418 Proceedings of the Itoyal 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petition I believe is the form, and it is withdrawn.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 surveyors 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 allow^ed 
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 v^here 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." 
[Tlie Hand Specimens sent and exhibited consisted of — 
1. " Black reef above third rock." — A dark coloured com- 
pact clay shale. 
