GEOLOGY OF OTAGO.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 352, 3 December 1875, Page 2

GEOLOGY OF OTAGO.

BT P. W. HUTTOK, F.G.S., C.M.Z.8., PBOVINCIAIi GEOLOGIST. Captain Hutton's geological report of the Province is now published, "jound up with Mr. Ulrich's Goldfields report, and a useful table of altitudes furnished by Mr. M'JLerrow, and also a table of chemical analysis supplied by Professor Black. The volume is .a handy one as a stepping stone to more carefully elaborated works, shewing the scientific definition of New Zealand as it is, and the probable future before it as a mineral producing and manufacturing country. As a geological survey of the whole Province, such as was intended when Mr. Oliver induced the Provincial Council to agree to the appointment of a Provincial Geologist, we think the work ia singularly unsatisfactory. The map but barely indicates the formation of the country in its wide aspects, and is of very little practical use to those desirous of developing the mineral resources of the" Province. The truth is that the Geologist's time has been monopolised by other labors ■ imposed upon him quite foreign'to the purpose intended by the Council. The work has been hastily thrown together, as may be seen by the internal evidence, notably by r the entire omission of any account of the building stones of the most important feature perhaps of all in a geological survey. The reason, given for this omission is that Mr- Blair's paper on the building stones of Otago, lately published in.. some of the newspapers, obviated the necessity of any mention of the same. Mr. Blair's exceedingly clever paper may be practically very valuable, but it could never take the same place in the public mind as the care-' fully prepared report or the Geologist would have done. Captain Hutton has not been allowed fair play. His solutions of many of the scientific problems of the country rare jslirewd, and are in many instances, stamped with plainly apparent accuracy. What was wanted was something different, which can. harjdlybe described, because it is not. tVe. give an extract from the work of loceil interest, in another colunatil The work wnteatly printed by Messrs./Mills,Dick. & Co., and can be obtained from Messrs.. Wilkie, Dunedin.- '" v -. _ •