480 Transactions.— Geology. 
There is every reason to suppose that this quartz may be found in the - 
Buahine and all through the mountains as far as the Bay of Plenty. I 
have seen specimens of it from the Kaimanawa Range. I would suggest 
that it should be looked for well within the ranges, and not only on the 
outskirts or flanks. These, from being more easily accessible, are no doubt 
first examined. 
The same remark will apply to the eastern ranges of the South Island. 
I think I have seen indications of this quartz some distance up from the 
Hurunui Gorge, but it was a long time ago, and I cannot speak with 
certainty. As the rocks of the eastern ranges of the South Island are of 
similar character to those of this district, there is, prima facie, good reason 
for investigation. 
My impression is that this quartz will in no place be found rich in gold, 
and, therefore, that the mines, if any, will not be subject to great fluctua- 
tions in value, but that the stone, if payable, will make up in quantity for 
what it lacks in quality. It is a quartz of such a peculiar character, with 
its mullocky casing, that a miner once acquainted with it, would be sure to 
recognize a vein of it at the first glance. 
The reef of the Otaki River is by no means made up of a mass of solid 
quartz. The mullock occupies perhaps as much space as the quartz, and 
there are also slaty partings. : 
The reefs ought. also to be looked for up the valleys of the Wairarapa 
rivers, and far up these valleys. The beds of these rivers will be hardly 
accessible at this time of the year, and some months may have to pass 
before they can be searched. The localities are also very inaccessible, 
supposing auriferous quartz to be found there, but the plan should be to 
find the quartz first, and then to contrive how to take a road to it. By the 
Wairarapa rivers I mean those chiefly from the Tauherenikau to the 
Ruamahunga inclusive. The Cape Palliser ranges should also be examined. 
There is one defect in the composition of the stone which may be 
serious and possibly fatal to its payable qualifications. The gold seems to 
be associated with sulphate of iron, which will make it difficult and expen- 
sive to extract. I believe that great improvements have been effected in 
Victoria and elsewhere in the economical reduction of similar ores, and 
hope that this defect may not prove an insurmountable obstacle. 
