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Mineral 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 Reefton 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 Rangitoto, 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 Biekerton, 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.