LYTTELTON.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VIII, Issue 692, 20 March 1852, Page 3

LYTTELTON.

By the Return Lyttelton papers have come to hand to the 28th February. 11.M.5. Calliope had arrived at Akaroa, from Hobart Town, on the ult, and was still at anchor there when the Return left. The Times, of the 28th ult, contains an extract of a private letter from the Governor-in-Chief, to Captain Simeon, expressing his intention of visiting Lyttelton, and his desire of making some arrangements respecting the completion of the road between Lyttelton and Christchurch. The same paper contains a letter from the Colonial Secretary of New Munster, of a later date, referring to a recent despatch received from Earl Grey, in which his lordship, after acknowledging the receipt of despatches informing him of the loan of £2,064 made by the Local Government to the Agent of the Association, in 1850, cautions the Governor “to abstain from making similar advances to the Agent in future, for the purpose of carrying on the objects of the Association, which must provide for itself the necessary funds for carrying on the operations it has undertaken.” Reports, by Mr. Cridland and Mr. Lyon, arc published in the Times on the coal discovered in the bed of the river Selwyn, at a distance of about 30 miles from Christchurch. The following is Mr. Lyon’s report on the subject:—

Riccarton, February 23, 1852. Sir, —I have at your request visited the valley of the Selwyn, and inspected the series of coal deposits lately discovered there: whether considered in an economical or geological point of view, this discovery is of importance. Coal is known to exist in many parts of New Zealand, but the exact geological position, from the want of characteristic fossils, has not been hitherto determined. I think it may now with confidence be asserted that the extensive coal fields of New Zealand are of cotemporaneous origin with, and the equivalent of the lower carboniferous formation of English geologists. The Canterbury district from Timaru to Waipara is in many places bordered by a series of low undulating downs, resting on and lifted up upon the rugged transition rocks which form the vast boundary line of the settlement, it is in that portion of these downs known as the Malvern Hills, where the coal formation has been examined by Mr. Cridland, Mr. E. J. Wakefield, and myself. It consists of the usual series of limestones, sandstones, more or less indurate laminated clays, bituminous shales, seams of coal and clay, ironstone, which constitute what are called the coal measures. The exact number of strata, and their arrangement in a descending order, I have not been able to ascertain, I have, however, counted upwards of 30. The line of bearing of all the strata appears to be nearly south-west and north-east, having the slip to the south-east, with an angle of inclination of about 19 de-

grccs. The limestone is the highest bed seen ci opping out, it is fossiliferous, of a superior quality, and at least 00 feet in thickness : separated from this by sandstones and shales, lies the main seam of coal, the first is four feet thick, the second seam—not far below it—is six feet in thickness. These seams are of a superior kind to any New Zealand coal which I have yet seen, the large seam is a compact black coal, with a conchoidal fracture resembling the English channel coal, easily lighted, burns with a bright flame, leaves very little residuum, and appears to be free from the disagreeable sulphureous smell of the Nelson coal. Besides these seams there are several others varying from one to eighteen inches in thickness. The associated rocks contain several scams or bonds of clay ironstone, one of them abounding with freshwater shells of the genus unio. The laminated clays and shales contain impressions of leaves, stems, and ferns, manv of the impressions of ferns are very perfect, and appear to belong to the genera Picopteris and Spenopteris. This coal formation will be found to extend along the back boundary line of the districts in a north-east direction, and I think will be found developed in great abundance to the north of the Waipara, I have traced and examined the same coal measures nearly as far as the Hurunui River. From the north of Ko Motunau to the Waipara there occurs a very large deposit of white limestone, the geological position of which I have not been able to ascertain. A series of strata of the newer tertiary formation, sections of which are seen to very great advantage in the bed of the Waipara, appear to be tilted upon it, it is immediately under this large deposit of white limestone that the coal measures appear. Outliers of this tertiary formation will be found to cover the coal formation near to and on the flanks of Mount Grey, and perhaps over a great portion of the deposit. I have observed also that in some parts of the Malvern hills, it is capped by a vesicular lava passing into a volcanic grit. Without a series of extended observations, it is impossible to tell how far this formation may be interrupted by faults or slips, or whether the clevatory force which upheaved the enormous mass of volcanic rocks which constitute Banks’ Peninsula, may not have affected and upheaved the eastern position. I think it highly favourable that many of the altered rocks which may be observed interstratified amongst the Felspather, Basaltic, and Porphyritic rocks of the peninsula, have formed part of this same coal formation. At Cass’s Bay a fine yellow ripple-marked sandstone may be seen underlying the volcanic rocks; sandstones and black shales crop out, or rather are thrown up on the hills in the rear of Gibbie’s station. A careful examination of the southern slopes of the peninsula might be attended with some discovery.— I am, Sir, your's respectfully, William Lyon. To J. R. Godley, Esq., Agent of the Canterbury Association. The Crops.—Favourable reports have reached us of the general state of vegetation upon the plains, now that the arrival of the harvest season renders it possible to judge fairly upon the subject. The yield of both wheat and green crops in the low-lying lands is, we hear, equal if not superior to the average of the old country, a fact that is sufficiently encouraging when the newness of the soil and its consequent sourness and impurity is taken into consideration. In some of the cultivated spots at the foot of the hills, indeed, we hear of failures—probably leferable to the choice of land upon the rise, and therefore inordinately drained for tillage. The grain crops are generally rather short in the straw. We believe that the reverse is the characteristic of their growth in the more cultivated parts of New Zealand. Altogether affairs argue well for the plenty of future years, when the soil shall have become cleaner and more pervious to air and moisture. The latter part of the growing season has been considered unusually wet, a fortunate circumstance, and one that supplied in a great measure the want of other requisites to successful farming. —lbid, Feb. 21.