2 28 NEW SOUTH WALES. 



largely to tlie production of gold. New and ricli discoveries of alluvial 

 gold liavo recently been made in said district near a place known as 

 Cobbora. The auriferous area in tlie district is very extensive, and 

 lias only been partially prospected. In tlie Batliurst and Hill End 

 district, gold-miuing operations are still carried on with various success. 

 Some very rich finds were made at Hawkins' Hill, Hill End, of whicli 

 some may bo mentioned, namely, the proprietors of Krohmann's claim 

 crushed 43G.2- tons quartz, yielding 24,079 oz, 8 dwt. gold, valued at 

 £93,616 ] Is. 9d., and Beyers and Holtermann crushed 415 tons of quartz, 

 yielding 16,279 oz. 6 dwt. 3 grs. of gold, valued at £63,234 12s. From 

 the Monte Cristo Mine, several crushings were taken out of a quartz 

 vein, yielding 200 oz. of gold per ton. Recently new shoots of gold 

 have again been discovered. 



The Blayney, Carcoar, and Cowra districts also largely contribute 

 to the yearly yield of gold. At Brown's Creek, near Blayney, a 60- 

 stamp battery, with all recent improved gold-saving appliances, is now 

 ill course of erection to work the large deposit of the old Brown's 

 Creek Mine. 



A great deal of gold is still obtainable in the Orange district, the 

 Lucknow Mines alone contributed last year 36,208 oz. of gold, valued 

 at £128,197 sterling. The quartz in the Lucknow Mine is heavily 

 charged with pyrites, and although there is large crushing jDOwer, and 

 improved gold-saving appliances on the field, only the free gold is 

 dealt with on the spot, and the concentrates are forwarded to Europe 

 for the extraction of gold. New gold discoveries have also very 

 recently been made at Gilgunnia, about 30 miles from Nymagee, and the 

 same distance from Mount Hope. So far, only quartz veins have been 

 discovered. These occur in an altered sandstone and slate formation, 

 and vary in thickness from a few inches to several feet. Several crush- 

 ing from 5 to 20 tons were treated at the Clyde Works, near Sydney, 

 with highly payable results. Crushing and gold-saving machinery is 

 now in course of erection ; but, being in a very arid part of the Colony, 

 Avater is scarce. Here, like Mount Allen, the gold is associated with 

 iron. This district, only a few weeks ago, was a mere sheep-walk ; 

 it is now a settlement of about 500 persons, which number is likely to 

 increase and remain for years to come. 



The Mount Allen district has also largely contributed to our yearly 

 yield of gold. The gold is greatly associated with an iron deposit. This 

 part of the Far West has not as yet been thoroughly prospected, and 

 new gold discoveries may be looked forward to in different parts of 

 the district. 



The Kiandra Gold-field, situated in the Australian Alps, has yielded 

 very large returns of gold, both in alluvial and quartz, but specially in 

 alluvial. The gold is generally found in the creeks and river flats, and 

 ground sluicing is mostly the mode by which the gold is extracted 

 from the auriferous drifts. Here, too, a trial was made with extensive 

 hydraulic sluicing, but owing to the great thickness of non-auriferous 

 strata, from 80 to 120 feet, which had to be sluiced away before the 2 to 3 

 feet auriferous wash was reached, and the inability to obtain sufficient 

 fall in the tail race, the enterprise had to be abandoned and the old 

 system of driving and timbering reintroduced. Nevertheless there is 

 a very large amount of sluicing carried on throughout the Australian 



