1871.] STEPHEN — NEW GOLD- AND TIN-DEPOSITS. 43 



" 1. That of gold on the banks of the Kiver Bonde' on the N.E. 

 coast of Neiu Caledonia. It was discovered by a party of four 

 men (two being Australian miners), in consequence of a splendid 

 reward offered by the French Government in the island for the 

 discovery of a gold-field. The head of the party brought up 

 to Sydney about 2| tons of auriferous drift which was highly 

 charged with very fine, almost invisible, gold-dust ; and having 

 seen my two patent machines he offered me one-fifth of their 

 grant of 500 hectares for a ' plant ' of the machines and steam- 

 engine. Accordingly I accepted the offer, having ascertained from 

 the Master of the Mint that the auriferous drift contained about 16 oz. 

 to the ton ! And my son, who is now in the island Avatching over our 

 interests, finds my expectations quite confirmed, and predicts a 

 fortune and the near proximity of a quartz ' reef,' having recently 

 found a small quartz -boulder studded with coarse r/old. 



" I shall be much surprised if they do not shortly find the ordinary 

 quartz-veins, and of great richness, as the micaceous sandstone 

 containing three fourths of the gold they are getting at present bears 

 evidences of being the debris and sedimentary deposit of rich gold- 

 bearing rocks. 



" No. 2 discovery is the veiy recent one of what I believe to be an 

 enormous deposit of tin- ore, in pepitas, crystals, and beds of con- 

 glomerate, and especially in micaceous granite, more or less decom- 

 posed. Small specimens I send you herewith by a Sydney merchant 

 (Mr. Ed. Chapman), who proceeds 'overland' from India, and can 

 only burthen himself with a tiny parcel. I promise myself the gra- 

 tification of sending to the Geological Society some large specimens 

 by the first eligible opportunity. 



" The centre of this deposit (which extends at least some miles) is 

 about 29° 40' S. latitude and 151° 20' E. longitude, being in the 

 district of New England, and about 15 miles E. from the township 

 of Inverell on the borders of the Macintyre Eiver. The country is 

 granitic, with whinstone. 



" I had long ago heard from a correspondent of this tin-deposit 

 having been discovered by a shepherd, but did not believe it was 

 of such prodigious value as I now know it to be. I shall probably 

 visit the locality shortly, and will then give a more detailed account 

 of a discovery which I believe will sensibly affect the markets of the 

 world, as regards this most useful metal. 



" By assay the ' peroxide ' proves to be very rich in metal, about 

 75 per cent." 



Discussion. 



Mr. D. EoEBES stated that in 1859 he had placed in his hands some 

 specimens of granite from the district the discovery of tin in which 

 was announced by Mr. Stephen, and that he found them to be per- 

 fectly identical with the stanniferous granites of Cornwall, Spain, 

 Portugal, Bolivia, Peru, and Malacca, which he bad also examined. 

 These granites were all composed of white orthoclase felspar, 

 colourless or black Muscovite mica, and quartz. He was not aware 

 that tinstone (cassiterite or oxide of tin) occurred anywhere in 



