a—3a

44

Business has not increased in the Magistrate's Court, which sat on twenty-nine days, disposing of twenty-seven civil and twenty-eight criminal cases, the revenue accruing (inclusive of births, deaths, and marriages registration-fees) being £59 Is., as against £98 7s. 6d. for last year. Things were slightly better than this in the Warden's Court, wherein sittings were held on twenty-one days, disposing of 226 mining applications, and twelve cases by complaint and summons, the revenue accruing being £807 175., as against £482 12s. for last year. Caeeick and Bannockbuen. Lawrence and sons, in addition to having done fairly well with their old claim, have taken up a new one at the head of Green's Gully, from which they have already had one satisfactory crushing, and are now busily getting out stone for a second crushing. Lehmann, who has a sluicing claim in the immediate vicinity, has found a very promising reef therein. McCabe and sons are busily working their quartz claim (originally the " Vale of Avoca ") on the spur, between the right and left branches of Smith's Gully, from which they have put through a crushing of 60 tons at Lawrence's battery, the result being considered very satisfactory. The Carrick still maintains a few of the old hands, who seem to consider their present workings as profitable as those of anywhere else, and do not seem inclined to shift elsewhere. As is elsewhere shown, the water strike has prevented the Bannockburn showing in the front, and as the strike occurred during the very time when, under ordinary circumstances, sluicers would have been most busily engaged, no one will now think of washing up while he can possibly keep going, and some weeks must yet elapse before much is known of the success or otherwise of their season. Nevis. Here McKersie and party have finished their new race, and set in to work with every prospect of doing well. Adie and party, having got their piping into position, are now preparing a large extent of ground for washing up before the frost sets in. The brothers Masters are working steadily in the same claim they have worked for so many years, and are meeting with sufficient encouragement to satisfy them. The Pactolus Company has now got its big race at work, but, as it only leads from the foot of the Lion Creek, the pressure is only about 70ft. above the level of the claim. They have worked a considerable area, but so far the yield of gold has not been up to the expectations of the promoters of the scheme, and only about five men are now employed by this company. The brothers Bitchie have taken up some new ground near the crossing, but nothing has as yet been heard of their success therein. Several smaller parties of miners are doing fairly well at the Nevis, but nothing of a startling nature has been reported. At the Boaring Meg no change has taken place since last year, the same parties being still there, but no exceptional finds taking place. At the Frazer Biver mining may be said to be defunct, through the action of the runholder relative to the tailings sent down. At Bendigo no change has taken place in alluvial mining. Several parties are doing fairly well; and the Jubilee party has done as well as in former years. In quartz-mining, the Cromwell Company has about twenty-five men at work, a portion of whom have been occupied in putting in dead-work, and the balance in taking out blocks in the old workings, with the result that from 688 tons of quartz the company has obtained 1,2770z. of amalgam, which yielded 4290z. of retorted gold. At Criffel some fourteen men have been employed during the season, but with what success is not yet known, as no party has washed up. Mid Bun has livened up very considerably, and there are now eighteen men engaged in opening some very promising land. Two or three new races have been brought in, and mining matters here look better than in any other portion of the district, although as yet there is no sign of anything like a rush setting in. The Five-mile shows no change, and the old hands are quietly working on, and some of them are obtaining fairly payable returns. Quartz-reef Point has quieted down very much during the year, and now only a few claims are paying anything like wages. A few miners are profitably employed in various parts of the Lindis Eiver, and a few also on the Molyneux, between here and Clyde, but none are doing well enough to call for special mention. Speaking generally, mining is quieter throughout the district than it has been for many years, and yet, strange to say, the gross yield of gold is 30oz. more than that of last year, while the goldfields revenue is £325 ss. more than it was last year; but, on the other hand, the revenue accruing from the Magistrate's Court and other sources is £39 6s. 6d. less than that shown for last year. I have, &c, J. Nugent Wood, Warden. The Under-Secretary, Mines Department, Wellington.

No. 15. Mr. Warden Cabew to the Undeb-Secbetaey of Mines, Wellington. Sic, — Warden's Office, Dunedin, 3rd May, 1894. I have the honour to forward herewith the annual statistics in respect of the Hindon Section of the Otago Mining District for the year ended 31st March last, and in doing so have