C.—7

Sess. 11.—1887. NEW ZEALAND.

NEW GOLDFIELD ON MARITOTO CREEK, HIKUTAIA (REPORT ON), BY WARDEN STRATFORD.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

The Warden, Thames, to the Hon. the Ministeb op Mines. g IE) Thames, 9th September, 1887. Having returned from my visit of inspection of the new find on the Maritoto Creek, Hikutaia, I have the honour to report the result of my investigation. The prospectors' holding is more than five miles from the nearest quartz-reef workings. It is situate on the branch of a tributary to the Maritoto Creek. The find is about two miles and a half up this tributary from its confluence with the Maritoto, which is about eight miles from Mr. Corbett's hotel, bearing east-south-east, and therefore the reef is about ten miles and a half from Hikutaia proper, and at an altitude above the sea of about 700 ft. to 800 ft. The reef is about 7ft. in thickness, and had been driven into about Bft. when I visited the place yesterday. The droop of the hanging-wall is at an angle of about 75°, and the reef which hugs it is loose and friable quartz, very rich in gold and silver. I stood by while a tin dishfull was picked out of the quartz in the tunnel, and tested in about five minutes in a water-hole close at hand, with a result that astonished me ; the gold plainly visible, and preponderating largely in the handful of wash-dirt left in the dish. ' The sample of quartz that has been supplied to me from Hikutaia by Mr. E. Mcßrinn, the prospector, weighed about 61b.; this was well mixed, and parcels of about -|lb. each sent to the Bank of New Zealand, Mr. John Heighway, Mr. Montgomery (School of Mines), and to Mr. Thomas Bayldon, for assay, with the following results :■ — Bank of New Zealand.— Assay : Gold, 980z.; silver, 1,7750z. per ton. Mr. Heighway.—First assay: Gold, 630z.; silver, l,Blloz. per ton: value, £570. Second assay : Gold, 940z.; silver, 1,8070z. per ton : value £617. Mr. Montgomery.— Assay : Gold, 830z.; silver, 1,7980z. per ton. Mr. Bayldon. —Assay : Gold, 690z. ; silver, 1,8050z. per ton. A band of about Ift. of hard quartz lies immediately next the loose quartz, but is apparently barren stone, and the quartz on the footwall side, which is about 2ft. thick and of a hard brownish nature, has not yet been tested. Mr. Mcßrinn states that he has traced the reef for about 10 chains, and proved it to be auriferous. It runs about north-east, and there are others_ parallel with it which have been discovered more recently. The best proof of its compass-bearing continuing consistently is that some miners started prospecting in a south-west course, and were rewarded by picking up the main reef on the other side of a range in Peel's Creek, and at a distance of about three miles from Mcßrinn's workings. Claims have also been marked off for a distance of about two miles towards the Komata Creek, and, although there are cross-lodes in the locality, the two or three principal reefs appear to maintain the same bearing—viz., north-east. _ Mr. Wilson, the Mines Inspector, crossed over to Hikutaia from Waitekauri, and estimates the distance to be six miles from the Waitekauri Battery to Mcßrinn's Eind. He found evidence of likely gold-bearing quartz in several places; but would not recommend persons to try the same journey, as he not only had to walk up a very rough range which divides Waitekauri from Hikutaia for a distance of two miles and a half, and to a height of 1,250 ft. above the level of the sea, but also to stay in the dense forest of the western watershed for a whole night to complete his journey of six miles during the whole of the next day. I mention this circumstance to show how wild and rough the surrounding country is, and consequently hard to prospect; but, with all the difficulties in his path, Mr. Mcßrinn has made a discovery which deserves the reward he seeks, and I feel disposed in due course to grant him, not a licensed holding —for the number of men to be employed on such areas is too small —but a special claim. I believe when a track has been constructed up to the reefs, so as to enable the prospectors to convey their quartz to a battery, there will be room for about a hundred men. I have faith in the reef so far as to maintain such a number; but there is nothing to justify a rush of men from any distance. I beg to enclose Mr. Wilson's report to myself, which has proved valuable to me, and for which I have already thanked him. I have, &c, H. A. Stkatfokd, The Hon. the Minister of Mines, Wellington. Warden.