Wellington Philosophical Society. 449 
Srxta Merrine. 12th October, 1868. (Adjourned from 6th October.) 
The Hon. W. B. D. Mantell, F.G.S., in the chair. 
His Excelleney the Governor, Sir G. F. Bowen, G.C.M.G., was present. 
: Letter read from His Lordship the Bishop of Wellington, resigning the 
office of Vice-President, on aecount of his being about to leave the colony. 
Before proceeding to the papers for the evening, Dr. Hector exhibited 
some geological specimens, including two from “The Golden Claim,” 
Thames District. First, vein rock, highly pyritous, which had been 
analyzed in the laboratory, and showed the following results :—First sample, 
pulverized very finely and roasted, yielded on extraction, with mereury, at 
the rate of 683 oz. 16 dwts. per ton. A second sample of the same rock, more 
pyritous than the first, yielded to mercury, when finely pulverized, but not 
roasted, proportionally as follows to the several amalgamations :— 
oz. dwts. grs. 
1st amalgamation si 4c AME eB 
2nd » E ar 89 3 14 
3rd x di SR ja 93 4 0 
4th A T vis Traces. 
Total be 1,335 11 22 per ton. 
When at last only traces of gold could be extracted by mercury, the 
- whole of the residue from these amalgamations was dried and well roasted, 
and the amalgamating process again repeated, when a very white alloy was 
obtained, consisting mostly of silver, in the proportion of 4 oz. 11 dwts. 9grs. 
to the ton. 
These results show plainly that all the gold is in a free state, and also 
that a portion of the silver present is in combination, and most probably 
with sulphur, the effect of roasting being to decompose, and so render the 
silver amenable to the affinities of mercury. 
The second specimen was a felstone, a portion of the bed rock in which 
the above vein stone was found. It has not been hitherto valued by the 
miners, but analysis showed it to contain at the rate of 53 oz. 16 dwts. 6grs. 
nd ton. The proportion of silver in gold, on first amalgamation, was 29:60 
cent. 
Several other geological specimens were laid on the table, including 
samples of siliceous deposit from the Waiotapu Springs, pyritous quartz, and 
part of the gold obtained by Mr. Groves when prospecting in this province. 
1. “A further Notice of the Earthquake Wave," by James Hector, 
M.D., F.R.S. (Transactions, p. 42.) 
The author recapitulated some of the facts already explained at previous 
meetings, and added some interesting particulars received lately from other 
localities, his object being to place on record all the particulars obtainable of 
57 
