the learned Doctor's exploration of a portion of the Province of Auckland. Last month be de. livered a lecture at Nelson on the geology of that Province, in exploring portions of which he liatl been engaged during the previous six or ■seven weeks. The results of these explorations are highly satisfactory, and valuable, still as the Nelson Examiner has remarked, we iinust look upon some of the opinions advanced rather in the light of suggestions than as conclusions materially weighed and deliberately adopted, and must bear in mind the caution the lecturer himself, that the sketch he lias been able to give is necessarily a slight and imperfect one, well adapted to assist and guide future researches but in no degree superseediag the neceesity of making them. Every Province if explored, would dovelopo mineral treasures ■of more «r less value. In every one of them they have already been found, and, as Governor ritzroy fourteen years since pointed out in one of his despatches home, if from merely looking ■at or scratching some of the projecting corners ■of the land, at least twenty valuable minerals had even at that early date been discovered, ■ what may not he anticipated after years of systematic research into the interior. If two or three thoroughly scientific men were to be engaged by the General Government for this ■purpose the, gaiu would be speedy and incalculable. The six weeks were well employed, every day being fully occupied, yet after all only a few of the vnost remarkable points could be visited. Fortunately a German friend travelled in one direction while Dr. Hochstetter travelled in another, and by this means the outline of observation was enlarged. The dissimilarity between the physical features of Auckland, the portion of the Northern Island of New Zealand explored by Dr. Hoch■stetter, and those of Nelson, the only portion of the Southern Island he was able to visit, is noted as being very striking. " In contrast "with the comparatively low plateaus extending over the largest part of the Northern Island aud broken only by high volcanic peaks, you Jind on the Middle Island lofty and abiupt mountain ranges, striking in long parellel chains, divided by deep longitudinal valleys, and broken at right angles by rocky gorges. This complication of rock and gorges, runs as the great back.bone of the island from northliortlreast to south-south-west, and from strait to strait. Well de you name it your " Southern Alps;" Amongst them rises in grandeur a mountain named after the great discoverer of the South Sea, Mount Cook, of a height equal to Mont Blanc. It towers above the rest, ■crowned with perpetual snow, with ravines glistening with glacier ice." From this backbone, two arms are sent forth through the province of Nelson; western range terminatingin Massacre, or as it is now called, Golden Bay, and the Eastern range ia the Pelorus and Queen Charlotte's Sound. "It is without doubt in conspquence of the peculiar configuration of the mountain ranges, that BliHd Bay is favored with an extraordinarily temperate climate. The western and the eastern ranges of Nelson, converging towards the south, form a regular wedge, which diverts on the one side the force of the south-westerly winds, and on the other side tbe force of the south-easterly winds. Those parts of the province of Nelson which are not enclosed between the legs of the triangle, do not enjoy the serenity of climate. In Golden Bay and in the Wairau country, which lie respectively to the west and to the east in the line of the bounding ranges, gales of wind and bad weather generally are much wore frequent than in Blind Bay. The " spout wind," blowing with considerable violence during the siunmcr from the south, is a local wind of Blind Bay, due to the same physical configuration of the country. The calm beatod itir of the Waimca plains and of the low hills, rising in obedience to physical laws into the higher levels of the atmosphere, is suddenly replaced by vi.lumes of cooler and denser air, which rui-h down towards tho plains from the mountain ranges behind." The Geological features of Nelson arc thus

tersely enumerated. "The western and the eastern ranges of Nelson are totally different in their geological chartfe'tor. I'lie western ranges \ consist of primitive formation, being built up of ;6|d crystalline schists, of inciuimirphic r<<6kn. The caster ranges uro s thu oldest sedimentary) strata, primary formation, broken through iii places by masses of plutonic racks-. The lower : undulating hills lying in tlib angle between the two.ranges are nothing but an immense accumulation of debris frdin the mountain ranges on 'either side, rolled together by live ; action of the sea, which in former ages, washed ■. the basis of the mountains. When I say, Gold in the Western ranges, Copper in the eai-lern range's. Cdal in the basins between 'them, I have indicated the ckief mineral characteristics of the region referred, to." In the primitive formation of the western range, the subdivisions are found succeeding to one another in their normal gcplogicul rtnler. Gneiss and Granite stone-, lidriiblende schists, and crystalline lime stone, Mica schist and Quartz schist, and lastly clay slate. The crest of the range, with peaks rising to an altitude