New Zealand Institute. 523 



large amount of work has been done towards the critical examination of the 

 whole collections, preparatory to their publication. The collection of foreign 

 fossils has received extensive additions, particularly nine cases presented 

 by the Trustees of the British Museum, which are not yet unpacked. 

 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BRANCH. 



During the year the following extensions of the survey have been made, 

 the special reports on which are printed in the annual progress report of 

 this department (Fifteenth Annual Report, 1880-81) :— 



On the Chrome Deposits in the vicinity of Nelson. — :The discovery of several 

 new applications of chrome salts in the arts, and notably the proposal to 

 use it for tanning leather, having revived an interest in this ore, various 

 lodes, some of which have recently been discovered, were carefully examined 

 with a view of determining if they could supply the market successfully at 

 the present prices. The result shows that there are lodes of chromic iron 

 ore in ten different locaHties, containing from 36 to 64 per cent, of chromic 

 oxide, but that many of them are in such inaccessible positions that they 

 would not pay the expense of carriage. As to this must be added the freight 

 to London, which is 15s. per ton, Mr. Cox is of opinion that, instead of 

 shipping the crude ore, works should be established for the local production 

 of the bichromate of potash. Mr. Cox also examined the further exploratory 

 works that have been made for opening up the copper lodes in Aniseed 

 Valley, and reports that, as a mining venture, its prospects are still some- 

 what speculative, as for want of capital the exploration of the lodes has not 

 been carried on in a sufficiently satisfactory manner. 



The Richmond Hill Silver Mine was also re-examined as far as possible, 

 considering that the main shaft is full of water. It is pointed out that an 

 expenditure of £100 should be sufficient to repair the water-race, and that 

 the present water-wheel would be then sufficient to pump the mine, and 

 afterwards to compress air for working rock-drills, the past failure of the 

 mine being evidently due to the use of hand-drilling alone, which is not 

 suitable for following patchy ore shoots in such hard ground. As besides 

 sUver varying from 21 to 179 ozs. per ton, the ore contains lead, copper, 

 antimony, bismuth, nickel, and zinc, it is certainly worth following up, but 

 it is considered that it would not be advisable to commence with a less paid- 

 up capital than £10,000. 



The Collingwood Coal Mine was examined with the view of advising on the 

 most judicious manner of extending the workings. 



Mr. Cox spent three months in continuing the survey of the North 

 Auckland District, and in examining certain mineral deposits at Kawau, 

 Coromandel, and the Thames ; also Drury and Waikato Coal Fields ; and he 

 obtained valuable results that are detailed in his reports. Two months were 



