F.—No. 6,

8

INTERIM REPORT OE THE SELECT

89. Is that your own experience, or is it from information you speak ? —I heard the Provincial Treasurer make the statement in the Provincial Council. 90. Do you happen to know how many specimens you have ? —lt would be impossible to say accurately. There are several thousands. 91. 'Chairman."] Are they valuable?— Very valuable, and quite sufficient for any professor to lecture upon. There are not only geological specimens but sections from deep sinking and auriferous drifts. These are all in cases, showing the peculiarities of the various auriferous drifts. 92. Do you happen to know, Captain Eraser, whether Dr. Hector was taken off the survey, at the instance of the Provincial Government, and put to other work ? —I am not aware ; I was absent from the country. 93. Do you remember the expedition to Martin's Bay ?—Perfectly well. I found in England, in the Bank of New Zealand, a room in which there were maps of Martin's Bay. I expected, when I came back, to find that a settlement had taken place. I believe it was the jealousy which existed in some of our departments that prevented it. Owing to that jealousy, no steps were taken until Mr. Macandrew forced it the other day. 94. Tou mean jealousy between the provincial departments ?—Yes; the provincial departments in Otago. I allude particularly to the department of the Chief Surveyor in Otago. 95. Was that expedition undertaken by the instructions of the Provincial Government ? —Yes. 96. Was it done with a view to carry out Dr. Hector's duties as Geological Surveyor, or for the purposes of general exploration ?—Both. Dr. Hector tested the country for gold as he went, and he gave me a small map, which had been photographed from his large map, showing the different directions in which he had found gold. He was engaged in thoroughly investigating the country, sinking shafts in every place he went. 97. Mr. Macffarlane^] In what capacity did you get that map ? —As a private individual. I found, as I said, in a room in the Bank of New Zealand, London, a number of largo maps. The people were full of the subject in England, and I imagined that when I came out I would find all the land occupied, and that I would bo unable to find a section. 98. Are you speaking of the results of the expedition to Martin's Bay ? —Yes. 99. Was that expedition with a view to settlement ?—Yes ; it was entirely Dr. Hector's discovery, I believe. 100. Chairman.] Was the object colonization? —Yes. Had it not been for some narrow-minded jealousies the settlement would have taken place at the time. I may mention how far those jealousies have gone when the name of Lake Te Kapo, so named by Dr. Hector to perpetuate the name of a rare bird, has been changed by our Survey Department, which has called it Lake McKerrow, after a surveyor who never, I believe, saw the lake. 101. Mr. Manffarlane.] Did Dr. Hector make a special report upon that visit ? —Yes. 102. Mr. Sail.] Did he make any other reports ?—There were various special reports, but no general report. 103. Mr. Marfarlane.] Those special reports you mean to refer to certain districts ?—Yes ; and portions of districts. 101. Mr. Hall.] Are you aware that since Dr. Hector has joined the service of the General Government he has been to Dunedin to arrange those specimens? —Yes. I was very glad to see him there, and ho was kind enough to take great trouble to re-arrange the specimens. Wo are not perfect mineralogists down there. Dr. Hector was there for several days working hard re-arranging the specimens. 105. How long ago is that ? —About six months ago. We have specimens there that are not in the Colonial Museum. Wherever duplicates could be had Dr. Hector availed himself of them. 106. Mr. Macandrew said that there were duplicates of all the specimens in the Colonial Museum ? —It is quite likely that there would bo sufficient to send duplicates out of the country as all our specimens were large, and Dr. Hector was obliged to make them smaller. I know we had some very valuable specimens, and he took some duplicates away with him. There were specimens containing native mercury so rich that if jrou took the stone and broke it, the globules would be left in your hand. The specimens, I think, were found at Post Office Creek, Waipori, so Dr. Hector informs me. I may say that we have got one very valuable map of Otago, made by Dr. Hector. It is a geological map, and is now in our Museum. 107. Chairman.] Did you consider it dear ? —I did not consider it was dear at any price. I have often said " That map has cost £13,000." 108. Mr. Hall.] Do you know anything about Mr. Ulrich ? —We found that wo should have a geological report of our gold fields. We know that we have very large auriferous deposits in many directions, and we did not appear to be able to avail ourselves of Dr. Hector's services, so we wrote to the Colonial Secretary of Victoria, asking him to recommend to us a practical first-class geologist —one with practical knowledge, not a mere theorist —because we wanted to have a geological report of the resources of our gold fields. 109. Chairman.] That is to say, that, having a view to the room that there is for population, you wish the resources of your country to be known ?—No ; discovered. 110. What I mean to say is, whether it is with a view to the completion of a great scientific work, or with a view to attract population ?—The idea originated in this way : We came up here for the purpose of borrowing a large sum of money for expenditure upon the gold fields, ancl it was thought requisite, before we went into this expenditure, that we should have some practical report upon the resources of the, gold fields, to be a guarantee to the Government that we were not spending money in a wrong direction. 111. Mr. Stevens.] I should wish to know whether the primary object of Mr. Ulrich's engagement is to complete the uncompleted survey of the Province of Otago ? —That I do not know ; I am under the impression that it is not so. We have sent for him in order that we may get a report which will guide us in making those water-races which are necessary on the gold fields.