418 Proceedings of the lioyal Physical Society. 



sentative from each mining division, who make the by-laws 

 under which the gold-field is worked. They regulate the 

 size of the claims allowed to each man in a company, and 

 sit in judgment on all land that the Government puts up for 

 sale. If considered auriferous, the Mining Board object, or 

 petition I believe is the form, and it is withdrawn. They 

 are elected by persons who hold a miner's right. I ought 

 to mention, that each man who holds -a miner's right has a 

 right to vote for a member of Assembly, but he must pay 

 one shilling to get himself registered for that purpose under 

 this new Act ; formerly it was not so. I enclose a piece 

 of a leaf from the surveyor's book of one of the Mining 

 Board's by-laws [the leaf was exhibited] ; it will show you 

 the way they regulate the size of the frontage claims. If 

 the sinking does not exceed 220 feet, each man is allowed 

 36 feet of the gutter (lineal feet), and so on in proportion. 

 Frontage claims mean those claims which have so many 

 men's ground along a lead. If a party sink a prospecting 

 shaft and discover a lead, they are entitled to the number of 

 men's ground that are in the party, along that lead, where- 

 ever it goes ; hence the many lawsuits ; as when gold is dis- 

 covered (below ground) it is impossible to tell where the lead 

 comes from, and where it is going to. Besides the frontage 

 system, many mining companies take up block claims 

 (getting leases from Government), which they believe to be 

 auriferous, in as large blocks as they can get hold of with- 

 out interfering with their neighbours, and this is the favourite 

 plan now. 



"The Mining Boards of the different gold-fields manage 

 most of the local legislation, as each gold-field has its own 

 peculiar circumstances which are best understood by local 

 men. 



" The specimens of strata sent were got at the Koh-i-Noor 

 new shaft. They were the only authentic ones I could get." 



[The Hand Specimens sent and exhibited consisted of — 

 1. " Black reef above third rock." — A dark coloured com- 

 pact clay shale. 



