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liberate the fine particles of gold. A stamp battery is used for this purpose, having very light stamps, as the cement requires very little to pulverise it to the consistency of fine sand, when it is run over tables covered with copper-plates coated with quicksilver, the same as the ordinary quartz-crushing battery tables. The size of the crushing-batteries varies, the largest being twelve heads of stamps, which belongs to the Venture Company, at Addison's Flat, which, it is said, contemplates erecting some additional heads. Most of the other crushing-batteries—with the exception of the Piper's Flat Company and the one erected at the Dublin City Claim at Charleston, which have ten heads and eight heads of stamps respectively—have from four-head to five-head stamp batteries. The following statement shows the quantity of cement operated on by the crushing-batteries during the past year, with the quantity of gold obtained from the same ; also the total quantity crushed and gold therefrom during the last three years the returns have been furnished : —

During the previous year there was 22,716 tons of cement crushed, which yielded 1,2290z. of gold, having a value of £4,890, which showed the value of the cement to be equal to 4s. 3fd. per ton, whereas the value of the cement crushed last year was only 3s. lfd.per ton, thus showing a decrease in the value of the cement treated last year to that of the former one of Is. 2Jd. per ton. Still, even at this low value, it will give fair wages for working. In the early days of the Charleston field there were several crushing-machines, and it was then stated that any cement averaging -|dwt. of gold per ton would pay wages and expenses. The Piper's Flat Company have let the claim on tribute, and have made a great many alterations in the plant; but it was stated that this venture so far had not proved a financial success, and, judging from the quantity of gold obtained, which gives an average of nearly llgr. to the ton of cement treated, the tributers could not afford to pay to the owners a large percentage of the gold. But no doubt a better class of cement will be found in this locality. The most of that yet treated has been out of the old workings. Butter Rimer. There is a considerable number of men working on the terraces and banks of the Buller Eiver all the way up, at different places, from below the junction of the Blackwater with the Buller Eiver to above its junction with the Owen, and some are making very fair wages. Any one passing up and down the road through this valley would hardly credit that there are over a hundred Europeans and nine Chinese obtaining their livelihood from mining in this valley, including the men who are employed on two dredges. There is not a large deposit of gravel drifts in this valley; the river has cut out its bed in the rock, and it may be said to be rock-bound, with the exception of a few flats, for the whole of its course from the lakes to the punt-crossing, seven miles from Westport. Matakitaki. There has been a limited number of miners in this locality for many years, and, judging from the returns of gold, men are averaging better wages on this field than they are doing in many other places in the colony. The ground is not rich, but a little gold is through a large quantity of the gravel drifts. There are a few miners working all the way up the river, but the place where most of the mining operations are now carried on is between Mr. Lynch's farm and Mr. Hunter's station. The place is very little known, and when one speaks of it as a gold-mining district many treat it with derision, as they are under the impression that there is scarcely sufficient gold to be obtained to give food and clothing for those who are actually employed, and such being the case, until the place was opened up by the recent construction of roads, very little was known respecting this part of the country, and the most of the miners who were here two years ago had been working on this field for many years previously.

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For Yea: ending 31i it March, 1895. For Three Years ending 31st March, 1895. Locality and Company. Tons crushed. Gold. Value. Tons crushed. Gold. Value. Addison's Flat— Venture Company Piper's Flat Company... Tons. 10,008 6,465 Oz. 523 136 & s. d. Tons. 18,613 6,465 Oz. 1,302 136 £ s. a. Charleston— Dwyer and party Dublin City ... J. Birch • ... Lander's P. Higgins's ... Walshe and party Parsons and party Thomson and party Bond and party W. Fox Mullins and party 1,100 2,400 2,000 3,500 1,878 1,680 2,000 1,920 63 113 60 138 64 100 99 35 2,179 5,170 3,500 3,500 5,165 1,680 3,640 1,920 100 2,812 3,240 174 318 115 138 129 100 250 35 15 52J 58| Total 32,951 1,331 5,190 18 0 57,932 2,823 11,009 14 0