MOUNT BISCHOFF. 47 



summer, and this turned out exceptionally favourable for 

 this kind of work. We started at the bottom of the hill, 

 where I intended to commence operations, and cleared 

 several acres of ground, which lasted for several years. But 

 from the day we started the winter work (sluicing") the trouble 

 began, as we had, against expectation, to work about 3 or 4 

 chains of very poor ground, the washdirt being very shallow 

 and poor in quahty ; in fact, it hardly paid working expenses. 

 This continued until we reached a point where the bottom 

 began to run level, and from there the dirt became deeper, 

 and improved in quality each foot as we advanced. 



In the Slaughter-yard Gully (a shght impression in the 

 hillside higher up), the dirt was very good, but there was no 

 quantity. The Brown Face I had also started ; but as soon 

 as the surface dirt was removed it became very stony, and 

 it was apparent that something had to be done to keep the 

 eight sluices going which I had then working. To overcome 

 this difficulty I decided to start a drive into the hill, sink a 

 shaft to connect with the drive to act as a pass, and supply 

 the sluices with the surface dirt (if that should be found 

 necessary), which appeared very good on the top of the hill. 

 The drive was to act in a double capacity — first, to procure 

 dirt, and then to prospect the interior of the formation, as 

 my hopes of this iron-capped formation were very great, and 

 I had the fortune to see all my hopes fully realised. As 

 soon as we got through the stony or gossan formation, 

 which appeared here in the form of huge boulders, we broke 

 into a decomposed porphyry highly charged with tin ore 

 (Cassiterite). This change came very suddenly, and before 

 I thought I could reasonably expect it ; but, nevertheless, 

 it was equally welcome, and from that time a great portion 

 of my troubles ended, or at least got greatly mitigated, as 

 my opponents, who continuously criticised and condemned 

 my works felt themselves beaten, but still doubted the 

 correctness of my reports. 



Great improvements set in in the different working faces, 

 which affected the monthly output satisfactorily ; but the 

 ore-dressing appliances remained in their old state for some 

 time to come. As a starting-point I erected an old second- 

 hand 5-head battery sent up from the coast, so as to be able 

 to reduce some of tlie better ore picked out in the sluicing 

 process. This battery was started in December, 1876, and 

 for that month I produced 1 87 tons, this being the first time 

 we reached such a high return, and it was very satisfactory 



