COMMERCIAL SURVEY OF THE WEST COAST.

Grey River Argus, Volume III, Issue 182, 14 March 1867, Page 3

COMMERCIAL SURVEY OF THE WEST COAST.

; . (From the Westyort Times.) It will be in the recollection' of our readers that oh 'tha last occasion of Dr IJector paying this part ..of tho world a visitj wo wera enabled, -through his courtesy, to givo some particulars of liis trip to our readers, in reference to the country through which - :; -..h'e .-'.travelled. Since that time he has been again journeying, and has again devoted his I professional ability to West Coast investigation. On leaving here he went to Nelson, and resumed the Wangapeka geological survey. We may remark, en passant, that since then he has dislocated his shoulder, but this does not seem to have decomposed him greatly,' and he has pursued his work as usual, dislocation notwithstanding. We are ar/ain enabled to give the course of his travels, and some rough results which wo have been courteously informed of. In the first place Ilia tour has taken him to the Wan-' cjapeTia "and Batten coiiutry,' which he carefully examined, as also the XJppor Karamea. He then crossed over, followed down the Mohikimu, and then came down here. After this he went to tho Pakilii and Fox's, and since his return from these places he has visited the Mohikhiui, Mount Rochfoffc, the Nakawa, the heads of the Lyell Creek, and the Papahaua Ranges. In the Wangapeka and the Batten country a few diggers are still at work. It pays them pretty well, although JTb.erA-i3? ifo'weveiy in the district "'^graMT deal of country nofc tlioroughly jn'ospouted. Vp the Karamea and Moliilcinui there are, as has been before stated, a great many deep gorges, and a good deal of slate country ; tliia latter characteristic is found in .the' Wangapeka .and Batten country. The Mohikinui runs through, a wild valley, cutting through two distinct granite ranges, with coal formations on the tops of the hills. In the granite there are two bands of slaty rocks, crossing the Mohikinui River, and there three parties of miners are at work. One of these is fourteen miles, and the two others sixteen miles up tl>e river. Xhey take up their provisions i» canoes, aud seem to be satisfied. Apropos of the Mohikinui, it may be well to make known that Dr Hector found it to be much longer than it is represented on the maps hitherto published, a great of it being omitted altogether 'on; those guides. The coal formation extends from tho Nakawa to Mount Roclifort, a distance of sixteen miles, forming a capping , or superficial layer on the tops of the intervening hilte, an isolated range running parallel with the coast. There appears to be only one main seam, varying from, five to twenty feet in thickness, all of it splendid coal. Dr Hector sa'she cannot speak two highly of the quality ; if its accessibility was equal it would be almost invaluable. At Nakawa it is easily accessible, but only from a landslip, by which the quality of the coal has deteriorated, though probably not so much as to prevent its being used. Theie is a probability of coal at a lower level being found between this township and Mount Roclifort, but if ao it can only bs through a similar " fault," or a landslip to that at the Nasawa. Weare not able to give the doctor's reasons for this opinion, for in the first place they would be too long, and in the second, we doubt our own ability to comprehend them sufficiently to make them clear to our readers. An enormous coalfield, however, almost incalculable in extent, is lying at our doors, and possibly the next generation may utilise what the existing generation never will, if we may jtulgo by the past. At Waimarigaroa, the doctor is satisfied, 'the* alluvial.-: gold- is of local origin,- or in other words that the lode or vein from which it has been detached is in close proximity to where it is now got. With reference to the quartz reefs struck already he - does not give any definite opinion, but ia convinced that there are auriferous quartz veins in the vicinity, and on the whole, he considers the Waimaugaroa as likely.a place for an auriferous lodo | a3 any .he has seen. The Waimangarcia diggings have no connection with the fine gold leads of the coast, tho gold being quite distinct in its character-. He thiuks it quite likely that on the flat open land, a continuation' of the Paluhis, between here and Mount Rochfort, fine gold leads exist. He comes to this conclusion chiefly because the Orawaite, where gold has been got, proves to be the original mouth of the Bujler, and the old bed runs right into the former river. This lias beeti the cass quite in modern times, as there is abundant evidence to prove. These golden flats extend from the beach to the terraces, and tho latter are likely to be profitable, though no rule could be laid down for finding how the leads are situated, as the gold ha 3 probably been sorted and sifted many times before it has been finally laid at rest. Dr Hector has also a very good opinion of the auriferous nature of the ground at the back of Waite's station and round the Bald Hill. He was much pleased ."with -the appearance of the Pakihi,'and is of opinion that the diggings are situated in an old valley, the west side of which has been destroyed by the sea, and that the -fine gold at both places is obtained from the rewash of a patch of older gold drifts, a<*^Ss not, as sonic suppose, cast up by the *(E)ect action of the sea. Gold is got at the Pakihi from the sea level to a height of .450 feet above. As to the extension of the Pakihi' northward he would not express an opinion, as a limestone range runs out towards Cape I'oulwind from behind Fox's, and it has not been determined what effect that might have in cutting off tb» gold. At the same time, ■he believed that the country between Pakihi and Fox's would prove a continuous goldfield. Coal can be traced from the Totara Creek to Fox's. It is not of the same quality as that got to the northward but still it is useful and valuable. These of course are only rough notes of what Dr Hector was kind enough to tell us, so that if any error occurs -it' is pxir fault, ;but;: the : main ; facts are exactly /as above : ■atated, and there is a great ; dtal that, is, .encouraging to be gathered from them as far ast theVfiiture of this, district ia concenied.: ■.■■:-^ v ;'-- r ; ; '. ■ : :;,-. : ':-: : '. .-. " '■;.■' ' . - :..-; :