In the North Island alluvial mining is not carried on to any appreciable extent. During the year 1887 enormous excitement was caused in Auckland by the discovery, in a recent rhyolitic breccia, of a considerable percentage of gold. Thousands of acres of similar rock occur, and a company was formed to purchase 1,000 acres of land. Shares went up to double their nominal value, and scientific experts, who visited the ground, were most enthusiastic. On analysing the bullion it was found to contain far less silver than is usual in gold from this province, and to be identical, in fact, with the British gold coins in common use Subsequent microscopic investigation revealed the fact that so far from being water-worn the metallic fragments were spiral shavings such as might have been rubbed off a sovereign with a file. The perpetrator of the swindle was not discovered.

In the South Island the alluvial deposits are of enormous extent and value, indeed with the exception of Canterbury, where gold has not been found in paying quantities, almost the whole area is distinctly auriferous.

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It will be more convenient to take the gold-fields now under consideration geographically, commencing at the north-eastern corner, that is Marlborough Province, from which, at Mahikipawa and Wakamarina, gold" has been extracted. The first-named diggings are so far of small area, but have yielded freely, the output for 1890 being 3,000 ounces, but the present Workings arc becoming rapidly exhausted, and the known area is small. The Wakamarina field at one time supported a large population, which is now much reduced, and very little work is done.

Nelson Province contains the Collingwood gold-field, one of the first worked alluvial deposits of the colony, and at one time a rich place. The late Dr. Von Hochstetter, whose geological labours in New Zealand will always be regarded with respect and admiration, estimated the total value of the Aorere gold-field at £22,500,000, or £750,000 per square mile, but so far the yield is very far from these figures. Recently several dredges have been projected and possibly started, but the writer is unaware of the results obtained. Passing down the coast, the gold-fields of Karamea, Mohikinui, Upper Buller, Reefton, and Westport are arrived at, and still farther, Greymouth, Kumara, Hokitika, and Ross. In the early days the first-mentioned were of great importance, but the easily wrought ground is becoming scarce, and this class of raining has languished; no doubt this is also caused by the growing importance of the reefing industry. An interesting auriferous cement-deposit, in which the gold is accompanied by cassiterite, occurs near Reefton, at the base of the Cretacco-Tertiary rocks, but has not been profitably worked in situ, though its disintegration has given rise to some river workings.

Alluvial mining depends usually on a plentiful supply of water, and a dry season is very detrimental to its success. This factor does not influence the river-dredging claims, but that branch of the industry has not so far been largely developed on the west coast. About 22 miles from Westport, on the Buller River, the Whitecliffs Dredging Company has recently built a steam dredge, at a cost of about £4,000. The hull is 93feet long and 20-feet in beam. Water for washing is supplied by an 11-inches centrifugal pump. Wash-dirt is raised from the river-bed by a centre ladder, fitted with buckets, and after the large stones have been eliminated, is passed over gold-saving tables.^*

The river-beds on this coast often contain large pieces of timber, which form awkward impediments, but as the ladders are usually driven by friction gearing, the probability of fracture is avoided.

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At the foot of the Mount Rochfort Range are several large sluicing claims, from which the wash-dirt, as there is no free fall, has to be elevated to considerable heights. The only system which has hitherto been able to accomplish this at a paying rate is the hydraulic elevator principle, whereby with a great pressure of water ejected through a nozzle into an inclined pipe, stones, sand, dirt, and gold are shot up together, The ground here is composed of gravel, sand, magnetite, garnets, and gold running in "leads." At the Fairmaid claim during 1890, the amount of material raised to a height of 36 feet was 62,201 cubic yards in 1,873 working hours, or an average of 265 cubic yards per shift of 8 hours. A large dredge was built to work the old beach-deposits a few miles north of the Buller River, but although the amount of stuff raised was highly satisfactory, the gold-saving appliances were entirely Inadequate, and the enterprise has, so far, ended in failure. Along almost the whole margin of the west coast are deposits of black ironsand, which contain not only in the raised beaches, away from the present wave-action, but on the borders of the ocean, and re-sorted by every storm, small proportions of gold; it is so fine, however (on account of the constant grinding action to which it is subject), that the greatest care is necessary to save it. Working these deposits, which are constantly forming and reforming, is called "beach-combing," and requires but little capital, while it yields sometimes a fair return, and is free from the hardship and danger of mining in the interior.

