Page:The journal of the Royal Geographic Society of London. Volume 34, 1864. (IA s572id13663720).pdf/270

64 into a great sluice-box, where, coming under the action of so powerful a current, the gold would be washed out and deposited, while the lighter matter would be carried away.

The Arrow takes its rise from the snow on Mount Hyde, and after a crooked course through a succession of deep gorges, during which it receives several tributaries, all known to be highly auriferous, it emerges into the open country at Arrowtown; and after a further course of 6 miles along the base of the Crown Ridge, it joins the Kawarau. The distance, in a straight line, from the most remote source of the Arrow to its mouth is 15 miles; the course by the river will be a few miles more, and its general direction is south by east.

The Oreti rises in the Thomson Mountains; for the first 22 miles of its course it runs parallel to the Mavora Lakes and the Mararoa River, at a distance from them of 2 to 4 miles; for the next 5 miles of its course it runs nearly due south, when, being joined by the Windley from the Eyre Mountains, it enters Southland after a course of 27 miles in Otago, the latter 17 miles being through a well-grassed valley.

The Wakaia takes its rise by several tributaries from the Rocky Mount and the Obelisk. It enters the Wakaia Forest, and after flowing through it for 8 miles it enters a fertile well-grassed valley, through which it meanders for 18 miles in a south-west direction. During this part of its course the Wakaia receives on its south side the Argyle Burn from the Umbrella Mountains; and on its north side the Gow, Steven, Steeple, Dome, and Garvie Burns from the Garvie Mountains. After receiving the Garvie Burn, the course of the Wakaia is nearly due south for 7 miles to its junction with the Mataura. The total length of the Wakaia will be upwards of 40 miles. At its confluence with the Mataura it is nearly of equal volume with that river.

Pasture.—There are 1635·8 square miles of pastoral country, of which 778·5 square miles belong to the country drained by the Waiau and Upper Oreti, 552·3 to the Kawarau, and 305 to the Wakaia. The grass-land occurs in detached portions, and under a variety of circumstances that render a detailed description necessary. Beginning with the Waiau District, the country on the west side of the Waiau River will have to be noticed firstly. The extent is 86 square miles, and consists principally of terrace-flats along the banks of the Waiau, which yield natural grasses abundantly, the nutritive qualities of which were very evident from the prime condition of the stock depasturing on them. On the south banks of the Monowai, and up the valley of the Lill, this district is diversified by the undulations of low ridges: these are much overrun with scrub that will yield generally to the clearing effects of burning off. There are, however, at the head of the