1855.] ODERNHEIMER— PEEL RIVER DISTRICT. 399 



proved the "run of the Hne." My impression is, that it would be 

 found proceeding further to the north-west, under the basalt. 



The shallow bed is found across Pennyweight Flat, Golden Point, 

 and Ballarat Flat, whence I believe it would pass, like the other, 

 under the basalt. It is distinguished from the former by its insig- 

 nificant depth, its width, sometimes amounting to a full half-mile, 

 and its much larger boulders ; and, whilst in the former the gold runs 

 in gutters, here it occurs in patches. 



In conclusion, regarding the future prospects of the gold-field, the 

 diggers will continue, as at present, to follow up the alluvial beds, 

 until after a time they are prevented by the great expense of labour 

 required to reach them ; and then the gold regulations will have to 

 be altered, and companies may be established and go to work in a 

 proper way. It is only then that the deeper beds and the auriferous 

 veins can be fairly opened on with due prospects of success ; but how 

 many changes must take place before this ! Laws, wages, roads, &c., 

 all must change ! 



2. On the Geology of part of the Peel River District in 

 Australia. By Frederick Odernheimer, Esq. 



[Communicated by Sir R. I. Mm-chison, V.P.G.S.] 



Near the Dividing Range of Australia, to the east and to the west, 

 igneous rock and metamorphosed sedimentary rocks prevail, together 

 with breccias and conglomerates, composed of both of the preceding 

 kinds. At a greater distance from the Dividing Range, slates, shales, 

 limestone, and grits, belonging, as it appears, to the older carboniferous 

 system, predominate ; these are much traversed by, or sometimes re- 

 gularly interstratified with igneous rocks, and are overlaid at some 

 distance from the Dividing Range by coal-bearing beds, the age of 

 which is yet a matter of controversy. 



In the Peel District, of which I shall exclusively speak in the fol- 

 lowing remarks, true granite occurs but rarely. By becoming much 

 charged with hornblende, it passes into syenite, and this latter, 

 assuming a fine-grained or compact structure, passes into diorite. 

 Porphyritic rocks appear in diffjerent places, and have either a gra- 

 nitic base-, felspar- and hornstone-porphyry (felsit-porphyr of the 

 Germans), — or a syenitic or dioritic base. Serpentine is also vastly 

 developed, especially on the Crow-land, or east side of the Peel. 

 Trap or basalt is of less frequent occurrence in the Peel District, and 

 is partly in the form of veins, partly intruded between the strata of 

 sedimentary rock and forming beds parallel to the strata. 



In contact with the igneous rocks is a great extent of meta- 

 morphosed sedimentary rocks, especially silicified slate. The silici- 

 fication of the sedimentary rocks is a remarkable and very obvious 

 fact, and vdll nowhere be found to greater amount than in this 

 locality, and all along the Dividing Range ; only in rare cases some 

 insulated masses of soft slate are observed, enveloped in the meta- 

 morphosed rock. Not only has the slate partaken of the silicification. 



