E.—6

5

rights of the process in this colony, as before mentioned, our school would require the permission of the representative of the company to work the process on the scale proposed, and as such permission has been granted to the Thames School of Mines, and might in our case turn out very profitable to the company in leading to the introduction of the process on some of our gold-mines, I do not anticipate a refusal of it. The severing of his connection with our school of Mr D. Wilkinson is much to be regretted, as we lost in him a highly-qualified and practically accomplished teacher of his profession. The work done for the public since the close of session 1893 by Mr. Wilkinson, and after his departure by Mr. P Fitzgerald, in assays, and by myself in determinations of minerals and rocks, was as follows :— Charged fob at Fixed Bates. Work done by Mr Wilkinson. April 4.—Assay of quartz tailings for gold , for Mr James Allen, M.H.E., Dunedin. April s.—Assay of amalgam for gold , for Mr James Allen, M.H.E., Dunedin. April 5. —Assay of blanketings for gold for Messrs. Hamilton and M'Kerrow Dunedin. April 6. —Assay of tailings for gold , for Messrs. Hamilton and M'Kerrow, Dunedin. April 7 and 8. —Seven assays for gold of seven samples of quartz, from Wilson's Eiver, West Coast, for Mr E. B. Williams, Invercargill. April 28.—Three assays of three samples of tailings for gold, for Mr James Trent, Christchurch. May 4. —Assay of sample of quartz for gold for Mr James Trent, Christchurch. May 28.—Assay for gold of concentrates from quartz crushing , for Mr Donald, jun., Dunedin. July 2.—Four assays of four samples of quartz for gold, and analysis of manganese-ore, for Mr John Eeid, Bldershe, Oamaru. Work done by Mr P Fitzgerald. October 2. —Assay of sample of quartz for gold, for Messrs Haggitt Brothers and Brent, Dunedin. October 3. —Assay for gold of crushing-battery tailings from the Barewood Mine, for Mr. Andrew Hamilton. October 4. —Assays for gold of concentrates from crushing-battery and of a sample of highlymineralised quartz from the Barewood Mine , for Mr Andrew Hamilton. October 10. —Assays for gold of blanketings from crushing-battery Barewood Mine, for Mr Andrew Hamilton. October 29.—Assay of sample of quartz for gold , for Mrs. Heffernan, Dunedin. Detebminations of Minbeal and Eock Specimens. Made by myself and not charged for December 4, 1893.—A specimen of a greyish-white ore in quartz from Preservation Inlet, sent by Captain Malcolm, proved to be arsenical pyrites containing only a trace of gold. January 17, 1894. —A sample of a white soft mineral, found near Dunedin, sent by Mr C. Chapman, proved to be gypsum. March 15. —A crystal of a dark-brown mineral from the West Coast, sent by Mr B. Hooker, proved to be garnet, April 17. —A specimen of lead-grey ore, sent by the editor of Witness, proved to be stibnite (sulphide of antimony). April 23. —Two metallic minerals impregnated in quartz, from Cromwell, forwarded by editor of Witness, proved to be galena and iron-pyrites. June 12.—Examined and reported on a sample of asbestos from a lode in serpentine in the Gentle Annie Eange, Arrow district, forwarded by O'Leary and Co., Gibbston. June 20.—Examined and reported on samples of lignite and anthracite from Fairlie, sent by editor of Witness. June 29. —Two reports on specimens of quartz rich in black manganese-ore (psilomelane), forwarded by editor of Tapanui Courier September 23. —Two samples of black sand, forwarded by editor of Witness, proved to be—one hematite with a little magnetite, the other magnetite with some hematite. October 4.—Two metallic minerals impregnated in quartz, forwarded by editor of Witness, proved to be arsenopyrite and galena. October 20.—Deposit from a mineral spring on the Cheviot Estate, forwarded by editor of Witness, proved to be ferruginous and calcareous clay A specimen of an intrusive dyke-rock, from the so-called Burnet's face in the Westport coalmining district, forwarded by Mr N D. Cochrane, Inspector of Mines, proved on microscopic examination of thin sections sent with the specimen, and of others prepared by myself, to be quartz porphyry. Specimens of a rather decomposed rock from Ohika Bluff, also sent by Mr Cochrane, determined to be phyllite from their microscopic character, after vain attempts of preparing thin sections for microscopic examination. Donations to the Mining Museum. The rock and mineral collections of our Museum have during the year been enriched by a considerable number of specimens by many kind donors, as under: — Mr A. Hamilton, the Eegistrar Eighteen specimens of rocks from Macquarie Island. Also a sample of black amorphous sulphur in small round pellets, concave on one side, from the Waiotapu Valley, North Island. Further, from the Water of Leith Valley, near Dunedin, a specimen of