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operations last year with success; and it is to be hoped, in the interests of the colony, that they will yet be recouped for their original outlay. During last year there was 21,6810z. of gold obtained from the Tuapeka District—which includes Waitahuna, Waipori, and portion of the Clutha Valley—the value being £87,848. The Tuapeka District embraces a large area of auriferous country, and, although there are not many miners in any particular locality, there are a large number scattered over a considerable extent of country. Clutha Valley. The Clutha Valley—although a portion of it is in the Tuapeka District, as already mentioned—deserves special notice, as the whole of the watershed of the Clutha River is auriferous, and gold is found in payable quantities in the bed of every stream and creek flowing into that river above its junction with the Pomahaka and Tuapeka Rivers; and, as the work of concentration has been carried on by these streams for many ages, it is only reasonable to look for heavy deposits of gold in the Clutha River, which has been the main natural ground-sluice of this part of the colony. Not only is the present bed of the Clutha rich in gold, but also the flat terraces, which now stand high above its banks and were once the original bed of the river, contain leads of gold, some of which have been advantageously worked ; and, as the river from time to time changed its course while cutting its way through these immense deposits of gravel-drift the process of concentration was carried on—the lighter material being swept with the current on towards the ocean, while the heavier and denser portions were left behind. A large number of mining and dredging claims have been taken up in this valley. Some of them are producing a good deal of gold. Wherever water can be brought on to command the ground in this valley at a sufficient elevation claims can be made to pay. It is not to be supposed that rich auriferous drifts will be found in every place, but, taking the whole of the valley, there is only a very small proportion of these driftdeposits that will not pay for working with a good supply of water. At Bald Hill Flat there is a considerable area of ground taken up, and water is being brought in from the different creeks and streams to work it. Some of the claim-holders who had a fair supply of water last year did very well. This ground is close to the foot of the Old Man Range, and directly under where the quartz-lodes are worked by Symes Brothers, and by Messrs. Crossan and Gray. Bannockburn. The principal claims now worked at Bannockburn sluice into the Pipeclay Gully Sludgechannel, but the ground in this locality is gradually getting washed away, so that if fresh ground is not found higher up this gully, or further back under the old township, the present claims will not last any great length of time. In addition to the claims in the vicinity of Pipeclay Gully there are two higher up the valley, which are worked by the aid of a new channel constructed by Patterson and party. Cardrona and Criffel. There are about the same number of miners on these fields as there were for the former year, there having been a few more at Cardrona, while there were also less on Criffel; but the quantity of gold obtained was less than for the former year, about 1,6000z. having been obtained from Cardrona and 3500z. from Criffel. At the latter place there were only about fifteen miners employed, while at Cardrona there were about eighty miners. The gold at Cardrona is being traced into new ground on the side of the range, and it is thought that this may probably lead to it being traced towards Criffel. Shotover. The valley of the Shotover, as well as the bed of the river, contained some of the richest deposits of gold that have been found in the alluvial drifts in the colony. This river has cut itself down into the solid rock, and forms as it were a gorge for a long distance, with wide beaches here and there. This gorge, cut out through the quartzose schist rock has a very uneven bottom, and the foliations of the schist rock form as it were natural riffles for saving the gold, as it was carried down the stream with the lighter material. The whole of the beaches and bed of this river have been worked wherever it was possible to do so by manual labour; and even now individual miners are carrying on hydraulic-sluicing operations on the terraces alongside the river, and those portions of river-bed which could not be worked