APPENDIX. 95 



herewith send), which is frequently termed peacock-ore, from the gorgeous play of 

 iridescent hues on the faces, angles, &c. Also, a little carbonate of copper with some 

 spots of black copper ore. At present the lode will yield in places about 1 ton per 

 fathom, and produce from 12 to 16 per cent.* 



3. The extent of these workings is about 80 fathoms in length and 20 fathoms 

 in depth, or " on the course of the incline," at the furthermost point. The men have 

 no regular system of working, but have burrowed in wherever the best spots of ore 

 appeared. The superincumbent earth and rock is supported on props of timber 

 3 feet high : I never saw such holes before ; but the continual sitting on their hams 

 gives the hip and knee joints that suppleness which allows them to work in low places 

 with ease. 



4. The character of the lode throughout indicates that good deposits may be 

 found at a greater depth ; it much resembles many productive lodes I have seen in 

 Cornwall,f especially the Caradon lodes near Liskeord, with the exception of the 

 underlie, which I attribute to the great declivity of the hill, and no doubt it wjll 

 be found greater as the works deepen. The average dip or inclination of the Cornish 

 lodes is about 55° or 60° from the horizon ; but frequently reckoned from the vertical 

 as 2 or 3 feet in one fathom. 



5. I have traced this lode for a considerable distance. At one point about four or 

 five miles west, it was formerly worked on to a small extent, and some ore smelted. 

 The matrix is a little harder. The component parts as aforedescribed, producing 

 some good stones of ore, are, I think, of a little richer quality. 1 have also found 

 three other lodes, only one showing any good indications at the surface, which is 

 about six miles south-east from the present workings : I opened on it a little, and broke 

 some stones containing good copper pyrites ; but the immense jungle is the great 

 impediment to making a minute investigation. In visiting the coal locality, which 

 is near the plains on the Manunda river, I found three small veins imbedded in a 

 compact sandstone, two of which are within a space of 40 feet. The river had 

 undermined a large hill causing a portion to fall, thereby showing a section 100 feet 

 in height and length. I do not put much stress on these small beds of coals, but 

 others of importance may exist. The place is densely covered with jungle, but boring 

 may be resorted to during the dry season. Finding coals would be essential for smelting 

 purposes, transporting the ore would be ruinous. The Manunda river is by no means 

 navigable. 



6. Their present mode of dressing or cleaning, smelting, &c, is rude in the 

 extreme. The first part of their process is to break or crush down the ore on a large 

 stone, which serves for an anvil, and a stick attached to another stone for a hammer or 



* Equal to 4 to 5^ per cent, of copper.— F. E. M. 



t No trustworthy comparison can be drawn between metalliferous beds of rock and true lodes like 

 those in Cornwall.— F. R. M. 



( 95 ) 



