Cox.—COn the Mineralogy of New Zealand. 449 
which flowed across the country in quite a different direction from what 
the drainage now follows, and remnants of these old deposits yet remain. 
The cross-drainage which now prevails, has removed large tracts of these 
cements, and, by a process of natural sluicing, concentrated the gold in the 
beds of the creeks, some of which have proved fabulously rich. Fora 
description of all these workings and the different characters of the alluvial 
deposits, I must refer the reader to the ‘‘ Manual of the Mineral Resources 
of New Zealand,” by Dr. Hector, now in course of publication. 
Puatinum. 
Native Platinum, Pt, Fe.—This metal has been found in a native state in 
small flat grains of a steel-grey or silver-white colour, associated with gold 
in alluvial deposits at Stewart Island, and with Zircons in the gold-wash 
of the southern goldfields. It is also found under similar conditions at 
the Collingwood goldfield, Nelson, but it has never yet been discovered in a@ 
reef (Hector, Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. ii., pp. 185, 871; Jurors’ Rep., p. 403). 
Platiniridium, Pt, Ir—Grains of this rare mineral have been obtained 
from the gold-wash of the Takaka diggings (Hochstetter’s New Zealand, 
p. 107). 
Osmium anp Iriprom. 
Osmium-iridium, Ir, Os, also occurs in the gold-wash of the Takaka 
diggings as small flat grains, which are of a brighter colour and less mal- 
leable than Platinum. They are mentioned by Dr. v. Hochstetter (New 
Zealand, p. 107) and Dr. Hector (Jurors’ Reports, p. 403; and Trans. N.Z. 
Inst., vol. ii., p. 371). 
SILVER. 
But very little silver has yet been obtained in New Zealand except that 
alloyed with gold, in which form, at the Thames, it occurs abundantly, and 
as a component of the Tetrahedrite (Richmondite) of Richmond Hill, Col- 
lingwood, in which silver occurs in variable quantities up to 1792 ounces 
per ton. It also occurs in all the Galenas in greater or less quantities. 
Native Silver, Ag, has been found as small rolled fragments in the 
Kawarau and Wakatipu Lake diggings, and also at Waipori (Hector, Jurors’ 
Reports, p. 403, 436). ; 
Argentite, Ag’ —Mr. E. H. Davis mentions the occurrence of a sulphide 
of silver at the Silver Crown Claim, Thames (Geol. Rep., 1870-1, p. 61), and 
@ specimen is now in the Museum from that locality. It consists of a 
blackish-grey powder, and as Mr. Davis gave no description of its mode of 
occurrence I am unable to cite it. 
Pyrargyrite, Ag’? Sb’; Proustite, Ag’* As".—It is probable that one or 
other of +} = z Pee Wee 2 ere Plantain Hutton’ PL 
the occurrence of “red gxide of silver” at the Golden Crown Mine (Geol. ao 
ee DEERE LE Ry 
