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ing your letter of the 30th September before
leaving Nelson. Now that I have arrived
safely on the shores of Australia, allow me to
express to your Honour my sincere thanks for
the extremely kind reception in Nelson and for
the friendly assistance I have received from
you and every officer of the Provincial Go-
vernment.

It was through the liberality and excellent
arrangements of the Provincial Government
that I have been enabled, in the short time of
two months, to examine so large a portion of
the Province of Nelson.

As time and circumstances will not permit
me to furnish you with a separate report on
the results of my investigation, will you accept
the lecture I gave at Nelson as that report?
This lecture contains all the information upon
the geological character and various mineral
resources of the province which at present I
am enabled to give. I am sorry that I have
not had time to give you a fuller account of
my researches than I have embodied in my
lecture, but it will give me great pleasure to
forward from Vienna, for the acceptance of the
Provincial Government, copies of all the pub-
lications respecting New Zealand, and especially
the Province of Nelson, as they will appear,
and also a copy of my geological map of your
province, as soon as I have finished it.

I return to your Honour my thanks parti-
cularly for the interesting series of photo-
graphic views which you kindly added to my
collections.

With great pleasure I will convey to Com-
modore Baron Von Wüllerstorf Urbair, Com-
mander of the scientific Novara expedition,
your kind wishes; and I am quite certain that
the Austrian Government and Commodore Von
Wüllerstorf will be very pleased to hear of the
kind reception that I, as a member of the
Novara expedition, have received from the
Government and the people of Nelson.

I have, &c.,
DR. FERDINAND HOCHSTETTER.

His Honour the Superintendent,
Nelson, New Zealand.

Nelson, 26th September, 1859.

SIR—On my return from my geological tour,
of which the results will be published by Dr.
Ferdinand Hochstetter, I feel it my duty to
give you a short account of my progress.

In company of Mr. Brunner, the Provincial
Surveyor, I started on the 12th of September,
in the Tasmanian Maid steamer, to the Wai-
rau, but was landed at my wish by the Captain,
with his usual courtesy, in Maraetae Bay,
Queen Charlotte Sound. After searching in
this part and along the coast, I sailed round
Point Dieffenbach to Waikaroa Bay, and
walked from thence to Waitohi; making a
special examination of the country in the im-
mediate neighbourhood of the town. From
this promising township I followed the Wai-
tohi Pass, along the Tumarina stream, to the
Wairau. I ascended the hills south of the
Wairau, and followed then the Taylor Pass to
the Awatere, which I ascended as far as Mr.
Mowatt's station, in order to examine the in-
teresting formation of this beautiful valley.
Returning through the Maxwell Pass to the
Wairau, I followed this stream to the Waihopai;
ascended the latter; and then the Avon, at
far as the station of Mr. Fraser, in Avondale.
Crossing the Wairau, opposite the farm of
Mr. Mayer, I wended my way through the
Kaituna valley to Havelock, at the Pelorus.
In this splendid sound I went round as far
as the stormy weather would allow me;
and returned, lastly, through the picturesque
Pelorus valley, crossing Waipahihi and Eringa;
and arrived on the 24th September at Nelson,
after having passed over the Maungatapu, on
the new line of road.

The shortness of the time allowed me to
make only a casual survey of the country: if,
notwithstanding, I obtained some results, I owe
it principally to the untiring assistance of my
companion, Mr. Brunner; also to the effectual
help of the settlers and inhabitants of the dis-
tricts through which our tour was made, as far
of whom I beg to express my sincere thanks,
and especially to Dr. Muller (Resident Magis-
trate in the Wairau), Mr. Ward at the Wai-
hopi, Mr. Cormack at Charlotte
Sound, who accompanied me in my tour
through their respective neighbourhoods.
I am, &c.,
JULIUS HAAST.

His Honour the Superintendent,
Nelson, New Zealand.

LECTURE ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE
PROVINCE OF NELSON.
BY DR. FERDINAND HOCHSTETTER.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN—It is with much
pleasure that I respond to the wish expressed
by you, and at the same time fulfil my promise
of communicating the results of my geological
explorations in a lecture on the geology of this
Province; and it is with a feeling of pride that
I see so large and distinguished an assemblage
met here this evening.

On my arrival in Nelson, in the beginning
of the month of August, I hardly hoped to be
able to extend my researches so far as to obtain
an accurate idea of the geological features of
the Province. The time allotted to me was
very short: the geological field of the Middle
Island, on which I was entering, was, in com-
parison with that of the Northern Island, an