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GOLD AND GEMS.
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tight
employment of the precious metal would not only give them better
comforts, but afford employment to many poor. But to pass to higher
matters, the hoarded wealth of rich Natives might immensely stimulate
production, and the arts and manufactures; and above all stave off
famine, and improve the trade of this country with the world, and
indeed of the world itself. For what a derangement of the trade of the
whole world it is that India withdraws from circulation and hoards away
more than one quarter of the world's production of gold. Last year the
world's production of gold was only about seventeen millions-worth ;
and of this India absorbed and withdrew from use between four and five
millions ! Must there be an irruption of barbarians—say a Russian
invasion—to break up and scatter these useless, wicked hoards?—Madras Mail.
NOTES ON AURIFEROUS QUARTZ SPECIMENS FROM BALLARAT.
(From the Ceylon Observer, March 10, 1882.)
This
is a representative collection of quartz, more or less auriferous,
pre-sentel by the Ballarat School of Mines to the representative of the
Ceylon Court. These specimens show the mode of occurrence of gold and
its associated minerals from the district around Ballarat. They are
well worthy the attention of all interested in gold in Ceylon. Ballarat
is situated in the colony of Victoria, one of the richest
gold-producing districts of Australia. The geological formation is
chiefly metamorphic schist or slates of silurian age.
Our Ceylon rocks are metamorphic, in several parts schistose and no doubt of Palaeozoic age.
In
Victoria gold was first obtained from alluvium and then followed its
extraction from the quartz rock. From this colony from 1851-65, no less
than 30422,591 oz. were exported to the value of £121,690,363. This
passed through the Custom-house, and it has been estimated that nearly
4,000,000 oz. were sent away otherwise.
From
1868-78 the gold extracted from alluvium was over 6 million ounce,
while that from quartz was over 6i million oz. There has been a steady
decrease from the alluvial deposits; and from the quartz, the amount
has not increased since 1877.
One nugget found at Ballarat weighed 184 lb. and was valued at ^8,376 10s 6d.
SPECIMENS.
No.
1, 2, 3.—This is a milky white quartz veined over with mispickel
(arseno-pyrites). Free gold is visible as granules and as plates
amongst mispickel. This quartz contains 7 oz. to the ton. The reef is
in metamorphic schist 200 feet from the surface and 1,400 feet above
the sea level. Locality, Owen's river. In No. 2, the gold is more
distinctly visible than in No. I, and in 2 and 3 it is visible but
sparingly.
[Mispickel
(arsenical-iron-pyritesj is of a tin or silver white colour inclining
to steel grey, crystallizing in rhombic prisms. Its composition is
bisulphide and arsenide of iron. Generally from 30 to 36 % iron; 41 to
45 % arsenic and 18 to 21 % sulphur.]
No.
4.—This is a milky white quartz, very compact and less veined with
n.ispickel than the preceding. Cold is distinctly visible. The yield of
this is 1 oz. to the to:i and the reef occurs in metamorphic schist.
Depth 1,120 feet at 293 feet below sea level. Locality, Stawell.
No.
5.—Dirty white quartz of great specific gravity, full of iron pyrites
which crystallizes in cubic form and faces often striated and of a pale
brass yellow color. Note the difference between this pyrite and the
former mispickel. No gold is visible. It yields 15 dwt. to the ton
taken from a depth of 300 feet at an elevation of 1,600 feet above sea
level. Locality, Gordon.
28
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