﻿526 
  Proceedings. 
  

  

  aiDpear 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  band 
  of 
  ore, 
  but 
  on 
  at 
  least 
  three 
  different 
  ones, 
  

   and 
  the 
  author 
  thinks 
  it 
  probable 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  yet 
  another. 
  

  

  The 
  surface 
  prospecting 
  has 
  been 
  attended 
  with 
  exceptionally 
  good 
  

   results, 
  rich 
  deposits 
  of 
  ore 
  having 
  being 
  traced 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  ; 
  

   and 
  on 
  visiting 
  the 
  mine, 
  the 
  author 
  could 
  not 
  but 
  form 
  a 
  favourable 
  opinion 
  of 
  

   the 
  mineral 
  wealth 
  occurring 
  on 
  D'Urville 
  Island. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  

   prospects 
  of 
  the 
  mine 
  look 
  most 
  encouraging, 
  and 
  had 
  it 
  not 
  been 
  that 
  a 
  

   tunnel 
  had 
  been 
  put 
  in 
  to 
  intersect 
  the 
  ore-baud, 
  and 
  had 
  failed 
  to 
  cut 
  it, 
  

   one 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  led 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  most 
  extravagant 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  wealth 
  

   which 
  would 
  accrue 
  to 
  the 
  shareholders 
  in 
  the 
  speculation 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  tunnel 
  

   proves, 
  what 
  has 
  freq[uently 
  been 
  demonstrated 
  elsewhere, 
  that 
  ore 
  deposits 
  

   in 
  serpentine 
  are 
  not 
  as 
  continuous 
  and 
  well-defined 
  as 
  the 
  poorer 
  lodes 
  

   which 
  occur 
  in 
  sedimentary 
  deposits. 
  This 
  fact 
  points 
  to 
  the 
  necessiiy 
  of 
  

   keeping 
  exploratory 
  workings 
  well 
  ahead, 
  and 
  even 
  closer 
  attention 
  will 
  

   have 
  to 
  be 
  paid 
  to 
  this 
  class 
  of 
  work 
  here 
  than 
  in 
  ordinary 
  metalliferous 
  

   mines. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Hector 
  remarked 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Cox 
  had 
  not 
  specified 
  the 
  vahie 
  of 
  the 
  ore. 
  When 
  pure, 
  

   cuprite 
  contained 
  about 
  89 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  metalHc 
  copper, 
  and 
  copper 
  glance 
  about 
  79 
  per 
  

   cent. 
  ; 
  but 
  tlie 
  valae 
  of 
  the 
  ore 
  raised 
  a.t 
  D'Urville 
  Island 
  at 
  present 
  was 
  about 
  £11 
  per 
  

   ton. 
  He 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  serpentine 
  belt 
  could 
  be 
  traced 
  at 
  intervals 
  from 
  D'Urville 
  

   Island 
  to 
  Nelson, 
  and 
  thence 
  through 
  the 
  ranges 
  to 
  Jackson's 
  Bay, 
  v/here 
  Mr. 
  Macfarlane 
  

   had 
  noticed 
  its 
  occurrence, 
  and 
  from 
  this 
  point 
  it 
  split 
  into 
  two 
  belts. 
  He 
  also 
  referred 
  

   to 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  copper 
  ore 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Island, 
  and 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  copper 
  of 
  Great 
  

   Barrier 
  Island 
  was 
  probably 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  formation, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  relations 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  

   are 
  more 
  obscured 
  by 
  newer 
  formations 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  South. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Travers 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  unfortunately 
  had 
  considerable 
  experience 
  of 
  the 
  patchy 
  

   character 
  of 
  ore 
  deposits 
  in 
  serpentine, 
  having 
  been 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  worked 
  the 
  Dun 
  

   Mountain 
  ore. 
  His 
  advice 
  was 
  to 
  take 
  all 
  the 
  copper 
  which 
  could 
  easily 
  be 
  found, 
  and 
  

   not 
  to 
  sink 
  any 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  capital 
  in 
  trying 
  to 
  open 
  up 
  regular 
  mines 
  in 
  such 
  uncer- 
  

   tain 
  deposits, 
  as 
  the 
  ore 
  occurred 
  merely 
  in 
  bunches, 
  which 
  were 
  disconnected, 
  and 
  which 
  

   appeared 
  only 
  to 
  occur 
  on 
  the 
  surface. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Waterhouse 
  was 
  glad 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  information 
  conveyed 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Cox's 
  paper. 
  He 
  

   had 
  some 
  experience 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  in 
  South 
  Australia, 
  and 
  quite 
  agreed 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Travers' 
  

   remarks, 
  and 
  he 
  would 
  be 
  surprised 
  if 
  the 
  D'Urville 
  Island 
  copper 
  mine 
  paid 
  in 
  the 
  long 
  run. 
  

   He 
  did 
  not 
  consider 
  that 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  rich 
  specimens 
  of 
  copper 
  being 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  

   mine 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  guaranteed 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  the 
  undertaking, 
  for 
  there 
  were 
  innumerable 
  

   instances 
  in 
  South 
  Australia 
  where 
  quite 
  as 
  rich 
  specimens 
  were 
  obtained, 
  but 
  no 
  induce- 
  

   ments 
  offered 
  to 
  open 
  up 
  mines 
  with 
  reasonable 
  prospect 
  of 
  success, 
  as 
  where 
  the 
  ore 
  was 
  

   patchy, 
  and 
  the 
  country 
  hard, 
  these 
  deposits 
  never 
  turned 
  out 
  well. 
  He 
  stated 
  that 
  

   copper 
  which 
  would 
  pay 
  to 
  work 
  in 
  England 
  would 
  not 
  do 
  so 
  in 
  the 
  colonies, 
  but 
  that 
  to 
  

   prove 
  a 
  success 
  here 
  the 
  following 
  were 
  necessary 
  : 
  — 
  1st. 
  The 
  ore 
  must 
  be 
  near 
  the 
  sea. 
  

   2nd. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  in 
  very 
  large 
  quantity. 
  3rd. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  in 
  soft 
  country, 
  where 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  

   worked 
  with 
  comparative 
  ease. 
  He 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  only 
  mines 
  in 
  South 
  Australia 
  

   which 
  have 
  paid 
  have 
  been 
  those 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  started 
  without 
  any 
  capital, 
  instancing 
  

   the 
  Bulla 
  Bulla 
  and 
  Moonta 
  mines, 
  &c., 
  which 
  j'ielded 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  ore 
  from 
  the 
  

   very 
  first, 
  and 
  were 
  in 
  soft 
  ground, 
  and 
  stated 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  mines 
  which 
  were 
  in 
  hard 
  

  

  