D’URVILLE’S ISLAND COPPER COMPANY.

Marlborough Express, Volume XIV, Issue 1120, 29 March 1879, Page 7

D’URVILLE’S ISLAND COPPER COMPANY.

We have been favored by the Legal Manager of the above Company with the following copy of a letter from Mr Stephen S. Vale, Superintendent of the English and Australian Copper Company’s Branch Works at Waratah, near Newcastle, South Wales, under date Ist March, 1879 “ I beg to hand you enclosed account sales for the parcels of ore from D’Urville Island, also cheque as net proceeds of the same. “In doing so, I have to express my great regret at the poor result which will, I fear, be rather disappointing to your New Zealand friends. “ As, however, I do not consider the result as proceeding from the nature of the ore, I beg to offer soma rema'rks which may be of service to the proprietors. You are aware that Mr Manton saw at ouce, on the bags being opened, that one-half the quantity was composed of simply the ground accompanying the ore, and that no attempt whatever had been made to sort or dress the ore. It is a great pity that some one was not on the ground to have attended to this matter, as the consequences are most disastrous. Out of the 47 tons actually weighed only about 15 tons should have been sent. The worst part of the business is that the ore is so easily selected that a blind man could almost undertake to sort it by mere weight alone. With a view of deter-

mining the actual value of the ore, I have had a fair sample taken out, such as if I. were in charge would have been sent for sale. I made two assays thereon, which give 29,j per cent ; this is not so good as the appearance of the ore indicates. I therefore subjected it to a critical examination, and find that although the ore in the lode is unquestionably good, yet it is mixed up with a large quantity of specular iron, which cannot be cot rid of by dressing. However, I have no hesitation in saying that the ore can, and should he brought up to 20 per cent, who h even at the present low price of copper would pay well. I may fur her say that it is my opinion that the ore will change at no great, depth below fjin present workings, and that the serpentine mck in which the permanent: ores, eon-isting of yellow sulphides, will he found. Considering the easy shipment of the ore, the mine appears most promising, and will show g>od resit 1 ts. with (proper I was going to say) management by an experienced person.”