7

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with modern appliances, remunerative for working. At Addison's Flat there are still some very good claims on the leads of gold discovered when this flat was first opened; and of recent years a new lead has been discovered nearer Cape Foulwind than any of the others by Minogue and party, which is found to give good returns for working. Inangahua. In the Inangahua District the greater portion of the gold is obtained from quartz workings, but there are a considerable number of miners still engaged in working the auriferous alluvial drifts in different portions of the district—namely, at Matakitaki, Maruia, Slab Hut Creek, Snowy River, Antonio's, and in the vicinity of Boatman's. The quantity of gold produced from the alluvial workings last year was, approximately, 5,0000z., representing a value of £20,000; and there were 307 miners employed in this branch of mining, of which 217 were Chinese. Grey. There are a large number of miners employed in the Grey district in working the auriferous drifts, which cover an extensive area. There is a belt of country from the main Grey River, at its junction with Clarke's River, to Maori Creek, and westward to the ocean, where rich deposits of gold have been from time to time found. There are several runs or leads of auriferous drifts running at almost right angles to the present creek-beds, in a belt of country which includes Noble's, Granville, Orwell Creek, Callaghan's, Nelson Creek, Kangaroo, Red Jacks, No Town, Maori Gully, Maori Creek, Limestone, and Rutherglcn Diggings; and this belt joins with one running parallel with the coast-line coming from the direction of the Greenstone and Maori Creek. There are very few places on these belts where alluvial drifts are found—even on the terraces —but which could be made remunerative for working were a good supply of water available ; but, as the whole of the creeks and streams cross this belt at about right angles, forming deep ravines and precipitous gorges, it would be a very costly undertaking to construct a water-supply to command a large extent of country. On the opposite side of the Grey Valley from this belt there is the Moonlight and Blackball Diggings. At the latter place about thirty-seven miners are employed, all of whom are making good wages, notwithstanding the primitive methods adopted in working some of the claims. Very little prospecting has been done in this direction, as there are no roads or tracks leading inland from these diggings, and the whole of the hydraulic plants that are now being used were principally carried for a distance of about two miles on men's backs to their claims. The quantity of gold produced from the Grey district last year was 25,7750z., valued at £103,135, and about 1,425 miners were employed, of which 413 were Chinese. Westland. Westland contains the largest stretch of auriferous country there is on the West Coast, in the southern portion of which scarcely any prospecting has been done with the exception of testing the beach leads along the coast-line. There are four large mining centres in this district which are worthy of notice —namely, Kumara, Waimea, Rimu, and Ross. The quantity of gold obtained from the Westland District last year was 25,7750z., representing a value of £10.3,135, and about 1,525 miners were employed in working in the auriferous alluvial drifts, of which 413 were Chinese. Kumara. Kumara is the largest mining centre on the West Coast, and it may be said to be a field where the miners are making better wages than any other on this side of the main range. There are about 235 miners employed in claims, and these claims are all within a radius of one mile. As near as can be ascertained, the quantity of gold obtained last year from this place was about 13,9890z., representing a value of £54,558. The most of the gold yet obtained from this field has come out of the drift above a false bottom, and it is considered by those acquainted with mining that there is a probability of other leads of gold being found under the false bottom on which the claims are being worked. Taking into consideration the large quantity of gold that has already been obtained from the whole of the claims, which do not exceed an area of 1,000 acres, and that not more than about 550 acres of this ground are yet worked, it must be admitted to be a rich field, seeing that gold has already been obtained to the value of about £1,154,000, and it is a field deserving of being further prospected to see if a deep lead or run of rich auriferous drift exists. The claimholders have combined, and each contributed an equal amount towards sinking a prospecting shaft,