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levels seemed to have almost got out of this reserve; at any rate, it was never found of so rich a character as in the early days of the field. This lead, or, at least, a similar one, was, within recent years, discovered in Mr. Craig's freehold, from which gold to the value of £18,000 has heen obtained by men working on tribute, about one-third of the amount going to Mr. Craig. Home time aftei , Woodstock was opened, gold was found at the Eight-mile, and, although this place has been very greatly turned over, it still maintains a small population. A large number of adit-levels have been driven in from the face of the terrace, and the ground worked by this means. The flat in front of the terrace has also been worked, by paddocking and hydraulic sluicing. Higher up the Hokitika River, in Back Creek Terrace, a considerable number of sluicing claims have been opened, some of which have paid remarkably well for working; but the quantity of water available in this locality is far from being sufficient to even work the claims in the front of the terrace in a thorough and systematic manner. About eight years ago a new discovery was made at Rimu Flat. The ground here had all to be worked from shafts, some of them being from 30ft. to 60ft. deep. This flat comprises a considerable area, and for a few years maintained a large population, but during the last year only a very limited number of men have found employment at this place. The principal part of the belt of land forming the lead which ran down the flat has all been driven out, as far as water would permit, and it is only on the outside of this where any work is being done ; but even here the wash-drift is very poor. A few claims are still working near the Hokitika-Ross Eoad, at the upper end of the Rimu Township ; but, although these claims are paying small wages for working, there were never any rich discoveries in any of them. Towards the end of the year 1890 a new rush took place on the top of the terraces, about a mile and a half back from the Hokitika River, at what is now known as Seddon's Terrace. The ground, which has a depth of from 40ft. to nearly 100 ft. was at first all worked by shafts. The auriferous layer was found to be resting on a false bottom of drift of the same age as that of the wash-drift. This terrace is formed by a concentration of morainic material, of a great depth, and contains several gold-bearing layers. The only difference that can be seen between the wash-drift and the false bottom on which it lies is that the former is of a looser description, and is not of such dense, concentrated character as the layer where the gold was found. At the head of Frosty Creek, in a prospecting shaft which had been sunk there to a depth of 192 ft. 6in., a layer about 18in. thick, and containing colours of gold, was passed through at 132 ft., and again at 171 ft. another stratum of gold-bearing drift was found, which gave five or six colours to the tin dish, while gold was also obtained in the last 2ft. 6in. No water was struck in this shaft, and the reason why the prospectors left it was because they never anticipated that the depth of ground was so great, consequently, the shaft which they carried down was too small to continue sinking. This is one of the places where a prospecting shaft ought to be sunk in order to test the depth of this material and ascertain whether any rich gold-bearing layer lies on top of the " Old-man" or "Brighton " bottom which is certain to be found in this locality ; or it is possible that, after passing through these recent morainic gravels, older gravels may be found before the "Old man bottom " is reached, and, should this be so, there is a strong probability of an entirely different class of gold being found. Many of the workings on Seddon's Terrace are now carried on from adit-levels driven in from the face of the terrace, where all wash-dirt is run out in trucks, and washed in paddocks. This is a field suitable for sluicing operations to be carried out on a large scale ; and, at the same time, it would very likely be a field where the bottom layers of material would have to be lifted by hydraulic or bucket elevators, as the fall, after going back into the terrace, would very soon become too little to run away the large quantity of stuff. The terrace itself is situated in such a manner that to bring water on it at a high level would necessitate a very large expenditure, and it becomes a question from whence the water could be taken. The Hokitika River has been mentioned as one of the sources from which water could be obtained, but the distance that a supply would have to be brought, and the several miles' length of siphon which would be required to bring the water across the low ground, would render the water-supply from this source beyond the means of private individuals. The Kanieri Lake has likewise been mentioned as a source, but from my knowledge of the levels of the Kanieri Lake it would scarcely be possible that the water from this source could be brought on to the field at a sufficiently high elevation; but it may probably be possible that water could be obtained from the Browning or from the Styx River, although to do this would also require a great length of siphon to carry it across the valley of the Hokitika on to the top of the terrace. Information has recently reached me, to the effect that a reconnaissance survey is to be made at once to ascertain whether or not it is possible to bring the water from the Kanieri Lake. At the date of my last visit to Rimu there were 245 Europeans engaged in the gold-workings in the vicinity of Kanieri, Woodstock, Eight-mile, Rimu, Back Creek, and Seddon's Terrace, but the generality of the miners are only making small wages. Ross. There is still a considerable mining population about Ross and its vicinity, though very few people are now engaged in working mining claims on the flat. The principal workings here are confined to the Elevator Claim, belonging to the Ross United Company. There are, however, a good number scattered all over the district up the Totara River, Donnelly Creek, Donoghue's, and Redman's; but with the exception of the Mont dOr Company very few of the miners are making the ordinary rate of wages. The dry season last year has been greatly against them, as the supply of water has been very short. Some of the sluicing claims up the Totara River are giving fair returns when a plentiful supply of water can be got; but some of those, as, for instance, Ford's claim, is at a considerable elevation, and dependent to a great extent on catch-water races. There is very nice-