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C—ll

along the north-western foot of the range between the Waimea Plain and Aniseed Valley, and in the opposite direction traced the same rocks into -the Maitai Valley, about three miles above the Town of Nelson. The result of these different examinations I beg leave to report as follows:— Report. The existence of coal-bearing rocks at Jenkins's Hill, lying at the foot of the higher range, east of Bishopdale, has been known since an early period of the settlement of the Nelson District. At the date of Yon Hochstetter's visit (August and September, 1859) the coal at Jenkins's Hill had been partly explored and worked. The works were visited by the learned German savant, and his account of the formation, and the position of the coal, is given in his work on New Zealand, English Edition, 1867, page 82, where he remarks as follows : " The first point I examined is Enner Glynn, four miles south of the City of Nelson, and about 200 ft. above the level of the sea, close by the foot of the steep rising ranges of clay slate. Mr. Jenkins has the merit of having proved to the inhabitants of Nelson, by several trial shafts, that here they have coal in the immediate vicinity of the city. Through a tunnel driven about 250 ft. in an easterly direction, into the slope of the mountain through sandstones, conglomerates, and shales, several brown-coal seams, from 3ft. to 6ft. thick, were cut, which, with a very steep inclination of 50° to 60°, dip towards the east, apparently under the older slate formation. The structure of the coal, however, indicates violent disturbance in the stratification of the layers in consequence of a pressure from the east, which has wholly bent and inverted the strata. In consequence of this pressure the coal has lost all consistency; it is specular-cleft, and crumbles in small very glossy scales or laminaa. Between this crushed coal there are isolated nests of a remarkable jet-black coal, with perfectly conehoidal fracture, and a bright gloss, presenting the appearance of Obsidian. In the ferruginous sandstone flanking the coal, indistinct petrifactions are found, fossil leaves of dicotyledon plants, similar to those at Drury." [Those as described in a footnote have been named by Professor Dr. Unger, as Phyllites Nelsonianus, Ph. brosinoides, Ph. quercoides, Ph. eucalyptroides, and Ph. leguminosites.] The disturbed state of stratification and the crumbled appearance of the coal were not favourable to the mining enterprise, which was soon given up. Ever since 1875, the date of my first visit, the works have been ruinous and fallen in; nor has any one since the visit of Hochstetter had equal opportunities for making at this place as accurate and correct examinations. Within the past three years coal has been discovered within Brook Street Valley, and in a like position as respects its occurrence at the foot of the higher range to the eastward, and also as regards its high dip apparently under the older rocks to the east. This discovery has been made on Mr. Bryant's land, and that gentleman has granted the mining of the coal under lease to a company, the shares of which are held principally in Nelson. After some preliminary prospecting, an adit was driven, which cut the coal, on which subsequently a shaft was sunk 37ft. to reach the level of the adit. Below the level of the inner end of the adit, the coal has been followed to a depth of 200 ft., and at the greatest depth it is said that a thickness of 10ft. of coal was found. Coal was traced, in the shaft almost continuously, although at some places the seam was thin, and at a particular level not more than Ift. in thickness. Mr. Cochrane, Inspector of Mines, under date of 7th February, 1895, gives the dip of the seams seen in the adit-drive as being south-east, at an angle of 70°, but the coal from this level to the bottom is found continuously in the shaft. This is but slightly inclined from the vertical, and consequently the coal itself in the lower levels must be nearly vertical. The adit-drive at its inner end followed the coal till the seam thinned to less than Ift. in thickness ; near the surface the thickness of the principal seam was sft. Below the adit-level for a considerable distance the thickness was not more than 3ft., but from 20ft. from the bottom of the shaft the thickness was 10ft., as reported to me by the manager at the date of my visit to the mine. The area of coal-bearing rocks has a length of about 20 chains south-west of Brook Street Valley Stream, and nowhere more than a breadth of 6 chains. Small though this be, the coal is wholly confined to a narrow strip along the south-east boundary of the area. This is due to the highly-tilted, almost vertical, position of the strata, the barren measures lying on the north-west side of the area. The depth to which the seam can reach is necessarily limited, though this may be greater than is likely to be reached by the means readily available, or than that at which it would pay to win the coal from. However this may be, it is more than probable that, as the tilted seam is followed to the south-west, the depth to which it will reach below the level of the present mine-mouth will become less and less, until finally through this cause the seam pinches out altogether. The same thing is likely to happen, and within a lesser distance, as the seam is followed to the north-east. Even with the data at hand it were a difficult matter to estimate the quantity of coal contained in the area to the south-west of Brook Street Valley Creek. The seam is certain to be variable as regards its thickness; and there must be a considerable amount of coal in a crushed and culmy condition, which, as a hydrous coal, renders it unfit for general consumption ; nor is there any warrant that the coal will be regular in thickness in the further and deeper parts to which it may reach as it is followed to the south-west; so that the contents of the seam may amount to anything between 10,000 and 40,000 tons, and the amount that can be worked, or may be worth winning, will certainly prove considerably less. The coal-bearing area within Brook Street Valley, both to the south-west and north-east of the stream, does not exceed three-quarters of a mile in length; and the seam —the only workable seam, of coal —being nearly vertical and running along the south-east boundary of the area of coal-bearing rocks; and, further, being of uncertain depth, it follows that the quantity of coal is not to be estimated by the total of the area of the associated coal-bearing rocks. The mine being worked may continue to be worked with a comparatively limited output for many years, but it cannot afford