1856.] ANSTED COBRE LODE. 149 



disturbed, and there remains so little of the original gossan to exa- 

 mine, that the real characteristics of the gossan and crop can only be 

 made out by close investigation. It would seem, however, beyond a 

 doubt, that the appearances must originally have been very re- 

 markable, consisting of an enormous breadth of ferruginous earthy 

 mineral, much of it of a bright vermilion colour, very soft and easily 

 removed, and containing, at various depths, down to sixteen or 

 seventeen fathoms, so large a per-centage of black oxide of copper 

 in a powdery state, that this mineral alone, for a long time, was 

 obtained by simple digging, and sold at a low price to the original 

 proprietors of the Cobre mine. With the black oxide, there was, 

 however, a considerable quantity of red oxide, and of blue and 

 green carbonates, crystals of great beauty having been frequently 

 obtained ; whilst, in any hollow space that might exist, or be left 

 after superficial workings, large stalactitic masses of sulphate of 

 copper accumulated. As a specimen lode, however, the Cobre has 

 long ceased to exist, though singularly large and perfect crystals of 

 iron pyrites are still not unfrequently met with, and sulphates might 

 be found in abundance in neglected workings. 



The whole of the ground to the depth above stated (sixteen 

 fathoms) appears to have been largely impregnated with copper ; but 

 down to that level, sulphurets of the ordinary kind were either not 

 found or were partly decomposed. This at least appears to be the 

 recollection of those who saw the mine in its early stages, and it is 

 well known that the yield of the ore was then very high, and the 

 supply chiefly oxide. 



Below sixteen fathoms, however, the gossan appears to have ter- 

 minated, passing down at once into valuable and solid sulphurets, 

 occupying a large breadth of some part or other of the wide space 

 of orey ground which was still traceable, and which ranged between 

 what were called the north and south lodes. A section across this 

 part of the lode shows it to consist of three courses of ore, the 

 northernmost of large size, though variable in width, underlying to 

 the south, and especially rich at moderate depth ; the middle less 

 regular and less valuable, and diminishing as it goes down, though 

 generally traceable ; and the southernmost, smaller and less regular 

 than the northern, but still a steady course of ore, rather improving 

 in depth, and nearly vertical. Between these, not only is the ground 

 generally mineralized, but pockets and bunches of rich ore have been 

 so often met with, that every part of the space is worth exploring, 

 while many bunches of ore have been found outside the walls both 

 of the north and south courses of ore. 



Heaves and Cross Courses. — The north course of ore has been 

 affected by several small heaves, some of which have not reached the 

 south course. The north course also, about the middle of the rich 

 ground, has apparently possessed the largest and richest branch of 

 ore yet found. All the heaves and cross courses dip west, ranging a 

 little east of north and west of south ; and the great north course of 

 ore dipping south, while the south course is vertical, there would 

 thus appear to be a tendency in the orey parts of the lode to unite 



