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are again perpendicular, but no appearance of coal until rounding the Heads, where a seam of about 9in. is seen at low water. Probably it is the one referred to by Dr Hector in his report, out of which he took a ton of coal, and, after trying it, reckoned it equal to the best Sydney coal. The coal mined in the drive looked superior to this. Its quality is judged from its outside look, and after seeing it in use. It was used in a small forge in a cave, for sharpening tools, and was found to answer the purpose very well, but it emits a disagreeable sulphurous smoke, rendering a long stay in the cave extremely uncomfortable. Besides the presence of sulphur scattered through the coal, there are pieces of gum found as large as a pigeon’s egg, resembling the kauri gum of the North Island. The Taiaroa took two or three tons on board, the men carrying the coal in bags on their backs nearly a quarter of a mile, thence to the steamer about as far in boats. The steamer could come quite close if the coal was found in sufficient quantity to warrant the erection of a wharf. The coal was used as fuel in getting up steam, and coming the return voyage. The smoke from the funnel was clearer than that of the Newcastle coal. In the furnace it has a greater flame, and burns more rapidly, keeping the firemen constantly shovelling in a fresh supply. They had a great difficulty in keeping the furnace bars free from slagging, requiring a hammer occasionally to break off the clinkers. Twice during the night, whilst the furnace was being cleaned out, the steam went down. The engineer was of opinion that the coal was unsuited for the Taiaroa, but might do in a larger steamer having more furnaces than one, so that whilst one was being cleaned out another might still keep up the steam. It should be mentioned that this may scarcely be considered a fair trial, and before condemning the coal as unfit for the purposes of steam, it should also be borne in mind that though the coal used was a fair sample of what has been mined, that it was taken almost from the surface, and has been lying exposed to the atmospheric influences for nearly twelve months. Then again, it was an exceedingly stormy night, wind dead ahead, so that the best coal being used much way might not have been made in rounding Windsor Point, where, at all times, it is more or less stormy. It should be even taken into account, the fact of its being the first trial of the coal—mayhap raising the common prejudices of the workmen against any new thing, rendering them less careful in attending to the furnace than at other times. The coal on the heap looks as sound and hard as the day it was mined, but a very slight blow of a hammer crumbles it to pieces, so I have no doubt of its having deteriorated through exposure. A good tramway has been formed, nearly a quarter of a mile long, and a quantity of ironwood sleepers are cut and ready for use. At the end of the tramway a shoot could be made, leading to a wharf which could be easily constructed. It would not require to be of great extent, as the water is deep close in shore. There is good anchorage, and the largest of the ocean steamers could come in at any time of the tide, and lie alongside the wharf in safety, excepting in stormy westerly weather, when it would be necessary to anchor away from the Jetty, because of the swell of the ocean. It is difficult to give an approximate estimate of the extent of the coal field, on account of the broken disturbed nature of the country, and no one could do so without boring and making a more thorough investigation than has yet been done.

Birds.

Nearly all the varieties of birds on the East Coast are met with in the Inlet, and a few more peculiar to the south and west of the Middle Island, such as the crow, the thrush, and the jack-bird, a small whistling bird larger than the robin, black, with a brown back, and long straight beak. The kakapo or green-bird was found everywhere, from the ocean beach to the banks of the fresh water lake at the top of the Inlet. The kiwi, evidently rarer than the kakapo, was also found throughout the Inlet, chiefly on the slopes of the hills away from the beach. At this season they have young. Two old birds were caught, one of them having one young bird, the other two. They are both night birds, and are taken usually in holes during the day, traced there by means of a dog. Neither of them appear to have any favorite hole or haunt, merely adopting the first that comes to hand when daylight sets in, or when hard pressed. Both are good eating, particularly the kiwi. There are two kinds of wood-hens, black and brown, and are found feeding together on all the beaches. Some suppose the latter, the male, and the former, to be the female bird. All the varieties of duck are common, paradise, black, grey, blue or whistling duck, and the red-bill. Mutton bird frequents the Inlet too in the breeding season. At the top of the Inlet, two white cranes were seen, apparently male and female. Kakas were very plentiful, but this year the pigeons, which at times are equally numerous, were exceedingly scarce.

No large rivers pour their waters into the Sound. The rain seems to run down the steep slopes of the mountains as it does off the roofs of houses, in jets and small streams, forming innumerable fine waterfalls, in sunshine glittering like silver veins on the face of the bold rock. From the amount of fresh water pouring in on all sides, the water of the inlet at its upper extremity is brackish, although the influence of the tide is as apparent here as anywhere, marking its mean range at high water very distinctly on the rocks close under the falls. These falls are from 80 to 100 feet in height, and are very grand. They are caused by the descent in three leaps of the principal river in the Inlet. It is about 30 yards wide immediately above them. By following its banks through the bush a distance of 300 yards, the shores of a fresh water lake are reached. It was first seen by Messrs. Coates and West some time last year. Mr. Fraser, of the Coal Company, went along with the writer of the report to its shores this year. It appears to be about a mile wide, and about three miles from its lower end, retires behind precipitous mountains. Near the top, a sandy beach fronts a small patch of flat bush land can be distinctly seen. The lake scenery is of a wilder description than that of the Inlet, which it resembles very much, with the exception of its being fresh water. The mountains are leftier and steeper, covered with snow at this season, and with streams of water pouring over the naked rocks until reaching the bush line, where they disappear.

Fish of excellent quality are abundant, and can be taken by hook and line in great quantities. They include blue cod, trumpeter, sea perch, groper, and barracouta. At low water, crayfish of a large size can be picked off the rocks or speared on the sandy bottoms along the shores of the Inlet. Of shell-fish the varieties are mutton-fish, mussels, cockles, and limpets. Eels also abound in the lakes and streams.

Climate.

The chief characteristic of the climate is its humidity; the sky usually dull and cloudy. Rain seldom falls heavily for any length of time, but in showers, or in a soft steady drizzle, in this respect resembling dreepdaily, the native parish of Andrew Fairservice of Sir Walter Scott. Squalls in wild weather are frequent, rendering sailing in small craft exceeding dangerous. The wind is so unsteady, it requires the utmost caution to keep a boat under sail from upsetting. It blows down the gullies and through the low necks of land furiously, and flies smoking white across the Inlet. Unless by looking up at the cloud drift, it is impossible to tell which way the wind blows outside. The wind commonly blows either up or down the Inlet, excepting where it is at its widest. The swell of the ocean in westerly weather is felt more or less four or five miles from the Heads. It is always coldest when the wind comes from the sea; as soon as it changes to