EEGENT COPPER-EXTRACTI^a PEOCESSES. 145 



bugbear, the smelting establishment ; and men have been 

 frightened even to ascertain what wealth they possessed, for fear 

 of being induced to ruin themselves by turning smelters. Now, 

 however, in the far interior — in places removed hundreds of 

 miles from centres of civilization — any man possessing ordinary 

 intelligence may commence by amusing himself with small 

 experiments, having for his stock-in-trade in starting, a pick and 

 shovel, a pestle and mortar, an iron kettle, a few tubs, and suffi- 

 cient ingenuity to build himself a small furnace for roasting 100 

 lbs. weight of ore. He will want also a fair stock of determina- 

 tion not to be beaten until he has made a pound weight of 

 cement copper ; and after he has succeeded he will probably 

 enlarge his work sufficiently to admit of the production of half a 

 hundredweight of copper, and ultimately half a ton at a time. 

 There are, no doubt, many who will break down at the first onset, 

 and give it up ; but I should be doing Australians an injustice 

 did 1 not believe that many will persevere until they have 

 mastered all obstacles. 



No attempt has been made — and, indeed, it would be beyond 

 the limits of this paper, to enter into minute details ; but suffi- 

 cient outline has been given to enable the earnest man of 

 progress to supply the rest. The thirst for starting metallurgic 

 work, on an inexpensive scale, is increasing, not only in this 

 country, but in every country ; but the avenues for obtaining 

 preliminary information for making a start are few and insuffi- 

 cient. 



In the preparation of this paper I have been encouraged by 

 the hope that it will lead in many cases to experiments on a 

 small scale, which will develop into industries of importance. 

 This I shall esteem my best reward for any trouble 1 may have 

 taken in directing attention to this subject. 



