172a

Geological Report relative to the auriferous character of the Upper Hutt, &c.

Havelock, August 1, 1864.

SIR,—I have received a report from Dr. Hector on various specimens of rocks sent from Wellington to be examined by him, with also some remarks from him on points to which I called his attention in the vicinity of Wellington, which latter are of so much interest that I need not apologise for mentioning them to you.

He says "I have been to see your plant beds" &c. "They are in the same series as the Upper Picton beds, and are probably Mesozoic." "They remind me very much of the strata which are coal bearing on our West Coast, and which are probably of the same age as the Buller coals." "They are apparently unconformable upon the diorite slates that form the hill behind the town of Wellington." "I saw your Terawiti blue slates with quartz veins." "They are undoubtedly the gold matrix, and very good looking too."

Now if our carbonaceous rocks of the main range, whatever their age may be, are unconformable with the diorite rocks, we would then appear to have in our ranges underlying rocks likely for gold, and overlying rocks for coal. The question of conformability, or the contrary, is just that point which I could never succeed in making out.

Dr. Hector states further, "When you return to Wellington you should induce them to have the upper part of the right, or Western branch of the Hutt river prospected." Follow it up till bars cross its bed and then fossick. Perhaps you have already done this, however."

It might be satisfactory to have the upper parts of these rivers again carefully tried, viz., the Akatarewa, and the main Hutt river itself, which I have not examined above its junction with the Akatarewa.

But there is one reason against finding much "drift" gold in these parts, and that is shewn above in this letter. If the auriferous rocks are covered by rocks of a later age, the latter, during the "drift" period would be the rocks to suffer degredation, while the auriferous rocks, protected by the carbonaceous sandstones, would not generally have been subjected to that wearing away, washing, and sluicing of their particles, necessary for the deposit of auriferous drifts. On this supposition we should principally have to look for whatever gold there may be in the veins of the rock itself.

Dr. Hector informs me that in one of the specimens, No. 54, which is marked in my list—Otaki river, soft slate with carbonate of lime veins—he found a speck of gold. This leads me to think that many similar veins in the Otaki river, in the Wai-nui-o-mata, on the Karori road, and in fact in all directions among the ranges, formed of a soft, mullocky, slaty stuff, generally pyritous, and with veins of quartz and carbonate of lime running through it, may prove to be auriferous, but whether these veins will contain sufficient gold to be remunerative is another question.

The coal question I will not trouble you with further at present.

I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,

JAMES C. CRAWFORD.

His Honor
I. E. FEATHERSTON,
Superintendent,
Wellington.

Bringing the Fencing Act into operation in the North Makara Road District.

PROCLAMATION.

By His Honor ISAAC EARL FEATHERSTON, Esq., Superintendent of the Province of Wellington, in the Colony of New Zealand.

WHEREAS, an Act was passed by the Provincial Council of the Province of Wellington, Session I, No. 13, for the purpose of making further and other provisions relative to Fencing within the Province, and by the said Act it was enacted that the Superintendent whenever it should appear to him expedient so to do, might by Proclamation declare that the said Act should come into operation within any Town or District: AND WHEREAS it appears expedient to me that the said Act should be brought into operation within the District, known as the North Makara Road District in the said Province; NOW, THEREFORE, I, the said ISAAC EARL FEATHERSTON, Superintendent of the Province of Wellington, by virtue of the Authority in me vested as aforesaid in this behalf, do hereby proclaim and declare that the said Act of the Provincial Council of the Province of Wellington, Session I, No. 13, intituled an Act to make further Provisions relative to Fencing within Districts of the Province shall come into operation within the North Makara Road District aforesaid, and I, the said Superintendent, do hereby also declare that the limits of the said District for the purposes aforesaid shall be the boundaries of the said North Makara Road District as set forth in the Proclamations