xc President's Address, 



to perform numerous duties connected with the official 

 management of the gold-fields and regulating the entry of 

 miners into possession of their claims, but many of them are 

 required in addition to furnish various statistical and other 

 scientific information touching their various mining districts, 

 which are subsequently either published in various forms 

 by the Mining Department or retained in the office for 

 inspection of enquirers. Several important changes have 

 been made lately by the Minister of Mines in the duties of 

 the mining surveyors, a knowledge of which would pro- 

 bably prove of interest to other mining countries. 



Formerly, these officers reported monthly, on the state of 

 mining operations in the several mining districts of the 

 colony, and forwarded more or less perfect geological and 

 mining plans and sections of the progress of the workings, 

 which they were expected to keep a record of; but now 

 they are required to make quarterly reports, and if the 

 instructions which Mr. Sullivan, the Minister of Mines, has 

 issued, be complied with, the quarterly reports will be more 

 accurate and comprehensive than those which have hitherto 

 been published. By a recent arrangement, the surveyors 

 are required also to report promptly on new discoveries of 

 gold. When a "rush" takes place, the mining surveyor 

 furnishes a rough sketch shewing the locality, and gives 

 particular information regarding the nature of the strata, 

 the depth of sinking, the character of the adjacent rocks, 

 and the minerals associated with the gold. He supplies too, 

 a description of the country, of the sources of water-supply, 

 and of the kinds of timber available for mining purposes. 

 The surveyors are likewise encouraged to collect minerals, 

 rocks and fossils, for the National Museum, and some of 

 them, as well as some of the wardens of the gold-fields, 

 have shown praiseworthy zeal and much intelligence in 

 gathering together specimens illustrative of the rocks in 



