same
species of rocks as cap the heights of l'edrutalagala and other
mountains are found, a few feet above the sea's level, in and about
Point de Galle. The " Felspathic" granite, in which gold in fine grain
is so abundantly found in Australia, is the kind of rock on which the
fort and town of Galle, are built. The clays also which abound in the
neighbourhood of Galle, even below the sea's level. Micose and talcose
schists, border the beds of rivers and canals. So that an eminent
mining engineer like Mr. Hopkins has now sufficient data to appreciate
the golden dreams of Ceylon. By the last mail he was informed of "
Bradley's diggings," and therefore, as he was the geologist consulted
by Government on the discovery of gold in Victoria he will doubtless be
referred to by the Colonial Office for information regarding Ceylon. It
was his particular wish that I should keep him informed in all matters
connected with future Ceylon diggings, which he thought would soon be
heard of from the number of Australian diggers finding their way to
Ceylon. I can only regret that I cannot immediately make an inspection
of the diggings to find out if there is any new feature in the geology
of the district hitherto unknown to the geologist, and I think I may
point out to Bradley and his friends some of the likely sites of
gold-bearing rocks " in situ," from the additional knowledge I have
acquired from Mr. Hopkins since my last visit to the Highlands of
Ceylon.—Believe me, yours truly,
Point de Galle, 17th March, 1854. E. F. Kelaart.
P.
S.—For the information of some of your readers I may as well inform you
that Mr. Evan Hopkins, is the geologist and engineer of the Victoria
Gold Company and was for 9 or 10 years the director of the largest
Peruvian gold and silver mines. He is also the author of the work on
the Electro Polar, or magnetic formation of primitive rocks, which
upsets the doctrine of igneous formation. The mining journal in
reviewing Mr. Hopkins' system of geology observes that " owing to its
practical application to mining, and the satisfactory manner in which
it accounts for all phenomena connected with terrestrial physics it is
becoming an established system with practical men. The interest has
been considerably enhanced of late, owing to the recent discoveries
made by the indefatigable Dr. Farraday, corroborating in a remarkable
degree, Mr. Hopkins' views, as explained in his works."
Another
reviewer says "that the igneous theory, the doctrine of central fire,
has for some time been slowly yielding to other views. All the
phenomena attributed to fire may be produced (according to Mr. Hopkins'
system) by electro-magnetic currents. It is difficult to imagine the
existence of fires un-supplied with the oxygen of the atmosphere."
To
this I may add that since I have applied Mr. Hopkins' views to the
geological structure of the primitive rocks of Ceylon I have less faith
in the doctrine of the igneous formation.
