I.—4a

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■with advantage, for there are thousands of collectors of minerals, besides numerous schools of mines and other institutions that require extensive collections of mineral products, who would be glad of the opportunity to purchase such exhibits. That is a matter, of course, for individual exhibitors to consider. The inventors of working-machinery would also have the great advantage of making their experiments and trial tests for advertisement of their inventions. I would suggest that you send these ores to be tested and analysed. The officers having charge would send you the returns, less perhaps the cost of manipulation, &c. The mining department of the Paris Exhibition will, I can perceive, be something enormous as compared with that of any previous Exhibition. It will afford :i good opportunity for testing ores not well known. Some ores which are of no actual commercial value, because little known or not used, may prove to contain very important intrinsic value upon being analysed and treated by new processes. As to tho expense of sending to the Exhibition they would be certainly higher for the representation of New Zealand by itself or separately, because if you send your agricultural, mineral, and industrial products of every kind it would be necessary to have a special New Zealand section. Space is given free ; there is no rent to pay ; but each foreign section has to be at the expense of flooring, decorating, and roofing the space allotted to it. I have made in one of the papers I have handed in a translation of the by-laws relating to that expense. If New Zealand should make an arrangement with the English Committee for having a portion of its space, as main of the other colonies have done, such as Hongkong, tho Straits Settlements, who are sending exhibits to the English section, the expense would be less. At the same time it should not require a large space for a special section for New Zealand mines. I could not say what would be the expense in this case. But I think that for a few hundred pounds all the expense of exhibiting in conjunction with tho English Committee would be mot. In that case you would not require any separate space to be allocated to New Zealand. 2. Mr. Grimmoml.] You say a "few hundred pounds;" what amount? Would you say a little more precisely? would £500 or £600 do it?— Yes ; something like that. 3. Suppose the Committee to make a recommendation to the Government to send exhibits to Paris, what do you estimate would be the cost of freight ?—I cannot say exactly what the cost of freight might be ; but from Melbourne they would be minimised by the concessions made by the Messageries Maritime, whose steamers would take freight at 50 per cent, reduction, going there and back. Ido not know what would be the tonnage of minerals to Melbourne. The Chairman : About twenty tons, I should say, would cover the whole of it. M. D'Abbans : I think the Government could make a speculation to send ores to the Paris Exhibition, part to be exhibited and part sold to defray tho expenses. There would probably be some public advantage derived from it. 4. Mr. Allen.] Do you know if they are working auriferous ores in Franco itself? —I know that ores have been senjfc from parts of California to France ; but I am not an expert myself in mining matters, and therefore I cannot give you witii precision the information you ask. But we have schools of mines in France. They are very important institutions, and we have a great number of engineers who are engaged wholly in mining enterprises. The most celebrated school of mines is that at Paris. 5. Have you any large metallurgical works ? You cannot recall any gold metallurgical works upon the scale that they exist in Germany?—l cannot give the names of these establishments, which certainly exist, as it is very long since I left France. At least, we have enormous mint works, not only for French, but also for other European currency. 6. Our object is to inquire whether this colony would derive benefit from exhibiting at the forthcoming Paris Exhibition ? —I think your sending to the Exhibition would prove a benefit to the colony, for every person in Europe who takes any interest, whether scientific or commercial, in the development of wealth, is likely to go there. I have no doubt that the great industrials of Germany will go there, and that they will watch the French and foreign exhibits very closely. 7. Mr. Broim.'l How long since you left France? —In 1877. 8. Are the schools of mines in France supported by the Government?— Yes; we have an official school of mines directed by M. Fuchs. He is Inspector-General of Minos in France. He has held that office for a considerable period of time. He is the same person that was sent by the Rothschilds to Lower California for the purpose of reporting on the copper-fields there. M. Fuchs was also sent by the French Government to Tonquin for the purpose of reporting on the coal deposits and silver mines there. 9. Are these establishments looked upon as an important feature in developing the mining enterprises in which Franco is concerned?— Yes; very important, because the young fellows of tho Polytechnic School of Paris who graduated as engineers have to study in them. These young men rank according to their number in order, the three first numbers choose generally to be engineers for first tobacco State manufactories. The following numbers give the preference to the mines, and tho others make their option as follows : Roads and railways, harbours, military engineering, naval school, artillery. <fee. But the schools of mines are very important. 10. Are there fees charged to the students?— No. (I.) The students, after leaving the Polytechnical School and joining the School of Mines, are in the employment of the Government as officials, and get a salary. (2.) There are also students who are free, i.e., without connection with the Government, admitted to the school after examination. 11. Then do I understand you there is no fee paid by those who graduate at these schools?— No. The first category are paid. lam not aware of the regulations concerning tho second category . 12. Then I understand you that the French Government likes to give every possible help by way of encouraging young men to graduate at these schools? —Yes. We have not only the School of Mines at Paris, but we have tho Central School (Ecole Centrale), another French Government school, where young men, engineers, are prepared for mining and other purposes. The school I