50 REPORT — 1853. 



The fifth aample was taken four miles below Hull, at 



Paull, 



and consisted of sand 82 



Alumina 4 



Carbonate of lime 3 



Carbonate of magnesia, a trace 



Soluble salts 5 



Oxide of iron 1 



Organic matter 5 



lUU 

 The sixth sample was taken at 



Grimsby, 



and consisted of fine sand 76 



Alumina 10 



Carbonate of lime 2 



Soluble salts 5 



Oxide of iron 3 



Organic matter 4 



100 



This sample contained no carbonate of magnesia. Mud taken three or four miles 

 below Grimsby, is nearly all sand, and of a much coarser kind. In some places it 

 is a mixture of the coarse sand with a little of the finer deposit of the Humber, which 

 is found at all the places higher up the river. 



GEOLOGY. 



On the Comparative Richness of Auriferous Quartz extracted at different 

 Depths from the same Lode. By Dr. J. Blake. 



The writer stated that no shaft had yet been made in California deep enough to 

 test the correctness of the opinion that auriferous lodes diminish in value as they 

 descend, but he described a circumstance which seemed to confirm that view. A 

 horizontal mass of auriferous quartz was discovered in Grass Valley, which measured 

 60 yards by 45, and was from 6 to 18 inches thick ; in the centre it was depressed 

 10 yards below the surface, its edges cropping out all round. Everj' part of this 

 mass had been removed, and was found to contain 1 oz. or 1^ oz. of gold to the 

 ton ; some part was extremely rich, affording 60 oz. to the ton. No continuation 

 of this quartz vein could be found in the valley or surrounding hills, but at some 

 distance above a similar vein occurred in which the proportion of gold was much 

 smaller. In another locality a more than average amount of gold had been obtained 

 from a lode which appeared to have been the upper part of a vein. The writer had 

 never heard of ' nuggets ' being found in mining operations. 



On the Combrash of Gloucestershire and part of Wilts, 

 By Professor Buckman, F.G.S. 



This stratum was described as not more than 8 feet in thickness, but covering 

 considerable horizontal area. The relative productiveness of soils on the ' cornbrasb' 

 to those on the ' stonebrash ' was represented to be as follows :— 



Inf. Oolite. Great Oolite. Cornbraah. 



"Wheat 15 20 25 



Barley 25 30 40 



Oats 25 ...... 36 45 



Analyses of the rocks themselves, made by Dr. Voelcker, show that the combrash i 

 richer in two important elements, viz. sulphate of lime and phosphoric acid .— 



