40 NOTES ON GOLD. 
is dissolved by an aqueous solution of _— gas, and precipitated . 
ould, 
by hydro-sulphuric acid. It w however be interesting to see 
whether some or any of pe numerous iri gold-extracting 
machinery or appliances would be able to overcome the difficulty, 
and to treat economically and sige desa these tailings or the 
original ore. That it would be of great advantage both to a 
patentee and the owners of this mine is par 
_ While on this subject I may be permitted to allude to the want 
in this Colony of a mining laboratory, supplied with all the appli- 
ances, not only for examining ores, but for extracting by the most 
approved methods their metalliferous treasures on a large scale. 
Of course such an establishment would be both extensive and 
I have brought here one of the printed circulars issued by the 
celebrated Government Smelting Works of Clausthal, Freiberg, 
and Hisleben, in Germany. This circular gives the price-list for 
extracting different metals, such as gold, “silver, copper, lead, 
bismuth, ‘cobalt, nickel, arsenic, and zinc from their ores, as we 
as for treating Mint and jeweller’s sweep. From this it will be 
seen that the German Government not only makes use of these 
establishments for home purpose, but actually courts for customers 
all over the world. Such an establishment, with a staff of highly 
experienced officers, would soon become a school wherefrom our 
mining managers and metallurgists might issue, and our 
mining industry would thus receive the much-wanted scientific 
basis to work upon in es the great wealth hidden in the 
bowels of this great continen 
2. Preparation of fine eer The e preparation of absolutely pure 
gold, such as is required by assayers, &c., is tedious. The gold is 
dissolved in nitro-muriatic acid, evaporated, largely diluted with 
water to precipitate all silver it may contain, when the ae is pre- 
cipitated i in the filtrate by oxalic or sulphurous acid. Miller’s 
ining process with chlorine gas, by which since 1869 to present 
date, over 720,000 ozs. of silver—more than 20 tons—have been 
extracted in this Mint out of the gold imported, the present quantity 
of silver thus obtained being between 40 and 50 thousand ounces per 
year, the gold is obtained of an average fineness of 99-6-10ths per 
; _ a 
was highly sa satisfactory. I eect here some of Ke gold which has 
been subjected to a series of most carefully co assays, 
compared with fine gold received from the cau of the London 
