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 crumbles away on exposure, and that we have found to be auriferous. We have had many trials from the outcrop, taken indiscriminately from an extensive surface. One trial of a ton by chlorination in Melbourne gave us 6 dwt. 12 gr. gold; another by the Cassel process yielded 6 dwt. 14 gr. Our own fire assays from the face of the formation have yielded a variety of results—some poor, some exceedingly good, but encouraging from a prospector’s point of view, owing to the fact that we seldom or never failed to get gold, although nothing is visible to the naked eye. On another occasion we sent five small lumps to Reefton, and Mr. Fenton found gold in all of them, and recommended us to further prospect the discovery. In February last a tunnel was driven right into the formation. The tunnel was 4 ft. 6in. by 6ft. 6in. At every 3ft. of driving 12 lb. of stone was taken out and tried. The tunnel was driven for a distance of 40 ft., and nine ifof [sic] these trials of 12 1b. each were made, and in every case gold was obtained. In order to get a good all-round average the results of the nine trials were cupelled and run into one button of gold, with the gratifying result that it yielded 4 dwt. 4 gr. gold, equal to 6 dwt. 16 gr. per ton. The process adopted was by quicksilver amalgamation of the ordinary character, with but very primitive appliances at command. This mode of dealing with the stone proves that the gold is free and does not require either the Cassel process or chlorination to extract it; hence the probability of making such a huge mass pay well, for it must be borne in mind that there are simply millions of tons of stuff to operate on, which could be broken down for a mere nominal cost, probably less than 1s. per ton. The gold is very fine, and will require careful treatment; but recent amalgamation-pans and intelligent battery management ought to be sufficiently understood to make the undertaking a success.”

If there was any reliability to be placed on the above description the matter should have been worth looking into, but the writer has not been able to find any record of any investigation, departmental or otherwise. It is evident, however, that when P. G. Morgan was engaged in carrying out the geological survey of the Mikonui Subdivision (Bulletin No. 6) in 1905 he was aware of the report quoted, for he made some search for the formation referred to in it. He says that he did not see any signs of mineralization, but that if the Rangitoto lode passed from the enclosing greywacke into the granite, as might be the case, it was not improbable that the adjoining granite might be somewhat auriferous. A sample of decomposed granite taken by him from another part of the mountain, on being carefully analysed for traces of gold, gave a negative result.

The auriferous reefs of the Wilberforce area, although known as the Westland reefs, are really in Canterbury, being just across the borders of Westland Province, about the headwaters of the Wilberforce River.

The first discovery of gold-bearing quartz there seems to have been made in 1882 by C. S. McGregor, who found shoad stone in the Wilberforce River and traced it to its source, thus discovering what has since been known as the Wilson’s Reward reef. Subsequent prospecting revealed the presence of many other reefs in the belt of argillites and greywacke that here forms what may be termed the cap of the alpine range, but only a