C.—9.

The Champion Mine. The workings of the Champion Mine, which is situated on the western slope of Mount Pakirarahi. are entirely in the younger volcanics—the acidic or mainly acidic agglomerates and tuffs which are all more or less silicified. Alluvial workings in the neighbourhood of the Champion Mine have in the past yielded considerable gold, and ate still producing a relatively small amount of the precious metal. Some highly auriferous puggy material was mined from a fracture-plane in a mineralised zone in the upper part of the present mine-workings. The present proprietary company has its hopes centred mi the mineralised zone, seemingly of considerable horizontal extension, in which the rich fracture occurred, and also on a remarkable orebearing pipe. Access to both these ore-deposits is afforded by an adit level. The mineralised zone, which extends to 40ft. in width, trends about east and west, and is disposed almost vertically. Some 8 chains east of the adit level and at a level 40ft. lower, a mineralised zone cut in a prospecting drive is thought to In. identical with that intersected in the main adit level. The highest gold-silver values in the mineralised zone in the adit level occur in small, puggy, gash seams, but the zone is said to carry gold-silver evenly disseminated throughout. Free gold and pyrite, the latter probably auriferous, are especially visible in the neighbourhood of certain blackish inclusions of silicified carbonaceous material. The ore pipe shows in horizontal cross-section irregular boundaries with dimensions approximately of 88 ft. by 18 ft. Its lower vertical limit has not vet been reached in the workings. The agglomerate in this pipe, though relatively fine-grained, is aparently coarser than in the mineralised zone, and has a lather earthy appearance. Quartz is more conspicuous here than in the zone, and appears in patches showing finely crystalline: drusy, or saccharoidal structures. Both free gold and auriferous pyrite occur here, as in the larger deposit, in connection with much-silicified carbonaceous material. The pipe, which carries higher values than the mineralised zone, often yields ore showing rather large, ragged particles of free gold. Tin mineralised pipe of the Champion bears in some ways a striking resemblance to the ore-bodies at the Bassick Mine in Colorado. Work in the Town ok Thames. The work being conducted in and around the mines of the Town of Thames is being done with the utmost care. As far as possible all the workings beneath the surface ale entered and examined, and the geological data thus obtained affixed to a plan of the mine to which the workings belong. This subterranean geology is compared with the surface geology located on a special map covering the area from the mouth of Tararu Creel, to Hape Creek, and extending inland to the Lookout Bocks. This map, pupated by Mr. F. F. Adams, is on a scale of 5 chains to the inch, and shows contour intervals at every 100 ft. The work at the Thames is not yet sufficiently advanced to report at length thereon. In general, however, I may say that it is hoped that such detailed investigations as we are conducting will throw much light on many obscure points in connection with the Thames Goldfield.

BEPORTS OF FIELD OFFICERS AND SENIOR DRAUGHTSMAN Mr. P. G. Morgan, General Geologist. Since the beginning of January, 1!)()7, Mr. Morgan has been engaged in field and office work connected with the geological survey of the Mikonui Subdivision. From the 10th July to the 26th October, 1907, he also acted as Officer in Charge during my absence from New Zealand. Mr. Morgan reports as follows on his field and office work during the period under review :— Narrative of Field-work in tin Mikonui Subdivision. At the beginning of January, 1907, my main camp was pitched near the granite gorge of the Hokitika River, at a point about twenty miles from Hokitika. Prom this camp as a base we had during December explored by means of Hying camps a considerable area mi the west side of the Hokitika. The survey of this area was completed early in January. We then temporarily camped on one of the spurs radiating from Mount Jumbletop, and made a connection with some work of the previous season which had been carried mi from the Toaroha Valley. On the 14th January we shifted our main camp to a spot near the junction of the Hokitika and Whi tern id ie rivers. Owing to these streams being quite uiifonlable any where near our camp, one of our first cares was to build a small flat-bottomed punt, which proved very serviceable, enabling us to cross the Hokitika and Whitcmnbe without trouble, except when they were in flood. Mr. James Ritchie, who. as mentioned in my last report, was stiil with me as field assistant, traversed most of the country within reach of the camp for some miles up the Whitcmiibe. and on the west side of the Hokitika. In particular lie examined some very interesting outcrops of the Pounamu Forma timi mi the western slopes of Mount Inframeta. From the Hokitika-Whitcombe junction camp I explored the headwaters of the Hokitika, crossing into its upper valley by way of Frew Saddle and ultimately reaching Mathias Pass (4,610 ft.) on the main divide. I also followed the Hokitika up-

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