The Scottish Naturalist. 47 



year in question was a notable one in the history of the British 

 colony of New Zealand, and especially of the Scotch Province 

 of Otago, in so far as it saw the first of a series of gold discoveries, 

 the result of which has been that, up to March, 1874, Otago 

 alone has exported no less than ^"12,762,892 worth of native 

 gold, nearly one-half the total gold export from New Zealand 

 (^o 2 5> 2 73?379 worth) up to that date.f It so happens that I had 

 a share in the development of the gold fields, both of the South 

 and North Islands of New Zealand, having made a reconnaisance 

 survey of the Tuapeka gold field in the Province of Otago, 

 and the Coromandel, or Thames, gold field in the Province 

 of Auckland, long prior to their examination by the staff 

 of the Geological Surveys of Otago or New Zealand. It was while 

 surveying the Tuapeka gold-field, between October and Decem- 

 ber, 1861, that I formed a strong opinion regarding the auriferous 

 character of the whole Lower Silurian area of Scotland. 



In 186 1, while in Otago, having been invited by the Colonists 

 to address them in public, on the subject of the natural resources 

 of their Province, I gave a lecture in Dunedin in December of 

 that year, on " The Place and Power of Natural History in 

 Colonization; with special reference to Otago." Under the head 

 of " The Geology of Otago," and of its auriferous rocks, I called 

 attention to my belief that " They are identical with the rocks 

 . . . of the Grampians and other parts of Scotland." . . .% 

 " Years or cycles of years will probably elapse before your 

 alluvial deposits are exhausted ; after which the perhaps even 

 richer, original quartzites will fall to be searched for and operated 

 on." (2d edition, p. 12). 



materials they represent, in relation to their containing nuggety or granular 

 gold. According to Geologists, Drift is the older formation, and involves 

 the idea of extensive denudation, in great measure at least, by ice action ; 

 while Alluvium is newer, more recently formed, mainly or exclusively 

 by water action, the result of the assortment of the older drift. 



T These figures are taken from pp. 95 and 37 of " The Official Handbook 

 of New Zealand," by the Honourable Julius Vogel, Premier of the colony 

 (London, 1875.) But the larger sum represents "alluvial" gold exclusively ; 

 while it is stated at p. 60 that the total gold exports from New Zealand, up 

 to the end of 1872, had been of the value of ^26,084,260. 



+ The said Lecture was published as a pamphlet by, and for behoof of, 

 "The Young Men's Christian Association" of Dunedin in January, 1862. 

 The quotation is taken from p. 12 of the pamphlet in question. Inasmuch, 

 however, as — having been printed after I had left Otago, and without cor- 

 rection of the proofs by myself, it contained many typographical errors — a 

 second edition was published in Edinburgh, in July, 1863. 



