186 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
Amongst tlie articles made from its skin only we liave here 
whips, saddles, bridles, and other equipments ; boots and shoes 
innumerable (which command the admiration of all visitors, 
on account of their excellent workmanship), mill belting, 
&c. &c. 
Silk, too, has been recently introduced into the colony, and 
the specimens exhibited speak very favourably for its perma- 
nent culture. 
But what do our manufacturing friends say to the wools ; 
the beautiful specimens of which, both washed and unwashed, 
merino and alpaca, cannot fail to call forth then' admiration ? 
Lastly, but by no means the least interesting, are the mineral 
productions, of which we can only notice the gold. 
Nothing can be more interesting than the manner in which 
the precious metal is here displayed in every form and stage of 
its production and manufacture. First, we have about fifty 
samples of the various forms in which the gold is found in dif- 
ferent parts of the country.* And side by side with these 
there is an equally interesting collection of earths, illustrative of 
the different deposits which are met Avith in sinking for gold in 
various parts of the colony. 
The depth below the surface at which the auriferous deposit 
is found appears to vary considerably, being in some places 
(Peel River) close to the surface; Avhilst in others (Rocky 
River) it is necessary to penetrate about eighty feet into the 
earth, through soil, clay, basalt (nodular), and soft sandstone ; 
and the “ auriferous drift ” is here found to be six feet thick, 
lying upon a bed of soft granite. 
But the colonists do more than raise and wash their gold, 
as we cannot fail to perceive on leaving the court ; for here 
we haA r e two works of art, valuable not only on account of the 
material in which they are wrought, but also because of their 
exquisite workmanship. 
They consist of a kangaroo and an emu, about six or eight 
inches in height (so far as our memory serves), formed of solid 
Australian gold, and each is moimted upon a kind of pedestal 
or rock of malachite. The workmanship is, as already remarked, 
of the first order, and the same observation applies also to 
other beautiful specimens of jewellery; but our limited space 
again compels us to leave these treasures, and travelling onward 
we arrive at the colony of Queensland, that portion of our Aus- 
tralian settlements to which at the present time the hopes of 
our cotton manufacturers are so anxiously directed. 
That this is a young colony is manifest from the products 
and manufactures which it exhibits. No such beautiful cabinet- 
* One nugget weighs above thirteen ounces. 
