H.--5

29

by a winze of 150 feet. They have erected a shoot 400 feet long, also a receiving paddock capable of holding 200 tons of stone. Some time ago 50 tons of stone was crushed, and yielded 1 oz. 15 dwt. to the ton. There are ten men engaged in the mine. The reef varies from 10 to 2 feet. The Victor Emanuel Company have driven two tunnels : No. 1,150 feet; and No. 2, 230 feet; ■ also an intermediate. They are now sinking a shaft of 140 feet, and are down 45 feet._ The prospects in this mine have been very good, and should they continue the company intend erecting a battery on the ground. The reef averaged 2 feet, with payable stone, showing gold throughout. The Lyell Extended Company have driven 700 feet of their tunnel. They have done good work, and laid down iron rails; but have suspended work for some months, until they can procure a rock-boring drill, to drive the remaining 1,200 feet; and the directors have been making several calls for that purpose. Nothing has been done on the lease or special claim granted on Manuka Flat. The construction of the horse-track from Hampden to Glenroy, of which twenty miles have been completed, with eight more now under construction, has been a great boon to the miners and settlers in that locality. The Clerk of the Court at Lyell attends at Hampden, twenty-five miles from Lyell, every three weeks, to transact business with the miners; and sittings of the Court are held there every six weeks. The Courts are held in the large public hall erected by Mr Moonlight, who has also provided a private room adjoining for an office, where the books and forms required for the Court can be safely kept. The annexed table shows that calls amounting to £16,013 have been made by the several companies, whilst only one company declared a dividend, of £900. There have been 7,277 tons of quartz crushed, yielding 3,948 oz. of gold.

Table showing Amount of Calls made, Dividends, &c., declared, in the Buller District from 1st April, 1882, to 31st March, 1883.

Name of Company. Calls made. Dividends declared. Quartz crushed. Yield. £ a. 750 0 328 2 d. 0 6 £ s. d. Tons. lb. oz. dwt. gr. Try-Again Gold-Mining Company (Limited) ... South Pacific Extended Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Great Republic Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Eeefton No. 1 Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Guiding Star Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Christmas Eve Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Golden Crown Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Mokihinui Morning Star Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Red Queen Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) Mokihinui Gold-Mining Company (Limited) ... Golden Sign Quartz-Mining Company 475 0 100 0 850 0 300 0 200 0 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o "750 5' 18 12 400 0 50 0 500 0 0 0 0 Lyell Sub-district. United Alpine Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) United Italy Gold-Mining Company (Limited)... Victor Emanuel Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Cosmopolitan Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Day-star Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Crcesus Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Time-will-Tell Gold-Mining Company (Limited) No. 1 South Crcesus Eepublic Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) ... S"o. 2 Alpine Gold-Mining Company (Limited) Ballarat Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) ... South British Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) Caprera Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) Sydney Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) Tyre Connell Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) Outward Bound Gold-Mining Company (Limited) United Victory Quartz-Mining Company (Limited) Lyell Creek Extendgd>Quartz- Mining Company (Limited) Totals 800 0 700 0 1,100 0 350 0 600 0 2,875 0 200 0 100 0 500 0 300 0 408 6 458 6 131 5 41 13 150 0 83 6 1,662 10 1,400 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 8 0 4 0 8 0 0 900 "6 0 5,890 0 450 0 2,601 19 18 511 15 12 937 0 829 0 0 16,013 10 10 900 0 0 7,277 750 3,948 13 1