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looks well; the extensive slips which threatened to carry away the water-race above their ground have given them no trouble last year. Ewing and McConnechie s Claim. —The workings in this claim was carried on to May last in the quartz-drift wash which is dipping under the side of the range; but the large amount of stones and debris that is overhanging the quartz-drift deposit entailed considerable labour to get away, and the top material, being of a loose nature—apparently it has been a slip from the range —requires a great slope before it will stand. Also it was found that the quartz-drift wash contains less gold as it gets back underneath this top material. After working for four months, they found it impossible to get further back, and they washed up the tail-race, when gold worth only £100 was obtained, for an expenditure of about £400. A considerable quantity of gold had to be left on the bottom of the paddock, owing to it being covered with the top material slipping from the side of the range, which would not pay them to remove, as it contains a large quantity of rock. Previous to Mr. Ewing putting in the cut into the side of the range, it was considered by all those who have claims on this run of ground that the gold got better as it got nearer the range; but this has been proved a fallacy. However, Mr. Ewing is confident, that the front seam of the quartz-drift run and tho younger gravel-drift on his special claim of 60 acres will pay them remuneratively for working, and give them a good percentage for the capital they have invested, and thinks it probable that the more recent alluvial deposits will pay better than the quartz-drift they are now working. But, before these younger gravel-drifts can be worked, an additional hydraulic plant will be required. There are seven men employed in this claim, and they have been working very fair ground for some months past; but the water-supply has been limited, and their paddock is not in such a shape as to justify washing up before next spring or summer. They are now laying another half-mile of pipes to bring their water on to better ground in the lower end of their claim, and will be in a position to start operations on this place in the spring. Morgan and Sims. —This party is now working about half a mile south of their old workings, in the front seam of the quartz-drift run, which is said to pay good wages. In the place they were working previously they put in cuts at intervals through the drift into the side of the range, and left solid blocks between, which act as abutments, and have prevented large slips from taking place. The place they are now working is about 40ft. in depth, and they have four men employed in the claim ; but the quantity of gold obtained for last season's work has not been made public. Clyde. The only workings here are on the bank of the Clutha Eiver, but the ground is getting very poor as it gets back into the flat. Every party has a water-supply of their own, and they are contented with a little gold, as they can employ portion of their time in cultivating land, which most of the old miners have taken up either as a freehold, or on occupation license, or residence sites. There are a few miners working during the summer months at the head of the Fraser Eiver, where occasionally good patches of gold are obtained. A local syndicate or company took up a licensed holding of 30 acres in a small flat above the first gorge in the Fraser Eiver, about five miles up from Messrs. Fraser and Laidlaw's homestead. They constructed two water-races, one from Bough Creek, about five miles in length, and one from the main river for about the same distance. The terminating points of these races are about 260 ft. above the ground they intend to work. They also constructed a dam about a mile from the terminating point of the race from Eough Creek, which is capable of storing six sluice-heads of water for about sixteen hours. The men who constructed the water-race from Eough Creek got four shares in the company for their labour, and twelve other parties joined, and put on a hydraulic plant and elevator on the ground, at a cost of about £782. After constructing the race from Eough Creek and putting the hydraulic plant on the ground, they commenced hydraulic-elevating operations, and, got gold to the value of about £110. They found, however, that the supply of water was insufficient to carry on their workings to advantage, and they constructed another race from the Fraser Eiver, at a cost of £310, and afterwards got gold to the value of £170 ; but their expenditure in connection with getting the gold was £714. It would therefore appear on the face of this that the venture was not a remunerative one ; but Messrs. Home and McKersey, who are two of the principal shareholders, assured me that, after deducting the expenditure in repairing breaks, &c, during the time they were working, it left them £17 to the good. A flood occurred in the river and carried a large quantity of shingle and boulders down through the gorge on to Messrs. Fraser and Laidlaw's land, who threatened to take action against this company if they continued operations. Hence all work has been suspended since. There are nine water-races taken out of the Fraser Eiver below the mouth of the gorge, having an aggregate carrying capacity of forty sluice-heads. The heads of some of these races were also filled up with shingle, which came down the river when it was in flood ; but a great portion of this shingle had come from the sides of the river-bank, which washes away to a certain extent every flood, and was not wholly attributable to the company's operations above the gorge. Bannockburn. The principal sluicing-claims in this locality are in the vicinity of Pipeclay Gully, where a tailingschannel was constructed about ten years ago by a company of local gentlemen. This channel has been the means of a large area of ground being worked which otherwise could not have been, as there was no fall for tailings. There are several good claims being worked by the aid of this channel, and a few years will see the whole of the ground now held washed away; but most likely new ground will be taken up ahead of the old workings. The shareholders of the Pipeclay Channel have as yet got very little of their money back that it cost to construct. They depend on the quantity of gold saved in the channel to recoup them for the outlay. About two years ago some 200oz. of gold is said to have been taken out of about 40 chains of the upper end of the channel. The miners pay the company for the right to use it 10 per cent, on the value of water used; and,