64 REPORT — 1867. 



On the Goldjields of Scotland *. 

 By W. LiTjDER Lendsat, M.D., F.E.S.E., F.L.S. 



The autlior's conclusions are based on — 



1. Personal survey of the gold-fields of New Zealand. It was while visiting in 

 1861 the auriferous districts of the Province of Otago that he was struck with the 

 similarity, as respects physical geographj' and geology, between that country and 

 many parts of Scotland, and with the probable parallelism as respects the distribu- 

 tion of gold. 



2. Personal comparative survey of Scotland, and its principal outlying islands, 

 since his return to Scotland in 1862, in order to determiiie how far such a paral- 

 lelism really exists. 



•3. Inspection of the specimens of gold and gold-rocks in the principal inter- 

 national exhibitions and national museums of ^Britain and France, Australia, and 

 New Zealand. 



4. Comparative study of the literatiu'e of gold in Scotland and other auriferous 

 countries. 



His special conclusions as regards the Scottish gold-fields are founded mainly 

 on — 



1. The similarity of the rocks (Lower Silurian) of a great part of Scotland to 

 those of most other auriferous countries. 



2. The abundance in Scotland of the minerals with which gold is most commonly 

 associated in the richest auriferous countries; e. r/., 



a. Metallic oxides (iron and copper) : magnetic ironsaud, containing (or not) 



oxide of titanium. 

 6. Metallic sulphides (iron, copper, lead ; and zinc). 

 .3. The actual discovery of gold, both in recent and former times, at various points 

 between the extreme north and south of Scotland. 



His propositions concerning the gold-fields of Scotland are, that — • 



I. Gold is much more extensively or generally diffused over Scotland than has 

 been hitherto supposed. 



II. The Scottish gold-fields may bo divided geographically or topographically 

 into two great areas, viz. the 



(A.) Great Northern, which is naturally subdivided by the Caledonian Canal. 

 The northern half occupies the longitudinal axis of the northern penin- 

 sula of Scotland, and comprises the greater part of the counties of 

 Sutherland and Ross, and of Inverness and Argyle north of the Cale- 

 donian Canal. The southern half lies between the said canal and the 

 valley of the Tay, and forms a transverse belt across Scotland, com- 

 prising a great part of the shires of Inverness and Argyle south of the 

 canal; and of Aberdeen, Bauft^ Kincardine, Perth, Forl'ar, Stirling, and 

 Dmiibarton-shires. 



(B.) Southern — includes great part of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright, Wigton, Ayr, 

 Selkirk, Peebles, and Lanark-shires ; and more particularly parts of 

 the districts of Nithsdale, Annandale, Eskdale, Ettrickdale, Tweeddale, 

 and Clydesdale ; Carrick ; and the Lammermuirs (in Haddington and 

 Berwick) — all south of the Forth. 



III. Actual discoveries of gold have been made at different times in the follow- 

 ing localities : — 



(A.) Sutherlandshire — Kildonan on Helmsdale Water. 



(B.) Perthshire — 1. Breadalbane : area of Loch Tay and head waters of the 

 Tay (Tyndrum and Taymouth). 



2. Upper Strathearn : area of Loch Earn and head waters of the Earn 



(Cxlen Leduock : streams falling from the north into Loch Earn ; 

 Ardvoirlich, south side of Loch Earn ; Glenturrit). 



3. Gleualmond : Glenquoich and other valleys of the Grampians. 

 (C.) Forfarshire — Clova district : " Braes of Angus," Edzell, and Glenesk. 

 (D.) Aberdeenshire : area of the Dee (Braemar, Invercauld, coast about Aber- 

 deen). 



* Details will be found in a paper on the " Crold and G-old Fields of Scotland" in the 

 Transactions of the Greological Society of Edinburgh for 1807-08. 



