274 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



21 years, to Messrs. Crockford and Co., of all the gold that might 

 be picked up. Extensive trenches were cut at right angles to the 

 Ballinvally stream, and works undertaken in Moneyteige, besides 

 working the Ballintemple stream; about fifty men were employed, 

 but the workings were only continued for about four months — 

 £1,800 worth of gold having been obtained. During these work- 

 , ings an 11 oz. nugget was obtained at Ballinasilloge, and from 

 Ballintemple nuggets weighing 4 oz. 12 dwt. lOgrs. and 4 dwt. 

 have been recorded. 



In 1 862* the Carysfort Mining Company obtained the gold royal- 

 tiest of the district, and instituted extensivetrials. They "costeened" 

 the surface of the mountain to a considerable extent, while they 

 collected, crushed, and examined the quartz of the district. 

 " Some of the more promising lodes of quartz '' were " pierced by 

 shafts a couple of fathoms deep," but without finding a vein of 

 gold-bearing stone. The researches which were made " into the 

 deposits in the valley showed a wide distribution of the particles 

 of gold. Of those particles which could be called nuggets, the 

 larger were found at the upper parts of the streams towards their 

 sources, and as they descended the streams the particles became 

 more minute." This was not an " absolute rule, but was generally 

 the case." The largest nugget found weighed 320 grains. 



This company ceased operations after gold about 1865, and had 

 obtained £203 6s. worth, after having sunk shafts upon and 

 examined almost every known lode in the neighbourhood, with- 

 out finding any gold in its original matrix or vein. 



At the present time the royalty of the district is held by Mr. F. 

 Acheson, who has been working for several years past, but discon- 

 tinued mining operations a short time since. In the works carried 

 on under him the richest deposit was found in the "Red hole," about 

 500 yards above the Ballinasilloge ford, on the old Arklow road. 



* About 1849 an attempt was made by a Mr. Collett to work the district, but no mining 

 operations seem to have been undertaken. During the working of the peasants in 1856, 

 two nuggets were found, one weighed 6 oz. worth £30, the other 24 oz. worth £100. 



t This Companj' was established early in 1859 to work the lodes of the district, but did 

 not obtain the gold royalties till 1862. It appears that in 1860 Colonel Butler had 

 obtained the gold royalties of 70,000 acres of this district, and Mr. BuUen the gold 

 royalties of the vale of Ovoca to Arklow, but in neither case were active operations 

 undertaken. Henwood states that they obtained 85 oz. altogether, but gives the period 

 of working, 1857-1862. In the following table the quantities in parentheses are calcu- 

 lated from the value of the gold at the time. 



