MISCELLANEOUS.

The mine manager of the White's Reef mine reports that he has raised about 20 tons cf bton<\ During the operations carried on he got on a little gold with sluiciug, but the reef was very much broken and the gold patchy. The Dunstan Times states that Mr John Bennet has now been appointed mine manager. A correspondent of the Tuapeka Times«lteß that there are about 50 men employed at Criffel. He states that while several are earning from £4 to £5 per week others are only makiujr "tucker." *

The share list of the Golden Gully United Quartz-Mining Company will close on Saturday next. It is stated that such is the confidence of the promoters that they have applied for shares in addition to the paid up ones they receive, and one is said to have applied to the extent of an additional 2000.

The Southland says that Mr H. Hubber (one of tl c members of the Big Bay expedition), writing on October 19 to the manager of the Bank of Austrakbia, btates that most of tbe men were getting a little gold, but very few, if any, in payable quantities. Some of the old miners had good hopes of finding some gold. In the writer's owu opiniou tiur had just as good a chance of finding a silvi-r mine, for he had seen lots of nickel silver which he thought came from the Red Hills. He had been told by an old miner that he found silver ore at the foot of the Red Hills. The snow, however, was still on the range, which prevented the party, from prospecting there as j et. The country, Mr Hubber states, is covered thickly with scrub up to the snow line, while about the beach it is all boulders.

We are iuformed there is every prospect of the gold mine in Hooper's Inlet, at the back of Harbour Cone, proving a profitable investment to the prospectors, Messrs Shelmerdine and Bazan, who have/after great difficulty, succeeded in bottoming the shaft. They have also tested the wahhriirt and are confident they have come on payable gold. It is anticipated that more definite information will be available shortly.

The following sanguine items are from the Mount Ida Chronicle: — The stone now being crubhed from the Progress Company's mineabout 45 tons having been put through to dateis likely to turn out more gold per ton than even the most sanguine of the shareholders had anticipated. Two ounces is the lowest estimate. Work at the mine sjrill continues, a good shoot of stone having been met with in the adit level. Every day develops some new source of wealth. It now seems so extraordinary that so valuable a property has been allowed to lie dormant ,»o long. We trust shortly to be able to report that the three reefs within the claim are turning out golden stone. If such should be the case, the lucky shareholders will be wealthy men in a very short time. — The Great Eastern will probably commence operations shortly. Steps are now being taken to register tbe company ; and so soon as the real work of the mine commerces we shall expect to hear glowing reports from it, as, considering the way it is already opened out, the property is undoubtedly one of the best in the district. — According to latest reports, the Otago Central mine still looks well, the mine manager considering the present outlook of a highly satisfactory character. Several hands have been knocked off recently, the staff now numbering some six or seven men.

Marsden's patent stone crusher appears to promise well fortheßlue Spur cement. 1 he Great Extended Company's inaugural trial was most satisfactory. When set wide it will put through fully 200 tons a day, and -when set fine it will do more than half that quantity. The stones are ground almost to powder, and are crushed with ease and expedition. The saving of labour will be considerable, and the gold which has hitherto been washed through the race in unbroken stones will be Paved. Tbe machine is exceedingly simple in design, but very durable, and requires little or no looking after. It is driven by a turbine, and will be fed from a hopper, only requiring the labour of a boy. Tbe gold produced in Prussia, which is a very small quantity, is obtained by an interesting process. The peroxide of iron, obtained in roasting the arsenical gravel, is impregnated with chlorine gas, washed with water, and tbe gold contained precipitated with sulphuretted hydro* gen. The resulting sulphide of gold is roasted, washed with hydrochloric acid, and smelted with borax and nitre. '.'