268
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

through the gaoler. Should, however, the necessity
for leave be urgent, he may leave at once, but the fact
shall be immediately reported for approval, with
statement of the circumstances which rendered it
necessary.
125. Officers going on leave of absence shall state
the time at which they leave the prison, and when
they return to duty shall report themselves to the
officer in authority immediately over them.
126. All officers shall be sworn in as constables on
appointment, and shall be subject to such penalties
and punishments, by stoppage of pay and allowances
for any dereliction of duty or misconduct, as His
Honor the Superintendent, the visiting Justice, or
Justices may direct.
127. All officers and warders must attend Divine
service with the prisoners, or when prayers are read.
They will also be required to attend school with the
prisoners in turn.
128. The use of tobacco or spirits is prohibited
within the prison.
129. In every case of emergency the officers of the
establishment will promptly report the circumstances
to the gaoler, and in the event of its appearing that
any officer has allowed any irregularities to pass
unreported, his neglect will be brought under the
notice of a visiting Justice.
130. No male officer will be permitted to enter the
female division of the gaol except on duty, and in all
cases he must be attended by the matron or a female
officer.
131. All applications or representations made to
His Honor the Superintendent must be forwarded
through the gaoler, who will accompany them with
such observations as may be necessary.
132. The officers will keep watch at night, relieving
each other as may be directed by the gaoler. This
is a most important duty, requiring unceasing
vigilance, and they should, by visits at irregular
hours, observe that order is maintained by the
prisoners, and that the warders are alert on their
posts.
133. An officers' visiting book will be kept, in
which they will enter the hours at which they visited
the different parts of the establishment.
134. A servant will be allowed to the gaoler, and
one or more to the officers, as may be required for
the purpose of cooking and cleaning their apart-
ments. Such servants to be employed only with the
sanction of a visiting Justice, and to be selected from
the well-conducted prisoners serving short sentences.
135. Harsh or irritating language must not be
used by any person in authority, for calmness and
firmness will be found best calculated to ensure
obedience. No communication is to be held with
the prisoners, except such as is indispensable, and
on such occasions officers should so demean them-
selves as in no way to irritate or annoy.
136. A monthly inspection of the prisoners, prison
buildings, bedding and stores, for which the officers
of the establishment shall have everything in readi-
ness, will be held by the visiting Justices and the
medical officer.

Scale of Rations.

137. All rations to be according to the following
     scale :-

No. 1. FOR CONVICTS AND ALL PRISONERS AT HARD
LABOR.
Oaten meal or maize ... ... ... 8 oz. 6 oz.
Bread ... ... ... ... 24 ,, 16 ,,
Meat, with its own liquor, flavored
with 4 oz. mixed vegetables,
1 lb. 8 oz. flour, oz. pepper,
per 100 rations ... ... ... 16 ,, 8 ,,

Potatoes ... ... ... 16 oz. 12 oz.
Sugar ... ... ... 1 ,, 1 ,,
Soap ... ... ... 1/2 ,, 1/2 ,,
Salt ... ... ... 1/2 ,, 1/2 ,,

No. 2. FOR PRISONERS NOT AT HARD LABOR,
AND FOR CHILDREN OF FEMALE PRISONERS
OVER EIGHT YEARS OF AGE.

Oaten meal or maize ... ... ... Males. Females.
8 oz. 6 oz.
Bread ... ... ... ... 16 ,, 12 ,,
Meat ... ... ... ... 6 ,, 6 ,,
Potatoes ... ... ... ... 8 ,, 8 ,,
Sugar ... ... ... ... 1 ,, 1 ,,
Soap ... ... ... ... 1/2 ,, 1/2 ,,
Salt ... ... ... ... 1/2 ,, 1/2 ,,

No. 3. PRISONERS IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.
Bread ... ... ... ... 24 oz.

No. 4. CHILDREN OF FEMALE PRISONERS UNDER
TWO YEARS OF AGE.
Milk ... ... ... ... 1 pint.
Bread ... ... ... ... 6 oz.
Sugar ... ... ... ... 1 ,,

No. 5. CHILDREN ABOVE TWO YEARS AND UNDER
EIGHT.
Milk ... ... ... ... 1 pint.
Bread ... ... ... ... 8 oz.
Meat ... ... ... ... 4 ,,
Sugar ... ... ... ... 1 ,,

Colonial Secretary's Office,
Wellington, 21st June, 1866.

THE following report, by Dr. Hector, on the
Petroleum recently found at Taranaki, is pub-
lished for general information.
E. W. STAFFORD.

Geological Survey of New Zealand,
Wellington, 18th June, 1866.

SIR, —I have the honor to furnish the following
information respecting the Rock oil, or Petroleum,
that is found at Taranaki, various specimens of
which, along with the associated rocks, have been
sent to this department for examination.

It appears that an exhalation of gas, and bubbles
of bituminous matter, has been observed since the
earliest days of the settlement, at about half-a-mile
from high water mark, between the main-land and
Moturoa, the highest of the Sugarloaf islands; and,
according to Dieffenbach, was whimsically attributed
by the Maoris to the decomposition of an Atua, or
spirit, who was drowned there.

It was not, however, until November last, that any
attempt appears to have been made to search for this
oil, by boring or sinking wells on land, and as these
experiments have to a certain extent proved suc-
cessful, much attention has been recently attracted
to this natural production, which it is hoped may yet
prove a valuable and important article for export.

The petroleum is described as oozing in small
drops from cracks and fissures in the rock that forms
the Sugarloaf promontory, but it does not appear
that the solid rock itself contains any appreciable
traces of oil.

All the rock specimens sent are either of the
common superficial sand beds of the coast, or of a
hard gray rock that proves to be the same trachytic
breccia which forms the Sugarloaves, and which can
be traced only a short distance inland towards Mount
Egmont. This rock is of volcanic origin, being com-
posed of fragments of still older igneous rocks,
ejected under the sea in the tertiary period, and