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tion of this promising belt of auriferous country— the probable source of Kellery and Waiho gold. From the height of the country about the heads of the Kellery and Waiho, it is only approachable during the summer and autumn months with any chance of seeing bare country, so that nothing further can be done this season. Some small samples of stone were brought down, showing fine gold, so that a further and more extended examination may result in important discoveries. Tourist Traffic. —Every year greater facilities are being afforded by the Government and the local bodies to tourists visiting Westland. The road from Lake Mapourika to the Waiho is being widened, and made fit for wheeled-traffic; and the bridle-track to the Franz Josef Glacier is now in good repair. Wire bridges have been thrown across both the Kellery and the Waiho, so that tourists wishing to visit this magnificent glacier will have no difficulty in getting there. The hot springs, a little lower down, are still in their natural state, without any convenience for taking advantage of their curative properties; but I understand the Government intend putting up, either at the springs or near the terminal fac.e of the glacier, a house that may be used by parties visiting the Waiho, leaving visitors to find their own requirements. There being no hotel nearer than Lake Mapourika, it behoves those who intend visiting the springs or the glacier to provide themselves with all they require. No doubt when the dray-road is completed through from Boss there will be a large increase in the number of tourists, and this might warrant the expense of putting up a good hotel; in fact, a comfortable house to stay at would be a not unimportant means of inducing tourists and invalids to visit the glacier and the hot springs. Without it, one of the grandest sights in New Zealand is practically closed to the average comfort-loving tourist and invalid. To the north of the Haast, on Sardine Terrace, a special claim of 100 acres has been granted to an Auckland syndicate. This claim is on one of the raised beaches characteristic of the West Coast, and is so situated as to offer great facilities for hydraulic sluicing, the tailings being discharged over the cliffs into the sea. This ground shows fair prospects ; and I understand work will be commenced at an early date. To the south of Jackson's Bay very little is being done in mining. The Cascade and Big Bay country offer strong inducements to prospectors, and I have had several inquiries as to the means of getting there, and other particulars. No doubt important discoveries will yet be made in this district, but prospectors are heavily handicapped owing to the isolated position of this part of Westland and the uncertainty of communication. In this block, from the Greenstone Pass, at the head of the Hollyford to the Arawata, the geological mineral features disclosed present conditions of such an interesting and unique character as to warrant the most careful and extended examination of the various outcrops and auriferous terraces. A considerable amount has been expended on the Haast Pass track, and intercommunication is now comparatively easy. Other tracks are being extended for the convenience of the settlers and miners. An abortive attempt was made by a Greymouth company to reopen a valuable deposit of mica, said to have been found years ago, but after a considerable expenditure the work was given up. The search may possibly be renewed next summer. Kumaba. Although the yield of gold on the Kumara field has decidedly fallen off, there is still a large quantity being obtained, and the field will continue to yield a large amount of gold for many years to come. There is no doubt the best of the ground so far as at present known has been worked, and the number of really good claims now being worked is very few indeed. The area of ground on the field that will be sluiced away in the course of years is, however, very large, and, although it is comparatively poor, it will, with improved and more economical methods of sluicing, employ a large number of miners, and pay small wages for many years to come. There are three main tail-races (sludge-channels) at present in work on the field. What was originally known as No. 1 main tail-race has been abandoned for the last seven years, as it was found to be too low for the economical discharge of tailings on the tailing site. No. 2 main tailrace has still four claims making use of it, and there is still an area of known auriferous ground that will take at least seven years to sluice away, commanded by the main tail-race. No. 3 main tail-race is used at present by ten claims, and the area of ground untouched commanded by this main tail-race will not all be sluiced away in ten years. Another party has obtained a right to sluice into No. 3, and their branch tail-race will be driven from the main tail-race to their claim at an early date. No. 4 main tail-race is used by three parties at present, but all of the parties are using large quantities of water—fourteen, fourteen, and twenty-four sluice-heads respectively, and they are in consequence sluicing away about twice the quantity of auriferous wash that the same number of claims washed away six years ago. Another party has driven a branch tail-race connecting No. 4 with their claim, and they will shortly begin sluicing into it. The area of ground commanded by this main tail-race will not be all worked for the next fifteen or twenty years. No. 5 main tail-race is not yet completed, as bad and difficult pug ground was unexpectedly met with in No. 1 section of the work, and the loose ground and large inflow of water was met with in No. 2 section. These difficulties have greatly retarded the progress of this important work. The total length of No. 5 main tail-race will be 62-| chains, and of this 40J chains has been completed, and 22-|- chains has yet to be driven. No. 5 main tail-race will open up a very large area of auriferous ground, and, although the ground is not by any means rich, it will give employment to a large number of miners, and enable them to earn fair wages for the next twenty to twenty-five years. The number of claims engaged in hydraulic sluicing on the Kumara field are: No. 2 main tailrace, four parties, thirteen men ; No. 3 main tail-race, ten parties, thirty-nine men ; No. 4 main tail-race, three parties, seventeen men; private tail-races, nine parties, forty men; parties preparing to sluice, three parties, seventeen men. Of the above-mentioned parties, twenty-one are using water from the Government race and five from private races. And of the three parties preparing to work, two will use water from the Government race and one from a private race.