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 0, 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 
