president's address. 577 



with rolling mills at Lithgow. During 1882 the Company made 

 4,320 tons of pig iron, 2,139 tons of finished iron, and 1,016 tons 

 of castings, the total valued at £37,224. 



The iron ores available at Lithgow consist chiefly of limonite, 

 occurring as thin irregular bands of rich quality, interstratified 

 with the Coal Measures, and more siliceous ores in shale beds and 

 veins in the overlying Hawkesbury series ; limonite and magnetite 

 with garnet iron ore in lodes and irregular patches near Waller- 

 awang ; and large patches of rich limonite and magnetite in the 

 Blayney district. In many other parts of the Colony rich iron 

 ore deposits also occur. 



Antimony. 



The principal antimony lodes which have been mined upon, 

 are those in the Macleay and Armidale districts ; but owing to 

 the irregular thickness of the lodes, from thin veins to bunches 

 of ore of considerable size, and the low price of the metal, they 

 are not much worked. Ore to the value of £16,732 was raised 

 in 1882. The lodes near the Macleay River occur in Devonian 

 strata, while those of Hillgrove, near Armidale, traverse both 

 sedimentary rocks and granite. Here they are more or less rich 

 in gold, and one of them is now being worked for that metal. 

 The ores consist of stibnite and cervantite. Other lodes have 

 been found near Solferino and in the Cudgegong district. 



Lead. 



Ores of Lead occur sparingly in most of the auriferous quartz 

 veins throughout the Colony, and in some considerable quantity 

 in veins in the Yass, Mylora, Mitchell's Creek, Peelwood, and 

 Bombala districts ; but hitherto they have not been profitably 

 worked. 



Argentiferous galena lodes are now being prospected near 

 Thackaringa and Umberumberka. 



Zinc blende is also of frequent occurrence, but not in payable 

 quantity. 



Bismuth. 



Quartz reefs containing native bismuth, with sulphide, carbonate, 

 and oxide of bismuth, have been discovered and partly worked 



