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the sea. Similar to this is the character of the coast on the whole 
West-side of the North Island, so that the sandy beach, for want 
ot other convenient passages, is the natural road for the communi- 
cation along the coast. It is only at a few projecting points, that 
the surge breaks directly against the rocks, which must then be 
climbed over, sometimes not without danger. 
The whole sea-beach from Kaipara Harbour as far as Tara- 
naki South, a distance of about 180 sea-miles, consists of fine sand 
abounding with titaniferous magnetic iron; and at places where 
wind and waves have distinctly separated the heavy black iron-sand 
from the lighter grains of quartz, the beach presents an appearance 
as if gunpowder had been spilled there. Already the earliest sett- 
lers on tire Taranaki coast directed their attention to this peculiar 
black sand, which is strongly attracted by loadstone, like iron 
filings. Samples of it were repeatedly sent to England, and there 
submitted to chemical analysis. It was found that 100 parts con- 
tained 88.45 parts of black oxide of iron and 11.43 parts of oxide of 
titanium, a compound similar to the iron-sand of volcanic districts. An 
analysis by Mr. Moritz Frcitag has yielded, protoxide of iron 27.53, 
sesquioxide of iron 66.12, oxide of titanium 6.17. For years past, 
therefore, it has been an object of speculation , to apply this iron- 
ore to technical purposes; and within the last years experiments 
have been made on a larger scale. The merit in this affair be- 
longs to Captain Morshead, who went to New Zealand and brought 
several tons of the ore back to England for decisive experiments. 
1 hese trials are said to have led to the most satisfactory results. 
The sand yields 61 per cent ot iron, and steel of unusual hard- 
ness and tenacity can be produced from it. Messrs. Mosely in 
London have submitted the Taranaki-iron and titanium-steel to 
tests, and declare them to be of most superior quality. Should it 
be confirmed as a matter of fact, that the Taranaki steel surpasses 
by far all other sorts of steel in quality, we may well take it for 
granted, that the Taranaki iron-sand will prove of great value, if 
it is only possible to obtain large quantities of it sufficiently pure 
to be smelted , a thing I have reason to doubt. 
