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are lying for some distance along the face of the hill, extending as far as Mr. Pollock’s house; where an abrupt hill seems to consist of a compact mass of eruptive basalt.

(b.) At a somewhat lower elevation, a shaft has been sunk to the depth of thirty-eight feet, with the following section:—

(c.) Still farther to the north, and at a level of about 200 feet below the last-mentioned stratum, a tunnel has been excavated by Mr. Pollock through basaltic conglomerate interspersed with large boulders. It was reported to me that a few marine fossil shells were found in this conglomerate—but I did not see any specimen of them. If a coal seam exists in this portion, I think it will not be found below the last-mentioned basaltic conglomerate; but in the strata not yet exposed, lying between the conglomerate and the shales found in the lower part of shaft (b).

3. Symond’s Creek:—

(a.) On Mr. Symond’s farm, just at the point where the creek which bears his name emerges from the gorge on the right bank of the stream, I saw some rocks of a soft tufaceous sandstone, containing numerous small marine shells, and gravelly particles of various basaltic and aphanitic rocks. This is the lowest exposed stratum in this valley. Higher up in the forest we find on the surface of stiff clay soil the same large boulders as at Mr. Pollock’s.

(b.) Farther up the stream, near Mr. Campbell’s house, seams are exposed at three different points almost close together, just at the level of the stream on its right bank. At the first point in going up, the coal is about two feet thick, a few feet above the water; at the second point the coal is in the bed of the stream, and therefore its thickness could not be ascertained; at the third point, at a bend of the stream, the coal is seen again of a thickness of about seven feet, part of which is below the level of the water. As on this place the layers are nearly in a horizontal position, I am of opinion that the coal on these three points belongs either to one and the same seam, varying in thickness, or to a set of seams, similar to that described in Section 1.

The roof of the Coal was on all places a soft yellowish-white sandstone.

(c.) Another point visited by us, also on Mr. Campbell’s farm, is a short distance before one comes to Mr. Clare’s house, and at a considerable height above the last-mentioned places, where, in a small gully, the Coal was first discovered a few months ago by the Rev. A. G. Purchas, and opened, at his direction, by Mr. Campbell. The Coal has here a somewhat different appearance from that of the other places, its structure being very laminated.

The first specimens brought to Auckland were obtained from this seam.

4. Mr. Fallwell’s farm:—

(a.) A shaft, 23 feet deep, southward from the house, in the forest, on the other side of a small gully, contains in the upper part fire-clay and in the lower dark-gray bituminous shale, with fossil plants and thin layers of Coal. In the valley between this and the house occurs, in the bed of the stream, a dark aphanite in rocky masses of a considerable size.

(b.) On the northern slope of the hill on which Mr. Fallwell’s house stands, this gentleman has made a cutting, affording the best view of the strata that can be obtained in any of the places we visited. The section in from the surface downwards is as follows:—

This seam consists of three portions; the upper part a laminated coal of inferior quality, one foot; then a band of shale, two inches; the middle part coal of a good quality, one and a half feet; then a band of bituminous shale, six inches; the lowest part, coal of the best quality I have seen, two and a half feet. Thus the whole thickness of the Coal itself may be considered to amount to about five feet. The floor of the Coal consists of bituminous shale, with fossil plants, passing into yellowish clay. (Paleomergel.)

The strike of the strata is from W. 20° N. to W. 20° S.; the dip 20°–30° to S.

(c.) A shaft North from Mr. Fallwell’s house at a lower level on the left bank of Symonds’ Creek, twenty-six feet deep, shows in its upper part nearly horizontal strata, consisting of three bands of bituminous shale, alternating with sandy layers; in the lower part greenish earthy tuffs of a dioritic character, which I take to be the bottom of the coal formation.

(d.) The same dioritic tuffs, unstratified, occur in another pit, which is sunk at a lower level on the left bank of Symonds’ Creek, near Mr. Clare’s house. I do not believe that Coal will be found even if this pit should be sunk to a lower depth; but am inclined to think that the carboniferous strata will be found to run out in the higher parts of the hills behind Mr. Clare’s house, where, I was told, indications of their outcropping have been found.

In the upper part of Symonds’ Creek, higher up than Mr. Clare’s house, occur rocky masses of aphanite, over which the stream falls in a cascade of considerable height.

Farther observations on other points were rendered impracticable on account of the thickness of the forest, and the consequent inaccessibility of the country. Moreover, the shortness of time did not permit us to extend our examinations over other districts; as, for instance—Waipa, Karaka, &c., where Coal probably likewise occurs. The following general conclusions may therefore not be considered as