ANOTHER REPORT FROM MR. ROCHFORT.

Colonist, Volume VI, Issue 597, 14 July 1863, Page 6

ANOTHER REPORT FROM MR. ROCHFORT.

Nelson, July 8, 1863. Sm—ln continuation of my former report, I have the honor to inform you that after leaving the Moldhinui I returned to Fawcett's Point to examine the works in progress, &c. Knding the old pack road to the plain getting dangerous and heavy, I caused it to be repaired. I also let out three miles by contract. Arranging these matters delayed me twelve days. I then went to the Karainea and overtook the party who were cutting the walking track under the superintendence of my brother, about 18 miles down. ..

I accompanied him to the old digging (blazing a track on the way) for the purpose of ascertaining the distance remaining', and the nature of the country through which the road would have to pass. Before describing the Mackay, I may state that the pack road from Eawcett's point to a mile above the south branch, a distance of about eleven miles, will be completed in about ten days. Near this point Thornton and M'Diarmid found their prospect, and I can add that coarse gold has been found some miles above.

Eight miles distant is the saddle. The first two miles will be heavy sideling, then two miles of flat, and three of easy sidecutting.

Beyond the saddle, the walking track is cut for 30 miles, and fourteen miles remain to connect the coast. About one-half may be considered flat; the part tincut is very dense with lciekie and supplejack, and will take 'some time to cut. 1 thereupon felt it my tluty to withdraw the men, and to suggest that the remainder of the foot-track be completed from the coast. We have latterly had to carry provisions for 50 miles beyond the point where horses could go, and the supply has been very intermittent and uncertain, from bad weather, floods, &c. Starting from the saddle, an easy sideling leads down to the Karamea, which for three miles is a succession of narrow stoney flats. Afterwards, sideling for a mile through clay slate, and a kind of shale, with fossil impressions of shells (one of Avhich is a large oyster shell), the traveller arrives at ; a thin seam of coal exposed at a very sharp angle. It is very bituminous, cokes "freely, blistering like pitch, but is practically useless. The next mile and a half (sideling) at two points are very rough.. The latter is caused by a waterfall in the river, which descends,in one sheet about 70 feet. . Here the foot-track diverges from where the pack road will go, and avoids this difficulty by crossing a low hill and descending again by a steep zigzag. The river sides below are nearly flat for nine miles. The upper half is not of much use; it is very wet and partly flooded, and is not anywhere of much width ; the timber is very scrubby and principally black birch. At a, small creek about the middle of the flat, gold has been found, but not payable. The river nearly divides a granite and slate formation, with here and there limestone rocks, but to reduce them to any order requires a geological surveyor. On the opposite side three tributaries join. By the first I tried ineffectually to find a shorter path to the coast. I have called it Mndic Creek, from the quantity showing in the river. At its head there is a vein.in quartz ovith ; a mineral having the appearance of lead. Two miles further down another seam of coal crosses our .track, The rock exposed in the creeks flowing from the east is slate, with many and large lumps of quartz, Avhile opposite is granite. Near here also for a few chains the earth (cut in a sideling) is of a curious red appearance, suggesting the presence of mineral (possibly copper)."" Eor the purpose of testing this earth I have brought some to Nelson.

In the next three miles (slate and limestone) are several rocky points, in general good travelling, with some moderate sized flats containing fine timber. A river then enters about twice the size of the Maitai, coming from the head of the Baton and Wangapeka, and connected with the latter river by a saddle which I described in my former report. It was^traversed by a party of diggers from the "Wangapeka, who named it Duck Creek. They crossed the dividing range and descended a little, above the confluence of the tributary which comes from Mount Arthur, near the Baton, and report having found coarse gold, but much bare rock and very little wash dirt; they spent but little time prospecting, their chief energies being direct towards getting further down the Karamea. It was the fire of this party which was seen by Mr. Salisbury when he crossed the range from Motueka.

About five miles lower down is tlie confluence of the Salisbury, a much larger river than the last, and taking its rise near the Takaka Saddle or the Plateau described by Mr. Salisbury. The rock is slate, and amon<* the shingle are quantities of quartz and con° glomorate (see specimens) and good red looking wash dirt. I have .left three :men. of experience to prospect up; tins river fo its head, and afterwards to 4exainine the maiii river towards the old diggings, with its larger tributaries for a similar purpose, directing them to preserve specimens, &c, for the Government, and to keep a journal; their report will throw some light on the prospect of finding a road through from Motueka. After ex-ha-astmg their stores (six weeks supply) they can if you think fit join the road party at the coast.' -■■■•■• x J

