56 The Scottish Naturalist. 



few instructive samples of gold in the matrix," collected mostly 

 in the Suisgill stream.* Dr. T. R. Rutherford, formerly of 

 Helmsdale (and now of Kilmote, Loth, near Golspie, Suther- 

 landshire), writes me, of date Feb. 27, 1875 : "It is quite true 

 that I have a small piece of quartz with gold in it, found either 

 at Suisgill or Kildonan, but I really cannot say which. I under- 

 stand Mr. M'Hardy, superintendent of police, Dornoch, has also a 

 small bit found at Suisgill." Dr Bryce, of Glasgow, is reported to 

 have stated at the Liverpool meeting of the British Association 

 in 1870,1 that on crushing the granite of the Suisgill burn, and 

 washing the debris, " grains of gold were found in every speci- 

 men. A similar result came about on crushing and washing 

 specimens of the Mica Slate, but the gold was less abundant." 

 Again, in the granite of the upper parts of the valleys of the 

 Errick and Nairn rivers (Inverness-shire), " gold was found in 

 considerable quantity" still, according to Dr. Bryce. I am in- 

 debted to Sir Alexander Anderson of Blelack, formerly Lord 

 Provost of Aberdeen — as factor for Lord Saltoun — for the follow- 

 ing letter, dated Feb. 22, 1875: "Sir Alexander Anderson 

 begs to send Dr. Lindsay an Assay of a quantity of quartz-rock 

 from Kinnaird Head, obtained for Lord Saltoun some years 

 ago. The rock dips toward the sea. My Lord was advised, 

 that if the search were to be prosecuted, gold was most likely to 

 be found where the quartz joined other strata." 



Assay Office and Ore Floors, Hatton Garden, 

 London, E.C., May 21st (1869). 



CERTIFICATE OF ASSAY FOR LORD SALTOUX. 



" We have crushed, mixed, and carefully assayed the parcel 

 of quartz-rock from Aberdeenshire, and find the following to be 

 the result : — 



" 1 qr. 12 lbs. nett contain a distinct but very minute trace 

 of gold — under 12 grains per ton of 20 cwt. of quartz." 



(Signed) Johnson, Matthey, & Co. 



And, lastly, in an article on " Recent Gold Discoveries in 

 Scotland," in the " Perthshire Constitutional" of February 18, 

 1874, I quoted a full circumstantial account, by the finder him- 

 self, of the discovery of auriferous quartz in Bute. 



* Article on "Gold Prospecting in Helmsdale," in the "Northern 

 Ensign" of September 23, 1869. 



+ According to the " Northern Ensign" of September 29, 1S70. 



