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compiling and drawing district maps. Hitherto two officers have been employed on and off with that object, but, as it is proposed, by your direction, to engage one of them in drawing the new tenmile map of the colony, his place should be filled by an equally skilled draughtsman. In addition to the departmental work of the year, assistance has been afforded to other departments in computing and drawing statistical maps, tables, and diagrams, and illustrations for reports, &c. The calls on the office in this connection have increased rapidly. A further duty performed by the draughtsmen has been the preparation of the data for the purposes of the Bepresentation Commission, which is referred to in detail below. The new 80-chain maps published during the year were Wangamoa, Mount Arthur, and Wangapeka districts, compiled and drawn in Nelson office ; and Wairoa, Omahine, and Momahaki districts, compiled and drawn in the Head Office. New editions of the following 80-chain maps were published —viz., Forest Hill Hundred, Aparima and Oreti Hundreds, Campbelltown Hundred, Jacob's Biver Hundred, Longwood, Wairio, and Opunake Districts. The miscellaneous maps published include Tuhoe - land; Albury, Arowhenua, Poerua, Makareao, Elsthorpe, Omaka, Ardgowan, and Highbank Estates; the improved-farm settlements of Whenuakura, Taihape, Akitio, Te Eau a Moa, Bangitira, Hautapu, Horopiti, Mangatiti, and Bongoiti, the Townships of Purangi, Makuri, and Seddonville, Tongaporutu Village, Greymouth Harbour soundings, Marlborough pastoral runs, explorations in Fox Country; fifty-three survey blocks on 20-chain scale, showing mining claims in the survey districts of Thames, Aroha, Whitianga, Ohinemuri, Waihi North, Coromandel, Otama, Tairua, Hastings, and Harataunga ; and general plan on 80-chain scale of the northern portion of Hauraki mining district, with alphabetical list of claims. Eighty-chain maps of Waikouaiti, Strath Taieri, Bock and Pillar; the northern portion of Wairarapa North County, embracing the survey districts of Mount Cerberus, Waimata South, Aohanga, Puketoi, and portions of Makuri and Castlepoint districts, drawn on mile-to-the-inch scale ; and the northern portion of Waitaki County, embracing the country between Otekaike Biver and Lake Ohau, drawn on two-mile-to-the-inch scale, have been transferred to stone, and will be published shortly. The 80-chain maps under preparation, and very nearly completed, are Southbridge, EUesmere, and Totara districts. The geographical map of Wellington, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki, which includes that portion of the North Island south of latitude 39 S., has been drawn and photographed. It will be published on the four-mile and eight-mile scales respectively in three colours. The numerous corrections and additions which have been made to this map since it was put in hand have delayed its completion. It is, however, practically up to date, and is a valuable addition to the publications of the department. Among the maps, &c, done for other departments the following may be mentioned : Map of New Zealand in three colours, showing the land districts, for Immigrants' Bureau of Information, London; map showing sea-routes to New Zealand, specially compiled and printed in three colours, and process pictures of scenery—both for the Hon. W. P. fieeves's paper, " The Fortunate Isles " ; eight statistical diagrams, printed in three colours, and illustrations for Year-book ; diagrams, &c, for Government Insurance Department; statistical diagrams, printed in three colours, and architectural plans and certificate of award for Stock Department; school certificates and examina-tion-papers for Education Department; diagrams and railway time-table maps for Bailway Department, in three colours; plans for Public Trustee; map showing telegraph-routes and diagrams for Telegraph Department; and illustrations for report of Wellington Acclimatisation Society. Two hundred and twenty-one land-sale maps have been prepared, showing an increase of twenty-eight on the return of last year. Of these maps, sixty-five were for Auckland, fourteen for Hawke's Bay, nineteen for Wellington, nine for Taranaki, twelve for Marlborough, three for Nelson, forty-two for Canterbury, one for Westland, nineteen for Otago, and thirty-seven for Southland. The number of coloured copies printed and distributed among the land offices exceeded 112,550. This output was exclusive of the pamphlets which have been published containing maps, illustrations, terms, and conditions of disposal of estates purchased under the Land for Settlements Acts. The usual practice of printing and distributing small maps of blocks, estates, &c, for administration reports, correspondence, &c, has been continued. The preparation of data for the Eepresentation Commissioners and the describing and colouring off on maps the boundaries of the new electoral districts were promptly and efficiently done. This work necessitated reference to 823 Sub-Enumerators' books, and transcribing therefrom the distribution of population to four-mile maps of the colony; also, the mounting and colouring of 296 maps on large scale, showing the boundaries as finally determined by the Commissioners. Lithographed maps of North and Middle Islands, on sixteen-mile scale, printed in colours, showing the proposed and defined boundaries of the electoral districts, were issued to County Councils, Municipalities, Town District Boards, Boad Boards, and other local bodies. Some progress has been made in renewing county maps. Patea was completed early in the year, and Waitaki and Selwyn are well advanced. So many requests have been made by the public for the county maps of Wairarapa North and Wairarapa South that it is proposed to lithograph them in large sheets, and for that purpose tracings are being made at convenient times on tracing transfer-paper for direct transfer to stone. Sixteen schedules and twenty-seven plans for purposes of the Native Land Acts have been examined. Seventy-three descriptions of boundaries and seventy-seven maps have been prepared for subjects relating to the Land Act, Land for Settlements Act, and Loans to Local Bodies Act. Seventy-one descriptions of boundaries of registration districts, drainage districts, boroughs, road districts, mining districts, defence districts, harbour limits and reserves have been prepared.