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Crushing-plant. —A crushing-plant has been partially erected in Appo's Gully, which consists of a Blake-Marsden rock-breaker, one of Askam's patent centrifugal pulverisers, size H, two of Mumford*and Moodie's separators, two vertical mixing-machines, and six of the Askam-Malloy hydrogen amalgamating-pans ; the whole of which is to be driven by a Pelton hurdy-gurdy wheel of sft. diameter. There is also a large brick furnace built for assaying, smelting the bullion, and retorting the amalgam. This is entirely a different description of reduction plant from any yet erected in the colony, and a description of it may be of some interest to those engaged in the treatment of auriferous quartz. Blake-Marsden Bock-breaker. —This machine has been already fully described in my previous reports on machinery at the Melbourne Exhibition. It is only necessary to state that the machine is placed on the floor where the ore coining from the mine will be dumped. The quartz is fed into the machine by hand-labour, and the material, after passing through the rock-breaker, falls into a chute which conveys it to the pulveriser. Pulveriser. —This machine consists of a strong circular cast-iron casing about from 2ft. 6in. to 3ft. in diameter, and 4ft. in length, having a wire mesh screen on the end, through which all the fine pulverised material passes into a recess in the cast-iron casing, and then into a bin below. A horizontal shaft passes through the centre of this casing, on which heavy cast-iron beaters or arms are placed. These are set at certain angles to drive the material to be pulverised from one arm to another, and, as the shaft on which these arms are placed makes 250 revolutions per minute, the material, after going through the stone-breaker, gets pulverised to fine dust and passes through the screen at the end. It is almost impossible to describe this machine without a diagram or plan, but the time at my disposal at this company's works would not admit of this being made. As stated previously, it is a pulverising-machine not known in the colony, and it would be premature to condemn it before it had a proper trial; but, judging from its construction, there will be a great wear-and-tear on the arms and casing, and to all appearances it is a machine which does not commend itself as a grinder for quartz ores. Separators. —These machines have a wrought-iron casing, which is about sft. in diameter on the top, with vertical sides for a foot or fifteen inches, then the rest of the casing resembles an inverted cone, having an opening in the bottom of about 4in. Inside the casing on the top there is a cast-iron circular trough, with tubes and openings, which revolves, and there is a hopper placed outside the casing for receiving the pulverised material from the bin where it is deposited from the pulveriser. It is lifted from this bin by small buckets placed on an elevating-belt, and discharged into the hopper, and thence passes inside the casing, where a current of air separates the fine from the coarse particles and places them in separate divisions, the fine material passing into a chute which conveys it to the mixers, and the coarse particles pass into another chute, which conveys them into a bin below, where they are again lifted by an elevator-belt and discharged into a chute leading to the stone-breaker, and again passes through into the pulveriser. Mixers. —These are circular tubs or drums about 3ft. in diameter and 4ft. deep, made of wroughtiron. In the inside of these there is a vertical shaft from which arms project, resembling the shaft and arms of a pug-mill. As this shaft revolves, the fine material, along with a small stream of water coming in, is converted into pulp, or in a condition suitable for amalgamation. Askam-Malloy Pans. —These are the same description of pans that were tried at the Thames, and the results of their trial there was far from satisfactory. Each of these pans is said to be capable of treating 4 tons of pulverised ore in twenty-four hours, so that, although the pulveriser is said to have a grinding-capacity of 40 tons per day, the amalgamating plant has only a capacity of 24 tons. This plant is meant for dry crushing; but if the English shareholders sent out this description of quartz-mill as an economical machine, it would have been better that their mill could be either used for wet or dry crushing, according to the character of the ore to be treated. Indeed, the whole plant looks like something sent from England as an experiment to test its capabilities. If so, it would have been well had the patentees sent out a man who understands the working of it, or else the millmen here are likely to condemn it without giving it a fair trial. In concluding my remarks on this company's quartz-mine the present prospects are not very encouraging. It is a locality which justifies the expenditure of money in prospecting, as probably a lode of moderate thickness will be found ; but there is very little hope from what is found in the mine yet of the company being repaid the capital they have expended on machinery and plant and for the purchase of the property. The manager informed me that the expenditure on the works, machinery and plant, &c, by this company up to the time of my visit was a little over £20,000. This sum corresponds in a measure with the company's last balance-sheet, which shows that in addition to the capital paid up £4,565 was raised on debentures, and the amount owing sundry creditors was £3,665. It is almost impossible for this company ever to be recouped for their outlay. The large amount given away in paid-up shares for the property, and the expenses of management, which is exclusive of the manager's salary —according to their balance-sheet for the year ending 31st August, 1889, £2,485 15s. 6d., but including £440 for interest on debentures — requires a large profit to pay interest on. the capital. Whenever a company is handicapped in this manner it requires a very rich mine to pay any interest on the outlay. The only hope of this company being enabled to repay the shareholders who advanced the capital is to write off a large number of shares and re-form it on a more economical basis. Johnstones United Gold-irdning Company. —This company holds a quartz claim at the head of Bedstead Gully, and the workings show the most peculiarly lying quartz lode in the colony. The lode to a certain extent may be termed in many places a quartz conglomerate, lying nearly horizontal, and varies in thickness from sft. to 10ft, which the manager, Mr. Johnstone, informed me averaged about sdwt. of gold per ton. The mode of taking out the quartz resembles that of working a deep alluvial mine ; and it can be safely worked on this principle if properly opened out, so that the ground