of t>ooo feet, and the subsidiary chains consist, of mica schist containing garnets alternating with quartZ schists. These 'pass by insensible gradations into day slates, .which, however, still exhibit 'tlje Same alternating strata ,6f quartz schists. The Aircre Valley and the lofty peaks on its eastern, side, an the Slate-river peak, Lead Hill, Mount and the Haupiri range, generally belong to the clay-slate zone. In all those ranges the strata, sire more or less vertical, and exhibit unmistakable signs of great disturbance at former geological period-;. For instance, Mount Olympus presents the peculiar appearance of strata diverging from below towards the seriated edge of the mountain like the folds of a fan. A similar disposition of strata is observeablc on the loftiest summit of Europe, namely, on Mont Blanc. Gold occupies a very prominent place in 'this part of the lecture.' In the mica and sliite clay zone of the western ranges, is the matrix of the Gold. On the East, the gold formations " are bounded by the Tukuka valley; on the west by the Aorero valley, so that its breadth, is from fifteen to twentyrriiles, and includes the Anatoki and Haupiri ranges. In a southerly direction the same formations Can be traced to the gorge of the Buller river. How much further it extends in that dircctibii has not yet been ascertained ; but, inasmuch as #old has been ifoiiud at the northern extremity of the Southern Alps, and also in the gravels of ibe Malaura, in the Province of Otdgo, towards the southern extremity of the backbone, it is notunreasonable to infer that the same gold bearing zone may extend continuously ikroiighout the whole I'cnglh of the Middle Island" Of the AoYerc fields the Doctor speaks highly, and reckons their superficial extent at thirty square miles. Throughout the whole district a conglomerate formation has been deposited at the top of the slate rocks. This I'buglonierate is in some places twenty feet thick, and where a ferruginous cement binds the boulders and the gravel together it is compact, in other places only fine sand lies between the larger stones. The real gold field exists in the conglomerate formation. A Mr. Wash bourne, who has workpd the conglomerate, supplies data, by which the value of the gold-iield is estimated at £750,000 per square mile. Unfortunately the estimated value is not to be taken as indicative of the real value, for the nature of the country is such as to prevent its being successfully worked, unless on the most gigantic scale. "I am not a practicable gold-digger myself," remarks Dr. Hochstetter, " but I will leave it to those who are more versed in that pursuit to contrive the meaug by which this wealth may be best extracted from the soil." The numbei of diggers on the Aorere field is now uot more than about 250, though at one time Sit was four or five times as many, and the wholcjprodtice during the two years and a half of its working, is recorded in the Government Gazette as about £150,000; the river diggings have, almost entirely been the location of those who have worked there, the conglomerate having scarcely been tried. Of the other localities where gold has been found, the Doctor was unable to explore sufficiently to record any detailed result, and contents himself by observing that " the Nelson gold-fields are a fact, and that which is at present known is but the beginning of a series of discoveries which lime will bring to light." The primary formations in the eastern ranges next occupy attention. "These ranges are of an entirely different geological formation to those just described in the west; old primary slates nnd sandstones, of very various character, from lofty ridges, intersected by parallel longitudinal valleys. The strata are all, mure or less, vertical, and the parallelism of their strike from north-east to south-west continues with remarkable regularity. One and the same stratum can be traced from Cook's Strait to the far interior in the south." No fossils have been found. The Dun Mountain District is said to offer a field of unbounded interest, copper and chromate of iron being its characteristics. The copper ore does not occur in a regular lode, but only in nests md bunches. The occurrence of the best indications of copper ore on the surface over a Continuous line of about two miles, affords good ground for supposing that considerable quantities of ore arc contained in the mountain ; but, on the other hand, owing to the manner in.which the ores occur in isolated bunches, mining operations in such a region are always attended by less certain profits than where the metal is deposited in a regular lode. This opinion is in reality a very unfavourable one, compared to that which we had been led to hope for, and while Dr. Hochstetter could do no other than express a hope that the Dun Mountain may prove to be all that the Nelson people could wish, yet it cannot be concealed that the enterprise will receive a check, where it was to be wished they would have derived a fresh stimulus to exertion. The chromate of irou is in such abundance as may perhaps facilitate the working for copper. The helief in the Croixelles proving a profitable copper district is discouraged, more promising specimens are stated to be found in D'Urville's Island.

