i877-] 
Scientific Notes . 2S3 
volume of over three hundred pages, more than a third of which is taken up 
by Mr. Brough Smyth’s report on the progress made in the Geological 
Survey of Victoria during the year ending September 30th, 1875. Since the re- 
organisation of the department nearly 10,000 square miles of country have 
been surveyed and mapped on different scales, varying from one-eighth of an 
inch to 2 inches per mile, the latter being the scale of the Geological 
Survey, a much more convenient scale, by the way, for working with than our 
own. Besides this, nearly 3000 square miles are being surveyed and mapped 
on scales varying from half an inch to 2 inches to the mile. Perhaps the most 
important work done during the year is the publication of a new and corrected 
edition of the Geographical Scotch Map of Victoria on the scale of sixteen 
miles to the inch, representing all that is known of the geology of that country, 
and a first sketch of a geological map of the whole of Australia on the scale of 
no miles to the inch, in which are given the results of all explorations 
respeding which information is available, from the first discovery of the Conti- 
nent up to the present time. 
Mr. Krause’s “ Report on the Ararat Gold Field ” gives the history of the 
discovery and progress of one of the most celebrated of our modern El Dorados, 
his information being derived from the viva vocc accounts of the few surviving 
pioneers of this gold field. The first “ rush” was made in 1855, and before 
many months a town built of canvas, wood, and even stone, sprang up, which 
gave shelter to upwards of 3,000 souls. A bye-road leads past the place to-day, 
and nothing remains to indicate the former bustling crowd but a few ruined 
stone huts, themselves almost hidden by a thick forest of young gum saplings 
sixteen or seventeen years old. 
Mr. Reginald Murray’s “ Report on South Western Gippsland ” shows that he 
has completed a Geological Sketch Map of the district, which extends over 
3500 square miles. Mr. Howitt has done the same for North Gippsland, and 
the two reports form a most valuable addition to our knowledge of the 
geological structure and mineral resources of this interesting portion of the 
Australian Continent. Other reports follow on the Stawell Goldfields and the 
Kilcunda and Patterson Coalfields. 
The question of the existence of gold in solution in the saline waters of 
mines has received a large amount of attention from the chemists of the 
Department. The employment of native pyrites as a source of sulphur in the 
manufacture of sulphuric acid has also received a large amount of attention, 
but as nearly all the pyrites found in Victoria contain arsenic in notable pro- 
portions, the Melbourne sulphuric acid manufacturers prefer to import native 
sulphur. The part played by particles of organic matter in the formation of 
nuggets has also received attention. A solution of gold terchloride containing 
a piece of rough metallic gold was found by Mr. Daintree, one of the chemists 
of the Department, to have become perfectly colourless. On further exami- 
nation a piece of cork was found floating on the surface, and the piece of gold 
had so much increased in size that it would no longer pass through the neck 
of the bottle. The experiment was repeated with pieces of hammered gold, 
without success, but whenever the surface of the metal was roughened, 
deposition always took place. 
Judging from the “ Mineral Statistics of Victoria ” for 1875, Nos. 11 and 12, 
alluvial gold mining has long ago seen its last days in Victoria, having fallen 
from a million ounces in 1868 to a little over 400,000 ounces in 1875. Quartz 
gold mining seems to be also on the decline, there being a steady decrease 
of 50,000 ounces between the returns of 1872 and 1875, the falling off from the 
previous year being over 22,000 ounces. The number of miners, too, is dimin- 
ishing, having fallen from 58,000 in 1871 to 41,000 in 1875, the alluvial miners 
decreasing the more rapidly of the two. The Chinese miners are following 
suit, but this may be regarded as a blessing. The average earning of each man, 
however,- is on the increase, the figures in 1875 being ^104 as compared with 
Tg3 in 1871, showing that improvements have taken place in the mode of 
working. The deepest quartz mine is at Pleasant Creek, the lowest working 
being 1706 feet below the surface, proving that gold quartz can be worked 
