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a great obscurity prevails which can only be cleared up by repeated and careful researches. As far as my own observations went, it is certain that they overlie unconformably the older palaeozoic rocks, but regarding the age of the strata themselves great difficulties occur, which have for some time given rise to discussions in the scientific world, which will probably be brought to an end by my discoveries in New Zealand.

These carboniferous rocks, where first observed, occur in a basin, which begins near Mount Rowley, where they clearly overlie older palaeozoic rocks.

They consist of grits, and argillaceous shales, with a few thin layers of black band, and very small seams of coal. Some of these shaly beds consist almost entirely of impressions of plants, for the greatest part ferns, of which as far as I could judge, some are identical with, and others nearly related to the fossil plants of the Newcastle coal measures of Australia, which the researches of the eminent palaeontologist, Professor Frederick McCoy have shown to belong to the oolitic period. In these sandstones large trees lie imbedded, without doubt belonging to the group of acrogens, and whilst their hollow stems have been filled up by sand and clay, their more solid bark has been changed into shiny black coal.

Continuing across this basin towards the Rangitata we meet with sandstones and slaty shales, some of them entirely filled with the exuviae of mollusca, which again are identified with or nearly resemble those found in the coal measures above mentioned, and the age of which is (according to Professor McCoy) lower carboniferous or upper devonian. Although the localities in which I discovered these fossils, Rossil Creek, near the Rangitata, and Fern Gully in Mount Rowley, are about 15 miles distant from each other, I hope, notwithstanding, to be able to show that the plant bearing beds not only overlie conformably the shell bearing deposits, but also that they follow each other in true sequence.

The character of the rocks is similar, they are jointed in the same way, and this alone might lead us to the conclusion that they do not belong to such distant periods as the lower oolite and the upper devonian or lower carboniferous; but we have a better test in the Waipara beds which contain saurians of an oolitic or liassic character, and which as I hope to be able to show, overlie the strata which contain the oolitic flora.

Far be it from me to contend with such an eminent palaeontologist as Professor McCoy, as to the character of this flora, but is it not possible, when we observe still greater anomalies in the European Alps, to suppose that whilst our fauna is of a carboniferous character, our flora resembles that of the oolite of Europe.

This question, which, for many years, has given rise to vehement discussions amongst palaeontologists and geologists in both hemispheres would be set at rest, could I prove that the saurian beds of the Waipara, which have not only been less disturbed, but have quite a modern aspect, overlie the strata with the oolitic flora.

Professor Frederick McCoy, at my request, has kindly undertaken the task of describing the fossils of our survey, and as soon as I receive his valuable communications, I shall present them to you.

No coal seams of any consequence were met with either in Fern Gully or in Mount Harper, near the Rangitata, although small ones are very abundant, but not having finished my survey in that interesting part of the Province, it is very probable, that by more extended researches payable and workable seams may be found. Carboniferous rocks with small seams of coal were also met with by me at the Opihi near Mr. Maude’s station, but as the snow was lying on the ground, I was unable to pursue my researches.

Although I had the honor of presenting to the Provincial Government a report on the Kowai coal field to which the maps and sections No. IV, IVA and V and VI belong, I shall offer a few more remarks on this subject, which is of so much importance to the future welfare of the Province.

The Kowai coal fields are only a small portion of large coal measures which will be found at the base of the mountain chains near Oxford, as well as in the Rakaia, near Lake Coleridge. The coal measures in the Selwyn, to the examination of which I devoted several days, lie detached amongst older palaeozoic rocks. As I examined them only near this river, I am not able to state how far they will extend in a northerly direction, but from the nature of the rocks in the neighbourhood I think the basin will prove to be of small extent only.

There is not the least doubt that these coal measures are only a very small portion of those belonging to the Province, to the examination of which more time has to be devoted.

Although so far as I observed there appears to be a large gap between the palaeozoic and tertiary rocks, yet it is clear that secondary rocks do exist, in which the remains of the Plesiosaurus Australis of Owen were obtained, thus pointing towards an age of oolite or lias. I have not yet been able to go to the Waipara, where the remains of these huge marine saurians were obtained.

If we ask ourselves, when the eastern side of our alps was upheaved to its present configuration, the beds at the foot of the large volcanic zone offer us an answer. This large longitudinal volcanic zone, which stretches with very little interruption from Timaru to the Kaikoras bounding the Canterbury plains to the west, shows us by the fossils imbedded in the tufaceous and calcareous beds at its base, that it has a tertiary age.

These exuviae, belonging to Pecten, Terebratula, Lima, Ostrea, Venus, Natica, Tellina, Nucula, Astarte, Cardium, Lucina, Fusus, Voluta, Schizaster, Spatangus, are probably miocene, as we meet with beds of tertiary of