Notes on the Geological Reports. 277 



there does not appear to be any mineral of sufficient 

 value or in such quantities as to be ever turned to 

 account. I have repeatedly washed in likely looking 

 spots for gold, but was never rewarded by finding a 

 single grain. At the same time, if there is any mineral 

 discovered hereafter over this distridt, it will be gold, for 

 there is a strong, mineralogical resemblance between the 

 savannahs here and the plains at Caratal in Venezuela, 

 where gold is now being worked." 



The above extra6ls will serve to show the light in which 

 the Government Surveyors viewed their work, and the 

 manner in which they performed it. Pari passu they 

 carried on their stri6lly geological work, and kept them- 

 selves alive towards increasing, wherever possible, the 

 knowledge of the mineral wealth of the colony. 

 Their tracks through the great forests and plains and 

 along the river courses, may be compared to but 

 isolated gossamer upon a meadow, and it is hardly 

 surprising that over such an extent of territory, they 

 should have missed those very localities, which have 

 since been proved to be so richly auriferous. The 

 inner distri6ts about the jun6lion of the Essequebo and 

 Potaro, which have lately become so justly famous, 

 were absolutely untrodden by them ; and, except in the 

 opinion of a few individuals, who, by their own speech, 

 can do and know everything, it is not surprising 

 that under the circumstances the surveyors did not des- 

 cribe what they could not see. 



MM2 



