MR ASHCROFT'S LECTURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1942, 7 February 1889, Page 12

MR ASHCROFT'S LECTURE.

The following is a summary from the Southland Times of the lecture on " The Auriferous Deposits of Otago and Southland," delivered by Mr James Ashcroft at Invercargill last week The Yen. Archdeacon Stocker presided. The lecturer after a few introductory remarks said that for 18 years he had given attention to the subject, and 17 years ago had delivered a lecture at Cromwell on glaciers and gold, which he found was still remembered. The colony had recently passed through a period of misfortune, and one of the chief objects of bis present lecture was) to inspire.' his fellow colonists with fresh hope for the future of their great country. The lecture would be divided into the following main heads :— (1) What has the past disclosed in regard to our auriferous resources ? (2) what has science to say on the subject? (3) what may the future be expected to disclose? and (4) what are the principal obstacles in the way of development ? In regard to the first head, the lecturer showed that in four years from the first discoveries £7,000,000 in gold passed the Dunedin Custom House ; that down to the present, Otago and Southland had supplied £18,000,000 of gold out of £44,000,000 worth for the whole colony, but during the past few years the returns had dwindled to abou £320,000. By a large map be showed where this gold came from, about 70 places being marked, and it was obtained at elevations of 4000 ft at Criffel and Mount Burster downwards to our sea beaches. He estimates the auriferous area at 10,000 square miles, and the falling off ia production was easily accounted for, amosg other reasons ty the fact tbat there were now only 3000 alluvial miners, of whom 1460 were Chinese. The other reasons are :—(1): — (1) The gold first found was easily accessible; (2) the rush to the West Coast took away a large number of the best miners ; (3) wrong notions as to where gold should be looked for ; (4) misapplications of labour; (5) the sharebroking mania attended by bogus schemes and consequent loss of capital ; (6} the difficulty of obtaining capital for legitimate enterprises ; (7) the want of efficient machinery; and (8) raising money in England on disadvantageous terms. The scientific age of mining was setting in, and the days of rushes over, for although lots of gold might yet be discovered on the surface, such finds were only accidental, and their consideration might be set aside. Speaking on his second head, " What has science to say on the subject?" the lecturer very clearly and at greal length went into the glacial question as affecting the supply of | gold, giving extracts from Haast, Hutton, Mies Buckley, and Geikie in support of his contention that vast deposits of auriferons drift have been made by glacial action, illustrating his position by diagrams of bores, a map of old glaciers in Canterbury, a picture of an existing glacier, and a plan ehowing the fan-shaped deposits of glacial origin on the Canterbury plains. His inference was tbat layers of auriferous drifts are to be found at various depths underlying the surface in all part 3of Otago and over a large portion of Southland. The question which formed his third head, "What may the future be expected to disclo&e?-'' he answered by saying it might be expected to disclose where tlie gold which bad been cat out of the moun-

tains has got to. Having discovered that, we should soon discuss how to get it out of its hiding-places. He dwelt on hydraulic mining and on what may be done by skill and machinery, and incidentally referred to the probable discovery of other metals, specially mentioning the tin and manganeserecently brought to light. The fourth head," What are the principal obstacles in the way of development ? " the lecturer answered thus :-—(1) Want of population (what wore our 4000 miners compared with such vast deposits of auriferous material ?); (2) want of knowledge and skill; (3) want of common honesty, pointed and strong allusion being made to the sharebroking and company mQngering of the past; (3) want of the best machinery for quartz crushing, pumping, dredging, hydraulic mining, gold saving, &c, but in this department he admitted progress was being made; and (4) want of hope. The lecturer here indulged in a bright picture of the resources of this wonderful country, concluding that portion of his address with,an eloquent peroration. He closed with some practical remarks on the desirableness of research* suggesting the formation of an amateur scientific prospecting association, and giving various [Hints of the direction in which mechanical skill might be expected to succeed in solving certain difficult problems. The lecturer was applauded at frequent intervals, and resumed his seat among hearty demonetratiens of appreciation.