88 
Mines and Mineral Statistics, 
several Inindred feet deep tliroiigli basalt, granite, and otiicr rocks, as 
lias been the ease with tlie present Maeintyre Abilley. 
These hills also bear testimony of the vast denudation tlie land lias 
suffered during the pleistocene period. Besides tlie scatteianl outliers 
of basalt now capping the lulls, the graidte rocks afibrd abundant 
evidence of long continued erosion and decay by atmospheric influences. 
The accompanying sketch (fig. 10) is one that I took of some 
reniarkable granite rocks near Middleton, Cope’s Creek. 
The three rocks are together about 20 feet liigdi. A hraneli of a tree 
lias grown against tlie upper one, and appears now to sup])ort it from 
falling. The middle rock (ealculatcd from its measurements) weighs 
45 tons. TJie granite is of the ordinary ternary kind— quartz, felspar, 
and black mica ; the felspar predominating, and the mica scarce. The 
western side (that on the left liand in tlie sketcli) of that rock has a 
smoother surface than that facing to the east. 
The sketelies figs. 11, 12. 13, kindly taken at my request by Mr. 
Licensed Surveyor 1C L. Mnrra3% are of some rocks at the Elsmoro 
Tin iMine. and near Cope’s Creek, These also show in a remarkable 
manner weathering action on granite. Other similar instances are 
fre<[nent throughonl tlie tin-hearing country. 
Tlie^Miow well servo to indicate tlie deplli toAvhieli the snrronmliiig 
rock, of which the}^ once formed ])art, lias been removed by denu- 
dation ; just the little ]nllars sometimes left in earth-cuttings by the 
aiavvics mai'k' ilio dcptli to which tlie surrounding earth has been exca- 
vated. 
In addition to the above-mentioned interesting physical features, the 
facts Avhich the geology of the District of Inverell reveals liavc an 
important economic hearing. 
In the carboniferous formation the finding of coal in some abun- 
dance” lias been predicted. Coal would no doubt be a valuable acqui- 
sition to tills tin-mining district. 
1 have nu'iitioned the discovery of a nninber of diamonds on tlic 
Borah Creek, where I anticipate many more will bo found ; and their 
occurrence in various other parts of the district proA'cs that thc}^ are 
pi'etly widely distributed. Tliere seems but little doubt that they have 
been derived from the older tertiary gravels; and tins is in agreement 
vlth the observations of the late Professor Thomson and Mr. A'orman 
Taj'hir on the Cudgegong Diamond Field. For tlie fullest infor- 
mation, luwvever, on this subject, I would refer to the valuable 
remarks of the Bev. Mr. Clarke on the Histoiy of tlie Diamond in 
Australia and Foreign Countries, in his Anniversary Address to the 
Koyal Society ofiXew South AVales, May, 1872. 
As regards tlie tin-b(>aring resources of this distrid, its future 
prospects arc I consider veiy auspicious. The amount of tin ore 
raised during 1872 was aliont 800 tons. This jdeld would doubtless 
have been larger but for the wet spring season, and the unsteady 
working of the mines consequent on the excitement Avhieh the tin 
discoveries createil. 
Should the wcallier be favoui’able, tlie yield during the present year 
will I belicA'O exee{‘d three times that of the last ; for. in the neighbour- 
liood of Tiengha alnne, I liavc been informed that 50 tons of ore have 
lately been obtained in one week. It is, however, impossible to fore- 
tell accurately what quantity of tin ore may be annually raised. 
