The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1888. GOLD IN WALES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1770, 18 February 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1888. GOLD IN WALES.

It will be a curious circumstance if after all the excitement which has been from time lo time occasioned by the [ finding of gold m California, m Aub« i tralia, m INcw Zealand and South Africa, and the consequent rush of population from the old world to regions that are there accounted as the " ends of the earth," it should prove that there are equally rich gold fields m Wales and perhaps Scotland, and other parts of the United Kingdom. Not that the finding of gold m Britain is by any means a new thing, for as far back as the Bean an invasion there is record of gold ornaments being possessed by the ancient Bntons, who must have obtained the precious metal within their own island; nay, tradition has it that m still more ancient times gold was obtained from Wal»B by tho Phoenicians, who tradid with Cornwall for copper and tin, and sold those metals to Holomon Inferring to this circumstance tho Glasgow " Weekly I era.d " remarks that ifc is not improbable '• that • poor little Wales ' was one of the source* from which along with Ophir, m outh Arabia," the great > ebrew mpnarch 1 obtained his supplies of gold." Whether this were so or not, it is certain that gold bearing reefs have long been known to exist m Wales, and quartz- rushing overall >ns have from time to time, within recenr. yearn, been carried on, but the enterprise hat* been from time to time abandoned because, though gold was always obtainable, it •was not obtainable m paying quantity. , Tliic, however, evidently has been because operations had \>een conducted m the wrong place .or m the wr ng way, for tho recent discovery of Mr JPritchard Morgan goes to show that Wales possesses gold-bearing reefs of great richness, probably as rich sb any iv tho world. Writing on tho subject tho hcoitish paper above referred to says that " m former times gold has been washed from tho beds of tho rivers m j Wales. But this indication that the precious metal existed m tU«* rock strata has not been systematically followed up until the present time. Mr Morgan has performed that necessary work, and is likely to be richly repaid for his shrewdness and skill. For several months be has bad 100 men at work m the Mawddach Valley, and theconsequenct is that at tho present moment eerertl tone of etono ncbly laden with ooid ; ' bay* ilreriy been sticks juj

readiness for treatment." It i* further ' 3tated ihata g eat part of thequaria which has been qnarried " has been estimated to yield six nances to the ton" That, says the " <-'erald," " is of course the very top of the yield, hut taking only; a middle lino of estimate, it appears fr</tti , atone a ready tested that 'the lowest calculations point to an average all round of two ounces to ihetou.' Even that is a great yield and seems to justify the remark that * the mine now m opera tion is one of the richest m the world.' But the real significance of these words can only bo Bot-n m the further statement that ' there are 50 other sites m Wales alone where there is reason to believe that gold will be found m largr quantitien.' . . . That Mr David-

son b explanation of Mr Morgan's dis covery is not illusory but authentic seems to be proved by the fact that the men of science engaged m the matter are Mr W. Crookos, F.R.8,, president <>f the Chemical Society, and Mr T. A Reaiwin, both mon of note m their profession." On the same interesting subject, ft correspondent of the " Lon don Times,'* who has visited the scene of Mr Morgan's gold discoveriss, which is located m the Manddach Valley, Merionethshire, says ; —"Mr Pritchard Morgan is so well satisfied with the value of the discoveries , Me has made that he has bought the charming mansion of Bryntirion, and h«3 taken up his rermanonfc residence there. For four years he has been at work on the Gwjnfynydd estate, and t»as subjected not only that but also th< i wl>o!« district to a careful examination securing for himself ho rights of work •tir uj ou land through which the vau«ble lodes run. Mr Morgan is a nntivt •f Usk, and after being articled ' with a firm of solicitors m South Wales, he migrated to Queensland, where h« ■wsisted m drawing up the* ovfrnmeni regulations for gold-raining, and where, or 16 years he was concerned m goldmining ventures, from which he has realised such success as has enabled him ho lay out £ 80,000 m purchasing land m the Mawddach district. His res<lence, Bryntirion. is surrounded by 300 tores, and up at the mines he has c ose upnu 4000 acres m freehold and leas - »old, pnrt of the. latter being with th< option of purchase. Very much of th eighboring land has b^en taken up by a syndicate, of wh-ch Mr M'T^au is tl c lircctor, and 'the strongest living financier' is, ho awsertH, behind him. Mr Morgan str.te.s that there is alr<*ad} 'm sight' letween £150,000 and £200,000 worth of gold. Mr V-.utin consul ting geologist to the Queensland Government, has been over the workings, and his estimate is that the ♦ proved ground ' contains £2,000,000 worth ol gold. Mr Morgan expects to go to Windsor m the middle of January with a bar of gold weighing lewt for exhibition to the Queen. Crushing machinery it being put up and will soon bo m operation. This will deal with about 4i 0 tins of quartz weekly, and as the of ttiu result ranges irom two ounces to six ounces of gold to the ton, the worth «f tho mine will soon, Mr Morgan declares, be proved beyond question. One-eighth of an ounce m the ton will repay working, consequently, if two ounces or more are gained the lode is one of exceeding richness. Whether as thproprietor anticipates, the works will ever produce as much as « a million * year' m gold is as problematical as most questions connocted wiih mining ventures. Jt was on July 1 1th that r Morgan received a communication from his manager, * Struck heavy gold,' and ever since then that lodo has been found exceptionally rich. Two ounces to the ton is the lowest • estimate yet made of the average yield "