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workings I found large quantities of white transparent threads hanging down in bunches from the sides and roofs of the drives—which appear to be a form of mirabilite, or sulphate of soda. The taste is quite bitter, corresponding with the taste of Epsom salts. The rock adjoining the lodes where these crystals ooze out from is a tufaceous sandstone, having abrecciated appearance. Melanterite is also found in this mine in large crystals in the old workings. The deepest level that the company are working on at the present time is 360 ft. They are dependent on the Big Pump, as well as the whole of the adjoining mines, to keep the water down. Deep Level Cross. —This company hold a large area of ground, and have spent a large amount in working and prospecting it; but, so far, have been unsuccessful in finding a payable lode. They were the proprietors of the Big Pump, which has been, and still continues to be, the means of enabling several of the gold-producing claims in the district to be worked. The great expense involved in keeping this Big Pump at work in former years, together with prospecting without getting any return, crippled their finances to such an extent that lately they have suspended operations, having sold the Big Pump to the Thames Drainage Board. During the time they were carrying on active operations they occasionally came across some stone that was payable for working ; but it was limited in extent. Last year they crushed 519 tons of stone, got partly on wages and partly by tribute, which yielded 810oz. of gold, representing a value of £2,209. Waiotahi Company. —This company has the most systematically-worked mme_ I have visited on the northern goldfields: everything is carried out. on a system which reflects the highest credit on the mine-manager, who has been in charge of the mine for over twelve years. During the whole of this period the company have been enabled to pay dividends, although no rich finds have ever been got. They are working from their No. 3 and No. 4 Levels, 296 ft. and 360 ft. respectively, on leaders which form a network of branches running in every direction. These leaders are sometimes nothing but apparently a seam in the tufaceous rock; but by following them up they occasionally widen out to from 2in. to 4in., and sometimes thicker. There is a large cross-reef running in a northerly and southerly direction containing a little gold, but not sufficient to pay for working; but the leaders and branches running at right angles to this reef generally contain payable quartz. This mine has been continuously worked since 1873, but from this up to the latter part of 1877 nothing was found of a payable character. The first dividend was paid in September, 1877, and since that date it has become" a regular dividend-paying mine. There have been 22,211 tons of quartz crushed, which yielded 29,9050z., representing a value of £81,821, out of which £18,750 has been paid in dividends. Any stranger visiting this mine cannot fail to be impressed with the idea that its success has depended in a great measure on careful and systematic management. There are from thirty to forty men steadily employed on wages varying from 7s. to Bs. per day. During the whole time the mine has been worked it has never been let on tribute, which, as a general rule, is resorted to as a last resource when it cannot be made to pay by employing labour. Adjacent to theniouth of the shaft is a, crush-ing-battery of twenty heads of stamps and five berdans, which are driven by a steam-engine, and are generally kept employed by the company during the day. Moanataiari Company.— This company are working from a low-level tunnel, which is about 30ft. above sea-level. This tunnel is constructed for about 2,800 ft. in a straight line, and thence bends a little towards the Waiotahi Creek. It is constructed 7ft. 6in. in height by 6ft. 6in. in width, having a double roadway laid with iron rails, one for the full and the other for the empty trucks. If anything were found in the low levels in the back country this would make an excellent roadway to convey the quartz to the batteries. From this tunnel there are several cross-cuts made on each side, one of which goes towards the old Shotover claim and another towards the Waiotahi Creek; the latter is 1,300 ft. in length, and connected with a shaft below the Waiotahi Company's mine. At 1,450 ft. from the mouth of the main tunnel a shaft is sunk, and payable quartz obtained therefrom, to a depth of 80ft. This mine is cut up in blocks and let on tribute : some of the tributors are doing very well, and the company have also about twenty-seven men employed on wages. The tributors pay the company from 10 to 20 per cent, of the gross yield of gold, and the company haul the quartz from the main tunnel and crush it at their battery, for which they charge the tributors 6s. per ton. They have a crushing-battery of forty heads of stamps, but only employ twenty heads for eight hours a day at present. The capital of this company is £135,000, in £10 shares, and £9 15s. per share has been"paid up. They have done a great amount of work, and expended large sums in prospecting, with but indifferent success. In former years this company paid large dividends, but of late years the mine has been worked on calls. New Alburnia Company .—Thin company has been in existence for eighteenmonths. They hold the same ground that belonged to the old Alburnia Company, which was in existence in 1867. Indeed, it is only a re-formation of the original company. There are 20,000 shares of £1 each, 10,000 of which were allotted to the original company for their interest, with 4s. paid up. The mine is situated at the head of the Moanataiari Creek, near the crown of the range. They have a low-level tunnel driven in from the side of the range, 460 ft. above sea-level, which is 2,000 ft. in length. It was originally commenced by the Sons of Freedom Company, who constructed it for 1,400 ft. It was afterwards continued by the old Alburnia Company for another 600 ft., following a large reef for the last I,oooft. This is the same lode that is being worked on the upper levels ; but, although there is a great body of stone in the low level (from 3ft. to 10ft. thick), there is not sufficient gold to pay for working.' This is 160 ft. below the next level, where the reef contains payable quartz, and from 60ft. above this there was a continuous shot of gold up to the surface, with the same size of reef as there is at the low levels. The foot-wall of this reef is hard diorite rock, and the hangingwall soft tufaceous sandstone. "■ The main lode is almost worked out, but the company have thirty tributors at work on leaders, the quartz from which averages about 3^oz. of gold to the load. The main lode in this mine runs easterly and westerly, having an underlie to the north. A great deal of work has been done in this mine, but it cannot be said to bo satisfactorily prospected. Although a low-level tunnel has been driven on the reef for I,oooft. and nothing got, it does not follow that