C.—9

10

near Rapid Creek (a little below the Hokitika-Whitcombe junction), and on the Whitcombe near Vincent Creek, and opposite Frew Creek. The last locality is said to have been fairly rich. At Hokitika Gorge, gold, but hardly in payable amount, has been obtained from the sands piled high up on flood-swept points. On the western side of the river below the gorge is a gravel terrace, which we found gave promising prospects, and is well worth trying. An old prospector—Mr. Frank Ellis —has informed me that the terrace below Rapid Creek is gold-bearing. Should the prospects here warrant it, an ample supply of high-pressure water could easily be obtained from Rapid Creek, which is a large snow-fed stream with a steep grade. Along the course of the Whitcombe River colours of gold can usually be obtained from the gravel, whilst from the moss which grows on the stones about flood-level a good prospect of fine gold can almost invariably be washed. The various gravel terraces along the course of the Whitoonjbe River are all to some extent gold-bearing, but in no case can a payable character be asserted as likely to be present. It is of interest to recall that Whitcombe,* in his expedition of 1863 over the pass and down the river named after the ill-starred explorer, discovered gold in the river-gravels. The Upper Hokitika and its main tributary, the Mungo, are also gold-bearing to some extent. Several miners who had found their way across Mathias Pass from Canterbury were at work on the Upper Hokitika during the summer of 1905-6, and are said to have made wages. (2.) Auriferous Quartz Reefs. —In January, 1906, I examined as far as possible the old workings on the quartz reefs near the head of Cedar Creek, on the southern slope of Mount Greenland. Twenty years or more ago a small patch of fairly rich quartz was discovered, and in consequence many thousands of pounds were spent, or rather thrown away. The reefs are somewhat irregular bodies of quartz, 1 ft. to 2 ft, thick, usually following the dip and strike of the enclosing argillite or grauwacke. They appear to have no great linear extension, and are either faulted or die out in depth. Iron oxide and pyrite are associated with the quartz, which also shows an occasional but rare speck of visible gold. The history of Cedar Creek and my own examination have failed to impress me favourably either with the reefs themselves or with the methods adopted in their attempted development. A number of small veins carrying visible gold occur in the valley of Donnelly Creek and its tributaries. One of these near Bayley Creek was exploited to some extent years ago. A five-stamp battery was erected, and worked for some time, but I have not been able to learn what the returns were. At the present time another vein, which is 4 in. to 6 in. in thickness, and shows gold freely, is being prospected by a local syndicate. It may lie regarded as, a rather promising prospecting proposition, but its small size, and the likelihood of the vein being cut off in one direction by a fault and in the other by the valley of Bayley Creek, are decided drawbacks. Near the Toaroha Saddle, at the head of the Toaroha River, we found a quartz lode about 10 in. thick, which yielded occasional colours of gold, visible to the eye. On the other hand, a small sample taken for analysis and picked free from visible gold failed to yield any gold when assayed. On the track to Whitcombe Pass, about a mile above the Hokitika-Whitcombe junction, two quartz lodes, each About 1 ft. in thickness, were noted. An assay of a sample from one of these resulted as follows: Gold, 2 dwt, 12 gr. per ton; silver, 1 dwt. 16 gr. per ton; copper, 057 per cent. These lodes carry a moderate percentage of iron oxide and pyrite, and may be worth prospecting, especially as they strike across the bedding of the enclosing schist, Quartz reefs were noted in many other localities, but none gave any evidence of carrying values. (3.) Copper and other Metals. —Copper-ore has often been reported as occurring in the Westland mountains, but unfortunately no payable deposit has ever been located. Boulders showing stains of copper-carbonate or carrying cupriferous pyrite are not uncommon, but I have as yet never come across any fragments of decidedly rich ore. One occurrence of copper-ore in situ was investigated—namely, at the first gorge of the Kokatahi River, near an outcrop of the Pounamu formation. Here small veins and pockets of copper-bearing pyrite occur in a wide band of silverygreen talc-schist. Samples taken for assay yielded from o's to 7'B per cent, of copper. One sample carried a trace of gold and another 2 per cent of lead, probably in the form of galena. The neighbourhood of the Pounamu formation is a hopeful feature, which perhaps warrants further search, but it must be confessed that the visible prospects are not very encouraging. Galena carrying a few ounces of silver to the ton occurs at Mount Rangitoto, near Ross, but the outcrops have not yet been investigated. The same mineral appears in a quartz vein near Smith's Claim, Donnelly Creek, Ross. (4.) Asbestos. —A small vein or pocket of this mineral was discovered in talc-schist adjoining a serpentine outcrop (Pounamu formation) near Jumble Top, at an elevation of about 4,200 ft. The asbestos is of splendid quality, but the quantity is apparently very limited. Asbestos of fair quality has also been noted in Serpentine Creek, a tributary of the Upper Hokitika, and on the higher slopes of Mount Inframeta. In no case did we find the mineral in quantity, but the prospects are sufficiently encouraging to warrant careful search wherever the Pounamu formation is known to outcrop. (5.) Coal. —Further investigation was made of the coal-outcrops on Koiterangi Hill (Camelback), but with unsatisfactory results. The seams are of poor quality, and the enclosing strata considerably faulted, so that development-work cannot be recommended. The Koiterangi coal-measures were discovered outcropping near the head of Humbug Creek, a tributary of Doctor Creek, and small pieces of coal of good quality were found, but careful search failed to disclose any seam. This locality is so remote, the area of coal-bearing strata so small, and so much crushed and disturbed, that the occurrence, though geologically interesting, may be considered economically unimportant,

* After two weeks of incessant toil and hardship Whitcombe succeeded in reaching the coast, but was drowned while attempting to cross the TeremakauVßiverYinVa small canoe. "particulars concerning his journey, see Canterbury Promncial Gazette, 6th August, 1863, and " Handbook of New Zealand Mines," 1887, pp. 101-108.