140 
Geology and Physical Geography; 
comparison. It is not an exaggeration to say that there are miles 
in length of auriferous alluviums for every hundred yards of 
worked quartz reef. 
Making full allowance for the fact that the auriferous alluvial 
deposits are the results of the enormous denudation to which the 
Silurian rocks have been subjected, and the disintegration with 
them of an incalculable amount of auriferous quartz ; and further, 
keeping in view that the portions of the reefs so denuded were 
probably richer than what remain ; nevertheless the known ten- 
dency of gold to remain stationary or simply to drop deeper, and 
the fact of so many rich gullies anil leads having been worked up 
to ranges where the quartz reefs still remain practically untested, 
all tend to justify the conviction that there are undeveloped stores 
of wealth in our untried quartz reefs, and in the unexplored con- 
tinuations of those that have been worked, far exceeding in 
amount the yields hitherto obtained. 
Admitting the principle that where there is an auriferous 
alluvial deposit there is likely to be an auriferous matrix not far 
distant, there is an unlimited field for exploration lying open for 
mining enterprise, a field in which — though, as in other undertak- 
ings, failures will be encountered — counterbalancing successes 
will certaiuly reward patient and judiciously conducted search. 
Other Metals. 
Of metals other than gold there are few that do not occur in 
some form or other in Victoria, but although among those, silver 
copper, antimony, tin. lead, and iron have been found in various 
localities in suflicieut quantity to encourage efforts towards work- 
ing thorn, no great successes have been achieved. 
Antimony at Costerfield and Ringwood, copper at Walhalla 
and Bethanga, stream tin in the Beechworth and Upper Murray 
districts, and argentiferous lead ore at Buchan, have been worked 
in some instances successfully, in others have proved failures. 
No doubt iu time our resources will become better developed ; 
hut the fact cannot be gainsaid that iu all metals except gold 
Victoria is far poorer than the sister colonies ; on the other hand, 
her pre-eminence in gold is likely to counterbalance the dearth of 
other metals, and to assure to her for centuries to come a leading 
position as a gold-mining country. 
