43 
Several chains to the north indications maybe seen of the continuation of 
the deposit, while about six chains in the opposite direction its southerly 
continuation is disclosed in a small excavation, not large enough, how¬ 
ever, to furnish reliable data as to thickness or quality, or the existence of 
two beds. 
The area of the deposit is quite possibly extensive, and could be ascertained 
by a number of hand bores at a small cost. 
Up to the time of my visit 200 or 300 tons of earth had been taken out, of 
which 150 tons, Mr. Irvine informed me, were sold by him at 35s. per ton 
(not including bags), delivered undried at Climes railway station, 10 miles 
distant. He is prepared to supply any quantity at £2 2s. 6d. per ton, dried. 
Mr. Irvine also informed me that when first mined about nine and a half 
wheat bags of earth weighed a ton, but after drying well in the sun fifteen 
bags were required to make up the same weight. According to this statement 
the water lost by drying one ton of wet earth is equal in weight to five and 
a half bags of dry earth, or -JJ- of a f° n ? or about 37 per cent, of total 
weight. 
Three samples, A, B, C, from the lower bed, all selected by myself, on 
analysis at the Mines Department laboratory gave results as hereunder. 
A was taken at random from a large sun-dried stack in Mr. Irvine’s 
store-room, and B and C from portions of the bed presenting respectively a 
favorable and unfavorable appearance for purity:— 
A (No. 79). 
B (No. 80). 
C (No. 81). 
SiO-2 
• • • • 
85-58 
85-59 
81-31 
ai 2 o 3 \ 
FesOs J 
• • • • 
• • • 
7*52 
8-33 
6-40 
CaO 
• • . , . 
• • • 
*80 
•79 
4-73 
MgO 
• • • 
1*21 
1*18 
1 T9 
Ignition loss at red heat 
... 
4-63 
3-68 
6T4 
99-74 
99-57 
99-77 
Samples D and E, of the opaline silica and the upper bed respectively, 
also selected by myself, after drying at 108° C. gave— 
D (No. 175). 
E (No. 176). 
Si0 2 . 
87*47 
81-57 
A1 2 Os 
2-35 
nil 
Fe 2 0 3 . 
5-08 
11-30 
CaO. 
trace 
trace 
MgO ... 
0-24 
1-74 
MnO ... 
trace 
— 
Ignition loss at red heat 
4-56 
4-92 
99-68 
99-53 
Note .—The numbers in brackets are the laboratory record numbers. 
Neglecting water and volatile matter, the percentages of silica for A, B, 
C, D, and E are, respectively, 89*98, 89*31, 86*84, 91*95, and 86*22. 
The Lillicur earth, the principal deposit in Victoria, contains, according 
to Mr. F. M. Kraush,* about 6 per cent, of alumina and lime, and the 
complete* analysis given hereunder shows that its quality is not greatly 
* Krause, The Tripolite Deposits of Lillicur. Trans. R. Soc. Victoria, Vol. 
XXIII., 1887, p. 251. 
