June 1, 1864.] THE TECHNOLOGIST. 



GOLD DISCOVERIES IN NEW ZEALAND. 513 



covery. But the work of prospecting was checked by the opposition of 

 the natives to whom the land in the Coromandel district belonged. The 

 Maoris looked with great disfavour on this sudden invasion by a host of 

 unprincipled and unscrupulous diggers, and at once prohibited the 

 Europeans coming on the land to search for gold. Serious complications 

 would have arisen had not Sir George Grey, then Governor of the 

 colony, succeeded in concluding an arrangement with the natives, by 

 which, for a certain payment, the permission to dig for gold was given. 

 But beyond a very partial examination of the district, nothing was done 

 to develop the supposed auriferous resources of Coromandel ; and the 

 excitement died out almost as speedily as it had arisen. Gold was 

 found, it is true, but its possession was only secured at a cost of labour 

 and appliances exceeding the value of the metal obtained. Some 1,100 

 ounces of gold were thus procured after much trouble and great outlay. 

 Of course this process was too unprofitable to last, and the diggings 

 became quickly deserted. It is believed that the natives continued to 

 find gold in the district after its desertion by the Europeans, but nothing 

 like a systematic search was made. Occasional visits were paid by some 

 of the more ardent belie vers in the gold-bearing character of the district, 

 and specimens of auriferous quartz were frequently brought surrep- 

 titiously to Auckland, where, however, they served only as interesting 

 additions to geological cabinets, all public excitement on the subject 

 having subsided. 



In 1858, Nelson was again the scene of further gold discoveries, gold 

 having been found in the Motueka district. This time the rumoured 

 discovery of the precious metal was eagerly caught up, and a large 

 number of anxious gold-seekers at once rushed to the spot. But the 

 gold was fouud to be exceedingly minute in quantity, and quite unre- 

 niunerative to work, consequently the diggers were not long before they 

 left the place, and Nelson again subsided into its wonted quiescent 

 state. 



In the same .year, Mr. C. W. Ligar, then the Surveyor-General of 

 New Zealand, and who at present fills a similar position in the colony 

 of Victoria, wrote officially to the then Superintendent of Otago 

 (Captain W. Cargill) stating that during a visit to the south part of 

 Otago he had found gold very generally distributed in the gravel sand 

 of the Mataura River, and expressing the opinion that a remunerative 

 gold field existed in that locality. Strange as it may seem, the Pilgrim 

 Fathers of Otago paid no particular attention to Mr. Ligar's statement, 

 and it appears to have attracted but little notice at the time anywhere. 

 Later, Mr. Thomson, the Provincial Surveyor of Otago, whilst engaged 

 on a reconnaissance survey of the Province, found gold distributed over 

 several localities, but he expressed the opinion that it did not exist in 

 sufficient quantity to pay lor working. 



In the early part of 1 857, the Massacre Bay district, in the Nelson 

 Province, again excited public attention, gold having, it was alleged, 



