3i6 The Scottish Naturalist. 



acquainted with the geology and mineralogy of his native county 

 — discoursing in 1852 on "The Gold Districts of Wanlockhead 

 and the Leadhills," thus described the mode of " occurrence of 

 gold in the lower Silurian rocks. It is found disseminated in 

 small foliaceous particles or in round grains in the quartz veins 

 which traverse the Greywacke sandstone and shale in a direction 

 generally at right angles to their strike, and also in the detritus 

 of the same rock. A specimen weighing 240 grains was lately 

 found. The district furnishing the gold lies to the north of the 

 zone of black slate which runs from Stobo through the summit- 

 cutting of the Caledonian Railway and Glenochar in the direc- 

 tion of Cairn Ryan. It is greatly disturbed, not only by the 

 quartz veins, but by dykes of felspar and greenstone, and the dip 

 is the reverse of that which usually prevails. Mr Harkness be- 

 lieves that the occurrence of gold is not connected with any 

 particular portion of the Silurian series, but rather with the 

 presence of the quartz-veins and the influence of the plutonic 

 rocks." ^ Were not this quotation taken direct by myself from 

 the pages of a scientific quarterly containing the published pro- 

 ceedings of a scientific society, I should have great doubts as to 

 its correctly representing the Professor's opinions. There is here, 

 at all events, a decided representation of the existence of aurifer- 

 ous quartz in situ as a familiar fact. Unfortunately he does not 

 tell us whether the ''particles'*' or "grains" referred to are ever 

 visible to the naked eye, and whether the " specimen " spoken of 

 was a nugget. 



The Rev. Dr Porteous of Wanlockhead, in his topographical 

 work published in 1876, gives various instances of gold-quartz in 

 situ (p. 53). Nevertheless, he says incautiously (p. 61) that "a 

 gold-quartz vein in Britain, except in North Wales, has not as yet 

 been foufid^ though eagerly sought for." And quite recently in 

 one of the Glasgow newspapers, Dr Wilson of the same village 

 alludes to, but does not describe, his own discoveries. He says : 

 " I am prepared to prove that much of the quartz in this district 

 is auriferous, and I have a specimen in my possession with both 

 gold and quartz visible to the naked eye. . . . That quartz 

 is to be found in the locality with gold running through it is now 

 established. I and two other men found it. ... I have 

 settled, beyond dispute I believe, that gold-quartz is found /// 

 situ. . . . This stone also contained gold visible to the 

 naked eye, and seen by six people. . . . Gold in quartz, 



^ 'Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society,' vol. viii., 1852, p. 396. 



