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and have paid £87,000 in dividends to the shareholders; while the capital called up has only amounted.to £11,250. ~..., ■ , ,• 10. Fiery Cross Extended Quark-Mining Company. — JStH March, 1884. Tins company are stoping out from theft 450 ft. level; tile Slopes are up for about 100 ft. from the level, and the quartz fede i* about ,2ft, feMofe 1, wnicn has been lately averaging about 1-ioz. of gold per ton. The iraine ft s&urely timbered, but the ladders in the passes are in extremely bad condition : a great inaiiy of the rungs are broken, where the ladders are almost vertical. The mine manager, Mr. J. McKenney, seems to consider it impossible to always keep the ladders in good repair, as the workmen have the habit of throwing their tools, &c, down the ladder passes, there being no other provision made for getting them down. However, this will have to be remedied, as the ladders, in places, are absolutely dangerous-few the mffl to travel up and down on. The mine manager is likewise extremely careless about explosives. There was about three-quarters of a case of dynamite (about 871b5.) lying on the side of the main level, having the wooden lid only partially^ put on, When speaking to him about this he seemed to think it was quite safe. . There was likewise a box of dynamite detonators placed On the edge of a slab on the side of one of tho stdpes, so that the least: thing would knock it down. On the 10th April last 1 wrote to the manager requesting that explosives be only taken into" the mme1 in" properly-made canisters Holding small quantities, and -that the ladders be repaired. There are thirty-eight men employed in this mine, underground and on the Surface, and the output of quartz per week is about from 70 to 80 tons. 11. Hopeful Extended Company's Quartz Mine.— l9th March, 1884. This company are-working from Nd. 5 level. They haveftoped out some of the quartz that was left abdve the No; 0 leveL and are at present sinking down a winze from this level on a small quartz lode, to test its value. Tliei'e were seme time ago ten men employed underground; but at present there are only six men, getting Hitt quartz On tribute. The mine is safely timbered, and provisions of the Act tolerably well com--12. Eureka Extended Quartz-Mining Company's Incline Tunnel— lßth March, 1884. This company are driving an incline tunnel, on a gradient of 1 in 3, for the purpose of cutting the quartz reef that the Welcome Company are working. The tunnel is constructed sft. wide at the bottom, 4ft. 6in. wide at the top, and 6ft. high in the clear, outside of timber. It is well constructed, securely timbered, and is at the present time 1,050 ft. in length. They expect to have to carry it a thousand feet further before it cuts the reef. There are chambers constructed at intervals all along the tunnel for any one to stand in when the truck is in motion. This company have steam-winding and air-compressing machinery, which cost, when erected, about £2,264, and the actual construction of the tunnel up to the present time has cost about £3,500. 13. Just-in-Time Company's Mine.—l9th March, 1884. This company, in conjunction with the Imperial Company, have sunk a shaft 200 ft. in depth, and from which they intend to work thenmines. There was too much water in the mine at the time of my visit to enable me to see the workings. They have a good shaft, divided into three compartments, two for winding, and one ladder shaft, with good ladders placed in it. Alongside to the poppet-heads there is a large quartzhopper erected, divided into several compartments, and capable of holding about 300 tons of quartz. They have good, cages, but no covers on the top; nor is the mouth of the shaft fenced, or sliding fences to lift up with the cages as the top of them comes on a level with the brace. On the 12th April last I wrote to the manager and requested that sliding fences be put at the mouth of the shaft on the upper brace, so as to prevent accidents. There are eight men employed, underground and on the surface. " . 14. Imperial Company's Quartz Minn.— l9th March, 1884. This company has been doing very little lately, but has now let a contract to sink a winze in their old workings. There is no fence round the winze, which goes down from the surface ; but the company only intend to use it until they connect with the workings on the first level from the new shaft that the Just-in-Time Company and they have completed, and then the winze will be covered over. 15. Caledonian Quartz-Mining Company's Mine (Larry's).— -17th March, 1884. This company are working in their No. 4 level. They have driven a tunnel southward about I,oooft. into what is known as the Argyle Lease, then came back in this tunnel about 420 ft., and commenced an uprise, which is about 18ft. up ; they expect to have, to go 40ft. further before they cut the reef. The reason for not rising up at the end of the long tunnel was that the strike of the reef is northwards, and the distance to rise to cut it would have been about 120 ft. This is the same lode that a wmze was sunk down on for 132 ft. in South Larry's (No. 2), and was supposed to be payable. Some very rich stone was taken from this mine a few years ago ; but the block of stone that they were working seemed to cut almost entirely out, and they have been doing nothing but prospecting for a longtime. There are four men employed, underground and on the surface. To comply strictly with the provisions of the Act comes hard for a company like this, that has now been struggling hard for the last four years to prospect the ground, and have only had a few men employed. So long as the ground is safely timbered, and there are good ladders for the workmen to go up and down, and proper provision made for taking explosives underground, the whole of the rules made under the Eegulation of Mines Act might not be rigidly enforced at present. The ladders in the shaft are not in good condition ; but the manager undertook to have the repairs and alterations made that I requested to have done, at once. This company have a crushing battery of ten heads of stamps and one berdan, driven with an overshot water-wheel 30ft. in diameter ; but this plant has not been used for about four years, and will require to undergo considerable repairs before.it can be made use of. The company has spent about £1,045 in prospecting the mine during the past year. 16. United Alpine Company's Mine, Lyell— l4th March, 1884. - The No. 6 level is now constructed; the tunnel cut the reef 1,466 ft. from the mouth, and has been carried on a further distance of 130 ft. on the roof; but there has been no stoping-out yet done. The timber in the tunnel is of a substantial character, but the ventilation is rather defective : however, this is to be remedied at once. The Act, on the whole, is fairly complied with. There are six men at work between Nos, & and 5 levels, taking out a small block of quartz on tribute ; but the lode may be said to be almost