The Endeavour Inlet Antimony Mine.

The directors have rooeived tho following interesting report from Mr. Napior, the fcngliqh oxpert who has reoontly arrived to tike charge of the Btneltiag operations : — Having now been hero three weeks, I havo had an opportunity of well examining tlio antimony ores contained on your property hero as to their purity and fitness for smelting, and I havo muoh pleasure in reporting that I can bear testimony to its being of the beat quality and free from any impurity, baing mostly puro sulphide, mixed in some oases with small portions of oxide, whioh is a-ivantageous in tho prooesß of smelting. or tho mine itself I hava nothing much to a<ty further tlian to share in tho good opinion piven of it by Mr. Herbert Cox (Assistant Geologist) in his report of 1875, that of Mr Alexander M'Eay of 1885, and also that of tho mining manager (Mr. Wosrne). I may, however, just add that no mine conld be better situated for oheap working from tho faot that for a long time to come no sinking will bo required, as the mine can bo worked by adit levels driven from the creek -The abundant supply of water for driving machinery for orushinc, wahhing, &o , is also a matter of great valuo. The ore at present at surface » very considerable-some hundre^a of tons. Tho avorage peroentage of tho various heaps would, I shonld say, contain about from 25 to 80 per oent. of antimony, besides whioh there is a considerable quantity which will averago from 60 to CO per cent., which, of course, can go direot to th« Bmolting works. A vory large portion of ameltable oro can also be pioked out of tho other poorer heaps, and trom tho vory large hoap of sittings near the dressing floor at the mouth of the mino a considerable quantity' of very fine Bmoltablo ore can be pioked out very cheaply. Tho portions of ore whioh aro too poor to be sont direot to the smelting workß will have to bo ground and washed, but this will- not bo suoh an cxponsive operation as has been autiuipated by you, nor will it, I think, ho necessary to erent any expensive washing nmohinfry in the meantime tit least, as

I feel oonfidont, from what experiments I hnvo alrpidy made wil-htho oro that a very ?!••• v < cii" wft hn% rili • nffi 'fi to conounirat* the or.< lor Bin>.-ltintf It ia not art if yon wore washing the ore for the purpose of salo, when it would bo necessary to wa«h it up to the highest poHfiblo degree. All I pwpofo to do in the meantime ia to grind tho oro ho as to paps through a pretty coarse siavo, and then wash it by hand in properly constructel boxes, which, of courße, we can roplaco by jigijers when wo get further advanced and aeo what will bo best suited for our purpose. Tho washing by hand will not bo auch an expensive procoss as may be supposed, as tho matrix to be washed away ia s>o very much lighter than tho antimony oro. I am not yet in a position to say what this will cost per ton, but as Eoon as tho holidayH aro ovor and the men return to work, I shall make tho experiment ; but from what I have already done, I should say it will not cost moro than a few shillings por ton. Pmoltiiifj Works— With the exception of a Bmall portion of flue to bo connected with a tornporary chimney, ivo have now twelve furnaces complotod and a slow fire in them, bo as to dry them ready for work by tho time tho vopsel arrives with tho cruciblen, monldß, tools, &c, which should not bo lonj? now Tho smelting-houKO, although not finished, will bo in such a forward BUto an to onable us to go on working. Tho twelvo furnaces, when in full work, should yield from Bovon to eight tons of puro metal per woek. but twonty-four furnaces would yield more in propoition. In conclusion, I have only to say that there ia, to all appoaroncos, everything desired to rer.der the company a complete euccess, and, with atiict economy in tho various departments. I havo every confidenoo that such trill bo the result."