THE SOURCE OF THE BULLER.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 555, 16 September 1869, Page 2

THE SOURCE OF THE BULLER.

Mr Gully, a gifted water-color artist, resides in .Nelson. Ho is now disposing of twelve of his valuable pictures by art-union. One of these is a view of the St. Arnaud Range, with Lake Roto-iti and the Wairau Gorge. Of this picture, the Examiner says : Sfc Arnaud is the name given to the range of mountains which separate the Wairau Gorge from Black Valley and Lake Roto-iti, and terminate just beyond the Top House in the Wairau Valley. Tins range of mountains is the water-shed of that portion of the country, the valleys overlapping each other, and while the Wairau discharges its waters into Cloudy Bay, in Cook Strait, the River Buller, fed by Lake Roto-iti, after running a course of 100 miles, debouches into the sea under lee of Cape Eoultvind. The view is taken from a hill beyond " Gordon's Knob," above the road through the Big Bush, and clear of the forest, and is remarkable even in New Zealand for the grandeur of the scenery. The stand-point of the artist is nearly 3000 feet above the level of the sea, and this great elevation is marked with wonderful fidelity by the stunted trees of black birch skilfully disposed both on the right and left of the picture, and by the lichen-covered blocks of stono lying scattered over the shoulder of the mnuntain iu the open foreground. But these are not the objects that first engage the eye, which is carried forward to the beautiful lake embosomed deep among the lofty snow-capped mountains, to the receding Wairau Gorge, losing itself in the dim distance, and above all to the majestic grandeur of the range of mountains which gives the name to this picture, running back to Mount Una, the loftiest of the Spencer peaks, and second only in elevation in New Zealand to Mount Cook. These mountains are the great feeders of the rivers Wairau, Clarence, and Waiauua, which discharge themselves on the East Coast, and the Buller and Grey, which pour their immerse volumes of water into the sea on the West Coast. Opinions will always differ concerning works of art, but for grandeur of effect and complete mastery of subject, wc consider the " St. Arnaud Range " as one of Mr Gully's most successfnl efforts.