498 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [Jan. 19 



geological epochs to an historic period . . ., establishing such a curious 

 analogy with the gold- washings of Siberia and their Mammoth bones, 

 and the Cornish stream- works with the bones of the great Irish Elk, 

 &c.," and to believe that the geological parallelism of this and the 

 Siberian auriferous alluvium will be established ; but I regret to say 

 that I fear it will prove rather difficult, inasmuch as the miners do 

 not feel interested in the like pursuits, and naturally overlook, de- 

 stroy, or cast away those samples and specimens which science so 

 highly covets. 



I intend endeavouring to give you in this letter a clear idea of 

 the geological features of this district : namely, its petrographical 

 structure ; the situs of quartz-lodes and veins (the matrix of gold) 

 in schists on the Ranges, from whence arise auriferous gullies, form- 

 ing eventually several auriferous channels (charriages) ; and finally 

 also the different courses of streams and successive auriferous chan- 

 nels, which latter, gradually dipping, attain the Basalt, under which 

 they continue their hidden course. 



By carefully perusing the geological map (PL XY.) and the ac- 

 companying references (pp. 502-3), which I have been at great pains 

 in making (having had to walk over many and many a mile, some- 

 times under a scorching sun and sometimes in the cold and wet), you 

 can see at a glance the truly simple geological structure and history 

 of this " Gold-field " par excellence. 



Now that you have gone over the map, the references, and Synopsis, 

 will you take a walk with me over the field ? It will not tire you ; 

 for I shall at once repair to the highest point on the Redhill Range 

 (40), from whence you have such an extensive view and so inter- 

 esting a geological panorama, that I named the spot ^'Panorama 

 Point." 



The Redhill Range extends several miles south, dividing the auri- 

 ferous gullies in east and west currents, and is the corresponding 

 bluff of the Blackhill Range (21), which continues in a northerly 

 direction, also dividing the auriferous gulhes into E. and W. currents, 

 until it reaches the Dividing Range. The large gap between both 

 bluffs was formed by the destructive influence of the currents when 

 forcing their way through the ridge. 



Before us then, to the north, is the Black HiU (21), with its 

 quartz-lodes and -veins cropping out ; and we stand on the opposite 

 bluff, the Red Hill, where the Golden Point (36) and other quartz- 

 reefs also crop out near its summit. To the N.E. is the Brownhill 

 Range crowned by the Monte-Christo quartz-reef (8), and it was 

 between the Blackhill and the Brownhill Ranges that the Eureka 

 Channel (13) once rolled its really auriferous sands. 



Below us, as already referred to, is the wide gap, the present flat, 

 and at the depth of 200 feet was found the auriferous mainchannel, 

 the Gravel Pits (25), into which ran the aggregate and different 

 channels of Eureka, Canadian (58), and Manpoke (22). 



Almost due E. is the cone of the extinct volcano Mount Warrenheep, 

 towards which extends the auriferous alluvial deposit, hmited in that 

 direction by schist-ranges ; the same which you observe to the S.E., 



