11 
compact earthy magnesite, nearly completely soluble in nitric acid. At the top of this outlier, which was 
not a plateau, the stone was much broken, but in large masses, with porcupine grass f Trwdia), and a peculiar 
gum tree with a fibrous bark called here stringybark ( Eucalyptus acmenioidesj , but differing in many par¬ 
ticulars from the stringybark of South Australia. This is said to occur only on the sandstone tablelands. 
At another outlier, two-and-a-half miles to the north-west, the cliffs were of fiery red or purplish red sand¬ 
stone about 50ft. thick, resting on granite, the junction being about 80ft. above the plain. There was 
no conglomerate at the base, but the junction was obscured by fallen fragments of rock. The stratifi¬ 
cation is horizontal, and the joints form a series of lines more or less perpendicular to the plane of strati¬ 
fication. The whole aspect of this formation is very picturesque. Its resemblance to the Iiawkesbury 
sandstones in New South Wales is striking, but it is of deeper red, and there is oblique or cross stratification, 
or false bedding. Ripple marked slabs are very common, and the grains composing the sandstone are 
rounded, and covered with a thin pellicle of ferric oxide. But the strange part of this part of the table¬ 
land is that these outliers are not 200ft. above the plain, and therefore 200ft. at least lower than the gold 
mine at Springhill. Thus the horizon of the metalliferous deposits is considerably above some portions of 
the sandstone tableland. This is, it will be seen, not uncommon in the Territory. 
Attention is also directed to two important facts manifested. One is the thinness of the''capping of 
sandstone on these hills. Next, the stratum of conglomerate of waterworn stones on which it rests. This 
is not a universal occurrence, but it is very common. Lastly, the sandstone rests on granite in this instance, 
and in others on the metalliferous slates. Practically, therefore, this leads to the conclusion that the occur¬ 
rence of desert sandstone is no evidence whatever that it may not be a metalliferous country easily worked, 
in spite of its capping of sandstone or magnesite. 
Brock's Creek*, Bergin's Creek , and (he John Bull , are alluvial and reef mines which are now in the 
hands of Cliinesc. It is impossible to find out from them what they are doing, but a good number of men 
are employed. The country has a very promising appearance. The field is about six miles south of the 
Howley, where the indications are all of the best auriferous character. The history of how these fields 
gradually fell into the hands of Chinese, gives rather a sad instance of what neglect and bad management 
may do to ruin excellent mining properties. I was informed that the workings at the John Bull were allowed 
to become flooded in a shamefully careless way, and the mine rendered unworkable because of the limited 
resources of the proprietors. It may, however, yet be a profitable concern. 
The Stapleton. —I did not visit these gold reefs, which arc not now working. The stone is said to be 
good, and when carting and crushing have been cheapened by the railway these mines will be worked again. 
Beatson's Mine. —About eight miles a little east of south from the line at the Howley is Beatson’s mine, 
where there is a small quartz-crushing mill erected on a ridge about 150ft. above the Howley river. The 
intervening country is low quartz ridges, a little over 100ft. above the plain, with slate in the valleys of a 
hard siliceous character. In all the valleys there have been alluvial workings, and much gold taken out. 
At the mine itself the slate is a kind of chlorite, with much sulphur and iron pyrites. The water is strongly 
impregnated with iron, sulphur, and alum. The country is evidently full of other minerals besides gold, 
showing that the chemical and mineralogical operations of nature have been carried on here on a large scale. 
Lead, silver, gold, copper, tin, zinc, iron, and manganese have all been found in the country near, besides 
granite, porphyry, magnesite, kaolin (very excellent; pure white and soft, but with a trace of lime), and 
tourmaline. At no distant time this will be a great mining district in the north. Beatson’s mine is working 
a lode which has been followed almost perpendicularly for 90ft., keeping a remarkably uniform width of 2Jft. 
It lias been worked for over 200ft. and may extend further in a north and south direction. Mr. Bcatson got 
the mine second hand, and could not give accurate details of its former history, but believes that a good deal 
of gold was taken from the upper part of the reef before it came into his possession. In the commencement, 
before he had the battery, he used to cart the stone twenty miles for crushing, and still it used to pay ; and 
by this means he was able to buy machinery. With all the expenses of labor, &c., the mine paid moderately 
well until they got down into stone full of pyrites which their machinery could not treat. They continued 
the crushing for some time, but the amalgam got carried down into the creek. The tailings gave on assay 
1 r,oz. to the ton, and as these were being put through, the pump got out of order and the work was stopped. 
I he stone latterly has averaged an ounce to the ton. The gold was very good—always up to £3 19s. an 
ounce. ° 
Mount Shoohridge. —About eight miles west of Beatson’s mine there is a series of detached hills, 
the highest probably not much over 300ft. above the plain, or, say, at most 500ft. above 
the I owley. These hills arc for the most part truncated cones. The summits arc covered 
with a thin capping of ferruginous sandstone, horizontally stratified and between 20ft. and 30ft. thick. 
I lie u s t i eniselves beneath the capping are composed of a micaceous slate of beautifully silky lustre, or 
rather the stone appears as if freshly moistened with dew drops. This slate is full of joints, and the stratifi¬ 
cation difficult to make out. The hills arc all connected together by very low ridges with quartz reefs on 
the cres s and sides. On one of the outcrops of quartz, about four miles south of Mount Shoobridge, there 
1S a ^ 0St 1 Sm |ular show of large crystals of mica, black on the edges, but of pale yellow color where not 
weathered, borne of the plates are more than two inches across, and give a dazzling effect when the sun is 
sinning on the stone. There is very little felspar, no iron, but much white quartz, amid which there is a 
fine show ot black tin ore. There are several parallel lodes of this nature, two or three of which have been 
uncovered to the extent of removing about a ton of the ore. This reef was discovered by a miner of the 
name o madden, but it is now owned as a mineral selection by Messrs. Nash & Co. . 
A number of other claims have been taken out on this country which certainly shows very rich tin indi¬ 
cations. Here and there are marks left by prospectors, such as costcening trenches, small pits, a little 
raised stone on the outcrops of quartz lodes. Thus, on a claim of V. G. Solomon’s, there is a small lode 
exposed which shows a little tin, but the work has not been carried more than two feet in depth. But the 
most remarkable “blow,” as the miners term it, is on Cruickshank and Barrett’s claim on a southerly exten 
sion of the same range, but probably a line of lodes much more westerly than those previously described. 
This is a quartz outcrop on a ridge not more than a few feet above the plain. It stands out almost like 
a wall and is perfectly dazzling from the large plates of mica with which it is covered. The stone which is 
exposed is thickly marbled with veins of black tin ore. A little work has been done here m uncovering the 
reef. As far as this has gone there is a very fine show of tin. One block, which lies in the trench, is a 
beautifully rich specimen, containing about a quarter of a ton of ore. It is worthy of being exhibited many 
colonial museum. Altogether, the place is a curiously beautiful mineralogical display. I here are lai ge 
No. 122. 
