384] 
ment for my excursion; and yes- 
terday Mr. Mills and J visited the 
spot, where so much pure gold has 
been of late taken up, being distant 
about five miles from this place. 
About seven miles westward of 
Arklow, in the county of Wicklow, 
there is a very high hill, perhaps 
6 or joo yards above the sea, 
called Croughan Kinshelly, one 
of whose NE abutments, or but- 
tresses, is called Ballinnagore, to 
which the ascent may be made in 
half or three quarters of an hour. 
Should you have Jacob Nevil’s 
map of the county of Wicklow, 
published in 1760, at hand, by 
casting your eye on the river Ovo, 
which suns by Arklow, at about 
four miles above the latter place, 
you will perceive the conflux of 
two considerable streams, and of 
a third about half a mile higher up, 
close to a bridge. By tracing 
this last to its source, you will 
come to a place, set down in the 
map Ballinvalley: this is a ravine 
between two others, that run down 
the side of the hill into a semicircu- 
far, or more properly, semi-eiliptical 
valley, which extends in breadth 
from one summit to the other of the 
houndaty of the valley, and across 
the valley three quariers of x mile, 
or somewhat less. . ‘Lhe holiow 
side of the hill forms ‘the termina- 
tion of the valley, and dowa which 
run the three ravines abovemen- 
tioned. At their junction, the 
brook assumes the name of Ballina- 
sloge ;, at this place the descent 
is not very rapid, and so continues 
a hanging level tor about a quarter 
of a mile, or somewhat more, when 
the valley grows narrower, and 
the sides of the brock become 
stecper; and it should scem that, 
some rocky bars across the ceurse 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1796. 
of the brook have formed the 
gravelly beds, above, over, and 
‘through which the stream flows, 
and in which the gold is found. 
The bed of the brook, and the 
adjacent banks of gravel on each 
side, for near a quarter of a mile 
in length, and for 20 or 30 yards 
in breadth, have been entirely 
stirred and washed by the peasants 
of the country, who amounted to 
many hundreds, at work at a 
time, whilst they were permitted 
to search for the metal. 
A gentleman, who saw them at 
work, told me, he counted above 300 
women, at one time, besides great 
numbers of men and children. 
‘The stream runs down to the NE 
from the hill, which seems to con- 
sist of a mass of schistus and quartz ; 
for on examination of the prin- 
cipal ravine, which is now washed 
clean by the late heavy rains, the 
bottom consisted of schistus, inter. 
sected at different distances and in 
various places, by veins of quartz, 
and of which substances the gravelly 
beds at the bottom, where the gold 
is found, seem to consist. 
Large tumblers of quartz are 
thickly scattered over the surface 
of the top of the hill, under a tur. 
bary ot considerable thickness, 
upon the removal of which these 
tumblers appear. 
I shali not take up your time in 
attempting to give a minute geolo- 
gical description of this part of the 
country, as I have prevailed with 
Mr. Mills (who from his minute 
examinations, and pra¢tical know- 
ledge, is so conversant with the 
mineralogy of the county), to 
undertake that task, which I am 
persuaded. he will perform to your 
satisfaction. 
The gold has been found in 
masses 
