Mines and Mineral Statistics, 
21 
inspection I made oF tho ^[‘Laughlau liiver. Tnunodiately ou 
coming down upon it, tlic Avholc appearance of the surrounding 
country stnick mo very forcibly as giving every indication of an 
auriferous tract. High basaltic lulls border the river on its 
northern side, many of them being perfectly tabh^-topped, from 
the covering of trap still remaining unbroken ; whilst ou the 
southern sidc^ the hills arc more denuded, showing the slates 
outcropping in heavy bars, ' and their sides covered with quartz 
and slate debris. 1 occupied several hours in making an exami- 
nation of tho country, and became firmly convinced of its 
auriferous, but being on horseback, and conse([ueiitly without 
the means of testing the gnnind, 1 was unable to prospect it 
practically, liupiirics wliieli I subsequently made in diflerent 
quarter.s brought a confirmatiou of the opinion I had formed, as 
I ascertained that gold hail been found liere in small ([uantities 
upon several occasions, but from sumo unaccountable reason tlie 
ground has never been fairly prospected. The river l)ringa down 
a fine body of water, and tlierc is every facility for tho work of 
the mines, and it is astonishing that it sliould have remained so 
long untried. On my next visit to l)t>legato I shall endeavour 
to induce some practical miners to fiy the ground. 
IMining at Kiandra is at rattier a low ebb at present ; but still 
the few men who arc working there arc obtaining a lair amount 
of gold. At tlie same time, the yield generally is not siiiliciently 
great to induce any largo number of European miners to face 
the inclement weather which almost continuously prevails iii this 
portion of the Colony. It is to this cause alone that I attribute 
the gradual decrease in the population. Those at present on the 
ground, miners, as well as storekeepers and others, arc men who 
have been on tho spot almost sineo the first days ot the great 
Jviaiidra rush ; aiul though they admit that things are now dull, 
owing to tlio small ]) 0 ])ulation, they still hang on to the place 
with an exjiectation amounting almost to certainty ol better days 
to come. The great thing to which all are now anxiously looking 
to restore tlie falling fortunes of Kiandra is the extensive works 
which are now being carried on at ISew (’hum Hill. This hill, 
like all those on the same side of the river (north) is basaltic, 
the trap ovexdying a great depth of alluvial deposits. A very 
good section sliowing tlie formation oi tlie hill is given by a deep 
cutting at no grout distance from tlie site ot the present works. 
Here the wasli-dirt was worked some five or six ye4irH ago witli 
very payable results, by a large party of miners, by means of this 
large open cutting ; but tho work liad to be given u[) when tho 
cutting, getting deeper into the face of the liiil, became too deej) 
to make the work ])ayablc. This cutting, which is about <>0 _fect 
deej), sliows at thc^ top about 20 feet of ordinary alluvion ^mixed 
with rounded waterworn boulders. Then come some 10 feet of 
