Northern Queensland. 49 



in the thin quartz filaments attached to the planes of foliation 

 in the rocks themselves, retaining a smaller proportion." 

 [Here, again, we have a parallel to what we may see in New 

 South "Wales.] " Rolled pebbles of Sulphide of Antimony and 

 Micaceous and Titaniferous iron are also found in the drift. 



" The depth of the sinking is from five feet downwards though 

 deeper ground exists, which will be left for future trial. 



" Grolden Grully affords metal of a higher standard, more water- 

 worn, coarser, rarely of the specimen class ; it is worked in a 

 ravine, where the depth of the drift is seldom more than eighteen 

 inches. 



" The mining population are working at their present camp, 

 owing to the supply of water being more abundant than else- 

 w T here. Payable gold has, however, been found, and dirt has been 

 stacked in several other gullies along the range ; but no sufficient 

 trial can be made until a rainfall takes place. 



[I have learned from another quarter, more recently than the 

 date of Mr. Daintree's communication, that a satisfactory report 

 has been made by some recent prospectors, and that several hun- 

 dred ounces of gold have been obtained, and that the field is 

 likely to turn out well.] 



" Many years ago," says Mr. Daintree, " you pointed out the 

 Clarke River as a probable gold-field, basing your assertion 

 respecting it partly on the examination of specimens brought 

 down by Augustus Gregory from the junction of that river with 

 the Burdekin. 



" So far as relates to that portion of the Glarke, a limited patch 

 of the Auriferous series is to be found there, but the drifts are 

 so light that it is questionable if payable gold will be met with. 



" Higher up the Clarke two more recent formations prevent 

 these rocks appearing at the surface. 



" I believe the one to be Upper Silurian, the other to be Upper 

 Devonian, such as that on the Star Creek, where Lepidodendron 

 occurs imbedded. 



" On the Broken River — a tributary of the Upper Clarke — a 

 few miners are collecting gold in the so-called Upper Silurian 

 area. In this series the rocks represented are massive Conglom- 

 erates forming natural bars ; thick coralline limestones likewise 

 forming bars ; with red, blue, and grey fissile and rubbly slates. 

 The limestones are full of Corals, imperfect Shells, &c. ; the blue 

 slates also occasionally yield fossils. 



" It is in a ravine at the back of one of these bars (or barriers) 

 of limestone which crosses the Broken River that payable gold 

 has been found ; but as the shale and mudstone are so greatly 

 in excess of quartz, it is doubtful whether there will be profitable 

 employment for the miner, unless the interstratified Conglom- 

 erates prove to be the storehouses of the much-desired metal^ 



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