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Native Land Court blocks, and fifty miles of road and railway. The monthly abstract of surveyors' reports shows that the surveyors have on hand instructions for the survey of 2,268 square miles of triangulation (most of it being in the King country), 20,994 acres of section survey, and 420 miles of road and railway. In addition there is on hand—instructions not yet issued —55,800 acres of section survey, including the arrears of Crown grants, situated in 281 localities, and 180 miles of road in various districts, principally to be taken in exercise of the road rights. No estimate can be given of the number of applications that will come in during the year from the Land Board; but there seems to be a falling-off in their number as compared with what it was a few years since, and until the large arrears of good land are more opened out by roads no increase may be expected ; nor can any estimate be made of the applications for Native-block surveys. At present, as already mentioned, hardly any such are going on. Mr. H. Baker informs me that by the end of July all the surveys in the Wairoa County except some few short roads will have been finished up, and that Mr. Price has returned to his own district, whilst Mr. Lambert will finish at the end of this month and then leave the service. During the past year we have lost the services of six surveyors—one by death, and five whose services were dispensed with in accordance with instructions; and two more have received notice to leave as soon as their work is finished. It is a matter of deep regret to me personally that we lose the aid of these gentlemen, each one of whom has afforded me willing and efficient help in carrying out the duties intrusted to me during the last eight and a half years; and they have by their conduct won my sincere respect and best wishes for their success. S. Peecy Smith, Assistant Surveyor-General.

Auckland Trigonometrical and Chain Closures, 1884-85.

TAEANAKI. In last year's report I stated my intention of making further investigations into the very marked discrepancy in this district between the astronomical latitudes and those deduced from the triangulation. I have observed at Midhurst, a position due east of and eleven miles distant from Mount Bgmont, and find 18" discrepancy with the value brought up from Mount Cook, Wellington. The attached table gives a summary of the whole observations. We have now a connection with Mount Eden, Auckland, through the closure lately made of the Auckland and Taranaki triangulation. The values in latitude and longitude of Mount Eden hy triangulation from Mount Cook, assuming

Tr: igonometrii lal. Chi in. Surveyor. Number of Mean Difference of Bearing of Mean Difference of Closure per Mile in Links. Number of Closures. Number of Total Length of Mean Difference of Closure per Mile in Links. Closures. Traverse Lines. Traverse Lines in Miles. Closure. 3. Weetman E. C. Goldsmith r _ (Mai or work [i. Cussen ... {Minor work 5 4 130 54 18-5 10-2 0-38 1-23 10 19 l"-7 ll"-5 0-32 0-73 ?. Simpson ... E 1. H. Edgecumbe Et. Neumann SV. J. Parris 3-. A. Martin S. H. Hardy 3. M. Smith r. I. Philips 3. Stevens ... D. W. Gillies 3. W. Macfarland ... VV. J. Wheeler E. D. Haszard r. E. Pickett VV. Armstrong E. D. McKellar 6 1 1 4 11 10"-6 5" 38" 6" 0-67 0-16 0-03 4-3 2-3 12 4 3 7 6 4 13 10 18 10 8 17 10 24 10 4 364 47 87 166 71 70 623 302 305 510 196 182 372 798 228 105 36-0 7-5 8-25 10-2 10-4 23-5 53-1 13-75 49-8 36-5 12-2 23-7 23-4 51-75 22-7 7-86 1-1 2-5 2-25 0-7 1-23 0-5 1-1 2-0 0-6 1-8 2-6 1-35 1-6 0-75 1-5 1-9 2 4 14 16" 2" 18" 0-6 0-81 0-6 Means and totals, 1884-85 Means and totals, 1881-82 Means and totals, 1882-83 Means and totals, 1883-84 72 54 15 51 10"-8 10"-7 6"-6 19"-5 1-05 1-03 0-62 1-10 169 98 146 183 5,566 1,705 3,022 4,541 419-11 265-9 390-0 460-1 1-37 1-92 1-67 1-91 Means and totals, 1881-85 192 13"-9 0-95 596 14,834 1535-11 1-71