348 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 



ticular fissures opened. A few are transverse, but in general they 

 are longitudinal, but slightly oblique to the main lode ; so that, 

 although distinctly separate from the latter in West Cronebane, 

 Tigroney, and Ballygahan, in Ballymurtagh they joined into it ; 

 yet in no case, in depth, do they seem to have penetrated it. These 

 perpendicular veins were known as the " copper lodes," and all of 

 them in the country east of the Ovoca river were extracted by 

 Weaver. 



In the middle portion of Cronebane (Yellow Bottom) the main 

 sulphur lode seems to have been proved by Weaver, and subse- 

 quently by Argall. As the " copper lodes" do not extend into it, 

 it was called in Weaver's time " Dead ground." 



In the east portion of Cronebane (Magpie Mine), Connary, and 

 Kilmacoo, the phenomena were different, as here two nearly par- 

 allel fissures opened in the faultrock. In the north fissure or lode 

 the filling stuff, although laminated, consisted largely of black and 

 greyish white flucan (hence the name Magpie), while the ore was 

 coppery, friable, and not of the hard nature of that in the western 

 mines. This north lode, although in one place heaved north, is 

 always at the north margin of the faultrock, as far N.E. as the 

 Kilmacoo N. and S. fault, where it and the channel appear to be 

 heaved north about six furlongs, as shode stones occur thereabouts 

 in the townland of Eockstown. The south lode is not so con- 

 tinuous, as it is cut out in Connary by an intrude of felstone ; it is 

 a flucan course, containing veins and pockets of kilmacooite (these 

 Proceedings, vol. v., p. 310). As the profitable reduction of this 

 peculiar ore is still undiscovered, the lode has been very little 

 explored. 



South of the Magpie and the Yellow Bottoms there are five or 

 six E. and W. lodes apparently in the country rocks. They were 

 proved by Weaver and were being explored by Argall when the 

 mines were stopped ; they are known as Madam Butler's, Yellow 

 Bottoms, Morgan's, Discovery, Blueburrow, and Eaddle lodes. 

 Madam Butler's lode contains copper ore mixed with kilmacooite, 

 and was worked in part by Weaver. 



The north lodes, Ballymurtagh, Ballygahan, and Cronebane 

 (Castle Howard), occur in fissures nearly parallel to the mineral 

 channel. The last was discovered during my survey, while its 

 exact position was proved by Captain Argall. This explorer also 



