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C—3a

The Empress, Katie, All Nations, and other claims near the Pukemaukuku, up Cadman's Gully, have done a good deal of prospecting, and found -good and payable reefs; but there are no convenient means of crushing the ore. The Kathleen Company has erected the most powerful and extensive pumping plant in this district, machinery that would do credit to any mining district in the world. This company's property is on freehold land, without the goldfields boundary. The Kathleen Crown Company (mine adjoining) has erected machinery for sinking and opening up its ground. Blagrove's Freehold, adjoining the Kathleen Crown, has extensive plant for sinking and opening up its mine, and lately some good specimens have been obtained from this mine. The last three companies named are English ones. The Hauraki North Company, owning a claim in Wynyardton, is working its mine, and the machinery erected for sinking and opening-up has done good work. This company has had a fair amount of specimens from its reef, which is considered a good one. The Kapanga Company's mine, the oldest in the colony, found gold in payable quantities at a depth of I,OOOft. a few months ago, and specimens at that, clearly showing that gold does exist in payable quantities at that depth. This is an important matter, and adds greatly to the prospects of the mines in the Hauraki Mining District. The Scotty's Company's claim, to the north of the Kapanga special claim, is in full swing, and had a good find of specimens some few months ago. Extensive work has been carried on in this mine since the company took it over, and the prospects are very hopeful. The Britannic Company's claim, to the east of Scotty's, has machinery erected forfsinking, and is developing with good prospects. An amount of work and prospecting has been done on the claims surrounding—viz., the Harbour View, Harbour View Extended, Londonderry North, Euby, New Tokatea, Pride of Tokatea, Great Kapanga, &c. Tokatea. —The Tokatea and Eoyal Oak have done considerable work in opening up. These companies are going to reconstruct and amalgamate, and have very good prospects. Some good stone has been taken out during the year. The Four-in-hand Company found good specimens some time ago, and its prospects are considered hopeful. The Triumph Company has done a good deal of work, and erected a battery which is now ready for use. The Queen of the North Company has also done some work, but nothing of importance has yet been found. On Kennedy Bay side of the Tokatea Eange the Bay View Company has a good reef, and something of great importance will yet be developed in this mine, from which good stone is at present being obtained. The prospects of the Evening Star and Morning Star claims are good, and a fair amount of work has been done. Karaka No. 1 Block. —The Success Company has been at constant work. A useful battery has been erected, and is ready for use, and from all appearances the, company has splendid prospects. The Southern Star Company has also been at work, and hopes are entertained that this (also an English Company) will be a success. Cabbage Bay and Port Charles. —The owners of the mines in these localities have not discovered anything so far of any moment, though the Austral Eeefs Company, at Cabbage Bay, has had some good prospects. At Tiki a great deal of prospecting has been done. The Pukewhau and Progress Castle Eock Companies have discovered payable reefs, and the prospects are most satisfactory. At Manaia numbers of claims were pegged out, but I have heard of nothing important from that quarter lately. At Matarangi things are very quiet. The Matarangi Company has a good battery. At Kiiaotunu the Kapai-Vermont Company has had good crushings of payable ore. The Try Fluke has also been pretty constantly at work in mine and battery. The Irene and Great Mercury Companies have done considerable work prospecting; also the Jupiter, Invicta, Maoriland, and Waitaia. At Mahakirau there are many special claims granted, but no rich finds have been made, though a great deal of prospecting has been done. A very great want at Coromandel is that of a public quartz-crushing battery, where the mines could have tests crushed and properly treated, without the expense of sending the quartz all the way to the Thames or Auckland for treatment. Having only taken over the district since March, I regret I have not that knowledge of it, especially of the remoter portions of it, which would enable me to furnish a more useful and interesting report for the past year. I hope, however, to become better acquainted with the district by next year, although it is a very large and straggling one. I may say that the time at my disposal for seeing the district — i.e., such parts of it as are not in the vicinity of the Court sittingplaces—is very limited, owing to my Court engagements every month occupying three weeks of my time, and every third taking the whole month, and even then the Court sittings are not of the ordinary hours devoted, but from 10 a.m. and 9 a.m. till midnight. If these hours are not maintained the work would soon be in arrear. I simply mention this to show that myself and staff have little or no time on our hands to acquire as much information respecting the field as otherwise we might. I have, &c, E. S. Bush, Warden. The Under-Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington.