Haast, Julius, Ph. D., F.G.S., &c., Geologist of the Province of Canterbury, for the Provincial Government of Canterbury, N.Z. Specimens of Rocks, Minerals, Fossils, Dried-plants, Maps, Sections, &c., collected by exhibitor for the Provincial Government. The Rocks and Minerals are arranged geographically. Among the specimens are the following Ores and Minerals which occur in the Province, viz.:—

a, Carboniferous anthracitic and bituminous coal, River Kowui, Mount Harper, Clent Hills, &c.

b, Secondary coal, bituminous, River Grey, West Coast.

c, Tertiary brown coal and lignite in Tertiary formations, all over the Province, Malvern Hills, Mount Somers, Rakaia, Coal Creek, Rangitata, Northern Hinds, River Potts, Ashburton, Tenawai, &c.

Selenite, in crystals on the surface of tertiary shale, Tenawai, &c.

Calcite (calcareous spar), in cavities of volcanic and in veins of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, abundant all over the Province.

Travertine, deposited from water having carbonate of lime in solution, Weka Pass.

Marble, Malvern Hills.

Stalactite Caves of Mount Somers, &c.

Stalagmite, Caves of Mount Somers, &c.

Arragonite, lining fissures and cavities of volcanic rocks, Banks' Peninsula.

Dolomite (Magnesian limestone), Malvern Hills, interstratified with augitic greenstone.

Quartz, in veins, in Metamorphic and Palæozoic rocks, all over the Province. This mineral occurs also in the following varieties:—

Rock Crystal, in amygdaloidal Trap, lining geodes, and cavities, Malvern Hills, Mount Somers, &c.

Amethyst, in amygdaloidal Trap, lining geodes, and cavities, Malvern Hills, Mount Somers, &c.

Milky Quartz, in Granites, West Coast.

Prase, small deposits in quartzose porphyritic Trachyte, Gawler's Downs.

Chalcedony, in mammillary and botryoidal forms in amygdaloidal trap and quartzose trachytes, Malvern Hills, Cent Hills, Mount Somers, &c.

Chrysoprase, filling cavities, ditto, ditto.

Cornelian, in small geodes and filling cavities, ditto, ditto.

Agate, in geodes, often of very large size, ditto, ditto

Flint, filling cavities in the rocks, ditto, ditto.

Aventurine, ditto, ditto.

Onyx. Some horizontally arranged chalcedonies i different colors showing a tendency to become onyx and sardoyx, ditto, ditto.

Plasma, filling fissures in tertiary quartzose tracytes, and occurring principally in Gawler's Downs.

Heliotrope, in tertiary quartzose trachytes in small pieces, Snowy Peak, Malvern Hills.

Jasper, in different varieties, Malvern Hills, and elsewhere.

Basanite, in different varieties, Malvern Hills, and elsewhere.

Chert, in different varieties, Malvern Hills, and elsewhere.

Lydian Stone, in different varieties, Malvern Hills, and elsewhere.

Silicified Wood (petrified), in creeks in many localities where siliceous rocks are decomposing.

Ferruginous Quartz, Gawler's Downs.

Semi-opal, filling small cavities in quartzose porphyritic trachyte, Malvern Hills and Mount Somers.

Opal, ditto, ditto

Quartz, in pseudomorphs, imitative crystals of calcite, Snowy Peak, Malvern Hills, Gorge of Rakaia, Clent Hills, &c.

Hyalite, in small masses lining cavities, Snowy Peak, Malvern Hills.

Apophylile, in amygdaloids, Rangitata.

Ichtkyophthalmite (zeolite), in felsite porphyry, Rangitata, Turn-again-Point.

Serpentine, in veins, Mount Cook Range, and some other localities in the Alps.

Diallage, in Gabbro, Mount Torlesse Range and Upper Rakaia.

Delessite, in amygdaloids, Rangitata and Malvern Hills, &c.

Chlorite, in lamina?, metamorphic schists, West Coast.

Nephrite (greenstone of the Maories), in rolled pieces on the beach of the West Coast.

Augite, in trachydolerites and in fine twin crystals imbedded in agglomeratic tufa, Banks' Peninsula.

Hornblende, in basaltic and doleritic rocks, Banks' Peninsula, Malvern Hills, Timaru, &c.

Hypersthene, in hypersthenic Malvern Hills.

Actinolite, in metamorphic schist.

Chrysolite, in srains of basaltic rocks, Banks' Peninsula.

Bole, filling cavities in lava streams, Banks' Peninsula.

Pimelite, filling cavities in amygdoloidal rocks, Malvern Hills, Clent Hills, &c.

