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sinking a shaft: but, as the depth of the ground is unknown, it was not certain that the bottom could have been reached by an adit; besides such adit would have had to be at least 3,000 ft. long. On the other hand, it is known that there is a considerable quantity of water in the ground, from shafts that have been previously sunk on this flat; and the cost of pumping appliances being a question of ways and means, it was a difficult matter to get the whole of the claimholders on the flat to agree as to the amount of contribution that each should give, and it was not until after several of the claims began to be nearly worked out on the upper levels that it was finally arranged to test the deep ground. A shaft is being constructed 9ft. by 4ft. in the clear inside of the timber. A contract was let to sink it to such a depth as the quantity of water to bail would not exceed 500 gallons per hour. Poppet-heads have been erected, and also an overshot water-wheel and winding-gear to lift the water and material. As soon as the water exceeds 500 gallons per hour the contractor is to be supplied with a jet-pump, this description of pump being considered the best under the circumstances— taking the cost into consideration—for the purpose. A tunnel tail-race is to be constructed from the main tailings channel to the shaft, and the pumping operations will commence after getting below the level of this tunnel—that is, if the water becomes too heavy for bailing. An unlimited quantity of water can be got from the water-race to work the jet-pump to a limited depth. It is well known that this description of pump will not give a large percentage of the power employed ; but it can be made to lift a considerable quantity of water to a height of at least 20 per cent, of the hydrostatic head, and another jet-pump would have then to be used to lift the water into a tank for the upper jet-pump to lift. This arrangement may allow the shaft to be sunk to a depth of about 170 ft. Should the depth of the ground go below sea-level, as is the case at Ross, then this description of pumping appliance, with the available head of water, would be of no service. It may, therefore, be said the jet-pump has been adopted on account of its being within the means of those interested to procure, and, even should the ground become too deep for this pump to be used, the loss incurred in its cost and erection will be very small. The shaft is now down to a depth of 100 ft., and a tunnel tail-race from the main channel constructed for a distance of about 800 ft. The cost of the construction of this shaft is borne by every claimholder on the flat, each man gives a certain amount, which is subsidised by Government ; and if the claim on which the shaft has been sunk gets payable gold at the deep levels, the holders of such claim have agreed to pay a certain proportion of the expense of sinking the shaft in proportion to the quantity of gold in the wash-drift—that is, if the auriferous drift is 3ft. in thickness, and averages 4dwt. of gold per load for thirty loads, the owners of such claim have to pay one-sixth of the expense of sinking; but if the said thirty loads should average sdwt. of gold per load, they are to pay one-third of the expense, or at the rate of 20 per cent, of the gross yield of gold from such wash-drift until the money is paid. Callaghan's. A few parties of miners have been working on the sideling of the range and in gullies for many years. Some of the runs or leads of auriferous drift were very rich, but as they got into the flat, the ground became deep and wet, and therefore no steps were taken until last year to try and prospect this ground to ascertain whether some of these leads could be traced. The farthest out claim worked towards the fiat is Morretti's and party, who are working by hydraulic sluicing, having a tail-race for a long distance to join the Kapitea Creek. The party has a face of about from 70ft. to 80ft. in depth, consisting of extremely good-looking wash-drift, and, in some of the branches leading into their tail-races'large specks of gold could be seen, which shows that there must be some good layers of auriferous gravel in the claim. Following a continuation of the direction of the lead of gold coming through Morretti and party's claim, some shafts were sunk further out into the flat where good gold was said to have been obtained, but at this point the bottom on which these drifts lie is said to have dipped off very quickly. This report induced Hyndman and party to sink a shaft a little further into the flat, with the hope of picking up the lost lead of gold. Hyndman and Party. —During the last year this party sunk a shaft to a depth of 145 ft. without reaching the bed-rock. They erected poppet-heads, washing paddock, and horse-whim, and have what the miners would term a very good rig-out to work the deep ground. In sinking the shaft, 90ft. of blue gravel was gone through, and below this was 30ft. of brown wash-drift, containing a little gold all through it, but not sufficient to pay fair wages for driving it out: The water in sinking became too heavy to contend with, and further sinking had to be abandoned. At the time of my visit they were driving from their shaft at about 120 ft. below the surface, with the hope of striking the lead near the place where the bottom suddenly dipped off in the former workings; but the main body of the material they went through in their shaft, although it might prove valuable ground to work by hydraulic sluicing, is too poor, the gold being too finely distributed through the material to pay for driving and timbering. McConnon and party also commenced to sink a shaft a few chains further into the flat than Hyndman and party, near the side of Manuka Creek, and got it down for 70ft., having a few fine colours of gold all through the drift. After getting down to this depth, a granite wash was struck, when the water at once rose oft. in the shaft, and they were never able afterwards to contend with it, and accordingly had to abandon the shaft. Both this party and Hyndman and party wish to get a tail-race constructed from Callaghan's Creek, so as to be able to work the ground by hydraulic sluicing. On examining the character of the country, and the fall necessary for such a tail-race, it was found to be of a great length, even for drainage purposes. When Mr. E. J. Lord completed the survey of the extension of the Waimea Water-race to Callaghan's, he took levels, with the view of ascertaining the practicability of constructing a tail-race from four different points : One of these points was from the junction of Callaghan's and' Manuka Creek, the fall between the top of Hyndman and party's shaft and the bottom of the creek being 206-sft., and the distance being