PROCEEDINGS OF GEOLOGICAL SOCIETIES. 



1 t3 



Royal Society of Edinburgh. — At a conversazione held by the Royal 

 Society of Edinburgh, on the 25th February last, specimens, maps, pho- 

 tographic views, and sketches, illustrative of the geology* and mineralogy 

 of Otago, New Zealand, were exhibited by Dr. Lauder Lindsay. They 

 consisted of — 



I. A series of auriferous rocks and deposits, displaying — 1. Their general 

 resemblance to those of all other auriferous countries yet known. 2. "Bed- 

 rock," or met amorphic slates probably of Silurian age ; these slates pro- 

 bably form the geological basis of the greater part of Otago, especially of 

 central mountain-ranges, which vary in height from 5000 to 9000 feet. 

 3. The general resemblance of these auriferous slates to the mctamorphic 

 slates of Lower Silurian age of the Scottish Grampians; from this Dr. 

 Lindsay suggests the probable diffusion of gold in Silurian slates, and 

 in their derived " drifts " or alluvium in Scotland, " nuggets " having been 

 already found, according to his statement, in Leadhills, Tweeddale, Bread- 

 albane, Sutherlandshire, etc. 4. "Drift," of Cainozoic age: named — 

 Upper, consisting of clays, boulder-clays, and " chopped-slate " gravels ; 

 Lower, characterized by lignite beds and associated strata. The gold- 

 mining in Otago is mostly alluvial digging ; in the Auckland [Coromandel] 

 gold-field it is mainly quartz reefing. f The chief auriferous district is the 

 basin drained by the great central Lakes Hawea, Wanaka, and \Vakatip, 

 and the Clutha Sliver, with the feeders or tributaries. The principal works 

 are in the Tuapeka and Dunstan gold-fields, and at the Lindis and Arrow 

 diggings. Auriferous drifts occur also on tributaries, mostly head-waters, 

 of the Mataura [Nokomai gold-field], Tokomairiro [Woolslied], Waipori 

 [Waipori], Shag and Taeri [Mount Highlay diggings], AVaikouaiti, and 

 other rivers and streams in different parts of province, as well as on the 

 coast [Moeraki beach], and in and around the capital, Duncdin [Saddle- 

 hill]. Speaking generally, the greater part of Otago is auriferous, namely, 

 over an area nearly equal to that of Scotland. 5. Minerals associated with 

 gold, or occurring in the auriferous drift — iserine, prevalent and abundant, 

 cinnabar, cassiterite, aquamarine [beryl], avanturine, etc. The predic- 

 tion as to auriferous character of certain New Zealand rocks was made by 

 Rev. "VV. B. Clarke, of Sydney, Government geologist of New South 

 \Valcs, in 1851. Since then, in chronological order, we have Aorere, Col- 

 lingwood, AVangapeka. Buller River, and other diggings ; operations begun 

 ] 854-7: Coromandel diggings ; operations begun 1852 : the discovery of 

 Tuapeka, by Thomas Gabriel Read, 4th June ; proclaimed a gold-field, 

 July ; and first gold-escort, 12th July, 1861 : the Dunstan and Nokomai, 

 proclaimed gold fields 23rd September, 1862 : the New Zealand Gold- 

 fields Act, 1858-60-62 : the Otago Gold-fields Regulations, 7th October, 

 1861 ; amended 27 th June, and 21st July, 1862. In respect to the aurife- 

 rous productiveness of Otago during eighteen months, from the dis- 

 covery of Tuapeka to the close of 1862, the total yield of gold \\;is 

 550,000 oz., of the value of upwards of two millions sterling; probably in 

 the following proportions : — from the Tuapeka gold-field, 360,000 oz. ; 

 Waitahuna, 90,000 oz. ; Dunstan gold-field, 80.000 oz. ; AVaipori, 7,000 oz. ; 

 Woolshcd, 0,000 oz. ; Nokomai gold-field, lliglilav. Lindis. Noernki, ete., 

 7,000: total, 550,000 oz. Towards the close of 1862, the mining popula- 



* Vide chapter on " Geology of OtagO,*' id a lecture on ' The The e ami Power of 

 Natural History in Colonization, with special reference to Otago.' Pamphlet, pp. 30. 

 Dnnedin, January, 1SG2. 



t Vide papers on " Geology of the Otago Gold-fields," and on "Geology of the 

 Auckland Gold-fields," read before Geological Section of British Association at Cam- 

 bridge, October 5, ISGl'. 