Palagonite, in angular fragments in palagonite tufas, Harper's Hills, near Selwyn, and Two Brothers, Ashburton. Another variety changing insensibly into a

Pitchopal, inclosing leaves and stalks silicified, occurs in the same localities.

Heulatulite (Zeolite), in amygdaloidal traps, associated with felsite porphyries, Turn-again-Point, Rangitata.

Stilbite (Zeolite), in amygdaloidal traps, associated with felsite porphyries, Turn-again-Point, Rangitata.

Natrolite, filling cavities in volcanic rocks, Banks' Peninsula.

Mesotype, in needles, in fissures of volcanic rocks, Banks' Peninsula.

Chabasite, in trachytes, in fissures of volcanic rocks, Banks' Peninsula.

Orthoclase (potash felspar), in granites and other crystalline rocks at the West Coast, &c.

Sanidine, or glassy felspar in trachytes and trachy-dolerites, Banks' Peninsula, and quartzose porphyritic trachytes, Malvern Hills.

Obsidian, on the sides of trachytic dykes (solbands), Banks Peninsula.

Pitchstone, associated with quartzose porphyritic trachytes Snowy Peak, Mount Somers.

Albite, in dioritic porphyries, River Wilkin and Makarora Ranges.

Oligoclase (soda felspar), in quartzose porpliyritic trachytes, Mount Misery, Malvern Hills.

Labradorite, felspar in lava streams, Banks' Peninsula.

Saussurite, in Gabbro, Mount Torlesse.

Garnet (Almandine), in quartzose porpliyritic trachytes and pitchstones, Malyorn Hills and Mount Somers.

Pistacite, in diorite, Mount Torlesse Range.

Potash Mica (muscovite), in granites and schists, West Coast.

Magnesia Mica (Rubellan), in volcanic rocks, Banks' Peninsula

Pearl Mica (Margarite), in gneiss and metamorphic schists, West Coast.

Tourmaline, in granite, Mosquito Hill, West Coast.

Marcasite (white iron pyrites) in clays and tertiary rocks, in many localities.

Pyrites, as mundic in older palaeozoic rocks as well as in brown coal and shale, ditto.

Mispikel, in diorites, Malvern Hills.

Clay Iron, in tertiary associated with brown coal and lignite.

Sand Iron Ore, in tertiary associated with brown coal and lignite.

llmenite, titanifcrous magnetic iron ore, in grains in melaphyres, Clent Hills.

Magnetic Iron Ore, in grains and dolerite, Malvern Hills.

Green Larlh, in amygdoloidal trap, Malvern Hills, Ashburton, Rangitata, &c.

Spathic Iron (carbonate of iron), found in large boulders coated with black psilomelane, near the sources of the river Kowai, Mount Torlesse, is one of the finest iron ores in existence.

Sphœrosiderite, in small crystals, or lining cavities of volcanic rocks, Banks' Peninsula, Malvern Hills.

Vicianite, coating cavities in melapliyres, Clent Hills.

Hausmannite (red oxyde of manganese), coating joints in rocks and in rolled pieces in River Selwyn.

Psilomelane, in veins, Upper Waimakariri.

Glaucolite (green sand), as small grains in the pepperstones middle tertiary series, Malvern Hills, Coal Creek, Rangitata, Weka-Pass, Ashburlon, &c.

Copper Pyrites, in grains imbedded in quartzose schists, Moor-house Range, &c.

Green Carbonate of Copper, in a rolled piece, from Mount Somers range, River Stour.

Gold, south-eastern part of the Province near Waitaki, and south-western near Lake Wanaka, and western side of the main range generally.

Retinite in brown coal (fossil gum).

contains Volcanic zone of Malvern Hills, older quartzose trachytic series No. 261 to 307

Amongst them some remarkably beautiful porphyritic trachytes with red garnets, as for instance Nos. 262, 263, 268.

Amongst the quartz varieties filling fissures or cavities in these rocks very interesting specimens of helitrope, chalcedony, jasper, rock crystal, &c.; also, some remarkable pseudomorphes of quartz, imitative of calcareous spar and casts; the former is well shown in No 286, the latter by No. 305 and others.

Trachytic tufas and younger doleritic series,

Malvern Hills No. 311 to 332

The Palagonite tufas, 319, 320, 321, are very remarkable, being the first—if we except those from the Galopagas Islands—which have been found in the southern hemisphere.

Small doleritie crater, N E. corner of Malvern

Hills No. 333 to 336

the lava of which exhibits a well developed crystalline structure.

