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487. Did you put any down yourself?— Yes, two at the foot of the terrace and at Davis Creek. 488. Was there any gold in those ? —There was no payable gold. 489. You have been over the Brighton Block, Block 9 [Exhibit 95] ?—Yes. 490. What do you say about it ? —There is no gold being got there, and it is properly hatched. 491. I think you spent a good few days over this block?— Yes; I think eight days. 492. You did not go any further north ? —No ; not above the White Horse. 493. Now, we will take the Chesterfield Block, Nos. 2 and 26, what have you to say about that?—l travelled all over it in different directions, and there is nobody working in that block, except two Chinamen, who are working in one corner of it. 494. Do you say the hatching is correct ? —Yes; with the exception of a few chains along by Lamplough, that would be at the north and north-east end of it. There might be a few chains required there for future prospecting. 495. How many chains ?—Four or five, I think. 496. In all other reepects you agree with the hatchings ?—Yes. 497. Have you been over Block 2a ? —No ; I do not think I have been over that. 498. What do you think of Block No. 6 ? —There is not a single man working on that block. 499. That is on the western side of the Borough Endowment ?—Yes. 500. Do you think that ought to be reserved ?—No. 501. Now we go into Block 1. That contains all the Kumara, Larrikin's, Dillmanstown, and Mignonette Flat diggings. What do you say about that block? —We have been all over the eastern portion of this block, along the Christchurch Eoad. There is no sign of any gold being found there ; neither is there any prospecting. 502. Do you say some of the eastern portion ought not to be reserved ?—This portion at the corner of the Christchurch Eoad should not be reserved. 503. You agree with Mr. Dowling as to the portion that should be reserved ? —Yes. 504. Were you over Block s—that is, the Greenstone ? —Yes. 505. There is a piece hatched on the north side of the Greenstone Creek : what do you think of think it is properly hatched. 506. What about this piece of 1,850 acres on the southern side of the Greenstone Creek?— That is properly hatched. 507. Were you on Block 9—the Greymouth Block—behind the township?— No. 508. Were you on what is known as the Kaimata Block ? —No. 509. Mr. Stringer.] You have not been actually engaged in mining for some time ?—Not lately. 510. How long is it since you were doing any practical mining yourself ? —Not for the last seven or eight years. 511. What have you being doing since then ?—Contracting and working anywhere I could get work. 512. You were engaged by the company to go over this country ?—Yes. 513. Were you engaged for any term ? —No. 514. Paid by the day ?—Yes. 515. And how many days were you employed?— Really, I could not tell you. 516. How much a day were you receiving?—£l. 517. With any understanding that when you found gold your employment was to cease?— There was no agreement of that kind, 518. I suppose you knew that you were not expected to find gold?— No. I would have been very glad if I had found it. 519. I gather from the evidence that the reserves that have been made are in the right localities, but that they have been too large, in your opinion ?—Yes. 520. In no case are the reserves made in an improper place; it is only as to the amount that has been taken ? Hon. E. Blake : The witness has not disputed the propriety of a certain portion of the reserves, but has only disputed a part; therefore the rest is admitted. 521. Mr. Stringer, .] I suppose it is the fact that you can get colours of gold in almost any part of the West Coast ?—Yes. 522. When you were prospecting at Barrytown a few years ago, in what portion of that block did you prospect ?—Where the good gold was got, all along the lead. 523. But had not that been prospected before ?—I was prospecting at the time the rush was there. 524. Was your prospecting on the beach ?—No. 525. In the unhatched portion in the centre of the several blocks ?—Yes. 526. How long has it been a known gold-working, that unhatched portion. ? —Seventeen or eighteen years ; since the rush was there. 527. When were you last prospecting there ?—Not since then. 528. I understood that you were prospecting more recently?—Oh, no ; not in Barrytown. 529. I suppose you remember when the reserves were first proposed to be made by the Government ? —I never took notice of the date. I paid no attention to it. 530. Where were you at that time ? —I could not say where I was when they were first proposed. 531. You do not remember 1890-1891 ?—I do, but I paid no attention at all to the reserves. 532. You were taking no interest in mining, I suppose, at that time?— No. 533. Do you not know that there was a good deal of interest being taken in the matter by the miners at that time ?—I did not. I was not mining then.