422 



Chronicles of Science, 



[July, 



The produce of gold for the month of February, 1870, being 

 according to the Mineral Inspector's Keport, as follows : — 



District. 



Sherbrooke . . 

 Tangier .. 

 Oldham 

 Waverley 

 Renfrew .. 

 Musquodoboit 

 Uniacke .. 

 Wine Harbour 

 Isaac's Harbour 



Gold yield. 



Quartz crushed 

 (Colonial weight). 



oz. dwt. gr. 



tons. 



309 



694-03 



135 7 20 



88-00 



104 7 14 



200-07 



78 7 



141-00 



71 2 



223-10 



52 5 21 



73-10 



47 2 4 



105-00 



28 7 12 



100-10 



2 11 15 



3-10 



Mr. E. Brough Smith reports that the total quantity of gold 

 raised in Victoria in 1869 was 1,544,757^ ounces, and of this there 

 were exported 1,340,838^ ounces. The total imports into England 

 of Australasian gold in 1869 were of the value of 7,892,757£. 

 Since 1858 the imports have been as follows : — 





£. 





£. " 



1858 



. .. 9,064,763 



1864 



. .. 2,656,971 



1859 



. .. 8,624,566 



1865 



. .. 5,051,170 



1860 



. .. 6,719,000 



1866 



. .. 6,836,674 



1861 



. .. 6,331,225 



1867 



. .. 5,801,207 



1862 



. .. 6,704,753 



1868 



. .. 6,989,594 



1863 



. .. 5,995,368 







The increased returns of the last three years were due to the 

 opening of new gold-fields in Queensland, South Australia, and 

 New Zealand. 



Metalluegy. 



Mr. Spence, of Newton Heath, Manchester, has patented a new 

 process of separating copper from ores. He takes the solution of 

 chloride of copper as now obtained in extracting copper from ores 

 (by the wet process) which contains iron in variable proportions, 

 and generally contains free hydrochloric acid. This solution he 

 places in large open vats, and in another vessel of cast iron, fitted 

 with a revolving stirrer, he places a considerable quantity of the 

 vat waste of the alkali manufacture, or the spent lime from the gas 

 purifiers, and to this is added a solution of sulphate of ammonia, or 

 chloride of ammonium. The vessel or still being closed, a jet of steam 

 of from 20 to 30 lbs. pressure is blown into the mixture. Sulphide of 

 ammonium distils over, and is conveyed by a pipe into the vat con- 

 taining the metallic solution of copper and iron, by which sulphide 

 of copper is precipitated, and the ammonia combines with the 



