Crawford. — On Gold in the Wellington Provincial District. 477 



The oblique south-easterly seas drive this shingle to the northward, 

 spreading it along the Ninety-mile Beach. 



The direct cause of the detached beach at EUesmere is the Eakaia 

 Eiver, the delta of which forms a projecting point from which the EUesmere 

 beach starts on its detached course. Similar beaches have, no doubt, been 

 formed at different times near the mouths of all the great rivers of Canter- 

 bury, forming lagoons which have been gradually filled u^d by material 

 brought down from the mountains by the rivers, as Lake EUesmere is now 

 being filled up. 



Art. LXXIV. — On Gold in the Wellington Provincial District. 

 By J. C. Crawford, F.G.S. 

 {Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 21st July, 1878.] 

 There are certain veins of quartz to be found in the rocks of the Tararua 

 and Eimutaka, that is to say of the mountains extending from Cook 

 Strait to the Manawatu, which are of a peculiar character, and I have 

 always had an idea that, if we were to find minerals hereabouts, these were 

 our true veinstones. 



The results of analyses did not prove satisfactory, and I have allowed 

 the matter to sleep for a number of years. About two months ago, however, 

 I took a specimen of this quartz which had been lying on my mantel-piece 

 for some years, and sent it to a friend in Melbourne to see what they would 

 say to it in that city. I have received a reply, with analysis by Mr. Chap- 

 man, who is described as being "mineralogist and assayer to the Bank of 

 Victoria, and is deemed the best in the colony." It is as follows : — 



" Bank of Victoria, Melbourne, 23rcl May, 1877. 

 " I have tested the quartz specimen left with me for assay, and find it to be com- 

 posed of sulphate of iron. I likewise assayed for gold, and from 1,000 grains got 



a button weighing -034, or 1-092 ounces per ton, 



•J. Chapman." 



The result seems highly satisfactory, and may lead to the opening 



of numerous valuable mines, not only in this neighbourhood, but aU about 



the ranges as far as the Bay of Plenty, also in the Kaimanawa Eange, 



and I think I may say in the eastern ranges of the South Island. Of 



course we must not jump to the conclusion that because one specimen 



from one locality has proved to be auriferous, we shall find the same result 



in other localities, but there is strong reason to hope and to suppose that 



this may be the case. 



