Grass Valley telegraph., 1858-06-05
Eri,iah aciene;as Roaoar CHI.

money, in the employment of the best talent
which the world affords for the prosecution
OF scientific exploration throughout her im
mense dominions, is daily giving evidence o.
the wisdom Of such course. Scarce mail
reaches oar shores that does not contain &C
counts Of new expedition which has been
set On foot, for some quarter ofthe world, OF
some importGnt developments which have
been made by those already in the field OF
active research. We had but just read the
particulars Of the discoveries of Livingston
and his departure with his companions, on
bis second African tour, when intelligence
reaches Us OF the near departure of another
scientific corps, ore Of the most extensive and
complete ever sent out by the English Gov
ernment. which is to be commissioned to
the iahoepitable and unknown interior OF
British America. 4 vast amount OF prscti-
cal ana scientific Information viii be given
10 The wcrl9, as the fruits Of this expedition
While nothing, save she lettings down OF
one SOLITARY wondercr," subsequently, col
iected into The form Of two or three Legaia-
tive Reports, has ever been done By cur
/ UTE Gc'-orn.s,~nt, 2 to give tc tl!c ettd sny
scientific knowledge Of the most important
and wonderful mineral region On The face Of
the globe, Great Britain has already in the
field, in the more newly discovered niaeral
region Of Australia, at least two or three
we'll appointed corps Of Mineralogists and
Geoiogists, who are even thus early giving
the world the results of their researches
We bave before Us in the Supplement- TO the
London Mining Journal, for March 9th,
1858, brief extracts from proof sheets of Re-
ports and Letters On the Geology of the
Gold Fields Of Victoria" by A. r. G. Sci
wyn, Geoiogist to the Colony of Victoria :;
and g Notes on the Cold Fields Of Balla rat.n
By John Philips, c, e., Surveyor in the Coy
ernnent service, besides other important
papers upon the mineral regions of austria
la. Judging from the brief extracts before
rs, we should infer that these papers con-
tanned much valuable and interesting infer
nation.
mir. Selwin, in referring to the Bendigo.
Bal!arat and Steiglitz gold fields states
that the GRANTEES of these regions do not
contain gold. The gold bearing veins being
confined to the shistose formation, which ia
much cleayed and eontorted, and rich in fos-
silifecous remains.
The gold bearing drifts are divisible into
three distinct ages, the lowest of which cen
tains large quantities of wood, seed-vessols.
&c, and is associated with clays, sand and
pebbles. These are overIaid tcith sheets cf
!Gva. These characteristics very much re-
semble those of the famous Sorora Table
Mountain region, in this State.
A more recent aurferous drift contains,
in addition to vegetable remains, the bones
OF extinct and living marsupial, (cpossum
some cases this drift cveriies the lavas. and
in otEcIs, rests upon the older drift. IA one
locality marile or estuary Ieds. supposed
to lie Of :he same age ere overlain by vol
canic ashes.
4 third, and still more recent sold bear.
;ng drift, oTerles indiiferently, all the ether
deposits, and corresponds to the ordinary
" surface washirgs" of California The
richest drifts are the lowest, or these resting
directly upon the states
= Nr. Philips, in his Notes." says that all
the Victorian gold placers are near or upon
the granite. Il wou!d appear from the
Notes" that this entire region has been
subjected to extensive, intermittent, aud
deep seated disturbances, Indeed the re-
2ion. even now, is in state Of unrest, for
Ar. Philips states thst during his survey
osc;latioGs OF the epir;t-bu illie were distinct
u noticed, indioa ing a rocking Of the earth.
The country IS fun CT caves, or small holes
sometimes f He'd with water, and in rr:a:.y
places gives out a hollow sound when struck
or stamped upon, like wooden bridge ::
horses even noticing this phenomenon wLiIe
passing over it.
The workings at Ballarat, are wrought in
some instances 300 feet deep, by shafts,
without tGnneling--smail portable engines
being used for pumping ard hosting. An
aprt.a'as is also made use of, called . ru(l-
ding c.acliino,i working Ike a Mexican
arustra, without quicksilver, and probably
for reducing the cements." In some in
stances shafts are sunk zoo feet through
basa!t, (greenstone) before reaching the
gravel, which if it is as unyielding as that
generally encountered in California. must
be both q tedious and expensive undertaking,
and must require extraordinary rich depos-
lis to prove rcmunerative, The fact cf such
al aEicant Of basat ovcr!ay;ng the gravel
deposits would seem to indicate Gistui ban .
ces OF an uDusuni character, y hich have pro-
dGced slides :" OF immense bodies Of ro ck.
One class Of these deep gravel deposits is
in the shape Of leads" @hich we're evi.
de.t'y the beds Of ancient mines. These
. leads" have generally very unform lall,
usually ebcut l6 feet in l,o03- about twice
t6a fall Of the present svste,n Of rivers. IT