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The appearance of this Sound recalled to mind the descriptions I have read of the Straits of Magellan, excepting that the glaciers which there descend to the sea are here wanting; but there is abundant evidence of their having existed in these valleys at one time, most probably when these mountains were elevated several thousand feet above their present relative level,—a conclusion founded on observations which I will not attempt for the present to give in detail. Secretary Island is composed of granitic gneiss and other highly altered rocks, inclined towards the west at a low angle. On the opposite side of the Sound the lines of stratification dip in the opposite direction, so that the valley occurs on the ridge of an anticlinal fold, and forms the only instance I have seen of the apparent conformity of one of these valleys to a line of dislocation. Passing behind Secretary Island, we reached Doubtful Inlet, still sailing to the southward, and led by the wind, followed up Crookedstone, which is a narrow and tortuous branch of the Sound about 6 miles in length. The following day the N.W. wind gave way to fine southerly weather, the change—as is usual—having given a slight coating of snow to the mountains as low as 1600 feet above the sea. The valley of Crookedstone is extremely precipitous, but opens out towards its head where it divides into three branches, the central of which leads across a level flat for about a mile, to the head of Dagg’s Sound.

Round the head of the Bay extensive mud flats are exposed at low water, on which there are plenty of ducks and other water fowl. The bush which covers the flat is very dense, consisting chiefly of a thicket of fuchsia trees, but on the moderate slopes, birch, rimu, and tree-ferns reach a larger size than in other parts of this Sound. There are also a number of cabbage trees of a species not found on the East Coast—known to the natives as the To-we. The New Zealand holly (Eurybradentale) is also very common along the shore, where it grows to a considerable size. We enjoyed a few days of magnificent weather at this time, with sharp frosts towards daybreak, so that everything was covered with a thick hoarfrost; and on the 30th, the surface of the water from side to side of the Sound was covered with ice about one-eighth of an inch in thickness. This arises from the film of fresh water having frozen on the surface of the salt, exactly as if it had been contained in a shallow pool, the temperature of the salt water a few inches below the ice being 48 °. A few hours of frost of slight intensity, was thus able to freeze up the yacht, although she was floating in salt water 6 fathoms in depth.

Leaving this secluded valley on the 31st, we dropped down slowly with the tide—towed by the boat—but did not reach more than half-way down the arm by dark, when we anchored opposite the entrance of a large valley, on the right hand side of the Sound, which presents a greater extent of level ground than is usual in this Sound. This valley appears to curve towards the south and west, so that its upper extremity was shut out from view. On its eastern side it is bounded by a precipitous cliff, surmounted by little peaks, from which we named this place Rampart Cove. It is not a good anchorage, as it is exposed to the north-west winds, and from the edge of the mud flats which were laid bare at low water the bank descends suddenly, and the water deepens forty to fifty fathoms. Next day we continued our slow progress down the Sound, but after making about three miles the wind sprung up from the north, so that we had to seek shelter in a bay on the left hand of the arm, which was named Waipero Cove, where we anchored on the edge of a steep bank in ten fathoms water. During the night it blew a gale down the valley in which we lay, so that our anchor dragged and we drifted off the bank into deep water, and at 2 a.m. all hands had to be called, and being high tide we ran the schooner right into the mouth of the creek, and tied her up to the trees in eight feet water, and where it was nearly dry at low tide. We were detained here for three days, during which time I made a careful survey of this cove in order to obtain its exact form, both above and below water, in order to test the theory of the glacier formation of these valleys. The average depth of water is 90 to 100 fathoms, to which depth the rocky sides of the valley descend at an angle of 35°, where there is a level mud bottom from side to side which slopes gradually towards the main body of the Sound. The bank which bars across the Valley and forms the head of the Bay, is a true moraine, its upper part consisting of angular blocks of rock of every variety found in the mountains, but in front this moraine is marked by a bank which has been formed of the finer materials, brought down by the streams and shot into deep water.

It is however impossible to convey a correct idea of the form of these valleys without the accompanying plans and sections.

Among the fragments in the head of the moraine at the head of the cove there were small blocks of crystalline marble of pure white color and white grain, and sometimes speckled with brown and lead colored mica; but this interesting and valuable rock was not found in situ.

On the 5th of August we again got out into Doubtful Inlet, and a favorable breeze soon carried us to Thompson’s Sound. On the right side of Doubtful Inlet I found a snug little cove, not particularly marked on the chart, where there is a convenient anchorage for vessels not drawing more than ten feet water. If we had known of this place