considerable attention, it is at present premature to speak with any certainty, but so far as they have been opened up they promise well. About twelve years ago reefs were discovered at Waimangaroa and at the head of the Mohikinui River, and at each place a battery was erected, but in both instances the enterprise failed. At Waimangaroa the stone soon ran out, no further prospecting was done, and the battery was sold. At Mohikinui the quartz yielded about an ounce to the ton, but owing to the rough and inaccessible nature of the country, the cost of taking out the stone and crushing it was greater than the return obtained. After an outlay not far short of £10,000, the enterprise was abandoned; but during the last two years another effort has been made to develop these districts. At Mohikinui fresh reefs have been discovered, and taken up by companies thoroughly determined to spare no expense in giving them a fair trial. A good pack track has been formed from the mouth of the river to the reefs, and the battery has been put in a state of thorough repair, and is now in good working order. The Red Queen on the southern, and the Guiding Star on the northern, bank of the Mohikinui River have been well opened up at a cost of a few thousand pounds, and a considerable quantity of good-looking stone has been taken and is now ready for crushing. This will be commenced in a few weeks, and until the result of the first crushing is known, any estimate of the probable yield would be mere guess work; but much of the stone shows gold so freely, that many experienced quartz miners consider it will prove highly payable, and that Mohikinui will become an important mining centre. In the neighbourhood of Waimangaroa a block of stone, which appears to be exceedingly rich, has also recently been discovered, but it has not yet been sufficiently prospected to prove whether it is part of the solid reef. However, the existence of 1000 tons of stone, which is confidently expected to turn out several ounces to the ton, has been proved; and arrangements have been made for the erection of a battery, which will be commenced forthwith. The machine site is within easy distance of the Westport and Ngakawau Railway, so the cost of erecting the battery will be comparatively small. This claim is the property of the Great Republic Company. It is highly probable that there is much more stone of similar quality in the vicinity of the present workings, and that it only wants a little prospecting to bring it to light. Should this prove to be the case, the Great Republic Company own a claim second to none in the district in value. The total quantity shipped from Westport during the year 1883 was 8300 ounces, value about £33,000, but this did not include the gold from the Lyell Reefs and the Buller River above the Lyell, which finds its way via Reefton to Greymouth, or to Nelson, from whence it is shipped to Melbourne or elsewhere. The total quantity exported from Westport is now much smaller than in former years, but is not likely to decrease further; and should the quartz reefs turn out nearly as well as is expected, it will doubtless be largely increased, and the trade of this district will of necessity be greatly benefited thereby.
Note.—The writer of the foregoing chapter wishes to acknowledge the courtesy of Mr Hay Dickson, and other gentlemen connected with the coal mines in Westport, who have kindly furnished figures and data, from which much of the information contained herein has been compiled.
