228 



in 1883 ; at Lefroy, the yield in 1882 was lOdwts. 13grs. 



per ton, and in 1883 the yield fell off to 7dwts. 22grs. 



The average yield from all quartz reefs in Tasmania for 1883 



was 15dwts. 9grs. In Victoria, it is stated that the average 



yield of the crushings in 1883 and 1884 was 9dwts. 12-82grs. 



and 9dwts. 21'07grs. respectively. In the deepest mines 



the yields varied from 4dwts. 17grs. to 2ozs. 6dwts. 14grs. 



per ton. 



Gold Nuggets. 

 In Tasmania, alluvial gold has not been worked to the same 



extent as in the Australian mainland, and the only nuggets 



of importance recorded are the following :— 



(1.) Nugget found at Long Plains by Buckner, May, 1882. 



Weight, 9ozs. 



(2.) Nugget found on the Whyte Eiver by M'Guinty and 



party, March, 1883. Weight, 243ozs. 



(3.) Nugget found on the White Eiver by G-riffen and 



party, March, 1883. Weight, 143ozs. 



Models of these Tasmanian nuggets are exhibited in the 

 Tasmanian Museum, Hobart. 



The largest masses of gold known have been found as nug- 

 gets in alluvial workings. The "Welcome Nugget," found 

 in Victoria, weighed 2.195 ounces, or nearly 183 pounds, and 

 yielded £8,396 10s. fid. of sterling gold. Prom South 

 Australian alluvial workings the " Blanch Barkley Nugget 

 was obtained, which weighed I461bs. Besides the "Welcome 

 Nugget," two other nuggets were found in Victoria, weighing 

 1,621 and 1,105 ounces respecitvely. 



On the 13th May, 1851, soon after the gold discovery m 

 New South Wales by Hargreaves, there was discovered at 

 Summer Hill Creek, N.S.W., a nugget weighing lib. loz. 

 This is probably the first nugget of importance found m 

 Australia. The most remarkable nuggets found in New South 

 Wales weighed 106 and 1071bs. Troy respectively. Of these 

 the first was found by a native boy in July, 1851, at Meroo 

 Creek, or Louisa Creek, Eiver Touron ; the second was found 

 on 1st November, 1858, at Burradong, near Orange. An m- 

 I cresting account of the more remarkable nuggets found m 

 New South Wales is given by Professor Liversidge.— (" The 

 Minerals of New South Wales," Sydney, 1882, pp. 66-69.) 



Dana, in his Manual of Mineralogy and Lithology,_ p. 115, 

 also informs us that masses of gold of considerable size have 

 been found in North Carolina. The largest was discovered 

 in Cabarrus County; it weighed 28 pounds avoirdupois— 

 (steelyard weight equals 37 pounds Troy.) . . . .In 

 Paraguay, pieces from 1 to 50 pounds weight were taken 



