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these seams would be attended with a very heavy
expenditure, in the construction of works and
machinery of more than ordinary character.

7. Now, as there are enormous beds of coal in the
   valley of Coalbrook Dale, easily approached, in com-
   parison with those in the Gorge of Waimangaroa,
   immediate operation on the latter is not necessary, so
   that my attention has been directed to the consider-
   ation of the practicability of a line of railway, from
   the head of Coalbrook Dale to Westport, that shall
   not pass through Waimangaroa Gorge, as "the best
   means of bridging the Gorge is mine."

8. As the whole of the coal seams in Coalbrook
   Dale are in the watershed of the Waimangaroa and
   Wariatea Rivers, which are not tributaries to the
   Buller River, and, as there is only one visible out-
   crop of coal at the head of the River David, which is
   a tributary to the Buller, it follows, that no part of
   Coalbrook Dale mines would come within any part of
   the land which it is proposed to give to any company
   who will construct a line of railway from Nelson to
   Cobden and Westport.

9. This being so, and the Brunner mines, on the
   River Grey, having been withdrawn from the limits
   of the land to be given to the contemplated railway
   company, there is no reason to hope, or expect, with-
   out alterations in the limits of the land to be given
   to the proposed company, that any capitalists will be
   found willing to construct the main intended line of
   railway in the valley of the Buller, and a branch
   from thence, for the purpose of the mere working of
   one outcrop of coal, situate at the head of the River
   David.

10. Under this state of things, "the best means of
    bringing the coal to market" must be by an indepen-
    dent line of railway, having no connexion with the
    proposed main trunk in the Buller valley, and the
    market must be Westport alone; and therefore, the
    mines at Coalbrook Dale must be worked on a com-
    paratively small scale, because the harbor of Westport
    does not admit ships having of water, or sufficient
    security at all times, for every kind of vessel to enter
    into a coal trade. The export of coal from Westport
    would, no doubt, be considerable, but must be confined
    to small vessels frequenting the port at uncertain
    intervals, and, from this cause, the annual export of
    coal will vary very much. To remedy this there is
    only one mode—that of employing steam colliers at
    an increased cost upon the selling price of coal; but
    these drawbacks would be avoided if the mines of
    Coalbrook Dale were brought within the limits of the
    land to be given to a company constructing the main
    trunk railway from Nelson to Westport, for then
    a branch line from Coalbrook Dale, down the slopes
    forming the valley of the River David, and forming a
    junction with the trunk line in the Buller valley, could
    be constructed at a cost of about £70,000, or about
    half the estimated cost of an independent line from
    the mines to the Port of Westport; in which case the
    two Ports of Nelson and Westport would be available
    for the shipment of coal,—steam colliers would be
    unnecessary, and a vast export of coal be insured.

11. Assuming, however, that the present conditions
    attached to the construction of the line of railway from
    Nelson to Cobden and Westport to remain undis-
    turbed, there is, in my opinion, no hope of that line
    being carried into effect; and therefore, if I am right
    in this opinion, an independent line from Coalbrook
    Dale to Westport, having no connexion with the
    main trunk line, is the alternative, and I shall now
    proceed to consider that question.

12. In Mr. Burnett's report on the Coalfields of
    Mount Rochfort, he seems to have followed this
    view; proceeding as if a direct line from the mines
    to Westport was alone necessary; and enters, with

much care and consideration, into details; but,
although I must give that gentleman the fullest
credit for giving the subject considerable attention,
so far as the principle forming the basis of his views
is concerned, yet I cannot agree with that principle.

13. The line of railway, as proposed by Mr.
    Burnett, would have to be worked by locomotives,
    fixed engines and self-acting inclines. Now, though
    what he suggests would give by far the shorter line,
    and would be quite practicable, self-acting inclines
    are especially to be avoided, when they are placed in
    any part of a line of railway otherwise than at the
    termini; for if they are otherwise placed, as in Mr.
    Burnett's plan, they necessarily entail the cost of two
    locomotive establishments, one below the self-acting
    incline, and one above—the outlay for locomotives is
    doubled, and the annual charges nearly so.

14. The matter for consideration, therefore, is
    whether it is cheaper to construct a shorter line of
    railway, on Mr. Burnett's system, at a lesser cost,
    but with larger annual charges; or a longer line,
    upon which locomotives could run throughout, at a
    larger outlay, but the least annual charges. I am of
    opinion that the latter plan is the correct one, even
    if the locomotive line was to terminate at Coalbrook
    Dale, and was not at any time hereafter to be
    extended; but, as the time will come when exten-
    sion will be necessary, this should not be lost sight
    of; for once having reached the Coalbrook Dale
    line with a line of railway, then locomotive lines in
    all directions become quite easy and inexpensive to
    construct, and ramifications of the system may
    extend to Mokihinui, Valley, to the Buller
    by way of the river David, and almost to the very high-
    est point of Mount Rochfort; thus opening out one
    of the best and finest Coalfields that can be well
    conceived.

15. Believing then that a locomotive line of rail-
    way is the most prudent to construct, and Mr.
    Burnett having on his plans (2 and 3) given the
    heights of various points, we the Buller then enabled
    to ascertain the approximate length of such a line,
    and, to a certain extent, the best direction as well.
    There are, however, some considerations that must
    be attended to, which are:—

A. The line must not on any account be
carried through the gorge of the river
Waimangaroa.

B. It should be carried at such a gradient down
the valley, as would touch the most
important seams of coal at about eight
feet below their level, and at the same
time enable a heavy train of coal-
loaded wagons to be hauled from the
mines over the saddle, dividing the
watershed of coal-brook Dale and that
of the river Wariatea.

16. The first of these is necessary in order to avoid
    extremely expensive works for a great length of line
    and undesirable gradients; and by the second consider-
    ation we are enabled to avoid the Gorge of Waiman-
    garoa, touch the principal outcrops of coal in the
    Dale, and conduct the line over the plateau at
    moderate gradients, and on the whole, possess all
    the advantage of having the least amount of gravity
    to overcome, where their power is more required
    than on any other part of the line, in the hauling of
    coal-loaded trucks over a rising gradient; for, after
    passing the saddle, we get descending gradients which
    will be nearly uniform, and motion in the trains, on
    the main portion of the remaining distance to West-
    port would then be created by the gravitation of the
    loaded trucks.