THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE PROVINCE O F NELSON.

[From the NeUon Examiner, June 30.] CHBOME AND COPPER. The mineral resources of this Province have so frequently been noticed in our columns, that to many of our readers any further reference to them may appear superfluous ; but occupying, as they undoubtedly do, a foremost rank in our sources of wealth, it may not be undesirable to recapitulate them, and to show to what extent we have positive proof of their existence and value. In the first place, it has now been established that the Dun Mountain mines can produce an unlimited supply of chrome ore. In various places, on a line extending nearly three-quarters of a mile in length, it has been found "in great force." The main lode, upon which the present workings are carried on, is at least ten feet thick, and has been cut of the same thickness in a level, driven perpendicular to the strike of the lode, at a depth exceeding twenty fathoms; and although at this depth the character of the ore undergoes some change in its mode of admixture with the foreign substauces included in the lode, its richness in chromium is in no degree diminished. The Company are now getting the ore "at grass" (that is to say, laid in heaps ready for transport to the place of shipment), at something less than five shillings per ton, whilst the quantity actually in view, and which may be obtained by mere quarrying, exceeds 6,000 tons. It may be known to some of our readers that there are two lines of route from these mines to the harbour at Nelson, each of which presents its peculiar advantages ; namely, the line by the valley of the Maitai, and the line along the mountain ridge between the mine and Brook-street-valley. Had the mines turned out as rich in copper as was originally anticipated, then no doubt would have existed as to which of the two lines would have been adopted — that by the Maitai-valley possessing the advantage of enabling the mines to be worked by level at a very great depth. But doubts having been raised by the manager of the mine whether copper ore really exists there in quantity, and seeing that the line by the Maitai is longer than the hill line in the proportion of 15 to 9, and that the latter will admit of working the chrome mines by level for a very long period, it is at present in the greater favour with the Local Committee. We understand, however, that an engineer of considerable experience is actually on his way from England, whose duty it will be to determine this question, and the Local Committee have in readiness a Bill, to be introduced into the General Assembly at its approaching sitting, to authorize the construction of the hill line in case the engineer should determine to adopt it. The demand for chrome ore is now very large in Europe, and likely to increase ; and as the want of the proposed railway alone impedes extensive operations at the mines, we may look forward at an early date to a very considerable addition to our exports from this source. Nor is the chrome ore confined to the Dun Mountain mines alone. The Croixelles Mining Company have discovered upon their block large quantities of ore extremely rich in chromium, and which they are now engaged in shipping to England. This ore is found at the base, on each side of the hill forming their mine sett, and exists in the shape of large boulders and detached blocks, leading to the expectation (which the Company hope to verify by future explorations) that the ore will be found in situ in great abundance and of considerable richness. Seeing, moreover, that the formation in which this ore occurs extends in almost unbroken line from the Current Basin to the Red Hills on the north side of the old Wairau pass, a distance of fifty or sixty miles, we may fairly hope that mines of chrome ore will be found in other localities besides those above mentioned ; and we have the consolation of thinking that in this, as in almost every other mineral substance used in dyeing and in the manufacture of pigments, the demand for the article is only limited by the supply. We cannot dismiss this subject without some allusion to the copper mines, the supposed existence of which, to a great extent and value, first led to the establishment of the Dun Mountain Company. Shortly after the arrival here of the present manager of the Company, he threw considerable doubt upon the prospect of finding copper in any quantity in the Dun Mountain Company's block, and the result ot his investigations so far has supported Ins opinion ; but we are bound to admit, in justice to those who still hold strongly to the old opinion, " that the mines are good copper mines," that the works carried out by the manager are not of an extent sufficient to set the question at rest. Moreover, the opinion of Dr. Hochstetter (the value of which is beyond doubt) was in favour of the probable existence of rich copper mines in the Dun Mountain formation, and we believe that he considered it extremely probable that, in the prosecution of the researches after chrome, valuable deposits'of copper ore would be discovered. Recent investigations have addep something to the force of this opinion ; and although the point still remains undetermined, we believe we are warranted in stating that the manager himself is now not without hopes that the Dun Mountain copper mines may yet be found to merit the names given to them.