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two lectures to most attentive audiences of about 150. At the request of several of my old Bluespur students I held meetings there, which were attended by about ninety, nearly all miners. Mr. Brown, M.H.8., had meantime been organizing visits to Waipori and the Teviot, and kindly accompanied me to both these centres, where we inspected several of the leading claims, and had most enthusiastic meetings. A strong desire was widely expressed in these districts to share in the advantages of a i school of mines, and Mr. Brown promised, on behalf of the Lawrence Athenarum and Mining Institute, of which he is president, that that institution would establish branches of its school of mines at each of these centres, and work the classes through whatever staff would be appointed to the Lawrence central school. The Lawrence school will, under these arrangements, bear to the Bluespur, Waitahuna, Waipori, and Teviot schools the same relation which the Thames central school now bears to the branch schools at Coromandel, Karangahake, Te Aroha, and Waiorongomai. The system will, I believe, work well. The Lawrence Athenasum and Mining Institute is a strong body, well endowed, under excellent management, and thoroughly representative of the mining industry of the district, and with a very enlightened view of the responsibility that rests upon it of promoting in every legitimate way and in the most liberal spirit the mining interests of a most important mining district. It has, besides, provided itself, at a cost of about £40, with a very efficient collection of chemicals and apparatus for the use of its classes. It has, besides, a fine library, housed in its own building, which, however, is not at all suited for the accommodation of the classes of a thorough-going school of mines, as this institution is, in the most laudable manner, aspiring to create. No public money could, in my opinion, be spent that would ultimately, and in many cases immediately, be more profitable to the State and more beneficial to a mining community than the money expended in creating and fostering all over the goldfields such institutions as are here contemplated. A similar central school at Naseby, another at Bannockburn, and a fourth at some centre in the Lakes District would pretty well, with their branches, cover the whole of the Otago Goldfields. Four central schools on the West Coast, carried on in the same way, would, with their numerous branch schools and mining and chemistry clubs, provide for the Coast, whilst the present admirable system,, devised and already in operation at the Thames, meets, when more liberally officered and equipped, with the requirements of the North Island. Leaving Mr. McLymont in charge of the classes in the Lawrence District, and appointing him to visit in succession the Bannockburn school and the schools which were being formed at Bendigo, St. Bathan's, and Naseby, I myself returned to Dunedin, to prepare materials for my lecturing tour on the West Coast. I had recalled Mr. McLymont from the Coast on the 19th February for the double purpose of helping me in the allocation to the mining schools of the appliances that had been received from London and of establishing laboratories in the Otago districts just named. From the reports which I received both from the West Coast and Otago, Mr. McLymont amply justified his appointment to these duties. Glowing accounts were received from Hokitika, Bimu, and Kanieri of the attractive character of his classes in these towns, and many and strong representations were made to me to the effect that a better appointment could not be made to the West Coast than Mr. McLymont, in the event of arrangements being completed for a permanent and resident instructor. At Waitahuna and Waitahuna Gully Mr. McLymont reports audience of 180 and 120 respectively, and at Lawrence, Bluespur, Bannockburn, and Naseby classes ranging from 20 to 80. In some cases, as at Bannockburn and Naseby, I believe members of the local schools only were admitted. I was not consulted in this arrangemement, but it will be easy to make for the future such arrangements as will admit, at a nominal charge, all who care to avail themselves of the instruction provided at Government expense. It can, at the same time, be easity provided that subscribing members have privileges in connection with the classes, assays, &c, that will be more than equivalent to their payments. At Hokitika, where Mr. McLymont conducted classes for two weeks, he reports an attendance of 60 ;at Bimu, one week, average attendance 120 to 150; and at Kanieri, where he delivered only one lecture, he reports an enthusiastic audience of about 100. I regret very much that Mr. McLymont was not able to conduct classes at Boss, Stafford, and Kumara, where very energetic schools of mines now exist, and where a large amount of valuable work has been already done by Dr. Davy and Messrs. Purkiss, McJannet, Olden, and Soutter, greatly aided by the wise counsel and experience of Dr. Giles, B.M. West Coast Toue. I had long been desirous, for various reasons, of seeing the ranges, beaches, and river-beds of the West Coast between Boss and Martin's Bay; and this desire was increased since my appointment as Lecturer to the Goldfields. It was with great pleasure, therefore, that I received your permission to accompany you overland from Dunedin on your recent tour to that part of the colony. I would have regretted occupying so much time away from my proper duties in connection with my goldfields classes, had I not succeeded in so placing my colleagues and assistants as for the time to fairly occupy the schools in the most important districts. Mr. Montgomery was in full charge of the Coromandel Peninsula; Mr. McLymont was fully occupied organizing the local schools and arranging the details of the laboratories on the Otago field ; Mr. Fenton was making himself acquainted with the alluvial diggings between Greymouth and Boss, and showing the processes for.assaying gold- and silver-bearing stone and bullion at Hokitika, where he was also awaiting instructions to join me at the mouth of the Haast on my arrival on the Coast; Goodlet was in the meantime on his way by sea to Boss, where he had instructions to unpack the chemicals, fit up a laboratory, and conduct testing classes till my arrival. Feeling, besides, that I should, by my overland journey, glean information which would be useful to my classes, and guide my recom-