GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 149 



found running in a perfectly straight line from north- 

 east towards south-west., very nearly in the centre of 

 the plot of ground, as marked by the crimson line reach- 

 ing from A to A in the plan. This hole or excavation 

 is 101 yards from the north-eastern boundary or ex- 

 tremity of the estate, and no other opening or excava- 

 tion has been made between it and such boundary, ex- 

 cept only a kind of ditch, No. 2, similar to No. 1, 

 which has turned up the same kind of red earth, though 

 more mixed with broken quartz and pebbles ; but in 

 this last excavation the vein has not yet been found., 

 owing no doubt to its very insignificant depth, and to 

 its having been made on the brow of a hill, much higher 

 than the position No. 3. 



No. 4 is the first excavation that bears the appear- 

 ance of a shaft, being seventeen feet deep, and is not 

 very regularly timbered for proceeding downwards ; 

 its dimensions are thirteen by seven feet, and near the 

 bottom of it the auriferous vein is finely developed, and 

 is two feet nine inches wide. At the bottom of this 

 shaft, there is a spring of water which appears to be 

 free from any metallic impregnation, and is readily car- 

 ried off by a short adit and deep open ditch into the 

 South Brooks, but at a greater depth than seventeen 

 feet, this water will prove troublesome unless stopped 

 from running into the shaft, which may be readily done 

 as the quantity is not large. Not being provided with 

 any instrument for taking levels, we are unable to say 

 with precision how much the bottom of this shaft is be- 

 low the summit of the hill to the south-west of it, but it 

 must be at least sixty feet, and as the adit and ditch for 



