The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-10 00:00:00

GOLD MINING IN WALES.

At a meeting of the British Association, Mr. T. A. Read-
win, F.G.S., read a paper " On the gold .bearing strata of
Merionethshire." He said that at Manchester last year he
read a paper before the geological section to show the pro-
bability of gold seeking in the Dolgelly district being at no
very remote date of commercial value. In order to test
the accuracy of his former experiments he had employed
for several months past in a laboratory on the mountains
an eminent analytical chemist, whose assays be would
now give. The rocks were of the Cambrian and Lower
Silurian series, forming a junction in a very sinuous
course, and cut through very frequently by narrow
banks of porphyritic greenstone. The metalliferous veins
had a general bearing N.E, and S.W., with an underlie
to the north, the strata dipping generally south. One
mine had in it 20 strong metalliferous lodes. One very
remarkable junction of about 14 lodes was 40 feet wide,
and the whole of this mass of lode stuff con-
tained more or less gold. A large number of assays he re-
cently had made gave from 3 to 19 dwts. of gold to the ton
of quartz. Picked specimens gave as much as 16 ounces to
the ton, and more than 700 ounces of gold was taken from
about 300 tons of minerals from all parts of the mine. He
then gave descriptions of various other mines with their
yields of gold, and said that by the use of proper machinery
there could be no doubt whatever of an average of 8 or 10
dwts. of gold to the ton. paying a large profit, and thus
opening a branch of industry of vast importance to the
country. Mr. Readwin exhibited a bar of gold weighing 37
ounces obtained from the quartz in one of the mines, and
several articles of jewellery made from pure Merionethshire
gold.
Professor ANSTED said the existence of gold in this coun-
try was well known to the Romans and the native islanders
before them. They both obtained large quantities of pre-
cious metal in their day, and in Ireland also the Romans
had found gold. We had therefore once had our "diggings"
as well as the people of Australia and New Zealand, but it
was only within the last two years that an interest in the
gold mines of Wales had been revived by the discovery of
remarkable veins containing large quantities of gold.
Professor SEDOWICK said that Humboldt's theory was
that all good-bearing veins ran north and south, and the
veins in question did not appear to deviate far from that
direction ; but although that theory had been adopted by
Sir Roderick Murchison and other authorities, he looked
upon it as a rash attempt at generalisation upon insufficient
facts. He, however, did not repudiate the opinion ex-
pressed by Humboldit ; he only said that it involved an open
question to which attention might well be directed. Two
other opinions of Humboldt he also combated at their
Manchester meeting, viz., that gold-bearing veins were pro-
ductive only near the surface, and that gold itself was a
very moderate production of the earth. He believed that
gold was an old production, because it was found in old
aocks, and the fact of large nuggets being obtained near
the surface could easily be obtained by the enormous
dilapidation of the auriferous mountains by mechanical
causes, and the action of water driving down the material
into hollows and streams.

A gentleman from Australia said that in that colony the
gold reefs ran north and south, but there were small spurs
from them running due east and west which were sometimes
richer in gold than the main reefs. He also stated that at
Ballarat gold had been obtained at a depth of 550 feet, and
to the amount of 5 oz. to a ton of quarts.
Professor ANSTED said that the veins mentioned by Mr.
Readwin ran rather north-east and southwest. With regard
to the direction of lodes of gold mines generally, he thought
it followed a good deal of the elevation of the country. It was
an interesting, important and entii ely new fact, that gold
was now found at a depth of 100 fathoms in rich quantities,
because it had been the prevalent opinion among geologists
that gold diminished in quantity as they went downwards.
That discovery would very much extend the working of
mines.

BANE OF ENGLAND.

An Account, pursuant to
cap. 32, for the week endin
o Oct., 1862:

Le Act 7th and Bth Victoria
on Wednesday, the Bth day

otee issued TUVE DEP
........480,372,4001

ARTMENT.
Government Debt X11,015,1C0
Other Securities • 3.634,900
Gold Coin & Bullion 15,722,400
Silver Bullion • •

£30,372,400

430,372,400
BANKING DEPART/ NT. _
roprietors' Capi-
ta Government Seca
Restl £14,553,000 rities Including
8,647,845 Dead WeightAn-
Public Deposits (in- nuity) . ..... 411,252,566
chiding Exche- Other sec-urities .. 19,751,704
quer, savin2.a, Notes .......... 9,002,575
Banks, Commis- Gold and Silver 825,756
missioners of Na-
tional Coin Debt, and
Dividend Ac-
counts
Other Deposits 13,530333 ,122,
Seven Day and
other Bills
440,832,591
W.
Oct. 8, 1802.

£40,832,591
MILLER, Deputy Cashier.

FORVON NAIL PACKET LIST.

MAILS DUE.

A via Marseilles Oct, 13.
Lia
andMeuritius, via Southampton.... ..Oct. 19.
Cape Verds, by British packet. Nov. 4.
rtiP:iri al ia
and
od
t tepntao.n
Capec h in ao, frGe
Penang,
oapned,
Singapore, Ascension,
viaa nd
sSotiiha. I l
."via Marseilles Oct. 13.
...... ... Nov. 4.
ct ..
Gibraltar, via Southampton •. .
India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton..O. 19.
Nov. Oct. 1
Falkland Islands ......... 19.
via Oct. 13.
India (Bombay), via Southampton Marseilles....
.. Oct. 15.
Lisbon via. Marseilles Oct. 9.
......... Nov. 4.
................
15.
Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via. Southampton Oct.
9. Oct. 15.
Oct.
via Merseilles
Newfoundland
Oporto and Vigo ..
U. S. and British N. America, lcy Brit. packet.... Oct. 15.
by U.S. packet....
by Canadian packet. Oct. 10.
W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe
MBahamas,
Oct. 29. via New York Oct. 23.
exico..
All parts of West Indies, including Chili, Peru, 1 Oct. 14.
California, and British Columbia..