G.—No. 31

but would tend to promote agricultural settlement, by opening up a large area of good land which is now nearly inaccessible. Metalled Tracks. —Four-feet metalled tracks I should recommend to be made, —Ist, from Maori Gully to Italian's, and continued to the New River, being a total distance of five miles, or to the Ross and Greymouth Road, say six miles; 2nd, from the Stillwater Bridge to Orima Township, in Maori Gully, via the Stillwater Valley, say six miles ; and, 3rd, from the Ross and Greymouth RoadatStoney Creek, to the halfway station on the Marsden and Paroa Tramway, which would serve Welchman's, Limestone, and German Terrace diggings,— say five miles. After these in importance, would be a track from Clifton to German Gully, three miles, and one from Pounamou to the Paddock, via Lake Brunner, say ten miles, — the former is not at present a necessity as far as the supply of stores is concerned, as there is access to German Gully for pack-horses by Phillip's Track from Maori Gully, and from Clifton by Hamilton's or Faulkner's Track, and the bed of the New River and German Creek, except in time of floods; but to miners it would be a great boon, as the present route is always inconvenient and sometimes dangerous to travel. Bridges. —Besides those which would be necessary in the construction of the roads already mentioned, a horse-bridge i 3 required over the New River at Coekabulla, and also one over the Coekabulla Creek, close by. An application has been made by a private party for protection to bridges he proposes to construct at these points. In the event of his failing to do so. I suggest that the Government should at once supply the want which has so long existed for a bridge at that place. Supply of Water. —As the best ground may be fairly considered to have been mostly worked out, and miners must, therefore, fall back upon the working of poorer ground on a larger scale, the importance of a large and continuous water supply becomes more and more obvious. In that part of the Grey District which lies within the County of Westland, the difficulties in the way of obtaining this desideratum are unusually great, owing to the formation of the country. It is completely surrounded by low valleys, which effectually preclude water being brought on to the high-level workings except at enormous expense. The only alternative appears to be the formation of one or two large reservoirs, somewhere near the head of the New River, at a'suflicient elevation to command the auriferous deposits between Clifton and Maori Gully ; and, if it is intended that this portion of the County shall participate in the General Government scheme for water supply to the gold fields, careful search will no doubt be made for suitable sites for such works. In the lower country the difficulties in the way are much less, and are being gradually overcome by private enterprise. Besides the New River Company, mentioned in my last report as bringing a race from the New River, near Maori Creek, to carry ten heads of water, and supply the various diggings on the left branch and the Saltwater Creek, there are the Shamrock Pace, six miles, bringing about three heads from the Arnold Creek to Maori Gully, at a good elevation, and which is completed; and Murphy's Race, five miles, from Cockeye Creek to Nemona, which will bo finished shortly, aud will command a large area of payable ground ; besides several smaller races in other localities. In addition, several races are projected, which, if carried out, are likely to be of great service—for instance, a race, to carry ten heads, starting from the lower New River, to work the Old Lagoon Lead, say seVen miles; and two to work the Terrace at Clifton, bringing the water,' the one (four heads) from Eight-Mile Creek, say five miles the other (three heads) from Maori Creek, say three miles. And at Pouuamou a party of men have expressed to me their intention of prospecting for a race from the northern tributaries of the Teremakau, to command the high terrace on tho south of the road from the Hohonu to Pounamou, which is believed to be equally auriferous with the Duke's Terrace.

No. 3. District Surveyor's Report on the Okarito and Totara Districts, for Six Months ending 30th June, 1871. According to instructions, I proceeded to Bruce Bay on the 15th May last, for the purpose of exploring the country between there and Abbey Rocks, and fixing on the best route for the Bruce Bay and Haast River Track, and have the honor to report that, as was anticipated, no material difficulties have been found to exist on the whole of the line chosen, which line is also the only practicable route along which a good road can be constructed between the places named. Although the estimated distances agree very well with the measured ones, it will still be seen by the map that a different route from the one indicated had to be taken, owing to the nature of the country, which is made up of very high mountains, swamps, rivers, and lakes. The lakes are four in number the largest of which is about five miles, and the smallest about one mile in length. The Paringa Lake is the largest, and is enclosed on nearly every side by very high and steep mountains. The track runs along the northern side of the lake for about two miles and through McGloin's Pass into Lake Rasselas, which is merely the end of a long swamp, commencing about three miles inland from the Abbey Bocks, and having an outlet leading into Lake Paringa at its southern end. The pass between Lake Rasselas and Abbey Rocks is very narrow, averaging about 8 chains in width, the hills on both sides rising to a great height. At about half a miie from Abbey Rocks another pass commences, running south towards the Moeraki (Blue River), and at this point I found it necessary to end No. 2, as it would be impossible to take the track towards the Haast further inland, the ranges being so very high and steep. As the survey on which I was engaged did not extend further south than the Abbey Rocks, I cannot give an accurate account of the country through which Section No. 3 goes ; but, from what information I can gather, there will be no difficulty in extending the track to the Haast. The distance from Bruce Bay to the forks of the Paringa River is sixteen miles, and tho distance from the mouth of the Paringa River to the Abbey Rocks is about twenty miles, and it is a good route for a track throughout. The total number of miles surveyed and blazed, therefore, will amount to about thirty-six. 5

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GOLD EIELES OE NEW ZEALAND