THE ALFORD FOREST TIN MINES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1754, 31 January 1888, Page 2

THE ALFORD FOREST TIN MINES

PROFESi-Oit HuA'ONV. OPINIO.. (From tbia day's Ohrl.tcharoh "Press.' To many, no donot, the oame of Alfot Foreat wiil recall anything but pleasu' able recollections m regard to mmm fpeoolationw. We all remember h G.lconda wh'oh it was supposed exia te tbore, and ti_e feverish haste to be rlo on tha part of maty, resulting In utt« andoomp.ftn oollapie The embassy t Englaad and the _>g_iruess with whio the telegrams from Mr K.laey were looke fr a c matters of history. For aooi t tae after th- discovery that the suppose diamonds were not what they were r < pnted to be no farther discoveries ia th los-lity were repotted until the oth. day. Then It waa announced with good deal of oircumataotial detail tha another fiad had beea made. Tbia tim it was not dtamoxida bat tin. Bui wbi the regal diamonds are to be oovete above the humbler metal, a good tin mln Is— to uae an Americanism— "no alonoh, Tbo.e at Mount Jt.iaoh< ff, In T.smanli have paid large dividends, and elsewher wo ore it has been foaod tia has prove to bo very remunerative. Id these time of depression the fiudiug of tin In th Alford Forest district wonld bo ver acceptable, and it ia perhaps not to b wondered at that aome of our oltizui went m for a syndicate to work the aup posed duporlt. Knowing that P. .".fees. > Hutton was perh.pi the best authorft on the geological formation of thedistriot aud the likoli^o .d of tin being foam there, a member of our staff waited oi hlra yes t.rduy with a vow to ascertaining his opinion on the matter. The Pro feasor— as he always does — evinced everj desire to give information, and m th. oourse of a short conversation the detail, herein given were obtained. Profess ji Huttnn oommenoed by stating that he knew the locality well, and had been all over It. I is a geological fact, aooepred as *uoh by alt ao en' ifij men, that tia U never f'-ond exiept ia granite formation. It is als' irtvari.b'y found with topazes. *• Now," said tho Prof t-seor, • there la no grinite formation thh side of the southern Alps, co th:_t I look upon it as .(most an impoeatrili-'y that tin ehould bn foaud at Aiford F trust. Of course we have nut yet Iwarot ail m connection with . eMogy that it i* possible to learn, but I may say this confidently that it is entirely opposed t > goo ogioal science that tia thould be fouad uu ess under the conditions that I bave ment ioued- I should, before altering my opinion aa to the possibility of tia being found as described require to be satisfied that the tin was found there, and tiat lt waa aotually present. I. is of ouurao easy for speoimens to W brought to Professor Biokertun for assay wbioh contain tin, but then one mast be certain that these epeoimene oome aotually from the diatriot they are reported to do. You se-,"^.ontlnußd the Professor, with a'oom.oal twinkle of the Byea, •• we hear ao maoh nowadays about ' salting,' and lt la done ao scientifically, that one baa to-be absolutely euro that all la oorreot. As I have said, to find tin m the district apoken of where there are none of the Indications present whioh jt ology teaohea us aro Invar ably so, Is an [uaposeibility. ' Soienoe is dead against the chancr. of it " It will thua be seen .hat tho Professor gives It distlaotly as .is opinion tha tin oannot be foand at -Iford Forest. Of oourse while wishing :o see stmethjng turn up wblqh will ihange the breront aspect of affairs, It la nly rghl that the opinion of a soientist P o»p*ble ol giving it as professor Hutton bould be placed before tbe publio, Ac patters stand at present, It does not ppear th|t there I 9 any bhance of a tin aloe being foand. At any rate, as Proeaeor 4uttpn concisely pjti It, the teaoh--09 1 Pf «tolo|y art f»t. j*ly oppowd to It,