Mines and Mineral Statistics. 
89 
The vahmhlo deposits of stream tin M’liicli hotii the recent and older 
tertiary formations contain will no doubt fake many years to work 
out; and those deposits which, at tlie price of labour and with 
the present imperfect a])pliances for oxtractiiiir the tin ore, will not 
now pay to nork, will doubtless be developed in the future. 
The tin lodes as yet discovered have been described as having 
characters identical Avitli those of the lodes of GornwalL This fact 
alone slionld encourage the enterprise of prospectors, and must also 
give assurnm-e of the permanency and importance of tin-mining in the 
district of Inverell. 
i\nd seeing that the district I liove endeavoured to describe (tliat 
witliin a radius of '25 miles from Inverell) forms but a small portion of 
the'stanniferous country of New youth Wales and Queeuslaud, we 
niay readily conceive the future maguitude which the tin-mining 
industry in these Colonies is destined to attain : indeed, the annual 
yield from tlie Australian tin mines is, even at the present time, about 
cfpuil to half that of all the old tin-mining Countries combined. 
During 1113' examination of tliis district, I collected characteristic 
specimens of all the rocks and minerals (ospecialJ3^ of the tin ores) 
mentioned in tliis Deport, and I have arranged them in the Geological 
Aluseurn of the Crown Lauds Olliec. yome of them it would he well 
to have aual3'zed. 
In such an important mining Country as New South Wales is now 
becoming, a Government laboratory AA'Ould doubtless be of groat 
advantage; b}" contributing knowledge of tlie value of our mineral 
resources, it would materially promote the mining interests of the 
Colon3\ 
COPPER. 
CoysiDKiiTNG the number and extent of the copper lodes in this 
Colony, it is surprising that so small a quantity of ore has been 
raised and treated. It is, however, gratifying to find tliat the 
attention of capitalists is now being attracted to this branch of 
mining, and it is to be hoped that not only will a great number 
of lodes be developed, but that the facilities for selling or treating 
the ores Avill be largely increased. If a demand for copper ore, 
at a fair price, were created, many' of our miners Avho do iiot 
possess the means of erecting smelting Avorks of their own Avouhl 
turn their attention to copper-mining, and Avould find profitable 
employment. In many of our lodes other metals are found Avith 
the copper, and if the whole of these could be separated and 
saved by an inexpensive process, the profits deri\md from our 
copper mines would be largely augmented. It is quite possible 
that many of our copper lodes in remote districts, though knoAvn 
to contain rich ore, will remain unAvorked for some time to come, 
owing to the cost of bringing the ore to market, unless the 
necessary capital can be procured to erect smelting Avorks in the 
locality, but there are large tracts of cupriferous country through 
