the
point where the first tracings of gold were discovered for a period of
two years, and request that Government take all such private lands as
the gold can be traced on to, as for public purposes the necessary
assessment being defrayed by me, or that the Government do secure to me
the right of digging along and through private lands, until I arrived
at the quart/- reef, paying compensation for any damage, and in the
event of my sticking a payable quartz reef, my reward to be averaged
according to its value, I retaining the right of working the same at
the rate of royalty or duty claimed by the Government of Victoria.— I
have, &c. (Signed) John W. Home.
F. .Saunders, Esq., Assistant Government Agent, Katnapura.
No. 16. Government Agent's Office, Colombo, January 13, 1S60.
Sir,—With reference to your letter No.-----of the 16th ultimo, 1 have the
honor
to annex for your information Copy of one No. 12, dated the 9th
instant, from the Colonial Secretary with its aimexurc. I have, &c.
The Assistant Agent, Katnapura. (Signed) F. K. SaI'MjKRs,
{Copies.)
No. 12. Colonial Secretary's Office, Colombo, January 9, i860.
Sir,—I
have referred to the Queen's Advocate your letter of the jStri ultimo,
No. 818, with its enclosure from your Assistant at Katnapura, relative
to a proposal made by Mr. Home to prosecute a search with the view of
ascertaining if gold in large quantities exist in Katnapura.
I
am now directed to transmit to you copy of a communication received
from the Queen's Advocate in reply to the reference from which you will
observe that he is of opinion that the Ordinance No. 2 of 1863 does not
empower the Government to take up private lands for the purpose of
ascertaining the existence of gold therein.
I
am to add that it would be impossible to concede to Mr. Home the
exclusive privilege of searching within a radius of two miles, and he
must trust to the liberality of the Government to reward him according
to the value of his discovery, if gold should be found by him to exist
in remunerating quantities. I have, &c, (Signed) J. Swan, for Colonial Secretary.
The Government Agent, Colombo.
No. 381. Colombo 31st December, 1S6S.
Sin,—With
reference to your letter No. 589 of the 24th inst. I have the honor to
state that the Ordinance No. 2 of 1863, which enables the Government to
enable the Crown to take possession of private lands for the public
uses, docs not, in my opinion, authorise the taking of private lands
for the purpose of ascertaining the existence of gold therein.
That
Ordinance provides for the taking of private land for an ascertained
public purpose, such taking being shewn to be " necessary for the
public advantage." It is not consistent either with the letter or
spirit of that enactment that the Government should deprive a subject
of his land for the speculative purpose of ascertaining whether or not
gold can be found in it.
I have, &c. (Signed) K. F. MoROAX.
GOLD IN INDIA AND AUSTRALIA. (From the Madras Mail, March
28, 1HH1.) The Government of India in analysing Mr. Brough Smyth's
famous report remarked :—" If we omit the altogether exceptional sample
from Wright's Level which gave 24J oz. per ton, and the picked
specimens from the same workings which gave 25I oz. per ton, we get 88
samples, yielding an average of 1 oz. S dwts. 22 grs. of gold per ton."
That was the result of Mr. Brough Smyth's explorations in the Wynaad
over a period of eighteen menths. Let us compare these, figures with
actual mining results in Australia. The actual yield
