THE GOLD-FIELDS OF THE NORTHERN ISLAND.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 47, 25 November 1867, Page 292

THE GOLD-FIELDS OF THE NORTHERN ISLAND.

A report of at. singularly interesting and important cliaracter of the geology of the Thames Gold-fields has just been presented to the Government by Captain Huttoh; who, in accordance with instructions, has paid a visit to the himself in the examination of the various auriferous rdeposite’ijhjkie discovered,, the sluicing operations,, and generally the geological characteristics of the whole country at present open for prospect-: ing. is)‘accompanied by an extract from the instructions given to Chptain Hjutton by ; ; Dr Hector, Which? also contains some;of the*valuable results ofVthat! gentleman’s exten-j gjyg observations, hot ’’.only in. .thej district itself, .but.at Coromandel, and in the Middle Island.. 1 j ; ’ The* are, in this district at ) leasti gold

bearing, and that of a nature exceedingly rich. To this extent it bears out :the opinion so often expressed .by practical men,-that the gold formations of New Zealand are of an exceptional character, and that experience gained in the auriferous regions of the Australian Colonies is not of the value often supposed to a. person seeking for gold iu this country, as such experience is calculated to mislead. Respecting the geological formation of the Thames country, Captain Hutton says —“ it is very simple, being almost entirely composed of a huge mass of tra • chytic tufa , resting on palsazoic rocks, which are cut by numerous dykes, mostly of diorite, but. occasionally of trachyte. This tufa appeared generally as a softish grey coarse - grained rock, weathering white, and sometimes much stained with peroxide of iron.” Under the head of “Hunt’s reef;” he says, “ * Hunt’s reef,’ as it is called, is a mass of trachytic tufa over which the water of the Kuranui Creek falls. The face thus exposed is traversed by four small, nearly vertical, veins of quartz with gold running N. by E.” Of* Tookey’s reef” he says, “ Tookey’s reef consists of a series of small veins of aurifererous quartz dipping 50 degrees N.W. It is situated about 220 feet above the level of the sea, on the side of a hill of trachytic tufa between the Kuranui and. the Manaotaiari Creeks.” This trachytic tufa, of which the country is almost entirely composed, is just precisely that kiud of formation of which Dr. Hector speaks in his instructions to Captain Hutton, when he says that the quartz occurring, in it. is non-auri-ferous, and evidenly does not expect to find gold in such formation. His words, are: “ A third manner in which quanta; .occurs in the district is in the trachyte tufas f hut it is then more chalcedonic and crystalline, and associated with jasper and chert, and is non- auriferous , as proved by the numerous trials at Keven's Point, Coromandel.”

The gold itself, Captain Hutton tells us, is found in eight different localities, and is of a similar character to that found at Coromandel; and he sees no reason why such, auriferous veins may. not be found ih “any part of the tufa, formation, which extends over much more ground. than that which he visited. . He describes the veins, however, as generally thin and variable; such, in fact,- as.must always render gold mining highly speculative.

Of the alluvial diggings, he tells iis there are about 800 acres at present available, and he does not consider that any satisfactory results will; be found from. them. They seem principally to consist of an old sea-beach, covered by recent fluviatile accumulations, which when-bottomed will be found to reach an old coast line inclining seawards. Of the creeks, he says: “ Judging from the smallness of the particles of gold found, and that it occurs most plentifully in the upper portion of .alluvium, I am of opinion that., the greater part" of ihe. gold broken off frqni the veins by the streams, is carried out to . ; Bea .before it has had tinie to clear itself from the ) quartz matrix; that fine projecting particles pf gold are iubbed oft during )the : passage of the quarts down to the sea; in the ordinary state of the stream, v mid-.' are ideposited^i? l '. the upper {part of {the [alluyiiim^fbut all and takes them out to seai and)dn' tli<3 water to{its ordinary fiow 'they-. have accumulate. Mntil they :.v)

"■ The conclusion we i. draw from the reportis that these vems of goldbearing quartz will probably .he found more or less rich over a great extent of country, and that no payable alluvial diggings will be found in the Thames district. Such may be found in pother localities, where the disentegrated particles , .of goldrbearing quartz are not so liable to be carried away; perhaps, indeed,..where least expected, and as we understand that the Messrs. Sweeney have again taken their departure for the scene of their former explorations, where, indeed, they have already met with encouraging indications, and that other parties are also, in the field, we trust that important discoveries will reward their .enterprise, and a payable gold-field restore in some degree the former prosperity of Hawke’s Bay.