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656. And yet you could prospect at the rate of anything from four to twenty-five miles a day ? —Creeks. 657. Oh ! just what I thought—only creeks?—Of course, we tried old workings ; but the creeks were the principal prospects we tried. 658. You reckoned they were the only thing worth trying? —I did not. If we found indications in the creeks we would have tried the hanks, but we found no indications. 659. You did not prospect anywhere really except in the creeks ?—Yes ; some old workings. 660. I mean away from the water. How could you travel away from the water with your apparatus ?—You could not travel on the West Coast far without getting to water. 661. Did you prospect any distance at all from water ? —No. 662. You did not ?—No. 663. You could not, because you had no apparatus for carrying water; you had only pick, shovel, and tin dish?— Yes. 664. Therefore it comes to this : You conducted your prospecting practically near the beds of creeks ?—And old workings and gullies were tried. 665. Were the old workings as a rule in the beds of creeks?— No. 666. Some of them were elsewhere?— Yes. 667. At a distance ?—Yes. 668. You did not try any other places at a distance excepting old workings at a distance from the beds of creeks ?—Not that I can remember. Alonz Wisdom sworn and examined. 669. Mr. Jones.] How long is it since you first went mining? —About twenty-five years ago. 670. Where were you mining then ? —On the North Beach, Port Elizabeth. 671. Were you not mining in Nova Scotia ?—Yes ; about 1860 or 1869. 672. And from there you came to the Coast ? —Yes. 673. And you were mining on the North Beach about twenty-five years ago?— Yes. 674. I think you are a carpenter by trade ?—Yes. 675. And lately you have been following your occupation as a carpenter ? —Yes. I have been mining sometimes, and carpentering sometimes, according to what I thought best. When there was nothing doing in my trade I followed mining. 676. You were one of the party called Dowling's party ?—Yes. 677. Subsequently you joined Fenton and his party? —Yes ; we did latterly. 678. Have you seen these plans before ?—I have seen plans like them. 679. We will come to Section 81, map 1 [Exhibit 91] : do you know what these hatchings represent ?—Yes; they represent the land marked off not required for mining purposes. 680. Take Block 81 ?—I have been over it. 681. You agree with the hatching ?—Yes. 682. Take Block 80?— I agree with that, too. 683. You have been all over that block ?—Yes. 684. Take 79 ? —The two lower pieces—the south-east and south-west portions—have been properly hatched. I have been over it. 685. Take 77?—1 have been over that. The hatching is correct. 686. Go on to 74 and 75. What portions of those were you over ?—I have been over that portion of the block between Callaghan's and the Ahaura, but not in the upper part of 75. 687. You have been in 74? Is that rightly hatched?— Yes. 688. What do you say about that little strip on the west of Larkin's race?— That is correct. 689. Have you been at Lake Hochstetter, in Block 75 ?—Yes. There is one portion I consider should be reserved up Sutherland's Creek. 690. You say a portion of that should be reserved ? —Yes. 691. And, with that exception, you think that reserve is properly hatched?— Yes. I have been all through the upper part of it. 692. Now we come to the Ahaura Eiver, Blocks 70, 69, and 71 ? —We passed through 70, but did not do anything on that block. 693. Did you do anything on Block 69 ? —We went through that. We passed over that part between Duffer's and Waipuna. We examined it, and there was no gold-workings of any kind there. It is all flat, plain country. 694. You did not go past Orwell Creek at all ?—Yes. 695. Go on to 65 and 66 : what do you say to this Snowy Creek and Blackwater?—l think that is correct in both blocks. Both have been properly hatched. 696. Were you up the Big Eiver ? —We just went up the Slatey and Big Eivers. 697. Do you know anything about it ?—Most of the workings up there have been deserted. 698. We come now to 94 [Exhibit 98]. We commence at Baker's Creek—94, 95, and 97 ; what do you say about these?—l have been all through these blocks. The hatching is correct. 699. And you agree with the way it is marked off?— Yes. 700. Now, take Block 6on Plan 9 [Exhibit 95]. What do you say to that ? —I have been over Block 6. 701. Is that hatching correct?— Yes. 702. We will now take Block 2b, Chesterfield Block [Exhibit 90]. What do you think of it? —I think there should be a little ground reserved on the western side of the track, between Blocks 2a and 2b, at the Lamplough. 703. What width of reserve would you make?—s or 6 chains. 704. In other respects, do you agree with the hatchings ? —Yes. 705. Then we come to Block 6, Kumara?—l have not been over the lower portion of that block facing the sea, from where the line of railway runs through it.