23 
the Inkerman lead as far west as Pleasant-street, paid ,£88,118 in divi¬ 
dends. The National lead entered the Inkerman lead from the north, 
under Pleasant-street. The washdirt in places was very rich. To sum up, 
from the alluvial mines over an area of under i\ miles in length, divi¬ 
dends to the value of over a quarter-of-a-million pounds were paid. The 
leads following along the general direction of the lines of reef were the 
richest. Probably very little of the gold in the lead was derived from 
the easterly tributary, Bullock Gully. It therefore seems conclusive 
that this rich deposit of alluvial gold was derived from the denudation 
of quartz reefs in the immediate vicinity, and on the continuation of the 
Sebastopol Plateau belt of auriferous country*. Apart from the attempt 
made by the Emerald Company in 1863, near the corner of Webster 
and Drummond streets, and a few prospecting claims adjacent to the 
cemetery, the reefs, which shed this considerable amount of gold, have 
been left unprospected. Mr. Clinton, the manager of the Ballarat West 
Gold Mining Company—the last company to work near the area—has 
kindly allowed me to examine his plans of the mine, which was situated 
on the eastern side of Hotham-street, north of Mills-stneet. From this 
shaft an auriferous vein, associated with others not proved so, was cut 
about 200 feet west of Drummond-street, but owing to breaking into 
alluvial working, and the company ceasing work, nothing further was 
obtained as to its value or continuity. I was informed that during pipe¬ 
laying operations by the Water Supply, auriferous loams were obtained 
north of the show yards. 
To prospect the area under present conditions offers considerable 
difficulties on account of private property and civic restrictions, but from 
a point immediately north of the railway line> and, say, about 20 chains 
west of the Creswick-road, a suitable site for a prospecting shaft might 
be obtained, from which, at a depth of, say, 100 feet, crosscuts could 
be put out cheaply east and west, and these would, in all probability, 
lead to the discovery of auriferous quartz, the existence of which is hardly 
doubted. 
The following information from the reports of the mining registrar 
may be added :— 
Quarter ending June, 1879—“ On the Cemetery Reef, Ballarat West, 
three claims have been registered, viz., The Albion, Wendouree, and Box 
and Co.” 
Quarter ending June, 1880—“A company known as the Wendouree 
Company, late Box and Partv, obtained from 40 tons of quartz the hand¬ 
some yield of 13J dwts. per ton, which has been regarded as highly 
satisfactory considering the lode is 7 feet wide. The Reporter Company, 
Rogers and Party, Ai and Inkerman Company, Happy Land, and several 
others, are vigorously at work in the same vicinity.” 
Quarter ending March, 1881—“ The Wendouree Companv, Ballarat 
North,, has struck a reef 5 feet in thickness, -showing gold freely, and 
containing large quantities of galena, iron pyrites, &c. The Reporter 
Company, the adjoining claim north, has opened a chamber to cut the 
reef, having sunk their shaft to a depth of 375 feet, passing through 
several leaders dipping west, each gold-bearing, and varying in width 
from 6 inches to 2 feet.” 
Quarter ending 30th September, 1881— cc I cannot report that much 
gold has been obtained by the claims working on the north side of Lake 
Wendouree, viz., The Wendouree, New Essex, and Reporter companies,, 
but they are prosecuting their operations with vigour.” 
\Re-port sent in 27 . 5 .07.] 
