Notes on the Gold-field of Ballarat, 413 



escape the fourth rock, and would save much expense, as 

 rock blasting at such a depth costs a great deal. If they 

 were to sink at C, they would escape two rocks, but would 

 have farther to drive, and might be troubled with want of 

 air. My sketch will show you that where four rocks exist, 

 the fourth is filling up some high-sided gulley in the 

 ancient river bed ; and the third even may be so too, or the 

 second, as the case may be. These claims, or mining com- 

 panies already referred to, are all on very deep leads, in 

 fact, the main lead, as it is supposed to be, the Eepublic 

 excepted, which is on the Inkerman gutter, and is, to use a 

 mining phrase, shallower ground. In these gutters the 

 water is still flowing with a slow but perceptible current. 

 The gutter is always richest in gold where the reef at each 

 side slopes up. If the course has not been worn much 

 down below the old level of the country, the gutter or lead 

 is not so rich, as one can easily understand. This would 

 seem to indicate clearly that these gutters are the receptacles 

 for the gold which has rolled down into them from the 

 quartz reefs and veins which they have intersected in their 

 course. The soft slaty surface has been easily worn into 

 water- courses, and, doubtless, heavier rains at one period 

 than prevail now would wear down the surface very fast. 

 The wash dirt consists of quartz, gravel, and sludge from 

 the reef. You mention having seen a piece of petrified 

 wood from one of the Ballarat gutters. We sent some 

 home to Dr Smith by Mr Laidlaw, which you can see. And 

 this morning I walked up to the Koh-i-Noor claim, and 

 got a few specimens of lignite, of which there are a good 

 many among the wash dirt. They are very nice specimens, 

 and show the texture of the wood, which I think has been 

 gum, just the same timber that grows here now. 



"No one knows yet whether the two main leads of Ballarat, 

 the Golden Point and the Inkerman, trend south or west ; 

 and each theory has its warm advocate in exact proportion 

 to the amount of interest that said advocate has in claims 

 through which he expects either lead to come. Golden 

 Point, where last worked, is heading south ; the Inkerman 