In the secondary formations the first indications of organic remains are found. They are not defined but appear to resemble sea weeds more tban anything else. The sandstones contain many and perfect fossil molluscs. The Pakawa coal field is next alluded to. This probably belong to the secondary period, and overlies the mica and clay slate formation of the Western ranges. The dip of the seam is towards south-west, that is, towards the West Waiiganui harbour, at an angle of twenty degrees, and tbo coal field reaches, undoubtedly from Pakuwa to West Wanganui. In a coal field of such extent, it may bo with confidence affirmed, that seams of much greater thickness exist, and the way to ascertain their existence, is to imike borings. That is the first thing for any company to do, which undertakes to work his very valuable coalfield. The Doctor's reason for assigning to this coal field a secondary age, is the existence of impressions of fossil plants, referable to calamites, ferns, anddicoty (edonos. Although the Pakawa coal-field

does 'riot belong (o the carb'onif&'fo'iis ..period, experience, lie says, will show that the coal will riiiiklii ([iinlity with the black cuals of older date. This opinion, should it prove < oYreet will be yf tU6 uiihust iin|>ort:iiici>. Thti brnien coul i>f the Ninth Will lie valuable, but (he' black 'coal of Nclsnii.will be infinitely more Sti. 'I'lle development if mineral resources in ii'ew' colonies are ne'c..ssarily slow from want (if capital, but to it.i'cortiiin positively the existence' of good black coal is a subject to which the Nelson Provincial (iOvorninent and the settlers generally should turn their fullest attention. As an Snstan'ce of the caution required in prosecuting such enterprise* arid of the necessity of science being first consulted, | none better could be adduced thin that given by Dr. HochsietU'r himself with regard to Mr. Jenkins' ccial field, of which such high anticipations were Formed: It is as follows:—

" The lirst excursion which I made after visiting Nelson. w:is by the cliffs to this Coal mine, and it was wiiii great surprise that I saw the extraordinary disturbances which' must have taken place in tile stratification; Tlie dip of the strata is towards the east, at ah angle of about sixty degrees. As it is geologically impossible that a newer tertiary stratum can underlie the older slate formations of the ranges, it follows that the strata about Mr.' Jenkins' coal mine, by an immense force from the eastward, must have been completely turned over; and in the mine itself there is abundant' proof of this. The strata there show unmistakable evidences that they have been rubbed 1 aid pressed together. Under these, circum- '. stances it is very doubtful whether a mine in that particular place could be successfully worked. To Mr. Jenkins the people of Nelson are indebted for proving to them that they have coal in the immediate vicinity of the town; and I think it nut improbable tbut in the same line of stratification between Nelson and Itichmond, a pln'ce may be found where, perhaps; at a greater depth, the coal seams lie in their natural position, and workings may be carried on with Ruccess." The lerliary formations in Blind and Golden '• Bays are of the Same chufticter as those described in the Auckland lecture; and contain a similar hroibn coal. In the limestone caves at Collingnrood-, the bottoms were dug for Moa bones, with unexampled success. " In the first cave which I entered," remarks the Bdctor " after a short search, I dug out fragments of bones from, the loam on the bottom of the care. I convinced that tlie treasures had not all heen carried awayj as frorri the caves in the Northern Island; and on the same clay the finding of a Moa Skull—so far as I know the most perfect yet fouud in New Zealand—was the reward of further researches. Being obliged myself to leave for the Pakawa coal-field, my friend Haast remained behind in company with the young surveyor, Mr. Maling-, to make more extensive researches. The bottom of a second cave-, the S(affords cave, was turned up> and the bottom of a third one, the Moa cave. The excitement of the moa-digijers was great, and incieasecl: for the deeper they went below the stalagmatic crusts covering the floor, the larger were the bones they found-, and whole legs, from the