_ In.the. main river the last five miles is limestone, granite, and slate. Soil good and some detached flats with good pine timber. The river now turns to the west and runs hi that direction six miles (limestone,, grit, and granite rock), flats good and undergrowth karamu, of which cattle are so fond—and then a much larger river joins, called the ■ *, and branching in two, bearing separately "W.N.'W. and N.N.8., very likely meeting a branch of the Aorero or Heaphy. I should have mentioned that on the opposite side three miles back, the limestone assumes a! more decided form, aiid either abuts on or approaches near the river in the shape of jbeautiful castellated cliffs 600 or 700 ieet high, presenting an appearance similar to those white cliffs on the B.uller at the end of the gorge above the first diggings, only far more extended and picturesque. One.mile, belowthe confluence of the ' V*.these cliffs leave the river in a S.TV.-direction among low granite hills,

•%'TW? river is yotiiinuamod,

which extend to the outer flat. Here in the river bed are lying thick tabular blocks of sandstone, and grit and limestone; to an ordinary, observer this is the coal formation, and is lying more in a horizontal position, except that the upper end is lying at a rather higher elevation than the lower. Taldng the river for a datum, from which I assume a slight dip to the S.~W", it seems near to the river to be a plateau and partly bare of vegetation on the top. I am sorry I could not cross the river anywhere near this spot. On returning I was delayed by floods two days and a half at * river. I should suggest that an india-rubber boat cloak be provided when a geologist is despatched to this river, as in many places where the hills are at all close, one cannot cross for a distance of six or seven miles without swimming. „ To return to my report I believe the low granite hills I last referred to are gold bearing. Six miles below another large river joins from the north, about the same size as the last. "We found a good prospect here of fine gold in a red and black cemented gravel, on granite, under a terrace of about eighty acres; in this last section the timber is gradually getting poor and small as it leaves the limestone, with here and there a patch of supplejack; several rough sidelings occur in it.

The next six miles wend S.S.~W. and partake of the same character (fine gold being obtainable on the rock). A small river there enters opposite from the S.E. There is an old native-camp on the north' side, where a sluice box has been dubbed out with an adze. The bush is choked with kiekie and'supplejack, and a gorge of about two miles and a half leads one out of the hills due west; the last piece will be nearly all sideling and rough. There is no difficulty then' to the coast, most of it being a flat. To make my report more complete I will describe again the mouth of the Karamea. About fourteen miles of a flat, containing 20,000 acres or thereabouts, face the sea forming a long hard sandy beach. Quite at the south end the "Wanganui flows into the sea, one bank being limestone hills and the other flat.

Between'the "Wanganui and Mokihinui, coastwise, is alternately limestone, and the coarse granite before referred to, which abounds. on the West Coast. (10 miles direct.) :

About a mile up the Mokihinui is a fine flat running north, parallel to the coast, and separated from a tributary of the "Wangamii by a'coast range 1000 feet high. The "Wanganui is a fine deep river, with a good body of water, but a very narrow entrance, well adapted for a boat harbor, as it is sheltered on the south by a long reef of rock stretching out seaward; I never heard of any one ascending it. | At the north end of the flat is the Haihai, a small river/with the same coarse granite rock on the south side, and limestone on the 1 north, being in this respect something like the Heaphy. Near the Heaphy is coal, alum, and fluor spar. These two livers are seven miles apart, and a tolerable road could be got between them.

Near the centre of the flat is the Karamea, a very pleasant site for a settlement, which I suggest may be called Port Alexandra. On the south side is a mud flat, divided from the sea by a, narrow spit, and having a small river, the Otuinahana, running .through it, connected in two places by tidal creeks. On the north side also one long tidal creek cuts an island from the inaiu, entering the river about a mile up. Most of the land is good, though all bush ; pine, rata, and pukatea with kowai scrub on the river side and long flax, tutu, &c.

The entrance to. the harbor is wide and straight, with at least four feet on the bar at low water, a.rise of tide varying from about Bto 12 feet. I think the depth, will be the same as the Buller was formerly, when there were two channels.

; A vessel should anchor abreast of the first scrub, island on the north side near that shore until seeing the place at low water ; there are snags half a mile up, but so far the water is deep. There is a good place on either side for anchorage in a flood, and the time of high water at full and change is not much, different from the Buller.

A good township could be formed on the north side, and probably all the land commanded by a depth of four feet will be eventually used for that purpose. There will be gold mines at the backhand a possibility of finding coal at. an available point for shipping ; a thorough communication from the' Buller to Collingwood, and a bridle track to Nelson.

The copper lately found on the "Waugapeka by^ Sullivan, is said by a miner to be white oxide, and to contain 20 per cent, of copper, it was found a little below Fawcett's Point, near it also is a thin vein of mineral, resembling lead, in a vein of quartz three inches, thick, containing a good deal of mundic, the rocks near are clay, slate, and limestone. Lead ore (galena)' has been found'by M'Q-lashan, two miles up the Eolling River, f alsir in.qnartz (see specimen) but only in a river boulder. No lodes have yet been found, and therefore, little can be said of itsvalue. .

I enclose a sketch plan of the district. I have, &c.

John Eochfoet,