227 



The reefs in New South. Wales vary from a few inches to 

 10 feet in width, and have generally a meridional strike, — • 

 although there are exceptions showing a strike N. and S., as 

 at Hill End, Trunkney, and Adelong; at Dalmorta, from E 

 10° N. to E. 30° S. ; at Grenfell, JST.E. ; at Temora and Cope- 

 land, N.E. to E. and S.E. 



With respect to Victoria, Mr. W. Nicholas, F.G.S., has 

 furnished valuable information, which is thus summarised bv 

 Mr. Brough Smith, F.G.S. a :— 



" Of eight hundred and forty-one distinct reefs observed 

 in the Lower Silurian strata, two-thirds have an average 

 direction of strike bearing N. 20° W . and the remaining 

 third an average direction bearing N. 11° E. ; and that of 

 one hundred and fifty-seven reefs examined in the Upper 

 Silurian rocks, three-fourths have an average direction along 

 the strike of N. 34° W., and one-fourth an average direction 

 bearing N. 27° E. In addition about eighty-five cross reefs 

 have been observed, varying in the direction of the strike 

 from N. 85° W. to N. 74° E. These are so called from their 

 divergence at nearly right angles from the prevailing courses 

 of the reefs. . . . The reefs which occur in the Lower 

 are much ihicker than those in the Upper Silurian rocks, and 

 that, so far as yet observed, those reefs showing the greatest 

 thickness have been found to be the richest and most exten- 

 sively wrought in Victoria." 



The shafts sunk in Victoria as a rule attain a much greater 

 depth than in New South Wales and Tasmania. Mr. Hayter 

 states 11 : — 



"At least 17 of the shafts sunk in Victoria in search of 

 aariferous quartz have attained depths exceeding 1,000 feet. 

 The deepest shaft in the colony is the Magdala, at Stawell, 

 which is 2,409 feet, or nearly half-a-mile deep, and other shafts 

 inthesamelocalityarel,940,l,830, 1,815, 1,770, 1.676, andl, 326 

 feet from the surface. At Sandhurst the shaft of LanselFs 

 180 mine is 2,041 feet deep, and that of the Victory and Pan- 

 dora Company is 2,000 feet deep. There are also shafts 1,778, 

 1,563, 1,490, 1^483, and 1,450 feet deep respectively ; at Maldon 

 there is one 1,220 feet deep ; and at Clunes there is one shaft 

 1,210, and another 1,193 feet deep." 



In New South Wales, shafts have not been sunk to a much 

 greater depth than in Tasmania. At Adelong a shaft has 

 been sunk to the depth of 874 feet. Two other shafts have 

 reached the depth of 830 feet and 716 feet respectively. 



The yield of gold from Tasmanian quartz reefs varies con- 

 siderably from year to year. The yield at Beaconsfield varied 

 from loz. 5dwts. 6grs. per ton in 1882, to loz. Odwts. 16grs. 



a. Report of Progress Geol. Survey of Vict., No. IV., p. 14. 



b. Victorian Year Book, 1885, p. 383. 



