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arrangements having been made with the Cassell Company for the use of that process. A parcel of 15 tons of ore was taken to the mill, and a portion of it treated, but the results have not been ascertained. Several other licensed holdings have been taken up in this district, but very little work has been done. Pueu Disteict. Montgomery and party have been occasionally prospecting near the head of the Puru Creek, but no crushing has taken place. Takabtj Disteict. Norfolk Mine, 30 acres (Norfolk Gold-mining Company, Limited, owner; Mr. James McLean, manager). —Six men have been employed. The chief work was driving the low level. The reef has been cut and driven on for a considerable distance, and ore obtained resembling that worked on in the Sylvia Mine; the reefs are probably one and the same. Twenty tons were crushed for Boz. of gold. Sylvia Mine, 180 acres (Sylvia Gold- and Silver-mining Company, no liability, owner; Dr. A. Schiedel, general manager ; Mr. Edward Quinn, mine manager). —Fifty men have been employed, and 3,480 tons 9cwt. of quartz crushed for 1,1520z. 12dwt. of gold; and 334 tons 18cwt. of concentrates collected, which yielded, when treated by the cyanogen process, 9,8640z. 7dwt. of bullion. The chief work during the year has been driving and stoping at No. 2 and No. 3 levels, and driving a low-level cross-cut to give about 200 ft. backs. An addition has been made to the plant by adding three agitating-vats and filters required for the Cassell process, which has been adopted for the extraction of the bullion from the concentrates. The value of the total yield of gold and concentrates was £12,075 12s. 10d. Several prospecting parties have occasionally worked in Upper Tararu District, and Stackpole and party obtained 19oz. ldwt. from 2 tons of quartz. Shellback Disteict. The Nordenfeldt, Waitemata, and Mountain Flower licensed holdings have been worked with moderate results, and six men were employed in the district. Kueanui District. Hansen's Kuranui No. 3 Mine, 4 acres 3 roods 10 perches (Hansen and party, owners; Mr. P. C. Hansen, manager).—Thirteen wages-men have been employed, and an average of four tributers. The owners crushed 8,561 tons of mullock and stringers for 4160z. 15dwt. of gold ; and the tributers 35 tons of quartz and 401b. of specimens for 620z. ldwt. of gold. The workings were chiefly from an open cutting to obtain the mullock, and driving and stoping on Berry's Eeef and Hunt's Eeef, and several small leaders. The mill consists of twenty heads of stamps and ten berdans, driven by water-power. Comer's Kuranui No. 2 Mine, 13 acres 1 rood 37perches (Mr. E. Comer, owner and manager). —Sixteen wages-men and ten tributers were employed, and 13,091 tons of mullock crushed for the owner yielded 7530z. lOdwt. of gold, averaging ldwt. 3'6gr. per ton ; and the tributers crushed 228 tons of quartz for 3190z. sdwt. of gold. The owner's workings were chiefly from an open cutting near the All Nations shaft, and the tributers' workings were on reefs and leaders in different parts of the mine. The battery consists of twenty stamps and five berdans, driven by water-power. Hazelbank Mine, 7 acres 2 roods 2 perches (Hazelbank Gold-mining Company, Limited, owner ; Mr. James Coutts, manager). —Twenty-two wages-men and four tributers were employed. The quartz crushed for the company was 2,197 tons for 2,0490z. 15dwt, of gold ; and for the tributers, 375 tons for 1630z. lldwt. of gold. The chief workings have been from No. 1 level of the Caledonian shaft, 203 ft. from the surface, and on No. 3 level, 347 ft. from the surface. The workings at No. 1 level are 750 ft. from the shaft, and an intermediate level has been driven from the workings 50ft. below No. 1 level. The cross reef (from 6in. to 30in. in thickness), Turtle's leader, and Footwall leader (from 6in. to Bin. thick) have been worked on, and 350 ft. of driving on reefs and leaders has been done, and 2,300 ft. of reef stoped out. The workings of the mine are well ventilated and safe. Moanataiari Mine, 94 acres 3 roods 26 perches (Moanataiari Gold-mining Company, Limited, owner; Mr. G. S. Clark, manager).—The number of wages-men employed in the mine is sixty, and there are also fifty-five tributers. The Company crushed 9,985 tons of quartz for 4,4930z. sdwt. of gold; and the tributers, 1,252 tons for 6380z. 12dwt. of gold. The workings were chiefly in the Point Eussell section of the mine, where there are eight different lodes, averaging from 6ft. to 22ft. in thickness. One thousand and ninety feet of driving, and 430 ft. of sinking and rising, has been done, and 1,960 fathoms of reef stoped out. The workings of the mine are well ventilated and safe, the stopes being well filled up. The tributers' workings extend over reefs and leaders in different portions of the surface of the mine, and are supervised by the manager. Alfred Mine, 10 acres 5 roods 3 perches. —This mine was owned by the Alfred Gold-mining Company, Limited, for about half the year, when .it was purchased by D. Conway and party, who have since worked with fair results. The owners crushed 121 tons for 920z. of gold; and tributers 41 tons, for lOOoz. 12dwt. of gold. Four wages-men and two tributers were employed. Freedom Mine, 6 acres 1 rood 10perches (Freedom Gold-mining Company, Limited, owner). —• Three men, on the average, were employed on the mine as tributers, and 97 tons of quartz crushed yielded 48oz. 17dwt. of gold. Orlando Mine, 15 acres (Orlando Gold-mining Company, Limited, owner; Mr. C. D. Wark, manager). — Six wages-men were employed, and 350 tons of quartz was crushed for 4710z. of gold. The workings were chiefly stoping out on the reef over the low-level. Five hundred fathoms of reef were stoped out.