E.—6

12

grained schorlaceous granite in contact with fine-grained common granite, from Ruapuke Island ; the other of highly-plicated phyllite from the Macrae's district. Mr. Gow, Inspector of Mines: Large pebble and slice cut from a boulder of fine nephrite, found in the Teremakau River, West Coast, Middle Island ; pebble of tertiary fossiliferous limestone overlaying gold drift at Maerewhenua, found at sea-coast, near Oamaru; three large pieces of scheelite, from Macrae's. Mr. Joseph Martin : Eight rock specimens, comprising coarse-grained porphyritic granite, pegmatite, and gneiss, from Eio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mr. McNeil: Two specimens of granitic rock, from Mount Balloon, Te Anau district —one predominantly composed of black biotite mica, the other of orthoclase and some quartz, with large enclosed plates of biotite. Dr. Don : Interesting specimen of quartz, showing pseudomorphous crystals of quartz after calcite, from the Thames district, North Island. Mr. Carew, S.M. : Several fine specimens of argentiferous cerussite (lead-carbonate) and galena, from the Broken Hill Proprietary Mine, New South Wales. Mr. A. Mosley : One specimen of calc sinter from the Upper Shotover district, and one of micadiorite from Tasmania. Mr. Cheeseman, manager, Shag Point Coal Company : Several large pieces of carbonaceous clay shale, showing fine impressions of fossil ferns and seeds of Araucaria from Shag Point Coalmine. Mr. Edward Dunn, Melbourne.—Two rock specimens from the Thames district—one of sphaerulitic rhyolite, and the other of hypersthene andesite. Mr. Murray Eussell: Sample of very thin, platey alluvial gold from the West Coast, Middle Island ; also a number of rock specimens comprising basalt andesite, from Picton and Lyttelton. Mr. Eeynolds : Sample of nearly 3 dwt, in weight of richly platinum-bearing sand washed from the gold-drift of the Round Hill, near Orepuki, Southland. Mr. P. Fitzgerald: Four large pieces of scheelite, from Macrae's diggings, Otago. Captain Malcolm : Large imperfect crystal of muscovite mica from the West Coast, near Dusky Sound. Mr. Thomas Esdaile : Large collection of minerals and rock specimens illustrating the geology of the auriferous district of Lake Austin, Murchison Goldfield, Western Australia. The specimens enumerated have been labelled and arrranged in the large glass cases, with the exception of Mr. Esdaile's large collection from Western Australia last mentioned, which should be of special interest to our students, but unfortunately arrived in such a hopeless condition, through breaking and crushing in of the boxes it was originally packed in (labels and specimens being confusedly mixed together in a bag provided by the post-office), that it could not possibly be arranged without the assistance of Mr. Esdaile himself. This assistance seems, however, next to certain, according to notice received from that gentleman of his intended early return to Dunedin. The large glass cases are now so overcrowded with specimens as to scarcely hold any more; and, as the students frequently study these collections, the overcrowding often leads to misplacing and intermixing of labels, whereby the great advantage of close ocular inspection may not only be vitiated, but positive harm may be done through students learning to recognise minerals or rocks, but under wrong names. It is, therefore, a matter of great satisfaction to me—and will assure and enhance the instructive value of the collections —that in the proposal the Council have sanctioned for the rearrangement and alteration of the museum room, the provision of a series of wall cases and shelves is included, affording ample space for the proper display of the specimens without any danger of the intermixing of labels. I have, Ac, Geoßge H. F. Ulrich, The Chancellor, University of Otago. Director, School of Mines. •Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (1/32.1 copies), £7 4s.

Authority : John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—lB97.

Price, 6d.]