hip-bone to the claws of the locs, were exposed. They dug and washed three days and three nights, and on the fourth day the returned, in triumph to Collingwood, followed by two pack-bullocks loaded with Moa bones. I. must confess that not only was it a cause of great excitement to the people of Oollingwood, but also to myself, as the gigantic bones were laid before our view. A Maori bringing me two living Kiwis from Rocky Biver, gave us an opportunity to compare the remains of the extinct species of the family with the living Apterix." The observations of M. Haast, a friend of Dr Hochstetter's, made during this search, throw a new light upon this great family of extinct birds. He found that, according to the depth so was the size of the remaius, thus proving that the greater the antiquity the larger the species. The bones of Dinornis crassus and ingens (a bird standing tlie height of nine feet) were always found at a lower level than the bones of Dinornis didiformis (Owen), of only four feet high. A leg of Dinomis crassus was exhibited at the lecture, the following being the measurement :— Circumference tong. of the Shaft. •Tnrsns .> >.. Oj in. .. 6 0 in, Tibia 22 ~ 6 0 Femur 13 ~8 0 Spread of tbe cl nws. ■ 15 These gigantic birds belong to an era prior to the human race, to a post-tertiary period. And it is a remarkably incomprehensible fact of the creation, that whilst at the vety same period in the old world, elephants, rhinoceroses) hippopotami j in South America, gigantic sloths and armadillos: in Australia, gigantic kangaroos, wombats, and dasyures were living j the colossal forms of animal life were represented in New Zealand by gigantic birds, who walked the shores then untrod by the footof any quadruped. Volcanic action appears to have been not less powerful in the Southern Island than in the Northern, and with the following extract from the concluding remarks of Dr. Hochstetter's lecture, we bring our notice to a close, only again regretting that tbe whole of New Zealand has not been even tbus cursorily explored, and expressing the hope that at no distant day the highest scientific skill will be employed in indicating the masses af wealth with which this Colony abounds. " In the earlier geological era of New Zealand, 'concludes Dr. Hoohstetter,' we may assume that both islands were connected, and that one back-bone run continuously from the South Cape to the East Cape. In the present map of New Zealand the integrity of this back-bone is broken at Cook Strait, and a closer inspection will show that there has been not only a simple break of continuity, but a lateral dislocation. Cook Strait is, to use a miner's expression, a bone fault. It is evident from thn rocks being of the same geological formation, that at one period the Pelorus ranges were a continuation of the Wellington ranges. The position of the strata in the eastern ranges of Nelson prove, that whilst the Northern Island seems to have remained stationery, some gigantic force has pressed the great mass of the Middle Island to the westward. The given description of tbe tertiary formation, extending between the ranges far up the valleys, sounds, and bays leading towards Cook Strait on both sides, further proves that the first act of this groat convulsion of nature took place prior to the tertiary period, and the second and subsequent acts mny be coeval with the period of volcanic action in the Islands. While the tertiary sea was depositing the strata which now fill the valleys, and which rise in some parts to an altitude of 2,000 feet, the higher ranges of New Zealand only were above water. Since the tertiary period, these islands have been gradually rising, and that rising has been coeval with the volcanic action, and developed to the greatest amount along the xouos of rolcanic actiou. It was in this time that the

extensive plains on the east coast of the Middle Island, and the plateaus on the western side of the northern Imckfjonc were raised above , the sea. The best proof of this rising of the land is to be found in (he river tenaces, which strike the cycof every iravellerin thu valleys of the Wairau Awatere,, Clarence, Mutueka, Wnritfapoka, Biiller, T-ifah.iind Anrere, and also in the lines of tlie s.-tndy downs on the Port Cooper plains, which, now miles inland, mark the fundCr limit of tile' sea." •