Prospects of Gold Discovery in Ifiddle Island. 1 9 1 



cure a splendid return here by a more extended and system- 

 atic mode of working, and that the discovery of this, the first 

 of the New Zealand gold-fields, is but the commencement of 

 a series of such along the range of hills which traverses the 

 Middle Island ; discoveries which, though perhaps not on so 

 extensive a scale as those of Australia and California, must 

 nevertheless tend to raise higher and higher the rank of New 

 Zealand among the gold-producing countries of the earth. 

 Lastly, it was found that in the province of Nelson, side by 

 side with the ordinary strata in wdiich the brown-coal occurs 

 in North Island, were beds of coal of a very superior quality. 

 The excellent but unfortunately very limited coal-fields of 

 Pakaivau give ground for anticipating that in other localities 

 it may very probably be possible to discover larger and more 

 easily-worked beds, and my friend Haast has, in fact, since 

 my visit discovered such on Buller-and-Grey river, on the 

 Western shore of the province of Nelson. 



'' During my stay in Nelson my collections waxed in 

 amount to an unusual degree. In vain had I attempted 

 while in North Island to discover remains of the gigantic 

 extinct bird of New Zealand, or the bones of the Dinornis and 

 Falapteryx^ Moa of the natives. These researches met with 

 far greater success in Middle Island. The chalk valleys of 

 the Aorere valley furnished '*us with splendid specimens of 

 these singular and rare remains of birds. Not merely were 

 individual bones daily discovered, through the indefatigable 

 exertions of my friend Plaast, but from time to time entire 



