227

It will thus appear that mere survey and marking on ground of each application costs, on an average, £7; and if the cost of connection or triangulation be added, the amount will be £10.

I have drawn this statement up in order to give the Government sufficient information for deciding on their measures relating to their charges on Gold Fields settlers for survey, as I have had considerable opposition from the Gold Fields authorities in allocating a fair charge. I may, therefore, now advise, with good grounds, that a general charge should be made on every survey of 50 acres and under of £7, leaving the connection or triangulation to be paid for by Government, as it serves to check future surveys of adjacent applications. Unless this be done, then it would appear that the survey staff on the Gold Fields must be entirely supported by the Provincial Government.

It is an invidious task to mention particularly any officer, yet I cannot omit the opportunity of bringing to the notice of the Government the services of the officer who has had this season the most arduous duties to perform, and the most inaccessible and dangerous district to labor in, yet who has acquitted himself most satisfactorily, and, judging from the plans, in a masterly manner. I do this with the greater pleasure as Mr. W. C. Wright is one of the Gold Fields officers, and not previously connected with the general survey staff. While mentioning the services of Mr. Wright, I would guard myself against the surmise that equal confidence is not placed in the zeal and efficiency of the other Gold Fields officers who remain by their duties, and now form part of the Provincial staff.

In amalgamating the services, it has been necessary, in assigning the separate places of officers, to go upon a principle; and I believe that which I have adopted will meet the approval of the Government, viz., the placing of the officers of each grade according to the date of their appointment to that grade.

Appended to this are reports from the various Goldfield officers, which may be interesting in shewing the principal works and pursuits of the mining population. It is necessarily defective, as the officers, having lately been more engaged in settlement survey, have not been able to examine each locality.

Large sluicing operations would appear to be the ultimate great industry of the interior, and that the mining portion of the population have been fully alive to this will be proved by the enumeration in these reports of their great and numerous water races.

The principal sources of water are in the Snowy Ranges, such as the Dunstan, Umbrella, Nevis, Richardson, Pisa, Hawkdun, Kakanui, Rock and Pillar, Lammerlaw, &c., &c. But it appears to me that in the Golden Stream—that is, in the Clutha itself—is to be found a power that will serve to wash away all its auriferous banks, and clear the same to the profit of the miner. The fall of this river from the lakes to the sea is about 1000 feet, in 100 to 120 miles, and the area from which it collects its waters above the gorge of the Dunstan is equal to 3,325,000 acres. From these data we can have a rude or comparative estimate of the power contained in it. Allowing 24 inches of fall over the area, by averaging the greater fall in the mountains with the lesser fall on the plains, we have 289,674,000,000 cubic feet per annum as the discharge of the Clutha at the above point. This is equal to a discharge of 551,130 cubic feet per minute, but allowing again half the fall to be absorbed by evaporation, the actual result will be 275,565 cubic feet per minute.

Now, to arrive at the object of the inquiry, we have the fall from the Lakes to the Sea, as above stated, at 1,000 feet, which gives 422,500 nominal horse-power. This may truly be said to be a very valuable property of the Province, which always remains to it, and which, if only very partially made use of, may be fraught with great importance to the prosperity of our interior population.

It would not be consistent with the object of this report for me to suggest modes for the economical use of this power; but I may shortly state that I am aware that the mining population have applied it to a limited extent to several purposes. Of all contrivances, however, the simplest, I have no doubt, will prove the most successful, and the merits of the paddle-wheel and the marine screw as motive powers will, no doubt, eventually be much canvassed. I would, personally, advocate the latter, on account of its greater hold on the body of the flowing stream, its ready management and applicability in swift or slow currents, and its easy connection with the apparatus for raising water.

I may also be permitted here to remark that the operations of the various mining projects will, from year to year, call the more for the advice of professional skill. It is not to be ignored that for ordinary purposes the practical man, with his rude instruments, is competent to deal with all requirements. He brings in his race by leading on the water close after him; but, when this safe process cannot be adhered to, he has been sadly at fault, and projects have ended in disaster.

For the benefit of all, it would be well if there could be an arena on which the practical and the professional man could meet.

The practical man ventures farther than the professional man would advise; yet, where large interests are at stake, is not the safer the better course?

I have very frequently noticed a tendency to disparage the services of professional men. There may be some reason for this; but I feel convinced that, were managers of great works to do their duty to themselves, they would engage the highest skill and the most honorable talent. I feel also assured that the members of the profession, laying claims to the above qualifications, would, if employed, gladly guarantee their work by stable and undoubted securities, and it would be well for the employers that these, in every case, were exacted. Such a course, at the same time, would never injure the competent practitioner, and it would weed out empirics.

Enclosed I beg to forward a Map of the Gold Fields, shewing the localities of the various diggings now established.

I have the honor to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
J. T. THOMSON,
Chief Surveyor.

REPORT OF FRANCIS HOWDEN, DISTRICT SURVEYOR,
TEVIOT.

15th August, 1867.

Sir,—In compliance with request contained in Circular No. 41, I have the honor to furnish you with a list of Water Races, &c., in my district, as far as my personal knowledge enables me.

As I have only been a short time in the Teviot District, my information is necessarily limited.

Water Races.

These are all the Water Races within the limits of surveys executed by me, although I believe they do not comprise nearly all within the limits of my district.

The only other work of any importance is a new dredging machine, which has been placed on the Clutha about three-quarters of a mile below Roxburgh, and cost £1,200.

Mining operations at the Teviot are almost entirely