Opitonui lies in a south-easterly direction from Coromandel and tisbout fourteen miles distant from that place, one-half of the way over a range of mountains whioh rise to an altitude of

about 2000 feet above the sea level. The first object of interest that strikes the eye after the descent of this range and a few miles along the main roan to Whangapoua, is the Kauri Goia Estates Company's new battery. This is a forty-head stamper up-to-date bat tery, with stampers 11OU pounds, sup plied with a Huutington miii and a complete cyanide plant, and is driyeii by steam, power, 'me reducing portion of the battery is in a forward condi tion, but the cyanide plant is not so well advanced, and it is not likely the company will start crushing until their cyanide plant is ready, as in my opinion they must depend largely up on their tailings and alunes for a large percentage ot their bullion, as the gold m this ore is very fine, and to staii stamping and reducing this ore with out the aid of cyanide may cause a false impression in the minds of the outside public. Ido not believe thai more than 20 per cent of this bullion could be recovered by means of the ordinary battery. As I have already stated, the plant will be a very com plete one when finished, and reflecr.B great credit on the engineer in charge of those works, whose name, I learned, is Mr. Cloyne, who represents the firm of Fraser & Chambers, of Chicago. He seemed to.be a level-headed "Yank/ and apparently knows his work. The battery is connected with Whangapoua Harbor by means -of a tramway five and a half miles long, 2ft. 6in. gauge, worked by a small lo comotive. There are a number oi

side-tipping iron trucks, whose cubi cal contents measure one ton. All ma terial—coal, stores, etc.—is landed at Whangapoua by means of scows of about 150 tons' burden, and it is then ran along the tram line to the bat tery, and on to the township, for it is by this means the store-keepers get their stores from Auckland, the cost of tramming being 5s per ton. 