C.—9

14

More to the north, between Landing Creek and Coal Creek, there is a table-land recently explored by Mr. Caples, of Beefton. Over this there have been workings of very considerable extent. These workings are now old, the place having been abandoned by European miners for some time. With a sufficient water supply much of this ground might again be worked, and also an extended area of ground too poor to work in the first instance. At the present time Chinamen only are working on the block. The mountain slopes, and the areas over which the coal-rocks and " Old man bottom " are found, constitute land having poor soils, and are not suitable for settlement. In the valleys of the main creeks, and over a narrow belt east of the road line, the land is of better quality; but settlement here and in many of the lesser valleys would interfere with or bar mining operations that in the future are likely to be carried on in the different formations and horizons, from the slates of the mountain range to the most recent gravels of the creek-beds. Block Llll. —This is of irregular outline, and towards the west embraces—first the country east of the main road between Larry's Creek and Boatman's, and secondly excluding an area of freehold land extending along the south-west side of Boatman's—a considerable area lying between Boatman's Creek and the Waitahu or north branch of the Inangahua Biver. The back boundary is formed by part of the line Trig. HH to Trig. G, and part of the line from Trig. Gto Trig. N. The total area is 9,000 acres. Naturally the block is divisible into two parts —first, that lying between Larry's and Boatman's Creeks; and second, that between Boatman's Creek and the north branch of the Inangahua. Over that part, between Larry's and Boatman's Creeks, there are extensive goldworkings in Little Boatman's Creek, Burkes Creek, Byan's Creek, and Italian Gully; more especially in the latter. In Italian Gully the main area of workings are continuous for about a mile along the valley, and are workings in recent mountain wash brought down from the range to the east, which consists of slates and sandstones of carboniferous age, referable to the Matai series of the New Zealand Geological Survey. This is evidence that between Specimen Hill and the different quartz claims at Larry's the auriferous slates are continuous on the range. They are seen to extend across Italian Gully to the western part of the slate area at Larry's; between which two places the slates are seen to be directly overlain by the older Pliocene gravels forming the " Old man bottom." Below the junction of Burkes Creek with that of Italian Gully the gold-workings are on " Old man bottom." The rocks in Burkes Creek are partly limestones, sandstones, coal-measures, and the conglomerates underlying the last mentioned, resting on the auriferous slates of Specimen Hill, and, with the next succeeding member of the coal-bearing series, are overlain by the gravels of the " Old man bottom." On the tops of the spurs between Burkes Creek and Boatman's Creek, and the lower part of Italian Gully and Boatman's Creek, there is reported to be gold-bearing gravels. These may be a rewash of the "Old man bottom," or may be strata more auriferous than is commonly the case, interbedded therewith; probably the latter is the case. In the upper part of Burkes Creek heavy beds of gravel, forming part of the Older Pliocene series, have been mined in Howell's claim, and a very deep face is there exposed, which has been extensively worked. Little Boatman's has been worked from the slopes of Specimen Hill to or almost to its junction with the main branch of Boatman's. Mainly its gold has been derived from the adjoining auriferous slates to the eastward, many rich reefs lying in that direction, though these have not been traced through the spur into the valley of Little Boatman's, nor at lower levels under it. Bich specimens are, however, met with in the creek, and one large block of quartz lying in the creek bed was found so impregnated with gold that a great part of it has been removed as specimen stone. On the north side of the valley of the main branch of Boatman's Creek alluvial gold working at low levels have apparently been exhausted, but on the higher slope of the hill, at the back of the township (Capleston), rich gold has been found in the lower beds of the " Old man bottom." And from information afforded by Mr. Bodgers, of the Crown Hotel, Capleston, it appears that along the contact between the " Old man gravels " and the coal rocks, that the lower part of the auriferous band gave gold at the rate of ldwt. to the dish, and the upper part at the rate of ldwt. to the ton. It may be assumed that the deposit will extend considerably along the contact of the two rocks under the higher part of the range, striking towards Howell's claim on the one hand and southwest across Boatman's Creek on the other hand, and, gradually dipping westward, should pass below the water-line of the main valley. This lower auriferous band in the " Old man bottom " will again have to be noticed in dealing with the other, or south-west, division of the block. There are other and higher bands of the " Old man bottom " that are known to be auriferous, one of which has been tested on the south-west side of the creek. This, from its strike and dip, would correspond in position, on the north side of the creek, with the immediate locality where gold, on the authority of Mr. John Gallagher, is said to occur on the top of the spur between Boatman's and Burkes Creek. At Capleston the slate-rock makes its appearance in the bed of the creek, and underlying the coal-rocks, extends north and south, and forms the range of higher hills to the northward and the western slope of the range between Boatman's Creek and the north branch of the Inangahua. The core of this range to the south-west is formed of Devonian rocks. One mile and a half to two miles above Capleston the slates pass under rocks belonging to the coal-bearing series, and towards the middle part of this belt of slate the chief quartz-mines of the Boatman's district are situated. The Just in Time, the Fiery Cross, the Welcome, and many other claims of lesser note are situated in this part of the slate belt. These have all at one time or another, and each in their turn, been famous gold-yielding mines. Nothing more need be said in justification of the area over which they extend being withdrawn from sale and reserved for mining purposes. Towards the source of Boatman's Creek the conglomerates at the base of the coal-measures are likely to prove auriferous; but, although a good deal of prospecting has been done in this part of the district, the idea of testing the cements at the base of the coal-bearing series is novel to the miners, and hitherto attention has been directed wholly to the recent wash in the creek beds.