49

H.—3.

and the so-called North Ecef, whilst a fourth, viz. the new reef of the Star of the East Company, just described, is worked up to within a short distance of its boundary. The Old Star of the East Reef has been worked with good results from the old adit of the Star Company up to and a good distance along the surface, and looks promising ahead ; and, besides, what appears like a continuation of it, though called the New -Reef, has a short distance higher up the range been taken out for about 30 feet in length and 30 feet in depth, and proved payable, though only six inches thick. The Old Heart of Oak Beef, one of if not the richest in the district, strikes W. 25° S., and dips northward at an angle of 56°. It joins the Old Star of the East Eeef, and has been worked, both from the upper adit of the Star Company and from the surface, a length of about 120 feet, and 160 feet in depth on the underlay. Its thickness varied from a few inches to over three feet; average, about two and a half feet. There have been from 2,000 to 8,000 tons of stuff raised and crushed from these workings, which realized at the rate of 1J oz. of gold per ton. Prospects where left off working still very good. The North lierf, which has been opened on top of the spur several chains west of the previously mentioned workings, strikes W. 15° S., and underlays southward at an angle of 70°; but frequent jumps render the underlay much flatter in the average. From its outcrop at the surface it shows an endlong dip in strike westward. It has been opened by a shaft 100 feet deep, and worked to a deptli of 70 feet and 70 feet in length, proving from six to eighteen inches in thickness, and yielding from If to 4 oz. of gold per ton. Pressure of water in the shaft prevented further working. As the same difficulty attached also to the deeper working of the other reefs, the company have lately started on the same slope as, but considerably lower than, that of the Star of the East Company, a deep adit, which, according to Mr. Scott's survey and calculation, would intersect the reef farther off, viz. the Old Heart of Oak, in dip, at a distance of 800 feet vertical, or 500 feet depth on the underlay. The Elizabeth Company : Managed by Mr. John Towan.- —-This company is, like the previous ones, engaged in driving an adit for the purpose of opening the Elizabeth Eeef in depth, the backs from an upper adit towards the surface having been worked out. This lower adit, which runs nearly at right angles towards the reef, had, when I saw it, according to Mr. Towan's measurements, advanced to within 100 feet of the point of intersection with the reef, from where a main level in the strike of the latter would render a height of backs of about 215 feet available for rising upon towards the main drive from the upper adit. The reef, which consists of quartziferous mullock, strikes S. 20° E., and dips eastward at an angle of about 40°. In the worked-out portion, which is about 270 feet long, and extends from the surface down to the level—a depth of about 180 feet beneath the highest point of the hill which the reef crosses—the thickness of the latter has ranged from 18 inches to, in places, 3 and 4 feet —average, about 2 feet —and its walls were well defined. The yields have been from 8 dvvts. up to 25 dwts., or close upon 13 dwts. of gold per ton in the average. About three and a half chains from the point where the main drive starts from the adit, which latter has been driven at nearlv right angles towards the reef, a shaft has been sunk on the underlay of the latter to a depth of 65 feet, and a level extends southward from the bottom of a length of 90 feet, all along which distance and down the shaft the reef has proved highly payable—a point which augurs very well for the prospects of the deep adit. In fact, judging from the mode of occurrence of the best stuff in the old workings, as shown on a small plan prepared by Mr. Towan, there can hardly be a doubt that it forms a pretty wide shoot, which, whilst passing the just-mentioned shaft and level, dips steep southward in strike, and would be struck by the adit pretty near the centre of its width. In its course northward the reef —being 2 feet thick —is suddenly cut off by a mullocky cross reef, striking W. 15° S., and dipping southward at an angle of 65°. The line of this unmistakable fault runs across the upper main drive about 40 feet southward from the upper adit, which has been continued about 200 feet farther westward in search of the faulted portion of the reef, but intersected only the faulted cross reef and a thin gold-bearing leader; whilst a cross-cut northward from near the end penetrated the former a second time, without any sigu of the reef being apparent beyond. If these workings, in view of the distance driven, furnish already nearly certain proof that the reef has not been faulted in that direction (westward), the mode of fault itself (angles and line of intersection of the two reefs) would also, according to an old mining rule, indicate that the throw has been the reverse way, or eastward; and as the adit has, within about 70 feet eastward from the line of the reef, intersected a thin mullock reef, showing apparently the same strike and underlay as the latter, I think it highly probable that this represents the faulted portion. A drive on it southward in strike to its point of intersection with the cross reef would, whilst proving its auriferous character, soon dispel any doubts on the question. The cross reef, which is from 1 to \\ feet thick, and looks mu.ch like £hc main reef in character, would also, in my opinion, deserve a trial crushing. Mr. Towan came across a second fault in the reef in its line of dip during sinking the underlay shaft from the main drive ; but in this instance he soon recovered the faulted portion by intelligently applying and working according to the main mining rule, viz., that the part of the country with the enclosed lode, forming the hanging wall of the faulter, slid down in the line of dip of the latter. The crushing machine of the Elizabeth Company consists of two batteries, each of four heads of revolving stamps, of about 4 cwt. each, driven by a steam engine, and having front and back escapes. The front escape of each battery passes in succession a large amalgamated copper-plate, an improved amalgamated copper-plate table (similar in construction to that described of the machine at the Saddle Hill Eeef), and 10 feet of blanket-strakes, having an inclination of li inch per foot. The backescape of both batteries runs over a common amalgamating table, and 14 feet of blanket-strakes, laid at the same inclination as the others. For the treatment of the blanket-sand, serves a small Berdan. machine. This elaborate system of appliances is carefully superintended by Mr. Towan, but having to use the frequently limited supply of rather muddy water leaving the United Star and Oak Battery, he has no doubt of a great deal of fine gold being lost in the tailings. The Young Australian lieef. —This lies close upon 1,000 feet higher up the range than Carricktown, near the head of Adam's Gully, and the claim worked on it is owned by Messrs. Williams and Edwards. It strikes about S.E. and N.W., and dips N.E. into the hill at the very small angle of 18°. Walls pretty well defined. Its thickness ranges from 1\ to 6 feet in places, and it consists of quartziferous mullock, so fine in grain that on washing prospects pieces of quartz the size of a bean 7—H. 3.