Older volcanic zone of Mount Somers, No. 337—363, quartzose trachytes, pitchstones and tufas belonging to them. Although closely resembling the older Malvern Hill beds in their mineralogical composition, they show some remarkable features; among the tufas, No.350—ribboned tufa—is very beautiful.

Older volcanic zone of Gawler's Downs, resembling the foregoing is its principal constituents. Some interesting siliceous deposits occur here, which have inappropriately been called horastone por- page 131 phyries. The same rocks occur in Transylvania, where they are called palla, and are used for ornamental building purposes. Attention is also drawn to the palagonite tufas of the Two Brothers, No. 371, which are identical with those of Iceland.

Porpliyritic zone, Rangitati, 388 to 396. Age, probably secondary, and showing the true felsitic structure.

contains some of the rocks of the isolated volcanic system of Banks' Peninsula, No. 406 to 478. The specimens exhibited show at once that this zone consists not only of various centres of eruption, but also that the mineral constituents of the rocks are very varied. The oldest system by which the Calderas, the present harbours of that peninsula are formed, consist mostly of dendritic lavas, whilst the dykes by which they are traversed, are trachytic or trachy-doleritic. The tunnel collection in cases 9, 10, 11, will give an accurate insight into their character. In subsequent eruptions, by which the highest summits of the peninsula were firmed, andesitic, or trachy-doleritic lavas, are prominent, of whicl, No. 457 shows the principal characteristics. Of the subsequent quirtzose trachytic zone, No. 469 is a good specimen, whilst No. 468, shows the mineralogical character of a doberitic lava stream. In Lytelton harbour the latest eruptions were of a basaltic character, of which No. 462 is a specimen.

The same case contains also a collection of some of the bidding and ornamental stones of the Province, of which several art exhibited elsewhere in larger blocks by the owners of the quarries.

contains Fossils. In order to have this collection more complete, some fossils of other parts of New Zealand have been added, so as to give, as far as our present knowledge extends, a tolerably accurate insight into the character of the palœontohgy o New Zealand.

Palœozoic fossils collected in Canterbury, No. 1 to 16. Annelides and tracks of annelides from beds of high ago and undeter minable.

Silurian fossils, No. 17 to 22, from Mount Arthur, Nelson according to Professor Fred. McCoy identical with silurian fossils o Victoria.

Plant-beds, palœozoic (Devonian), No. 23 to 40, from Canter bury, still at present undescribed.

Spirifera-beds, upper Devonian or lower carboniferous, Canterbury, No. 41 to 111; some of them identical with Victorian fossils, spirifera lineata is a leading fossil.

Plant-beds, carboniferous or great oolitic, No. 112 to 145. The discussion as to the age of these beds, which have several species in common with those in New South Wales, is not yet closed, Professor McCoy still adhering to his opinion that they are of the great oolitic age, whilst from stratigraphical evidence many other geologists pronounce them of an age as far back as the carboniferous period. Amongst the species peculiar to New Zealand the Camptopteris Nova; Zelandiæ is remarkable for its beauty.

Richmond sandstone—Trias Nelson, No. 146 to 150. These fossils confined hitherto to one locality in Nelson, have since been found in the S. E. part of Otago, by Dr Hector.

Great Oolitic, Amuri, No. 146 to 159.—The fossils of this zone ore also identical with similar beds in Australia; beds of the same are in the Waipara, Canterbury, contain the Plesiosaurus Austidis, Owen, the specimen No. 159—teeth and vertebra; of saurians belong to the same period.

Cretaceous fossils, Northern Island, No. 100 to 162. The be-lemnites Aucklandicus, 160, is characteristic of this zone.

Grey coal measures, No. 163 to 188—(younger cretaceous?) The fossils hitherto collected in these important coal measures have not been yet sufficiently examined to determine their exact age.

• Dinornis robustus.
• Dinornis didiformis.
• Dinornis elephantopus.
• Dinornis easuarinus.
• Dinornis struthoides.
• Palapterix ingeus, &c.

Fifteen glass frames containing 200 botanical specimens of Alpine and Sub-Alpine vegetation of Canterbury. The examination of the interior of the Canterbury province has brought to light various and beautiful new forms, illustrating the botany of the province, very interesting even to an unscientific visitor.

Amongst the Ranunculæ, R. Lyallii and Haastii deserve especial notice.

Amongst the Umbelliferæ, the Ligusticum Hastii and L. piliferum.

Amongst the Composite, the Cehnisia coriacea, C. petiolata and Haastia recurva.

Amongst the Cruciferæ, the Notathlaspi rosulatum.

Amongst the Scrophularineæ, the Veronica Haastii and Veronica epacridea.

Amongst the Boragineæ, the Exarrhena, Macranthal, and many others too numerous to be particuarly specified.