Washbourne. — Minerals at Nelson. 347 



previous four days. We were not out looking for minerals, but 

 took them in our way, and should not have felt inclined to pay 

 several pounds to have had them assayed if we had brought 

 them in, although we certainly should have had them analysed 

 if free of cost, and the information might have been of value to 

 the country, if not to us particularly. I feel sure some of the 

 country we crossed is tin-bearing ; and if the specimens from 

 there showed the presence of tin, they would, by proving that 

 valuable mineral to exist there, have induced prospectors to 

 search for the lode containing it. 



The next specimen for you to see is from the " Union" mine, 

 in the Waihi District, and contains gold and silver to the value 

 of about £'43 per ton. I will quote what Professor Black says 

 of these ores, as it clearly shows a need of analytical knowledge 

 in finding them, and a metallurgical knowledge to work them 

 successfully. In his report, he says : — " Most of the gold also 

 in the silver-bearing ore exists as a blackish sulphide of gold, 

 probably in combination with the sulphide of silver, and thus 

 escapes the notice of the miner who is prospecting on the old 

 lines. It is only when gold and silver are brought out, either 

 by the fire assay process, or by the wet chemical processes, that 

 the value of the stone is known. Much of the stone on the 

 Waihi and Karangahake, containing gold and silver worth from 

 £10 to £100 per ton of stone, has been overlooked for want of 

 a little of this kind of knowledge." You will notice there is 

 nothing attractive-looking about that piece of stone, and few 

 would give a second glance at it. Yet those dark patches are 

 rich in gold and silver, although not in the bright particles we 

 expect to see them. 



The next specimen I have to show you is from Te Aroha, the 

 southern extremity of the Thames Goldfield. The mines here 

 are situated about two-thirds up the mountain of Te Aroha, 

 and the expense of getting stone from the mines to the battery 

 at Waiorongomai, together with the loss of gold by the ordinary 

 process of treating the stone, has prevented this field paying as 

 well as it should. The dark portions of the stone are the rich 

 ones ; and a strong magnifying glass will show that the discolor- 

 ation is mainly caused by fine particles of gold, which, like all 

 the gold in this district, is very much alloyed with silver. These 

 specimens show that, although " all is not gold that glitters," 

 still a great deal that does not glitter may be gold, and that we 

 cannot from its appearance judge of the value of an ore. It 

 may be thought that I lay too much stress on the necessity of 

 assays being made free of cost : but consider the vast extent of 

 mineral country that we have ; the difficulties of travelling and 

 searching for minerals, from the roughness of the country, and 

 the growth on it ; and it will be seen that the few men who 

 are engaged professionally prospecting for them are like drops 



