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In this district I found a population of over four hundred working miners, but nearly 75 per cent., or three-fourths, are Chinese, who seem to congregate here on account of the easv working1 of the alluvial soil. Prom information gathered I came to the conclusion that all the miners were making good wages, but they would be able to do much better were water plentiful for sluicing purposes, and a main outlet provided for tailings. Otago. Wakatvpu. —On the following day I went by train to Queenstown, and arrived late in the evening. The next morning I went to Skipper's and to the head of Skipper's Creek, a distance of about twenty-five miles, over a difficult and dangerous bridle-track. Tenders are, however, about to be called for completion of the dray-road to this locality. At the head of Skipper's Creek I found only one quartz-reefing company in active work (the Phoenix), formerly known as the old Scandinavian Company, and now the property of Mr. Bullen, of Kaikoura A large and valuable plant of machinery has been erected at this mine, and the enterprising proprietor is engaged in adding other costly machines to be worked by electricity, with the view of economizing labour and perfecting his gold-saving appliances. The gold-bearing reef varies in thickness from one to several feet. It also varies in richness; but recently some very large yields of gold have been taken from the mine. It is being worked at several hundred feet above the level of the creek. Considerable enterprise has been shown by the proprietors of the mines here, as every piece of machinery, tools, food, &c, has had to be packed either from Queenstown or the Arrow on the backs of horses or mules. On my return journey to Skipper's, where I remained for the night, I noticed several Chinamen working alone at different spots along Skipper's Creek sluicing old workings, and apparently satisfied. Skipper's. —At Skipper's I shared the hospitality for the night of a miner who had followed the occupation for more than twenty years, and who is likely to do so, I hope, with benefit to himself, for many years to come. He is systematically engaged in working a large sluicing claim on the bank of the Shotover River, having brought water to it from a high level for a long distance at considerable cost. Being of an ingenious and clever turn of mind, this enterprising miner, in a lonely part of the colony, has taught himself to manufacture iron pipes and fixings necessary for his hydraulic works. He therefore has sheet-iron and rods conveyed to him by packhorses over a difficult and dangerous track to his place. He employs from six to ten men on his sluicing works all the year round. His large operations, I am led to think, are paying him well, and deservedly so, for I never met, during my experience on gold fields, a more enterprising and intelligent miner than Thomas Aspinall, a member of the Lake County Council. After remaining all night at Skipper's, I left on my return journey to Queenstown, where, after a few hours' delay in receiving sundry deputations, I took steamer to Glenorchy, at the head of Lake Wakatipu, and arrived there that night at eleven o'clock. Glenorchy. —ln the morning I was early in the saddle and rode some eighteen miles beyond the head of the lake, up the Rees River, to the Invincible Quartz Mine, which was being worked by a company at an altitude of some 1,500ft. above the level of the river. This reef seems to be of a lasting nature. It is 16ft. thick, with gold thinly but evenly dispersed through the stone, and yields with regularity an average of 15dwts. of gold to the ton of stone. The mine is worked by water-power, a plentiful supply of which the company have been enabled to secure without any great expense. On my journey to this mine I observed two other reefs that had not been touched cropping out upon the surface at different spots long distances apart. After completing my inspection I rode back to Glenorchy, and continued my journey in an opposite direction towards the foot of the lake for a distance of five miles, to a mine where a considerable deposit of scheelite, mixed with quartz showing gold, had been discovered and was being worked. This mine had only been recently opened, but, from indications 1 observed, I formed an opinion that further developments of scheelite would be made in the same locality. This