Page:Our New Zealand Cousins.djvu/270

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
254
Our New Zealand Cousins.

Mr. Alex. Montgomery, M.A. of this University (Otago), on March 14th, and during the remainder of the tour he was of the greatest assistance to me, taking an active part in every department of the work. Mr. Montgomery also delivered lectures on 'Geology, Mineral Veins, Faults,' &c., in Greymouth, Kumara, Hokitika, and Ross, and visited the coal-mines at Koranui, Coalbrookdale, and Brunner, as well as several of the largest quartz reef mines at Reefton, Boatman's, and Lyell. Mr. Montgomery's lectures, like my own, were very well received everywhere, and a strong desire was expressed in many quarters that he should be available for carrying on this kind of teaching in the district. The subjects of my lectures were the following:—1. How quartz reefs were formed. 2. How gold came into the reefs. 3, 4, and 5. The chemistry of gold. 6. The extraction of gold from quartz. 7. The chlorine process for extracting gold. 8. Sodium amalgam, and its use in saving gold. 9. The amalgamation of copper plates, and the removal of gold from them. 10. The analysis and assay of gold-bearing stone. 11. The ores and metallurgy of silver, lead, tin, copper, antimony, zinc, mercury. 12. The chemistry of sheelite, &c.

"In the testing classes the students themselves went through the processes for testing metallic ores containing the metals named above, Mr. Montgomery having charge of the blowpipe processes, whilst I directed the wet chemical operations.