coI^I^Es:po3^x)E!ITOE. 



— • — 



DRIFT DEPOSITS OF IRELAND. 



SiE, — I trust you will give me space to refer to Mr. Kinahan's 

 paper on the Middle Drift-gravels of Ireland in the current number 

 of the Geol. Mag. I should not have noticed it at all, but that 

 some of your readers might have supposed that I admitted the cor- 

 rectness of Mr. Kinahan's statement, that my section of the Drift- 

 deposits in Killiney Bay was incorrect ; or that there is no Up- 

 per Boulder-clay there. On the contrary, I maintain that my 

 section and description (Vol. VIII., p. 294) gives a faithful repre- 

 sentation of the succession and arrangement of the beds, showing a 

 true upper Boulder-clay near the Martello Tower, and Ballybrack 

 Station, with a general basin-like arrangement of the beds. 



Beyond the point where my section terminates, in the direction 

 of Bray, there are, as Mr. Kinahan states, certain local irregularities, 

 the exact nature of which a very hasty visit has not yet enabled me 

 to determine. This part of the section I had not visited at the time 

 I wrote my paper. But whatever their nature, they cannot in- 

 validate the general succession of the Drift-deposits, as stated both 

 by Professor Harkness and myself to be synchronous on both sides 

 of the Channel. Mr. Kinahan cites Professor Harkness's name 

 in support of his statement that there is no Upper Boulder-clay in 

 Killiney Bay. I believe, however, Professor Harkness has not 

 visited this section since my paper was published, and certainly not 

 in my company ; otherwise his opinion might have been different. 



Geological Survey Office, Edwakd Hull. 



Dublin, June 17, 1872. 



AGE OF AURIFEROUS DEPOSITS OF AUSTRALIA. 



SiK, — I am able to communicate some information relating to an 

 important discovery lately made by the gold miners now working 

 at the " Welcome Eush," about four miles south of Glenorchy, on 

 the river Wimmera, which I have no doubt will be regarded with 

 interest by your readers. 



Up to the present time the geologist has had to determine the age 

 of the auriferous drifts of this Colony on such doubtful evidence 

 only as is presented by the lithological character and position of the 

 beds. It is true that fossil bones of marsupials have been found in 

 very recent accumulations covering ivash-dirt, and in some of the 

 deep leads numerous fossil fruits and impressions of leaves, but I 

 think I am correct in stating that no marine fossils have been dis- 

 covered anywhere in Tertiary strata containing gold. 



Marine fossils have been found lately at the "Welcome Rush;" 

 and though they cannot be regarded as throwing much light on the 

 age of the deep auriferous deposits which occur at Ballaarat and 

 Smythesdale, they are nevertheless highly interesting. 



The diggings at Welcome Rush encroach on the Murray Tertiaries, 

 which occupy an area exceeding 26,000 square miles ; and the results 

 of the labours of the miners show that these in this immense tract 

 cover auriferous wash-dirt, but whether in all parts sufficiently rich 

 to remunerate the workmen it is at present impossible to say. 



