Auckland Institute. 403 
length, and from each, what I presume to be an average specimen of the rock 
passed through, has been sent, together with samples of the reefs cut. 
“1st Section on West Side—A dark, very compact base, containing 
tabular erystals of felspar, and grains of a red mineral not determined. The ` 
structure is only visible in the heart of the fragments, which are weathered on 
the outside, of a mottled green, and dirty from earth. 
“Ind Section. —Soft rock of a light buff colour, mottled as if formed by 
the decomposition of a felspathic paste, containing an imperfectly crystallized 
mineral. 
“3rd Section.—Fine-grained breccia containing rolled pebbles of the 
tufanite rock in the 4th and 5th sections, and iron pyrites in small quantity ; 
evidently a rock that has been decomposed. 
« Ath’ Section.—Compact white paste, speckled with blue spots, that have 
no defined shape, and containing much pyrites. 
“5th Section.—Sharp granular rock of light grey colour, containing large 
quantities of pyrites in brilliant crystals and grains. This is the characteristic 
tufanite of the Thames Gold Fields. 
« In this rock the first quartz vein was met with, lying very flat, the dip 
being 22° to south-south-east. Its thickness on the plan is stated to be 
1 foot 6 inches, and its yield 19 dwts. per ton. 
* The sample sent of the quartz from this vein showed distinct traces of 
gold, but the quantity was too small to be determined. 
“Gth Section.—Dark coloured, compact, heavy rock, containing much 
carbonate of lime and pyrites. 
« This section is cut through at 560 feet by a quartz vein 6 inches thick, 
runniug north and south, with an easterly dip of 25^. The quartz is stated to 
yield 6 ozs. 10 dwts., but the sample received only gave traces of gold. After 
a short interval there is a second vein, 1 foot thick, with nearly the same dip, 
resting on a dyke said to be diorite, but no sample seems to have been sent. 
'The vein-stone is calespar, with druses lined. with crystals of arragonite, and 
only containing small threads of quartz. 
“Tth Section.—Light coloured, calcareous, and pyritous rock. This is cut 
by a quartz vein 6 feet thick, and nearly flat, or with a slight underlay of 
one in twenty to east. The quartz is crystalline, and the sample sent gave at 
the rate of 25 grains per ton of gold. 
« In the 8th section, at 720 feet, a small vein of similar size, and under- 
lying, was cut, the sample of which only gave traces of gold. It is noticed 
that on cutting this vein a heavy flow of water was met. 
«The rock where the tunnel had reached to from the west side, in June, 
was compact, granular, and of a dark grey colour, charged with pyrites, and 
only feebly calcareous. 
