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each side of the shaft, and stoping is going on. The country-rock is hard, and stands well. The stopes are well timbered, and then filled up with debris, which filling is very necessary in consequence of the very flat underlay of the lode. The body of stone in the lode is of splendid colour, and well mineralised. The gold appears to be evenly distributed in very fine particles throughout the lode. Walters says it averages 15dwt. per ton. The stone and drainage are hoisted by a horse-whip. Three hours' steady work in the twenty-four is required to bail the water out. The stone is carted two miles and a half to the Flat Stream battery, and the roads are so bad that it requires three good horses to draw 25 cwt. each load. The small battery of five stampers is driven by a portable engine of 8-horse power, and it is said it crushes from 50 to 60 tons of stone per week, working full time. Five tons of Fernhill coal are consumed every week; it has to be carted five miles on a very bad road. Wages, Bs. per day, and a lump-sum of about £30 is paid weekly. Saddle Hill Gold-mine, Green Island. —(3/10/96) : I understand this mine was in full work about fifteen years ago. It then stopped for a time. The last mining done was about twelve years ago, when all work ceased, as it was found the yield per ton was not sufficient to pay expenses as work was then carried on. Up to the above date the stone treated came from many places on or near the surface along the line of reef or reefs—there are said to be two, running parallel—to a depth at one place of about 60 ft., following the underlay of the lode. I understand that all the stone treated at the battery proved to be gold-bearing to the extent of several penny-weights per ton, but it was then discovered that a large percentage of the gold went away with the tailings. As a proof of this, the purchaser of the tailings gave £30 for the heap and made a handsome cheque out of it. I was told that during the time the mine was being worked 5 tons of the stone was forwarded to Ballarat to be thoroughly tested. This stone was divided into two equal parts and crushed at two batteries (2-J tons each), and the yield was 14-J-dwt. and 16dwt. respectively. The return from similar stone at the company's battery was only 3-J-dwt., thus showing a big loss somewhere. Before finally stopping all mining work a vertical shaft was sunk a short distance from, and on the north side of, the lode to a depth of 125 ft. ; a few feet above the bottom a chamber was then made to the reef, which had thickened from 3 ft. at the surface to 12 ft. at this level, showing a welldefined lode with splendid smooth walls. The opening here made in the lode shows that a considerable body of stone had been removed, exposing a few yards in height of the foot and hanging walls. The shaft had remained full of water from the time of the stoppage, about twelve years ago, till within a few days of the date of my visit, when it was bailed out in order to procure a few tons of stone from the 125 ft. level to be thoroughly tested by the new crushing plant lately erected at the School of Mines, Dunedin, and 2-J- tons were sent there yesterday. The drainage into the shaft is estimated at about 140 gallons per hour. 1 found the shaft in good order and the timber quite sound. It is, however, too small to be of any other use than that of a bailingshaft for that or any other level. The standing timber in the mine remains as firm as on the day it was fixed in position. There did not appear to be any loose stone or rock in the floor of the level. The battery plant, of thirty-two stampers, appears to be in good order, but is minus the engine, boiler, and gold-saving tables, all of which were removed some time ago. The buildings are in fairly good order. The water-supply in the locality, notwithstanding the several reservoirs constructed in suitable places, is not nearly sufficient to supply such a large battery. There are, however, apart from this, some most favourable facilities for working this mine, which are not equalled in any other quartz-mine in Otago. Coal can be delivered on the spot at a cost of 6s. per ton, and mining timber can be delivered almost on the spot by a branch of the Government railway, which reaches Souths brick-yard, within 800 yards of the battery, and to which a tram could be laid at an easy downhill gradient at small cost. The loss of gold in the tailings some years ago is a matter that can now be prevented, and stone that did not pay for working then can be made to pay handsomely now. At the present day it requires a very small yield per ton to pay where the lode is 12 ft. wide. It is said there are several gold-bearing reefs in this locality that are well worth a tiial shaft to some depth from the surface, which work could be done at no great cost if the 12 ft. lode were being worked at the present shaft level. Victor Emmanuel Quartz-mine, Macetown. —(ls/9/96) : A low-level tunnel in the line of reef started from and on the west side of Bush Creek is now in a distance of 387 ft. on stone going westward, and is to be continued for an indefinite distance to test the value of the reef at a great depth from the surface of the high hill, where considerable mining was done some years ago. Should the reef be found to live at this low level there will be, it is said, about 1,000 ft. of backs. The workmen speak very hopefully of the future prospects of the mine. The tunnel is in good order, and the country-rock generally stands well. Timber is put in wherever thought to be loose. There is in the gully, a few yards below the mouth of the tunnel, an overshot waterwheel which works a four-stamp battery, but, since the wheel is old and likely to break up any day it is being used, it is intended at an early date to replace it with a Pelton wheel capable of working a fairsized battery. The cost of the new power, when completed, will be very trifling, since the length of race to obtain 140 ft. head will be only 12 chains in fairly good cutting. The men at the mine pointed out to me where there were other reefs on the south side of, and running parallel with, the Victor Emmanuel, all of which are said to be seen on the surface at a considerable elevation, and at present covered with snow. Premier Quartz-mine, Macetoivn. —(ls/9/96) : The adit was examined from end to end, also the dip-tunnel, and found in first-class order. Massive and costly timber is being used throughout the mine. Some stone is being stoped near the end of the main adit, but it is said to be not goldbearing. At the bottom of the dip-drive a cross-cut is being put in to the south, but at the time of my visit no lode had been found. At the top of the dip-drive is placed a powerful dynamo and very compact winding plant. The power is carried by wire from the battery plant. No stone is being crushed, nor has any been crushed for some months past. I did not see Mr. Stanford; he was said to be at Coromandel.