a—io.

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visits of Mr. McLymont, they will now be in a position to form classes and do systematic work. They have had during the last year occasional lectures from Dr. Giles, Mr. Purkiss, and Mr. Bevan, who materially assisted them on various occasions. I lectured at Bimu on the 11th to a full house of about a hundred and fifty men. Here, as in Boss and Kanieri, the School of Mines' building was too small for the meeting, and a hall was engaged for the lecture. I had been during all the afternoon engaged with Goodlet assaying quartz in the blacksmith's forgo, kindly put at my service for the purpose. The assaying there was largely attended by the miners, who knocked off at mid-day in order to attend. The Eimu School has been singularly fortunate in having the voluntary services of so able a chemist as Mr. Hagen, its president. This gentleman is a student of Fresenius, one of the greatest authorities in the domain of chemistry; and he is well qualified for the work lie lias undertaken. From the very first Mr. Hagen has taken the lead in this school, and, indeed, may be said to have, carried it on single-handed. His intimate knowledge of chemistry in all its branches has enabled him to teach the subject in the most perfect manner in all its details; and his good social qualities, and painstaking way with his students, have attached them to him in a wonderful way. The Rimu classes met for study and practice under Mr. Hagen twice a week for several months each year. Being himself a miner at Eimu, the active interest he has taken in the local school has drawn around him all the more intelligent men of the place, who now form a very promising school. At Hokitika I delivered two lectures in the Town. Hall to largo meetings, numbering from two hundred to two hundred and fifty people ; and, with Mr. McLymont, showed the process of assaying during one afternoon. The energy shown by the Hokitika Committee insures the future of their school, and will go a long way to make it always one of the most important in the colony. On the 14th 1 lectured at Stafford to a crowded meeting of about two hundred people, of all ages, and, with Goodlet, performed some assays in the afternoon in the blacksmith's forge. The Stafford School of Mines has a building of its own, fitted up as a laboratory and classroom. It has a strong membership, and is fortunate in having as one of its leading members Mr. Binning, the teacher, one of my old Dunedin students. The class has met once—sometimes twice— a week, under Mr. Binning, for several months, and the members have done a good deal of work in the study of the chemistry of minerals. At Kumara there has always been a strong Committee since the creation of the school, by the combined efforts of Messrs. Seddon, Morris, and Olden, two years ago. This school has been very fortunate, like so many others, in having resident among them gentlemen able and willing to conduct chemistry- and testing-classes. First, Mr. Olden, the secretary, and, after a time, with him, Dr. Davy, took special delight in communicating to others the knowledge they themselves had acquired in the Old Country. Mr. Olden still continues his weekly or fortnightly classes in the absence of Mr. McLymont, and Dr. Davy is now one of the leading office-bearers of the Thames School of Mines. The Kumara Committee are now raising funds to erect a lecture-room, museum, and laboratory ; and, from their well-known energy, I have no doubt they will very soon accomplish their object. Before leaving I delivered one lecture to the children of each of the schools, State and Catholic. The children attended in large numbers, and behaved admirably, and evidently enjoyed themselves. From Kumara I proceeded to Greymouth, where I delivered two lectures to large audiences — one describing the splendid collection of mineral specimens presented to the, school by the Government, and one on assaying. The Greymouth School of Mines is managed by a strong committee of the leading men in the town. They are now busy with plans for a building for the accommodation of the classes on a very central site granted them by the Government. Since my last visit meetings of the classes had been held periodically, and occasional lectures were delivered by Eev. Mr. Gladbrook, F.G.S., Eev. Mr. Thornton, Mr. Eae, and others. The chemistry- and testing-classes were conducted by Mr. Ellis —another example of local talent evoked by these institutions. Nothing is so striking in connection with these schools of mines ail over the colony as the surprising amount of able and, in many cases, very highly-educated men they disclose—able and, indeed, eager to aid and develop the schools by devoting much of their spare time to the preparation of lectures and conducting classes in connection with them. My intercourse with these gentlemen is among my happiest experiences in the colony, and to them, in a greater measure than is generally known, is due the present hopeful condition of these schools. During my stay at Greymouth I visited the Brunner coalfields, and was kindly shown through the mines by Messrs. Elliott, Kilgour, and I also visited Nelson Creek with Mr. Calders, and lectured in the schoolroom to a crowded meeting of about one hundred and twenty people. The Nelson Creek miners are desirous of forming a branch school attached to the Greymouth School, contributing to the funds of the latter, and getting a share of the attention of Mr. McLymont, or other Government instructor, on his periodical visits. From Greymouth I proceeded, on the 23rd, with Goodlet, by coach, to Eeefton. Here I found the Eeefton School of Mines housed comfortably in its own building, an accomplished fact, with Mr. Fenton, the Government Instructor, at home among his students. This school, in point of energy and the success with which it has established itself, is second only to the Thames School. It has not had, like the Thames, the advantages cf substantial pecuniary help from large outlying districts, and a neighbouring city, but has built a building for itself out of its own resources and the pound-for-pound subsidy granted by Government to all the schools alike. This building—4oft. by 20ft.—they have substantially furnished with the necessary working-tables, shelving, tanks, gas-chamber, assaying-plant, 'chemicals, and apparatus appropriate to a workinglaboratory and class-room. They have also arranged in glass cases —presented, I believe, by the Government at the instigation of the Nelson Survey Office—the handsome collection of metallic ores and rock-specimens presented by the Government, and all named, labelled, and described in plain