AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1968, 26 August 1869, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

The approximate number of miners employed in the several goldfields of Victoria, during the quarter ending 30th June, 1869 ; —Alluvial miners --36,241 Europeans, 16,809 Chinese ; quartz miners—16,809 Europeans, 62 Chinese ; total, 69,890. The approximate value of the mining plant was L 2,166,599 ; the number of square miles of auriferous ground actually worked upon, 894| ; number of distinct quartz reefs actually proved to be auriferous, 2,763. From information obtained from gold buyers and others by the mining surveyors and registrars, the total quantities of gold got respectively from alluviums and quartz reefs were put down at—Alluvial, quarter ending 31st March, 216,3430z 14dwt j quarter ending 30th June, 249,0960z 18dwt ; quartz, 125,3720z 12dwt, 31st March ; 163,0200z 18dwt, 30th June ; Totals—For the March quarter, 341,7160z Gdwt ; for the June quarter, 412,1170z 2dwt ; total for the half year, 753,8330z Bdwt. The quantity of gold exported, according to the Customs returns, was —March quarter, 354,5140z 3dwt; June quarter, 324,3770z 15dwt; total, 678,8910z 18dwt. The excitement about the large diamond found at Armidale still continues. On Saturday afternoon (says the Argus of the 10th inst.) a telegram was received from Mr Butters in Sydney, to the effect that a company had been formed in that town for the purchase of the stone, whether diamond or not. The company is to consist of 100 shares, at LlO each. The owners are to receive LI,OOO cash, and if the stone turns out to be a genuine diamond, they are to be paid L 4.000. Ten shares were offered in Melbourne for an hour, and at once taken. A further application for shares was made to Sydney, but the reply was “ All taken, and a high premium asked.” Before three o’clock, LlO premium per share was offered and refused. Later in the day, L2O premium could have been obtained. A report was current on Saturday evening that the stone had been tested, and proved to be a rock crystal; but as the parties getting up the company to buy it telegraph that the Government did not intend to give it up till Monday, and that as yet no one has seen it, the report is not likely to be correct, The following extract from the Argus may prove of service to the City authorities ;—“ An elaborate report, reviewing the results of numerous experiments recently made with the view of testing the relative durability of the several kinds of road metal now in use, was laid before the City Council by the city surveyor. After detailing the nature of the experiments, the city surveyor gave it as his opinion that unscreened machine-broken metal could not possibly make a compact surface, as the small particles ran through to the bottom of the coating, and prevented the metal from binding. Another objection to unscreened metal was that it was practically impossible to get the large and small material properly mixed and incorporated together. He could not gather from the results of experiments already made that there was any material difference between the wearing powers of machinebroken and hand - broken metal when spread upon the city streets, though in the leading thoroughfares he should prefer the former and on heavy ground the latter. His experience also led him to believe that the mads on which metal w r as spread by men employed directly by the City Corporation were better and, more economically maintained than those where the metal was spread by contract. He considered it impossible to introduce any system in place of that now existing, which would render the maintenance of the city streets more economical than at present. The best road made by him for experimental

purposes consisted of hand-broken metal, grouted with metal screenings after being spread upon the street. The second in point of durability and usefulness Avas composed of machine broken metal, blinded Avith screenings in a similar manner ; Avhile roads made of hand-broken metal, pure and simple, and those made Avith machine-broken metal, thoroughly screened, were the next in order of durability and economy. The best road that could possibly be made Avas that where metal Avas first laid down, .and metal screenings used afterwards for grouting in the coating.