being 60 feet in height and of a considerable circumference at the base. From here the main range runs down the west coast, forming on the one side the immense cliffs and precipices observed there, and on the other throwing out spurs which form the dividing ridges and headlands between the numerous inlets on the East Coast. I only observed two breaks in the whole range; one about half way down the east coast, at a place we named Saddle Hill Inlet, because a saddle at the head of the inlet led directly across to the west coast. The other is nearly at the end of the range, being the saddle at the head of the northern arm of Carnley’s Harbor.

The range on Adam’s Island runs nearly at right angles to the main range, and probably at an early period formed part of it.

The shores of the whole of the Auckland Isles, with the exception of the west and part of the south coast, are covered with scrub for a considerable distance up the side of the hills. In some places it is rather thick and difficult to penetrate; but in others it is very open and not at all bad travelling, for such hilly country. The largest scrub is found round Carnley’s Harbor. It consists chiefly of iron wood and a tree called the black oak. Neither of these grow to any height. The iron wood grows to a considerable thickness, but is very knotty and irregular. It might be used for the knees of ships, but I did not see any fit for sawing purposes, the open land on the tops of the hills is all peat of a very spongy and wet description; in fact the whole of the surface of the island, with the exception of the rocks, is pure peat; and I can safely say that during the time I was there, I never saw an acre of ground that was not perfectly saturated with water; and it can only be in very dry seasons that the surface gets thoroughly dry.

The open country is chiefly covered with large tussocks of snow grass, cotton plant, moss and other plants indigenous to the island. I did not pay much attention to the flora of these Islands. Most of them have been fully described by Dr. Hooker in the New Zealand Flora. I brought specimens of several of the most beautiful of them; amongst which I noticed the Arabis Foliosa, p. 100, N.Z.F.; Pleurophyllum Criniferum, p. 129, N.Z.F.; and Anthericum Rossii, p. 285, N.Z.F., which I hope will live and thrive in Southland. The average temperature whilst we were at the islands was about 50° I see that Sir James Ross, in the Antarctic expedition, gives the average temperature for the same month at 45.27

The geology of the islands is exceedingly meagre, but not uninteresting. The rocks of which they are formed belong to the Trappean group, and are mostly composed of the following, viz.—

GREENSTONE.

1st.—Granular.

2nd.—Porphyretic, containing crystals of hornblende and opalescent felspar.

3rd.—Laminated, possessing a distinct cleavage in one direction.

TRAPTUFFE.

1st.—Amygdaloidal.

2nd.—Vesicular.

Silicious felstones.

Crystalline hornblendic rock, and crystalline hypersthene.

Syenitic gneiss, and granitic syenitic gneiss.

Columnar basalt, similar in appearance to the Giant’s Causeway, and islands of Staffa.

In addition to the above rocks, there are bands of some thickness having the appearance of stratification; and one bed in particular is a conglomerate of considerable thickness, the nodules in it being rounded and well water-worn, consisting for the most part of agate and jasper, some of them of a large size; the whole forming a hard and well cemented mass. The thickness of this bed, if properly obtained, would be some foundation of relative date.

The whole surface of the islands, even to the top of the highest hills (Mr Richardson and myself having ascended five of the highest) is covered with a deposit to a considerable depth of genuine peat (not lignite), similar in appearance and physical character to the peat of the Irish bogs. This when cut (as we found in one place at the old settlement in Rendezvous Harbour) from some distance from the surface and dried, becomes quite hard and firm, like the Irish turf, and produces the same cheerful and pleasant fire, altogether free from the usual suffocating smell of lignite. This deposit, as it rests directly on all the different rocks alike, might also form some clue as to the age of the formation of these islands.

From the foregoing short description, the geologist will at once perceive that no stratified rocks, properly so called, are to be found on the island; and that “the old formation of granite, schist, and limestone,” &c.; and in another place, “new red sandstone,” said to have been found; cannot really be the case. One of the specimens obtained on the north side of Carnley’s Harbour, about two miles to the west of Musgrave’s house, is of interest. It consists of three distinct layers of greenstone, all possessing a well-defined cleavage in one direction; but at each side of the centre layer, there is a very thin band of fossil substance, probably moss or fucoid, the organic substance being replaced by bornbendo, or silex of a black color.