The Scottish Naturalist. 187 



he went to Wanlockhead and saw a specimen of gold, and that 

 was long before the Australian gold-fields were heard of. Even 

 a relative of his had a bracelet made of gold found on the Lead- 

 hills. Therefore Dr Lauder Lindsay's views were preposterous 

 (Laughter)." 1 Another account states that Mr Welwood "re- 

 marked that it was perfectly preposterous that there should be 

 any question as to gold being found at Leadhills. (A laugh.) "^ 

 Considering all that I have published on the subject of gold at 

 Leadhills and Wanlockhead since 1863, it was not, perhaps, in- 

 appropriate that the grave Fellows of the Royal Society of Edin- 

 burgh should have indulged themselves in " A laugh " at the 

 beautiful irrelevancy of Mr Welwood's criticism.-^ 



I have only to add that 1 paid another visit to the Wanlock- 

 head district in August 1878; that I have since that date re- 

 ceived several letters from residents in the district on the subject 

 of its gold-yields ; that I find those who first adopted the view 

 that the Gemmell Quartzite is o( foreign origin, continue to hold 

 that opinion ; ^ and that I have myself been confirmed in that 

 opinion by all the later evidence that has been presented to me. 

 That evidence includes, inter alia, the story of a bit of gold-quartz 

 found near Wanlockhead, but which has been acknowledged to 

 be Australian ; and of another piece which I saw and examined, 

 regarding whose appearance at Leadhills no intelligible account 

 could be given. In all probability it too is Australian. And I 

 have elsewhere shown ^ that a specimen of supposed Leadhills 

 gold-quartz in the British Museum is regarded by the authori- 

 ties that preside over the mineralogical department of the said 

 museum also as Australian. 



1 'Daily Review,' March 5, 1878. 



^ ' Scotsman " of same date. 



^ The other critics were Professors Geikie and Archer, with Mr Dudgeon. 

 Their strictures have ah-eady been sufficiently^ answered in the ' Scottish 

 Naturalist,' vol. iv. (1878), p. 356. 



* Thus "a native" of the district, writing in the 'North British Daily 

 Mail' of May 16, 1878, says, — "No other rational conclusion can be drawn 

 than that it had been dropped from some hampers of gold-quartz specimens 

 that were carried only a few hours previous to the find along the road on 

 which it was found." 



^ In the 'Scottish Naturalist,' vol. iv. p. 358. " Australian Gold-quartz 

 in Scotland " was also the subject of a paper read before the Geological 

 Society of Glasgow on March 8 and 22, 1878, an abstract of Avhich will 

 appear in the Society's published Transactions for 1878. The consequent 

 discussion was reported in the ' North British Daily Mail ' of March 23, 1878. 



