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lengths. The country is fairly solid and good standing. No plan of workings kept; no copy of Acts; and no weekly record-book kept at the mine. The manager promised to attend to these matters at once. 5. Progress Quartz-mine (25th October). —Stoping from No. 1 Level tunnel is being carried on vigorously, and the old workings being filled up from the surface of the hill. A winze now down 90ft. was to be sunk another 100 ft., which is calculated will be the level of No. 2 Low-level tunnel, now being driven from Devil's Creek. This tunnel, when finished to the line of reef, will probably be 1,300 ft. in length. It is now driven 328 ft. and cannot be completed within fifteen or eighteen months. Shortly after my visit all work in the mine was stopped in consequence of the stone near the surface proving non-payable. As the 90ft. winze passed through good stone to that level, this mine is likely to prove, by-and-by, one of the most prosperous in the district. No copy of Act; no weekly record-book; no plan of workings kept at the mine. The manager promised to attend to these matters as required by the Act. 6. Wealth of Nations Extended Quartz-mine (28th October).- —From the bottom of the 200 ft. shaft-sunk in the chamber at the end of the long tunnel, a tunnel was driven about 210 ft. to the west in expectation of intersecting the line of reef worked at a higher level, but failed to find it. Drives were then put in in other directions, but without finding payable stone. Prospecting is still being continued. It is generally thought that this company will have to sink their shaft very much deeper, and then drive a cross-cut to the line of reef proved to exist in the Keep It Dark Mine. There are six men employed in the mine. The cages had new safety-catches attached. Good air in the tunnels. No weekly report book kept for several months past. 7. Globe Quartz-mine. —This mine has quite lately worked out all the stone between No. 1 Level and the surface, and No. 2 Level tunnel is now being put in as quickly as possible. Other preparatory work is being done to insure a long spell of work when again ready for crushing. The future prospects of this mine are very promising. 8. Phcenix Quartz-mine (19th December). —I visited the low-level tunnel, but did not find anyone there. I also visited the battery, which did not appear to me to have been working for a considerable time. The miners' huts there were empty. 9.- Venus-Extended Quartz-mine (6th February).—No. 3 Level tunnel intersected the reef at a the reef at a distance of 828 ft. from the mouth of the tunnel. The tunnel then follows the line of reef for 96ft., carrying good stone all the way. This distance brings the tunnel to within 26ft. of the perpendicular position of the winze sunk in the workings in No. 2 Level and 120 ft. from the bottom of same, measuring along the lay of the reef. This depth of stone promises a long and prosperous spell of work for this mine. The tunnel is well ventilated by that simple plan of a jet of water playing into the mouth of a funnel-shaped zinc pipe extending from the mouth of the tunnel to its end. The tunnel is well timbered, and particularly so where it follows the line of reef. Preparations are being made to shorten the aerial tramway from the high- to the present low-level tunnel, where there is already a quantity of good stone ready to be conveyed to the battery, which is situated on Murray Creek. At present there are three shifts of two men each and five men doing preparatory work on the surface. This mine promises, at an early date, a long spell of work to a good many men. No copy of the Act at the mine. 10. Low-level Tunnel Company (22nd October). —I found the air in this tunnel very bad near its mouth, but it improved as I proceeded on to the end. I learned, however, from the two men working there that the air was at all times very sluggish, and the result of this was, that by reason of the dynamite fumes not being carried away more quickly they were unable to resume work for fully an hour after firing a shot. The air is forced along in zinc pipes from the mouth of the tunnel to the working-face by the ordinary water-jet method. From the fact of the air being sluggish it appeared very evident to me that the joinings of the many lengths of pipes were leaking very much, and I at once brought this matter under the notice of Mr. Wise, the legal manager, requesting him to have it remedied without delay. I carefully examined the timber put in under the present contract and condemned several of the caps, because of their being chamfered off at the ends to fit the roof where it was not made high enough to admit the timber of the specified size going up freely. These, and other caps that were notched out in the centre to fit the roof, were ordered to be removed before Mr. Montgomerie would certify to the progress-payment now due. 11. Golden Fleece Extended Quartz-mine (19th December). —The winding-engine is repaired and fixed in its new position and also all the gearing repaired or renewed since my previous visit. The engine has been started and a quantity of water baled out of the mine. The old workings have been examined and found in tolerably good condition, but some of the timber requires renewing before any mining, can be done. At present there is only one man in charge of the plant who is putting everything in order for a good start when all the preliminaries are arranged. 12. Inkerman Quartz-mine (17th November). —Neither mine or battery has been working for some time past. At the time of my visit a prospecting tunnel was being driven; it was then in 50ft., and was to be continued to a supposed line of reef. I have since learned that the reef the manager was then in search of was not found, but that a new reef had quite lately been found, which is generally supposed to be the continuation of that found in the Happy Valley, Sir Francis Drake, Gallant, and Scotia Mines. If this turns out to be correct there is a good prospect of the Inkerman battery having plenty to do at an early date. New Mines. — Happy Valley. 13. Happy Valley Quartz-mine (7th February).—This, the most southern of the three adjoining mines, is situated about nine miles south of Eeefton. There are at present two men sinking a shaft on the reef. The shaft is down 29ft., at which level the reef is 3ft. thick, where gold can be seen through the body of the stone. There are two distinct reefs exposed on the surface of this claim, one nearly north and south and the other nearly east and west. It is on the north and south reef the shaft is being sunk.