Norman Taylor — The Cudgegong Diamond Field. 445 



from "the Rocky," at Hill's, or the diamond Claim, in the bend to the 

 south-west in the centre of the hill. A short distance to the east of 

 this claim is Ryan's, from which as much as two ounces of gold to 

 the load were obtained, as well as a few diamonds. Crossing the 

 Cudgebeyong Creek, in the bed of which is a horizontally bedded 

 mass of conglomerate (some part of the Carboniferous series, or 

 possibly Mesozoic), we arrive at another basalt outlier. The hill 

 itself is composed of slates, capped with purple conglomerate. A 

 ring-like fringe of basalt surrounds it, leaving the top uncovered ; 

 while between it and the basalt, Tertiary ferruginous cement and 

 drift crop out on the flanks of the hill. The decomposed basalt, 

 from shafts on the north side of the hill, is very full of kaolin. The 

 metamorphic beds crop out again a short distance to the west of this 

 hill. It is difficult to imagine the course taken by the old river from 

 this point ; it could not have gone westerly, as the country consists 

 of high schist ranges, intersected by numerous greenstone dykes, 

 running as usual in the strike of the slate rocks. On the south-west 

 flanks of the " Rocky-ridge " the surface is covered with a wash of 

 drift, which is continuous across the river (here running westward) 

 to the " Horseshoe bend." The late Professor Thomson suggested 

 that the basalt, on arriving at the Cudgebeyong Creek, may have 

 flowed or been backed up by this tributary for some distance. The 

 old junction of this creek with the river was probably near the 

 centre of the "Rocky-ridge." 



The "Horseshoe bend," on the south side of the river, is a semi- 

 circular basalt-capped hill, having its concave side facing the river, 

 and its convex one resting against the side of the purple con- 

 glomerate hill, first mentioned as occurring to the north-west of the 

 " Two-mile-flat." The basalt of this hill, like the others, is under- 

 laid on its north or river side by older drift ; the lead dips into the 

 hill on its western side, but it was not rich either in gold or 

 diamonds. A few diamonds were obtained in the shallow ground 

 of the northern concavity, and the associated gems were larger there 

 than anywhere on the whole course of the lead. A fine example of 

 columnar basalt occurs in a shaft at the south-west horn of the hill. 

 Between this hill and Hassall's fence, on the river, the greenstone 

 dyke, west of the "Two-mile-flat," which disappeared under the 

 purple conglomerate-capped schist hill, again crops out, and crosses 

 the river. Its course is now somewhat altered, both it, and the 

 accompanying band of metamorphic rocks, being thrown a few 

 chains to the west, probably by a fault. From the " Horseshoe 

 bend," in about half a mile south-westerly, we reach Hassall's Hill, 

 adjoining Mr. Hassall's property. These hills are separated by a 

 low schist range. 



" Hassall's Hill," like the " Horseshoe bend," is nearly semi- 

 circular, with the horns flattened inwards so as to form two parallel 

 shoulders, and with its convexity towards the river, — it consists of 

 basalt overlying older drift. The south-west portion of this hill is 

 lower than the north-eastern, the denudation having only left a 

 thickness of about thirty feet of basalt, whilst at the highest part 



