The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-25 00:00:00

ASSAY OF GOLD ORE FROM AUSTRALIA.

The following statement of an assay of gold quartz has
just been obtained by the Colonial Gold Company. The
specimen submitted was about the weight of a pound and a
half or two pounds, and was transmitted to the company
by their superintendent as having been obtained in the
neighbourhood of Mount Alexander, where considerable,
quantities of it were said to exist, although from the rich-
ness of the surface deposits, it had thus far attracted
scarcely any attention :

" ASSAY OF GOLD ORB FROM AUSTRALIA.
" 8, Upper Stamford-street, Blaekfriars,
London, Feb. 14.

" A fair sample of the portion of this specimen in which
spangles of gold could be seen gave of fine gold 2,164 ounces
ldwt. to the ton ; that part of the stone in which no gold
could be observed afforded 37 ounces 16dwt. of fine gold per
ton.

'The gold obtained from this ore is exceedingly puro, con-
taining only 55-1000ths of impurity, and, consequently
945-1000ths of fine gold. The small cubical crystals of a lead-
grey colour observed in this specimen of quartz were found,
on examination, to consist of galena, containing a rather
larger amount of arsenie and iron than is usually found in that
mineral.

" J. ARTHUR PHILLIPS.

" The Colonial Gold Company."
The following on the silk trade is from the circular of Mr.
Henry W. Eaton :
"Subjoined arc the particulars of the result of the public
sales terminated this day. As usual, the greater portion was
either withdrawn or bought in, bat a considerable business
has been done during the last week in Chinas by private con-
tract, the prices actually realised being—for Tastlee,
from Ms. 6d. to 195., and for Taysaam, 14s. to 15s. 6d.
In Bengals, everything in coarse sizes has been taken freely,
but the fine to middling qualities have been neglected."

Congratulate
therrilmEet2pToYlitturubAliTc, TanEndminNonsl";Wt3oe theen Common
Council themselves, on the decision which the latter
came to yesterday respecting Mr. Charles Pearson's
ImprovementsllBs to 69,
in
Committee
Thscheemadevefrsore
raepr::tlwaofythteecrmiotinyf
plaudits of the court. The intense inaniternesgtd
was rejected by a majorityo
feltn -
admist the loud
Sitnreethte. question was not only shown by
of councilmen, but by the crowded state of the galleries
the unusual attendance
appropriated to , the public.
re-
gard this projected We trust we may now
which has been improvement—the greatest by far
being beyond the reach brought forward for many years—as
THB SKATING SBASONT /4
of danger.—Morning Advertiser.
Yesterday the It -,—...OYAL HUMANE SOCIETY.—
the skaters wh Royal Humane Society made a return of
0, since the commencement of the present
frost have resorted for skating on the ice of the orna-
mental waters of th •
e various parks, from which it appears
that since its short continuance no fewer than upwards
of 100,000 persons had ventured the • on ice ; 224 per-
sons had been immersed, but rescued by the society's
icemen, and, what is remarkable, only one fatal accident
has occurred amongst that immense assemblage, owing
to the admirable arrangements of the society for the pre-
serving of life.
POPULATION, INHABITED HOUSES, AND ELECTORS.
—Yesterday, an interesting return (obtained by Mr.
Hume) was printed, showing the population and num-
ber of inhabited houses, according to the census of 1851,
of counties, parliamentary divisions of counties, and
boroughs in England and Wales. The population was
17, 927, 609, and the number- of inhabited hour,.m;
3,278,039. There were on the register of 1851.52, of
county and borough electors, 918,683, and the number
polled at the general election of last year was 341,830.
THE OFFICE AND COUNTING-HOUSE, &c.—We have
lately seen an ingenious contrivance, in the form of a
ruler, which we think a very efficient instrument of the
kind. Every writer has without doubt found out the
inconvenience of the • common round ruler, which is SO
liable, in revolving, to carry ink both on to the paper
and the fingers. This ruler having a flat upper surface,
with rollers underneath, cannot thus offend, as the part
which comes in contact with the pen does not approach
either the fingers or the paper, from its having a bevelled
projecting edge. These rulers also afford parallel lines,
and we have seen some of them with a flat edge on one
side graduated into inches, which we think will be of
great value to artists, &c. We find, by the name upon
them, that they are registered by Mr. Stephens, of
Stamford-street, well known as the originator of many
other improvements for tie library and counting-house.