127 



lute sterility, unfit for agriculture. The very large area covered 

 by these deposits has led hasty observers to condemn the whole 

 island for agricultural purposes. Opinions on this head have 

 been very conflicting, Flinders says : — " The soil of that part 

 of Kanguroo Island [Kangaroo Head] examined by us was 

 judged to be much superior to any before seen, either upon the 

 south coast or upon the islands near it . . . and I thought 

 the soil superior to some of the land cultivated at Port Jackson, 

 and to much of that in our stony counties in England." On 

 the other hand, Peron characterised the island as monotonous 

 and sterile. Sutherland's accounts were glowing ; whilst the 

 early settlers at Kingscote found the character of the soil did 

 not hold Out any very strong inducement for permanent or 

 extensive settlement. 



It is now easy to reconcile these apparently contradictory 

 estimates of the character of the soil. The productive areas 

 are limited and detached, and, as I have stated previously, are 

 restricted to those of the Pliocene drifts. The sources of the 

 material have been less local, than in the case of the more 

 superficial deposits, and in consequence an intimate mixture 

 of diverse mineral matters has resulted. The productiveness 

 of this kind of soil is best attested by an appeal to agricultural 

 statistics. The neighbourhood of Hog Bay has patches of land 

 which carry as high as 50 bushels of barley to the acre ; and at 

 the Cygiiet Eiver and at Freestone Eange the yield of wheat and 

 barley last year ranged up to 30 bushels for the former and 50 

 to 60 for the latter per acre. 



Useful Miis-^eeals. 



The belief that Kangaroo Island is largely metalliferous and 

 possesses coal is widespread, though up to the present time no 

 discoveries have been made which justify such prophetic view. 

 Nevertheless, the geological structure is not incompatible with 

 the existence of metalliferous deposits, though it precludes the 

 presence of workable coal. 



G^old. — The earliest discovery of this metal is that recorded 

 by Mr. Tolmer in his recent work entitled "Eeminiscences," 

 1882. He therein states at p. 320 of vol. I. that he found in a 

 freshwater creek near Yivonne Bay " a quartz specimen, with 

 a small portion of yellow metal embedded therein, which I have 

 now no doubt was gold." Mr. T. AYillson has obtained gold 

 from a quartz reef situate in the northern part of the Hundred 

 of Haines, and further informs me that it has been gathered 

 from detritus at Pig's Head Plat, Dudley Peninsula. 



Tin. — Mr. Tolmer writes further that he revisited the spot 

 in 1856, and obtained by washing the stuff of the bed of the 

 creek about one ounce of black sand, a sample of which was 



