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FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE

NEW ZEALAND.

Moved by Mr Gilfillan, seconded by Mr. Hughes,

"That the secretary be instructed to forward a copy of the report of the deputation to his Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor."

REPORT of Sub-Committee on recent Gold Discovery in the Coromandel District.

THE sub-committee appointed by the General Gold Reward Committee to proceed to Kikawhakareri, for the purpose of making further inquiry relative to certain gold deposits reported by Messrs. C. and F. Ring to have been discovered by them in the Coromandel district, have the honour to report :-

That they sailed from Auckland accompanied by, Major Nugent, native secretary, and Mr. Johnston, of that department, in the "Undine" schooner, at ten o'clock on the night of Monday the 18th instant, and anchored in Coromandel Harbour at nine o'clock on Tuesday evening.

They landed at six o'clock the following morning, and proceeded to Macgregor's Bay, where they learned that the Messrs. Ring had left but a short time before for the creek where the gold had been discovered.

Your committee started at half-past eleven o'clock for the creek, and after travelling about three miles over ranges of fern hills, they came to the bed of a large creek which empties itself into Coromandel Harbour.

On proceeding up this creek they found immense blocks of quartz thickly strewed along its bed and cropping out of its sides, and having ascended about a mile and a half, they reached a bend of the Creek, where they found Ring's party at work, sinking into the bed of it, the water having been turned off a short distance above.

Your committee had a quantity of the stuff taken out of this hole and washed under their inspection, and every panful of it produced a few specks of gold.

The creek was examined in several other places in this locality, and portions of the soil dug up from its sides and washed, in all of which gold in more or less minute particles was observed, convincing your committee that the soil all along this part of the creek is impregnated with the precious ore.

On returning hi the evening a hole was dug at a place about half a mile further down, and a quantity of the soil washed, but without any visible satisfactory result.

The vessel having been brought round during the day to Macgregor's Bay, your committee returned on board for the night, having first made arrangements to start with Ring's party early the next morning ; and accordingly they landed at six o'clock on Thursday morning, and proceeded to the creek, accompanied by Major Nugent.

About half-way between the place of entering it and the spot where the, investigations were made the day before, a favourable indication was noticed at a bar in the creek, and a quantity of the gravel and earth removed. A panful was taken from about two feet below the surface and washed. It produced a number of scales of gold. Several further portions of the soil in this neighbourhood were washed, and produced gold ; and a short distance still lower down the creek another party, which had arrived that morning from Auckland; took out, we believe, several larger grains of gold.

In the meantime Mr. C. Ring found it necessary to abandon the first digging, owing to the obstruction offered to his reaching the bed rock by the presence of large quartz boulders; and he commenced a new opening at some distance from the first. This attempt also he was forced to give up, for the same reason ; but a quantity of the stuff was washed by him in the presence of Major Nugent, and a number of fine specks of gold produced. After dinner an opening was made by Mr. Frederick Ring, assisted by some of your committee, who succeeded after much hard labour in sinking down to a depth of about four feet and a half One or two pans of the stuff were taken out of this hole, as the work progressed, and washed, but did not produce anything. Another panful was washed just before leaving for the night, and the largest and the best looking specimen yet discovered in the creek was found in the bottom of the pau, with several other smaller particles.

Your committee had previously determined to leave for Auckland on Thursday evening; but as it was hoped that by sinking deeper into this last hole coarser deposits of gold might be discovered, it was resolved to give it another day's trial, especially as the result of their investigations, although to a certain extent very satisfactory, would not enable them to report so decidedly on the value of the discovery as they wished to be able to do on their return to Auckland.

The weather on Friday morning, however, was unfavourable for work, and Ring's party did not proceed to the creek

Your committee landed at the bay in the morning, and had the satisfaction to see a number of good specimens of gold brought in during the day by several other persons, who notwithstanding the state of the weather had been at work in the creek. One man brought in a small piece which might he termed a nugget, as it was the first assuming that form which bad been taken out.

The weather continued bad all day on Friday, and all that night, and on Saturday morning the vessel was got under weigh at six o'clock, and your committee left for Auckland.