292 Silver Lead Ores of Kurnool and [No. 8, new series. 



account not difficult of excavation, the stone is easily broken also 

 when first excavated, but hardens much on exposure when it be- 

 comes very tough and difficult to break. 



The ore'occurs variously intermingled with the quartz gangue or 

 in large cubical crystals giving the stone a porphyritic appearance, 

 in other parts of the vein large masses of pure ore entirely free 

 from the gangue are able to be extracted. 



After getting the level of the water in the pit sufficiently low to 

 examine the vein, I caused the pit to be deepened about three 

 feet and the ore from a length of six feet of the vein to be broken, 

 picked and sorted. It yielded 



9 cwt. 3 qrs. of first sort containing by estimation 75 per cent. 



6 „ 0 second do. do. 33 „ „ 



the result after properly dressing therefore would be per fathom 

 9 cwt. of ore. 



The direction of the vein is nearly due north and south towards 

 the south corner, its tendency is more towards the S. E., it has an 

 underlie to the east apparently about 75°, but in places it is nearly 

 vertical, the strings branching out from it incline 30° or 40° only to 

 the horizon. 



Following the direction of the vein as indicated at the well, I 

 found on examining the surface of the rock where it became expos- 

 ed about 600 yards from the pit on the north side of it, a further 

 outcrop of the vein traceable for about 20 yards ; it here consists 

 of little more than the crystal walls varying in thickness from 1 to 

 3 inches ; at intervals of a few feet however there occur numerous 

 holes and which have every appearance of having been made arti- 

 ficially no doubt, and lead ore occurred here and these cavities 

 have resulted from its removal. 



On the south side of the pit I was not able to detect any signs 

 of the vein in the numerous granite hillocks with which the 

 ground is studded near the well, nor in the more elevated hills 

 beyond. 



The site near Gazerpullay at which lead ore was found is about 

 7 miles to the north-east of the village, it lies some considerable 

 elevation on the range of the Nullimulla hills, and is in the midst 



