646 ME. G. ATTWOOD ON AUEIFEEOTTS TEACTS OF 



At the south-east end of the Section numerous quartz-outcrops are 

 found, varying from 6 inches to 5 or 6 feet in thickness, and the 

 surface is more or less covered with pieces of broken quartz. 



Good crystals of schorl were found in some of the detached pieces 

 of quartz. The majority of the outcrops show very hard, white 

 quartz and scarcely any pyritic matter. One promising quartz-vein 

 was opened on and named the Elliot lode. It was proved for about 

 500 feet in length and over 60 feet in depth ; the strike was nearly 

 north and south, and the dip varied four times in 60 feet, and 

 eventually went off to the west, at an angle of about 65 degrees. 



JN^ear the surface the wall-rocks of the lode were much decom- 

 posed and not well defined ; but from 30 to 60 feet below the surface 

 they were found to be hard and compact, well defined, and to 

 consist of mica-schist, highl}^ quartzose. Free gold was found in 

 most of the vein-stone, accompanied by arsenical and iron-pyrites, 

 and occasionally a little copper-pyrites. 



The micaceous wall-rocks were found to contain small quantities 

 of gold, whilst the vein-matter itself was rich in gold. The gold 

 was not always found in the quartz itself, but frequently in the 

 cleavages — the latter being more or less filled with iron- and arsenical 

 pyrites. Under the microscope the gold grains obtained from 

 washing the pulverized quartz showed crystalline forms, but not 

 perfect, and the grains were covered in most cases with a coating of 

 siliceous matter, sometimes highly ferruginous, but often almost free 

 from iron-oxides, and frequently quartz-crystals were observed firmly 

 attached to the gold-grains by the siliceous coating, and also in the 

 crevices, or held by claw-like gold protuberances. 



In ancient times the Elliot lode was worked extensively, and 

 the old workings were found to extend several hundred feet in 

 length by some 55 feet in depth. With the exception of a few 

 pillars of quartz to keep the walls from closing in, all the vein-stone 

 had been taken away by the ancient miners, and the space filled up 

 with waste rock. The mine was discovered by an accident, as all the 

 workings were filled up close to the surface and that covered with 

 vegetation ; a depression on the top of the hill led to work being 

 commenced and to the discovery of the ancient mine. 



The quartz-rock was very hard in the lower portion of the mine, 

 and the old miners must have had considerable difficulty in breaking 

 it up. Human remains and pieces of charcoal were found in some 

 of the old workings*. It is probable that the old miners used 

 charcoal fires and then water to decompose the rock before breaking 

 it with their tools. Large heaps of waste quartz-fragments were 

 found near the water-springs in the ravines, some hundreds of yards 

 from the mine, and gold was found in most of the ravines by washing 

 the sands and alluvium. 



On the hill near the mine, wherever the exposed rock-surfaces 

 were hard and compact, the natives had made holes to act as mortars 



* Mr. J. C. Butterfield and Capt. Thos. Kitchen found the boue? and char- 

 coal after inr departure. 



