AUSTRIA AND NEW ZEALAND

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2252, 11 September 1914, Page 8

AUSTRIA AND NEW ZEALAND

; V A BROKEN CORD OF SYMPATHY I THE WORK OP HOCHSTETTER i It isVnofc'. without feelings of regret h: • that many in New Zealand find England ?. .; embroiled- in" a war with Austria,* for ; ..■..•■thai country, as represented by .'.those* '■■.: ' ' eminent in science, and-.even the monarf ■..- clucal head of the nation, have always ■ . raKen'.a lively interest in the Dominion ;■■•...-■ of which evidence is by no means lackI; ing.- That..interest,date's back a long r. way, and to it New. Zealand], owes a y good deal. .It Lad its birth in the arrii: yal at Auckland, towards tho end of !•■. :-.'■■ December,.. 1857, of-the Austrian sloop <■'.. j)f war Novara, which was engaged on a ; -:;. tour of.the world with a group,of scion- '--.: ' pts. Among: these were Dr. Ferdinand Y\, ■■;.'-' yon Hoelistetter, then Professor of r Mineralogy and Geology at the Poly--1 teebnic Institution of Vienna. This dis- ■: ..; tmguished. man of science' was destined ' -,*<• pay.more;thau a fleeting visit to this ! ; country, , and to his services the authorit ties of the times expressed a deep debt ! : ;. . of gratitude. ' ;,■:.-. ""Yhen the Novara was lying iu Sydney !■■ .'. Cove SHNTCm. Denison, tiie then Gforert.' " or, received q document from the Now [■>■'■:■■'■',•'■ Zealand requesting the serf vices of a , geologist to examine the now1. Iy-disc6verei ,'coalfiolds 'near Auckland. f , .. On becoming;acquainted with the fact [.'■>... that the'jNoyara intended to visit Auekt :.;•: land, a, reguest was made to Commander ':.■ . < -Wullerstbff~-fhat the ' geologist, Dr. j'' . Hocfistetter.be allowed to examine and I : -•;. report"upotthe coalfields. Hochstetter I ■ ■ "biniself wrote:'' Commander Wullersforf }■'.. gladly .embraced this opportunity of reiiI; :■ deruigSthd'Gbvernmenb-.bf.'an'EuElish ;' colony; at~ : 'lea"st some service, however. 6liglit,'in'order to prove by it our un- ' feigned gratitude for the cordial welcome ' '<'■■ '■ -;•'■ end tho;vigorous assistance we" had ie- ;■■".'■'■ celved everywhere on English ground." '.■■■■■■" So the! eminent professor engaged in f ■■' the work'of definitely. ascertaining the h ' ''• . : quality; and/the probable extent of'the }- . . coalfields in; the Rrury and Hunua. dis- ;., . tricts, which have practically been yield- !■ ing ever."since. This work he performed : between;. December 24 and January 2. ; iThe roport, • which urged the establish- -. nieut of Amines, ' was delivered ,to . the i Governor-of New Zealand, Colonel T. ;■: : Gore Brown, , whilst tho Austrian frigate was-still in Auckland' Harbour. i Then realising the value of a man of :. '. Hochstetter's' attainments, the Governj■ ■■■ . ment of New Zealand sought to obtam ! ..-• his services to still further make a geo- ;■■'-' logical, survey of.the province of Auck- • land. ' After: some little hesitation, as ' it parting from all his friends j. •' iOn the Novara, Dr. Hoohstetter, with ;, tlie consent, of Commander von Wuller- |-.-. . 6torf, .undertook the task. S. , At this ;iimo" he was fortunate enough i. ;■: to fall 'in : witli Dr. Julius von Haast i' '- (aftenvards Government Geologist for j. the Canterbury Province), and the two > :became travelling companions during the ;•' ;■> rest of Hochstetter's stay' in the coun- \. ;try. As the district north of Auck- ; . land was.pretty well known through the i travels; of; Dieffenbach in 1840, Hochi; stetter reaLised'that his time could be .[.