Wellington Philosophical Society. 449 



Sixth Meeting. Vlth October, 1868. (Adjourned from 6tli October.) 

 The Hon. W. B. D. Mantell, F.Gl.S., in the chair. 

 His Excellency the Grovernor, Sir Gr. F. Bowen, Gr.C.M.Gr., was present. 

 Letter read from His Lordship the Bishop of "Wellington, resigning the 

 office of Vice-President, on account 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 Grolden 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 mercury, 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 ... ... 1,213 4 8 



2nd „ ... ... 89 3 14 



3rd „ ... ... 33 4 



4th „ ... ... Traces. 



Total = 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 4oz. 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. 6 grs. 

 per ton. The proportion of silver in gold, on first amalgamation, was 29'60 

 per 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.B.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 

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