Canterbury and Westland. 259 



Mikeeal "Veins. 

 I am not aware that any auriferous reefs are worked in Westland 

 in this formation, although I have no doubt that in years to come, 

 important discoveries of such lodes will be made, the more so as the 

 rich auriferous reefs at Eeefton and its neighbourhood, situated more 

 to the north, in the Province of Nelson, appear, judging from 

 specimens collected in the mines, to occur in the same slates as we 

 find them in Mount Greenland and many other localities. Lately the 

 argentiferous galena lode discovered in Mount Eangitoto, south of the 

 Mikonui, has attracted a great deal of attention. This lode is said to 

 be, on an average, 12 inches thick, dipping at an angle of 35 degrees 

 to the north-west. Judging from the specimens in the Canterbury 

 Museum, received from that mine, this lode is formed of iron 

 pyrites intersected by small strings of galena. Professor Bickerton, 

 of Canterbury College, at my request, has made an assay of it, and 

 found as follows : — " An assay of this ore gave 11.4 per cent, of lead. 

 The lead, on cupellation, gave 82.5 ozs. of silver per ton of lead. 

 Thus the ore gave 9.4 ozs. of silver per ton. This silver contained an 

 appreciable amount of gold." Subsequently, another assay of a 

 different specimen was made by this gentleman for commercial 

 purposes, with, practically, the same result. These assays agree 

 closely with the analysis made by the Government Analyst in 

 Wellington, who obtained 10 ozs. 17 dwts. per ton. They are, 

 however, very different from that made at the Melbourne University, 

 which, according to the newspapers, reached as much as 735 ozs. per 

 ton. I am unable to explain the great discrepancy in the results of 

 the New Zealand and Australian analysis, unless the ore should contain 

 sulphide of silver, or other rich silver ore diffused irregularly 

 through it. 



