H.—9

5

in finding any quartz lode that is payable. The whole of the country is very broken, and the fcKfa of rock are turned and twisted in every direction : so that very little reliance can be v aced in findni"the reef at a low level, as the quartzJode that was found near the surface m the Golden Crown Company's ground may have been a slip or slide from the top of the range. On my las vSittoXs field, in December last, I went through all the workings of the Golden Crown Mine, and the appearance „ the quartz-lode then was entirely different to what it was at the. time of my former visit The vein or lode does not appear to be continuous for any length; but it is more like bloX of quartz thrown up here and there, giving it all the appearance of a slip The present tunnel is scarcely at a low enough level to test the hill thoroughly, and even if it cut a quartz lode containing gold it has a fair chance of being almost equally as broken as it is near the surface. MIDDLE ISLAND. Westiand • ToTAEA.-The principal gold-workings in this district are at Ross Donaghue's, and Wootoock On my former visit the Ross Extended Gold-Mmmg. Company had commenced to s__? their shaft below the level of the drainage tail-race, which is 90ft. under the level of the surface This tail-race is constructed at as low a level as will dram the water to high-water mark on the sea-beach : it is about a mile in length, and the upper portion of it is a tunnel, constructed 3ft 6m wide and 6ft. high in the clear, having props and caps placed 4ft. apart from centre to centre aid close-lathed throughout. The main shaft is now 312 ft. deep below the original surface, and is'l2ft by Bft. in the clear, having three compartments/viz., two for winding, and one comZint for the pumps. At he level of the tail-race there is a large chamber constructed m which are ejected two hydraulic engines with cylinders each 18|m. m diameter and 9ft. stroke, under a head of water of 314 ft. At the time of my former visit there was only one engine erected but when the shaft was sunk to a depth of 165 ft. below, the level of the. tail-race the mfantrtv of water there was to contend with was too much for the single engine to raise. The two and are working four sets of pumps 14|inm diameter, and it reg uhes them to be worked at their maximum speed to keep down the water. There are likewise a double cylinder hydraulic engine for raising and lowering the pump-rods and columns, and a mesent the drift from the sinking of the shaft is hauled up m buckets, by a reversible overshot Lter wheel 30ft in diameter ; but as soon as the sinking of the shaft is completed cages will be uZ? and a reversibleT turbine water-wheel for winding. This reversible turbme-wheel IS erected and ready fofusei is of special construction, patented by Camilla Malfroy, of Ross, the mining manageSS the company, and the only reversible turbine-wheel there is m the colonies. It is SSf m its construction easily set in motion, very compact, perfectly under control and can be stopped almost instantaneously, as far as can be done without causing a sudden jerk on the tee h of the SinTwheels. The dimensions of this turbine-wheel are as follow: * Diameter, 3ft.; depth or vidthof whlelloin.; depth of orifice, S^in.; and number of orifices, 16.. It is. a wheel specially Sed for winding purposes, and reflects credit on its inventor for the ingenuity displayed m its coXuctioii This° company with having so large a quantity of water to contend with, have exnorfenLd groat difficulty in sinking their shaft, and in getting men to work m it: hey have had to fay 12s pe ß ! day of six-hour shifts to each man employed, and a bonus per foot m addition As his is ?he only deep shaft in alluvial workings in New Zealand which is sunk through a peculiar formation, a descriitiSofTnlay be interesting, Ihowing the different strata gone through For the first 20 ti beow the surface the formation is a heavy drift gravel, then a layer of loose drift about Jt. tfock contlining a good deal of water, thence a gold-bearing stratum a>eut ;4& . < 3ui *-k tWe 50ft of vorv tight heavy gravel, thence another gold-bearing stratum about 6ft. thick, thence 4Uit. through five dstfoct strata of mullocky clay and loose drift containing a heavy body of water, thence another^gold-bearing stratum about 6ft. thick, thence for the next 52ft through three layers of clay 3 stonfs two layers of conglomerate, one- layer of loose watery drift and three hick layers of Wv gravel and Moulders containing a little gold, thence another gold-bearing stratum about sft. „_TffilhS for the next 90ft. through three heavy layers of gravel containing a little gold, two layers of clay and one layer of conglomerate, thence another gold-bearing stratum about 4ft. intSness See through 7ft. of gravel containing a little gold, thence another gold-bearing stratmnSft 'thfck thence for the next 37ft. through one layer of mullocky clay, one thin layer of or Maori bottom, and two layers of gravel containing a little gold, thence another goldbearing stratum 4ft thick, thence coming on the gravel, and are still sinking. They have therefore seven different beds or strata containing gold that, is supposed to be payable for woTk-'ng on a wholesale cheap method. The depth of their shaft is now about 212 ft under seafovel andnosTgn o any properly-defined bottom, such as slate or sandstone, has yet been met wrrh A sketch plan of this company's hydraulic pumping engines, and section of shaft, showing If varfous strata gone through, was kindly forwarded to me by Mr. Camille. Malfroy, copies of A description of these hydraulic pumping engines is as follows : The 22in. in diameter and 1,400 ft. long, to.the distributing chamber ofcXdriLT tank which is made of boiler-plate half an inch thick, and rivetted together the same as asteam-boiler this chamber is placed oil the surface near the mouth of the shaft, and from it a dast-iroHipe 12im in diameter is led down the shaft to the chamber where the engines are placed, v hero his deduced in branches to 7*in. in diameter. The balance or differential piston-valves, which represent the slide-valves, to admit and discharge the water to and from the mam. cylinder Tre Sin and lOin in diameter respectively : these pistons are worked by another small piston n a cvunderformin-a portion of what Is termed the « octopus," on account of its numerous branches ?KSiSWvJ?to the engines by a sliding crank motion connected to the plunger-pole (marked _? and by a sSond crank (marked M), which is connected to the piston-rod m the cylinder of the "octopus l (marked C). This turns a small quantity of water on the large end of the differentialpiston S driving it down until the smaller end of the piston is below the aperture connecting he the supply-pipe (E); the pressure of water then causes the piston m the