I. QUALITY OF THE COAL.

The Coal is a tertiary Coal. With respect to its quality, it belongs to the best sort of brown Coal,—to the so-called "Glanz-kohle," with conchoidal fracture. It has quite the appearance of a Cannel Coal, but does in fact not belong to the old carboniferous formation, but to that of a tertiary, probably, Miocene age. A future paleontological examination of the fossil plants which are found in the bituminous shale connected with the seam, as well as that of fossil marine shells found in different strata above and below the coal, will lead to a more exact determination of the geological age of the Coal—and furnish an opportunity for making a comparison with similar tertiary Coal-formations in Europe.

The practical quality of the Coal, for steam purposes and for producing gas, can only be proved by experiments. A chemical analysis of the Coal will be made at the laboratory of the Imperial Geological Institution in Vienna, from the specimens collected at the different localities;—and its result duly reported to the Government of New Zealand.

The Iron pyrite does not occur in the Coal in such a quantity as to lessen materially its value.

The fossil gum found in the Coal is a kind of "Retinite," derived from a coniferous tree, probably closely related to the Kauri, but by no means the same species.

There is no great difference in the quality of the Coal found at the places 1, 3 b, and 4 b.

II. THICKNESS OF THE SEAM.

I was not able to convince myself of the existence of different series of seams, one above the other, in different levels. I am much rather of opinion that the same series occurs at the localities 1, 3, and 4, a difference of thickness in the same series of seams at different spots is quite a common occurrence.

The fact that the same seam is found at varying heights above the level of the sea, and with different dips, is accounted for by the occurrence of disturbances and dislocations having taken place after the formation of the Coal-measures—such as must have accompanied the eruption of the later volcanic hills in the vicinity of Auckland.

The average thickness of the seam, which at the locality No. 1 is greater than at 3 and 4, may be estimated to amount to above six feet. The sections through the Coal seam show, both at 3 and 4, distinctly, that the seam consists of three parts:—an upper, middle, and lower part. The section which has been described as 4 b, can be taken as a fair average.

III. EXTENT OF THE COAL-FIELD.

The existing openings seem to justify the conclusion that the Coal-field extends from the southernmost opening, No. 1, in a N.N.E. direction, as far as the out-cropping in Mr. Campbell’s farm, for a breadth, from the base of the hill inwards of about two miles. In a southern direction it probably extends still farther; while in a more northern direction the Coal field seems to be interrupted in the higher ridges near Mr Clare’s house, (see 4 d), and near Hay’s Creek, where, in the vicinity of a Native Settlement, eruptive basaltic and dioritic masses, and conglomerates occur.

IV. THE DRURY AND HUNUA COAL-FIELD IS IN REALITY BUT A PART OF A LARGE BASIN OF TERTIARY FORMATION, EXTENDING OVER A CONSIDERABLE PORTION OF THE PROVINCE OF AUCKLAND.

From information, (for which I am indebted to the Hon. Mr. Whitaker, Mr. Heaphy, Rev. Mr. Purchas, and others), on the general geological features of the neighbourhood of Auckland, the probable boundaries of this basin may be described as follows:—

On the south and east its boundaries are formed by the range of hills running from Waikato Heads, along the course of the river to Mangatawhiri, thence through the Hunua to the Wairoa, and along the course of that river to the sea. This range consists of eruptive basalt, breaking through older formations, and interspersed with a thick stratum of conglomerate (Boulder formation). These basaltic eruptions belong to a geological period of an older date than the volcanic hills near Auckland.

On the eastward the line runs across the island of Motutapu, to the east of Tiritirimangi, between Motuketi and Kawau, across Takatau Peninsula towards Cape Rodney. Thence it turns to the westward, along a range of hills of older geological formation, running to the West Coast, and following that Coast-line to Waikato Heads.

The middle of this tertiary basin is occupied by a marine formation, consisting of beds of a soft sandstone, alternating with bands of a yellow clay (Thoumergel). Some of these strata contain numerous marine shells,—(as for instance, at Hobson’s Bay), and small pieces of drift wood changed into lignite. To this formation, I believe, belong likewise the interesting and valuable beds of limestone, discovered by Messrs. Smith and Cooper in the Wairoa district, abounding in marine shells. I do not think that workable Coal will be found either in or below this formation,—which is exposed in steep cliffs at the entrance, and along a considerable portion of the Coasts of the Waitemata Harbour.

Coeval with, and subsequent to the deposit of this marine formation, there existed on the flat margins of the sea-basin marshy forests of a considerable extent, from which, in the course of time, the brown Coal now found on the margin and along the above-described inner edge of the basin, was formed Coal deposits similar to those of Hunua and Drury may therefore exist at different places within these boundaries;—as for instance in the creeks running into the western portion of the Waitemata, and the North-western portion of the Manukau harbours; also in the high land of the Karaka and Wairoa Districts.

The volcanic eruptions in the middle of the basin, in the neighbourhood of Auckland, must