Great inducement exists to work the sea-beaches on a large scale, and of late years attempts have been made to construct various classes of dredges available for the purpose. Unfortunately, no system yet introduced appears capable of grappling with the inherent difficulties of the task, and to the writer's knowledge not one of the many companies floated has been successful.

At Kumara, a gravel-deposit exists, which has been largely worked for many years. The auriferous leads are situated on the left-hand bank of the Teremakau River, and are covered by enormous thicknesses of gravel-drift. The ground is nearly 100 feet above the adjacent river, which has been declared a tailings channel, and the débris is got rid of by large tail-races, which debouch above water-level. Private enterprise having proved insufficient to carry out the requisite works, the Government stepped in and expended nearly £22,000 in the construction of a large sludge channel, into which the miners were permitted, under certain conditions, to discharge their tailings. Though of great assistance to the field, this proved a very costly undertaking for the colony, and in page 14 1890, after a loss in maintenance of nearly £24,000 had been incurred, it was handed over to trustees. As in other pails of the colony the gold-saving appliances here are very defective, and in the last report of the Mines Department some particulars are given relative to the amount of gold washed into the channel, and subsequently recovered by the Government. The race, it must he remembered, is not intended as a gold-saver, and is ill-adapted for the purpose, being deficient in width; but in spite of this fact, £3,638 was obtained in four years, and adding to this what must have been lost, gives at least £1,000 per annum wasted by the miners.

In former years wooden Burning was invariably used for the conveyance of water to the claims, but its many disadvantages have resulted in the almost universal use of iron or steel pipes, sometimes as large as 30 inches in diameter, Enormous quantities of this piping are in use, the returns for 1891 giving nearly 9¼-miles, varying from 11 inches in diameter up to 30 inches.

Farther to the south is the town of Hokitika, ones the centre of a prosperous gold-field district, and distinguished by all the feverish excitement of a new rush, now considerably sobered down, but containing still the elements of prosperity. The Humphries Gully United Company, at Arahura, has expended £90,000 on a large sluicing claim, but finds itself still short of water, and cannot at present do much more than meet expenses. To meet this difficulty the directors propose to raise an additional £25,000, in order to construct a water-race about 5 miles in length. Already they have constructed a race for a distance of about 10¾ miles, but the depth of auriferous drift is about 250 feet, and to remove this requires an enormous quantity of water.

At Ross, still farther to the south, extensive works have been carried out, and large yields of gold have been obtained. Even now, though the glory of the field has temporarily departed, the output is considerable. The largest company is the Ross United, which holds 260 acres on the Ross Flat, comprising nearly all the old claims. In sinking the shaft to a depth of 400 feet seven different gold-bearing strata were met with, it has not been possible to continue these workings, and the present operations are confined to surface-sluicing and elevating. Since the operations in the deep ground were suspended £23,787 worth of gold was obtained in the period commencing February, 1887, and ending March 30th, 1891. The surface-operations are carried on by the aid of the electric light, and when additional pumping power is provided the deep levels will doubtless resume their yield of gold. The Mont d'Or sluicing page 15 claim, in the vicinity of Ross, has a splendid record. For the twelve months ended November 30th, 1890, £4,516 worth of gold was produced, at a working cost of £1,501, The payable ground in sight is considered sufficient to last for many years, and an excellent tailings site—a matter of the greatest importance—is available. To the south of Rosa the country is extremely rough, and communication is difficult and sometimes dangerous. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, a mining population has settled there, and large areas of auriferous country are known to exist. Hitherto prospecting in these wilds has been carried on under great-difficulties, but the multitude of birds existing in the forest have enabled the explorer to dispense with heavy toads of provisions. Now, however, the weasel, imported by the Government at enormous expense to protect the sheep farmers of Otago and Canterbury from the ravages of the rabbit, has crossed the ranges and, acting on its well-known preference for feathers rather than fur, is fast reducing the interesting and valuable avi-fauna to a minimum.

Although the population in this district has of late years somewhat diminished, the yield of gold for 1890 shows an increase of 3,500 ounces over the preceding year.