QUARTZ MINING IN VICTORIA.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2543, 12 April 1871, Page 2

QUARTZ MINING IN VICTORIA.

We notice from the last quarterly reports published by the Victorian Department of Mines that 2d0,000 tons of quartz were crushed in the last quarter of 1870, of which quantity nearly oue-fourth was raised from the great depths of between 300 ft and 716 ft. And what is more important still is that this fourth yielded an average of 1 dwt 12 grs per ton over and above the stone obtained from the higher levels. The deeper we have gone no far, the richer is the quartz,, completely confuting the theory which was in vogue ten years ago, and postponing indefinitely the final catastrophe. There is, indeed, tar more reason to suppose that quartzmining will be successfully carried out at 5,500 ft than there was for imagining a decade back, that we should bo w- rang GOOft beneath the dasies. We have already gone 900 ft in one instance, and shafts of GUOft ami 700 ft are beoom ng numerous, and at this rate we may assume that fold-raining will be a national industry for generations to come.

Some estimate of the pr portions in which each of the districts coi tributes to the total yield of gold raised from quartz may bo L'athcrcd from the following tabic, published by the department respecting 2152,022 tons of quartz crushed during the last quarter of 1870, which quantity, however, did not constitute the whole of the quartz operated u ton during the quarter; for whilst the yield from it was 129,7120zs ISdwfs Igr, the yield from quartz during (lie quarter was, as reckoned by the department from information received by it, 17-1, ISOozs 13dwt,The following is the table referred to, omitting fractions : Quantity Yield of Crushed. Gold. Ballarat 81,943 tons 24,281 ozs. Beech worth 34,732 ~ 15,221 ~ Sandhurst 51,107 ~ , 29,133 „ Maryborough... 20,093 ~ 8,995 „ Castlcmaiuo 38,950 „ 19,777 „ • Ararat' 24,980 ti 18,312 „ Gipps Land 10,752 ~ 13,931) ~ Total 262,022 „ ... 129,613 „ The export of gold from the Colony during (he present year (1871) is far larger than the export was up to the corresponding period of 1870. The total quaintly of Victorian altered at th 1 Custom; for shipment to the year ending 25th February, was 278,2620zv while the quantity entered to the same date in 1870 was only 173,G160z5.