The Evening Star. THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1870,

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2278, 25 August 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star. THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1870,

Dr. Hector, in the course of his examination by the “ Manufactures and " Production Committee,” gave a general sketch of the gold-producing area of both islands. After describing the alluvial fields, and expressing his opinion respecting the means necessary to render them more highly productive than they have lately been, he described Other sources from whence gold is obtainable. He said:— There la one form of alluvial diggings which I have not noticed, and that is the beach or black sand diggings. They require particular attention, as they are practically inexhaustible, although not retaining the richness which they had when first discovered. They extend along the whole of the Westland coast, and in patches along the west coast of Nelson. In the west of Otago there ate no beaches, the cliffs rising Abruptly from the sea,. Around the southeast coast, as far north as Waitaki, where the shingle plains commence, gold is also obtained in the beaches in small quantities. The source of this gold is partly from that brought down the rivers, and distributed along the beach by the sea, and also from the re-sorting of old river deposits, or old drifts, as they are gradually encroached upon by the sea. After experience of many years, it is found that these deposits are continually re-forming, every storm and high tide re-arranging and laying bare fresh streaks. A proper water supply is required for these 'diggings, but in most cases it can very easily he applied. As they are generally contiguous to the best alluvial land on the coast, and possess a good natural road along the sea beach, I think it would he desirable, if possible, to give these diggings a more permanent character, by giving the holders a more secure and permanent tenure than is the case with other diggings, and thereby lead to the permanent settlement of the district.

one time the chief production of gold on the West Coast was from the black sand. Although 1 have no exact information on the

subject at the present 'time, I should think they constitute a large proportion of the yield that these digginga’%iU be iftiore or less continuous, it might- 1)6 •of consideration whether some-frranlfemeintVsimilar to that by which the boast fineries are held in some countries in’obnjuneiidfl with the freehold of the land might not. be adopted. If some such step is not taken with regard to the West Coast, as soon as the chief -diggings are worked out, a great part of the country will be deserted, as it presents but few attractive natural features as compared to other parts of New Zealand.

He then was questioned as to the quartz reefs in the Colony, when he answered as follows : The reefs are hardly worked at all as yet, the total quantity which has been directly extracted from the matrix in the Middle Island being quite insignificant compared to the amount of alluvial gold. The quartz 1 reefs have been largely developed throughout the whole aurif rous area which I have previously indicated, but they have only proved auriferous in a few cases, and it is doubtful if a great part of the gold has been derived directly from quartz reefs, as is generally supposed to be the case in Australia. There appear to be well-marked lines in the auriferous formations from -which

gold has been dispersed, and one of these extends throughout the whole length of the South Islam!, along the line of junction of the metamorphic and palaeozoic strata, which line nearly coincides with the crest of the mountains as far south as Otago. The chief veins hitherto worked are In the neighborhood of the Wakntipu Lake in Otago, where they were abandoned, I believe, owing to the great expense of working and inaccessibility, and partly also owing to the discovery, at the time of their being first worked, of the Westland diggings. In the eastern district of Otago, reefs have also been worked at Waipori, Hindon, and lately at Cromwell, with an average yield of about one ounce to the ton. In Westland, gold-

bearing reefs have been discovered at Ross, but they are not yet worked. In kelson, the north-western district consists of an isolated range of mountains. In most of the streams in the vicinity of heavy reefs irregular gold has been obtained, and many reefs have already been discovered in this area. It presents the most favorable circumstances for the occurrence of gold reefs of any part of New Zealand. In the North Island the mines are at present confined to the Colville Peninsula, as before stated. They are entirely different in their character from any of those in the south of New Z aiand, resembling the mode in which gold occurs in Central America and some parts .of Peru, the gold being found in conjunction with igneous rocks of modem date as compared with any of the auriferous formations in the South. Only a small area of the district has as yet been explored, in the proper mining sense of the term ; and it may be long before it is no, as a proper exploration of it cannot be effected by diggers without the assistance of capital.