THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 183

Any further prospecting, apart from working the
leaders, should, I think, take the form of a drive to
the N.E., from a point on the beach about fifty yards
south of where the outcrop of the mullocky reef
occurs, as it is most probable that all the leaders will
"make" into a quartz lode, a reef lying to the west
and north of the mine, but underlying to the eastward.

I have, &c.,
JAMES HECTOR,
Director of Geological Surveys.

The Hon. the Colonial Secretary,
Wellington.

Report on the Phœnix Mine, Collingwood.

Colonial Museum of New Zealand,
Wellington, 7th February, 1878.

SIR,—I have the honor to enclose a Report on the
Phœnix Mine, Collingwood, as it is the recommence-
ment of mining industry in an important district,
which has been greatly neglected for some years past,
owing, I believe, to the injudicious manner in which
the mines were formerly worked, and not to any lack
of auriferous lodes.

I have, &c.,
JAMES HECTOR.

The Under Colonial Secretary.

The following notes on the Phœnix Mine, Colling-
wood, were made during a recent visit to the
district:—

• The mine is situated in the fork of a small tribu-
  tary creek, with Coles's Gully immediately below the
  great outcrop of quartz formerly worked by the
  Commercial Company. Coles's Creek, from this point
  downwards, has been noted for its rich finds of
  specimen gold in the alluvium, indicating the close
  proximity of the matrix or reef from which it is
  derived. Two reefs have been discovered and exposed
  in the Phoenix Claim by outcrop working, and a
  tunnel, as shown in the enclosed sketch plan and
  section.

No. 1 reef, as seen at the outcrop about 100 feet
above the creek level, where it has been laid bare by
shallow excavations, consists of irregular masses of
quartz, forming a band about 12 feet thick, but
without any well-defined walls. From 20 feet above
the creek a tunnel has been driven into the face of
the hill for 300 feet, in the direction of N. 70° E.,
intersecting the No. 1 reef, and showing it to be the
same character, but somewhat thinner than at the
outcrop. It lies parallel with the junction of the

dark blue slates and the overlying felspathic schists,
having a faint dip to the S.E. of about 1 in 2, and in
this respect corresponds with the reef worked in the
Perseverance Mine further to the south, and of
which it is probably the continuation.

The reef rests on a grey tufaceous sandstone,
strongly impregnated with iron pyrites, in very
minute crystalline grains. A specimen of this rock
taken at random from the outcrop working yielded,
after careful roasting, gold at the rate of 16 dwt.
14 gr. per ton.

A specimen handed to me by Mr. J. F. E. Wright,
and apparently from the outcrop of the reef, con-
sisting of compact reddish coloured quartz, containing
films of gold, was crushed, and all the visible gold
picked out by hand. The remainder of the quartz
was then assayed with the following results:—

Gold picked out by hand, at
rate of, per ton ... 13 3 6
Gold not visible obtained by
amalgamation ... 9 4 12
Total in specimen ... 22 7 18

I found several specimens both in the outcrop and
in the drive that showed specks of gold, but the
quantity was not determined.

No. 2 reef is seen in the gully crossing it as a hard
rusty ledge with walls of green rock. It has been
followed in a tunnel to the north for some 40 feet,
and shows as a 4-foot vein of quartz containing from
40 to 60 per cent. of pyrites of light colour when
fresh. .

The lode has a well-defined broken foot-wall, the
containing rock both above and below being of grey
tufaceous schist of flaky structure charged with
minute crystals of pyrites, which on being separated
yielded gold at the rate of 14 dwt. 20 gr. per ton.
The lode-stuff after roasting yielded gold at the
rate of 3 oz. 10 dwt. 21 gr. per ton. The pyrites
also contained traces of silver and copper.

The dip of the lode is 70° to S.W. or towards the
No. 1 reef. I estimate (not having made an exact
survey) that the present tunnel will intersect the
No. 2 reef at about 50 feet below the outcrop after
it has been continued for 250 feet beyond where it
intersected No. 1 lode, and that the two lodes will
intersect at about 100 below the level of the tunnel.
At this point I think a valuable find may be fairly
anticipated.

JAMES HECTOR.

By Authority: GEORGE DIDSBURY, Government Printer, Wellington.