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51. Is there any other field besides the river ?—The river is very extensive, from Alexandra into the river Cromwell, and it could only be worked in the winter season. I went into the ranges, and my partner, while I was prospecting, sold my dredge, and went off to America. 52. Did you have a prospecting claim at the Carrick ?—No, I had not. I took a claim called the Black Horse, and had half the claim called the Young Australia. 53. AVhy did you not take a prospecting claim ?—The reefs were not exactly proved, and I did not take a prospecting claim at the time. I was more anxious to find more reefs at the time, and I was satisfied with the 600 feet. 54. Did you ever take up a prospecting claim ?—Never, in any goldfield I have found. 55. Did you have any claim in the river ?—No, sir, I was more anxious to make discoveries at the time. 56. Did you refuse to take up prospecting claims simply from a wish to benefit the public ?—I found a good deal of difficulty in going in and out to and from the Warden's Court. I often had to travel backwards and forwards, as much as 70 miles before I could get matters settled. 57. You would have to do that with an ordinary claim as well as with a prospecting claim ?—Very nearly as much, sir, I think. 58. You must go to the Warden's Court ? —Yes, sir. 59. You have held ordinary claims; you say you held the Black Horse ? —Both the Black Horse and the other claim were jumped from me. 60. You must have held other claims as well ? —Not reefing claims; I was more anxious to prospect than to stop in one place. 61 I cannot make out why, when applying for an ordinary claim, you did not apply for a prospecting claim ? —lt did not suit my purpose; you might as well say why did not Dr. Clarke, when he discovered the goldfields in Victoria, apply for a prospecting claim. 62. You say you took up ordinary claims, and the same trouble would have given you twice the ground ? —I was satisfied with one claim. I wanted to test the Champion reefs. I can show you by the highest living authority in England, that if I find one Champion reef, I have the whole country. 63. Then you did not take out a prospecting claim ? —I did not even take out a prospecting claim at Macetown. 64. Mr. Wason.] I think it has been stated that you were cheated out of certain claims you had on one field, where was that ?—-In the Carrick Range. Those two : the Black Horse and the Young Australia I lost through no fault of my own. They were jumped by others when I applied for my protection of the ground a company of forty married men was formed, and they took possession by force, and put me out of it. I went to Court eight or nine times, and at last had to abandon it. 65. You received no compensation ? —Not a shilling in my life from any source whatever. 66. For the last seventeen years have you been following the business of a prospector ?—Yes; when at last I found it was necessary to make a little money I went where there was a patch of gold and worked it for myself, and I can do the same now. My object was to discover whether there was mineral wealth in the country; after I had my dredge I thought to float those two Companies. That would have given me sufficient money, but I was deprived of them, through the claims being jumped, and I abandoned the district then. I did not wish to encourage jumping, or one man taking the claim of another. 67. AVhat direction would you like to take now ?—No particular one. To me, one district is the same as another. 68. I thought you said you had some particular district in your mind that you were anxious to prospect ? —I have prospected from the dividing range of the West Coast into Dunedin, and I believe there is a lead from the Southland Ranges to Ghirton and AVaikouaiti, and another that goes through Mount Ida, Bendigo Gully, AVoolshed, out towards Nevis, and in that direction. I can prove that, I believe, in a shorter time (from my experience), than any other man in the colony. I do not think I made it clear why I did not take out a prospecting claim, and, therefore, with your permission, I will quote from the work of Professor Collins, F.G.S., head of the Miners' Association of Cornwall. (Quoted from the work.) From practical knowledge I have followed the directions that are given there, and have proved the same results. If I found that the Black Horse reef was the Champion reef, and no other reef, I should have been perfectly satisfied that I had a grasp of that district. 69. Mr. Bastings.] Have you ever found the Champion lead ?—I consider that it goes through the Black Horse. 70. Mr. Reeves.] Are you aware that there are other reefs anywhere around that country ?—That is only the champion of that district. I was satisfied that I was on it, and that it was within my 600 feet, and therefore I did not trouble the warden by going to the court. 71. Mr. George.] Are you aware whether on those goldfields any other miners took up prospecting claims ? —I believe so; in different branches of the same range. Suppose I get a prospecting claim on one line, and another on another line, and a different lead altogether, we are both entitled to prospecting claims. If I found a champion lead, and every other lead going parallel to that, lam satisfied that it is a mining district that will last. That is what I was looking for. 72. You think if, in a mining district, 20 or 30 miners discovered a lead, each of them is entitled to a prospecting claim ?—The law says so ; with regard to alluvial it is so; but with regard to quartz-reefs, I think a quartz prospecting claim is allowed for every new lode. Mr. Joseph Dods, in attendance, and examined. 73. The Chairman.] Where do you live ? —ln Manners Street, Wellington. 74. Can you give the Committee airy information as to the discoveries of gold made by Mr. Moore, from your own knowledge ?—I believe from my own knowledge he discovered Moore's Gully, or Maori Gully as it was generally called, in the Ida Valley. The next time I dropped across him he was prospecting out Hill's Creek way.