■- most valuably applied in/exploring the ■ . interior. of the North island; so he j. worked. his way down tho Waika- ;-.. ■ kato, struck west to 1 Kawhia, then down i through the Waipa cotmtry to the i-\ Mokau,, thence across the bush ranges 1 '(■;"■• to the sources of the Wanganui Biver, .■ and on up to Taupo, Rotorua, and the Bay of Plenty, and baok to Auckland, : via the Thames and Wailwto. The re- !■' suits of'-this three months' expedition i achievement in itself in those days i ■ ■ —was entirely satisfactory. ■ The weai fher was favourable, the Natives were f kindly disposed and helpful. i ■'■ On' Ibis rjetum to Auckland the prof fessor- delivered a lecture in the Me- \-'::.-: chaiiics'.lnstitute on his travels-, and presented a..collection of the results of i , ■ iiis researches.., On July 24/ 1858, ho' [; .was presented with ah .address and a ; i valuable testimonial, and left afterf-. ' • wards for Nelson in the Lord' Ashley, >;■. calling at New Plymouth and WelJing- !■'.'•'■ ton, which afforded Hochstetter a :: , chance of paying Lasty visits to those i places. Then he and "his friend, Dr. i. • Von Haast, went on to Nelson, where k. they were. given, a cordial receptionI and every facility was placed at,their !:•■■'.'. disposal in the prosecution of their geo- !■■-.■• logical researches. There-gold and coal !'.":'■ j were found, enough for Dr. Hochstetter ! to judge that there was reason to nope I . that more extensive deposits would be j: ' ; discovered later on in the island, whicn ! J- was borne out by the discovery of gold ; on the West Coast and in Otago, ana j : : it was Dr. Von Hadst himself who i: ilis-. ; covered the great coalfields on the Bui-: j . . ler and Grey Rivers. I. Altogether, Dr. Von Hochstetter'was J .'■•.■ nine months in New Zealand, and the j : . : result of- his work in that brief period f "lias been of the utmost value to those j. ■': wiio followed him in the samo field of I research. His name is preserved for I all time" in Mount Hochstetter (5140 |. . feet in hoigM, situated between : the j Ahaurajand Grey Rivers; and in Lake !■;■■ Hochstetter,. at the head of NelEou i ■-'.■■. Creek. !..Were it not for Hochstetter, !■■ A T ew Zealand might not have benefited J ■•' by the valued work of that indefatigable j .worker,SDr. Julius Von' Haast, whom i.. chance ; associated avith tho eminent [. 'Viennese scientist, and to whom New !■ Zealand owes much for his geological h discoveries. The name of that gentle-. ! man is.;perpe't;iated in the township of I Haast, on the Haast River, about a i -■ hundred', miles from Pembroke, on the I . .AVest Coast,-and in.Haast,Pass..- v :' It was doubtful jn : gi-ateful .rtmem- ;. ■. brauco jof tho Emne'ror of Austria's ini. !■■. '•■ terest-'in New Zealand, as manifested ! ... . in the visit of the Novara and of Hoeh- :-.-'■■■ stetter's'stayhere, that. the most cele- | -bratedglacier in,, New Zealand is called ! the Franz Josef-Glacier. Further ovii 'denceof-'tliis interest was manifested 7 i. ■'■. yearsrago-wheii.'at'.the-Einperor'e die-- ; : ..;•'■■' tation eight head of chamois were sent ■ ont to the New Zealand Government : ''• for liberation in the Mount Cook disS" . trict. That these graceful creatures of : the crags are doing,well is on record. [• In February- last- a. , herd , of fourteen i. cnamqis were scon feeding on the t . higher slopes of tlie Southern Alps in !"•' the Mount Cook. territory. ;■ Tlie Emi peror;; Franz J.osef had' another threej liead'-scnt ouf'.tb-' New Zealand la'sfc! i year, :butono died, on the voyage. That J means that ten chamois in all have been I liberated in the south per favour, of K our present enemy..