C—2d.

1885. NEW ZEALAND.

LECTURES ON THE GOLDFIELDS THROUGHOUT THE COLONY. [In Continuation of C.-2c.]

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Professor J. G. Black to the Eev. Dr. Stuakt. Deab De. Stuart, — The University of Otago, Dunedin, 20th February, 1885. I was going to write you on the subject of my lecturing tour on the Otago Goldfields when your post-card requesting me to do so reached me. The following tabulated statement of the numbers that availed themselves of my teaching at the different centres will speak for itself. The numbers are only a close approximation, as I have not at hand the full statistics :—

Before commencing my tour I had sanguine hopes of its success, but the result far exceeded my anticipations. The idea of going to the goldfields first occurred to me after a conversation with Mr. J. C. Brown, M.H.E. for Lawrence. At his invitation, I promised in May last to give three lectures to the Lawrence Athenaeum and Mining Institute. On considering the matter subsequently I became convinced that I could not do much good in the way of giving useful information on the subject of the chemistry of minerals in a course of three lectures; and, as Mr. Brown had assured me that miners in all parts of New Zealand were greatly in want of, and would certainly highly appreciate, the kind of knowledge which he knew I could communicate, I resolved to test the matter on the goldfields, beginning with Lawrence, and overtaking, during the summer months, Naseby, the Lakes, and the Cromwell District; and resolving, if my success on the Otago Goldfields would be such as Mr. Brown predicted, to proceed afterwards to the goldfields on the West Coast. With the view of protecting myself from pecuniary loss on this lecturing tour, and also with the view of being able to charge the miners merely nominal fees, I laid a proposal before Messrs. Pyke and Brown, M.H.R.s, whereby the Government would guarantee all expenses, including £50 to our laboratory fund, to pay for chemicals and payment of all my own and my laboratory boy's (Goodlet) expenses. The proposal was accepted, being, as I understand, recommended to Government by the Goldfields Committee, and I proceeded to Lawrence on the 4th November to carry it out. The Lawrence people, and especially the members of the Athenaeum and Mining Institute, exerted themselves wonderfully to make this beginning a great success, and I need not say they succeeded in doing so. Nearly all the mine xnanagers, and about thirty-five of the miners, came regularly down from Bluespur and Wetherstones to attend the lectures, and many of them, both old and young, joined the afternoon and evening testing classes. Mr. Stenhouse, Eector of the

Number of Lectures. Maximum Attendance. Minimum Attendance. Average Attendance. Testing Glass. All-day Class, jawrence Vaitahuna Taseby It. Bathan's Jueenstown Skipper's irrowtown Jromwell 5annoekburn Jexandra Jlinton 14 1 9 1 3 5 6 4 6 3 1 400 200 150 40 35 70 50 70 100 70 70 60 200 50 40 20 15 12 50 60 40 70 100 200 70 40 25 25 20 60 80 50 70 41 8 20 12 12 15 10 18 25 8 6 8 13 6 Totals ... 53 1,255 617 740 141 61