excepted, is lacking. The large outcrops of ironstone which occur in considerable numbers, together with the character of the country rocks beneath the surface, seem to indicate that large auriferous lodes may yet be unearthed, equal in quality and size to those now being worked so successfully in the southern goldfields. At Mount Magnet and its satellite Lennonville a similar state of things prevails, and I have long regarded the Mount Magnet district as likely to become the Kalgoorlie of the north, once proper attention is paid to the numerous ferruginous lodes. Taking the Murchison field as a whole, it may be said that its reefs are low grade; but, as has been shown in the case of the Morning Star and other properties, capable of paying handsomely under proper management. The writer predicted an average return of 1 oz. to the ton for the Murchison mines on his last visit nearly two years ago—a prognosis which at the time created a considerable outcry, but which has been amply verified by the official returns, which up to the present credit the whole field with an average of 1 oz. 2 dwts. per ton. If the returns from the Yalgoo, East Murchison, and Gascoyne fields, which, although distinct, are now ranked as part of the Murchison output, were deducted, it would be seen that the author's estimate was rather too generous than otherwise. Before leaving this part of the colony a few words on
PEAK HILL,
the richest area in the north, may be of interest. Peak Hill has quite recently been proclaimed a goldfield, although it has been worked with great success for over three years. It is at once the smallest and the wealthiest of the Western Australian fields. It is so circumscribed in area that from the town well every mine is within gunshot. The goldfield really appears to consist of the site of an ancient lake, surrounded by high hills of metamorphic rocks, through which ramify huge bars of quartzite. The surface of this lacustrine deposit was very rich in alluvial gold. Beneath the surface, Messrs. Wilson, Enright, and party, the fortunate discoverers, came upon a large bed of ferruginous breccia of irregular thickness, but carrying gold in large quantities. Beneath this, again, an immense bed of kaolin was unearthed, through which was found to permeate a great number of quartz veins which were wonderfully rich in coarse gold, while the kaolin on either side of these leaders for an indefinite distance was also found to carry gold in great abundance. Further investigation has gone to show that the whole of the lake bed, from the surface to an unknown depth, is payably auriferous, although up to the present, owing to the poverty of the prospectors, only the very best ore has been treated. What this is like may be gathered from the fact that 2,261 tons have been crushed for a yield of 14,571 ozs., an average for the whole field of 4.77 ozs. Some of the yields can only be described by the hackneyed word "phenomenal." Thus, the Daisy Bell has crushed 133 tons for 13.45 ozs. per ton while averages of 9, 5.91, 7.14, 7.87 ozs. per ton for larger quantities are frequent. It is significant, also, that the Department of Mines report, from which these returns are taken, has a footnote to the effect that "From the above crushings one to four ounces of gold per ton was lost in the tailings, owing to the absence of proper gold-saving appliances." All the appliances on this field have been erected by the diggers themselves, and not one farthing of either British or colonial capital has ever yet come to their assistance. Considering these circumstances, the inaccessibility of the place (the nearest port being Geraldton, distant 440 miles), and the high charges for freight, the rate at which the goldfield has progressed is very remarkable, and exhibits in a most favourable light the enterprising and persevering character of the pioneers of Western Australia, whose efforts in the wastes of the interior have given to the colony her present high position among the mineral-producing countries of the earth.
YALGOO,
or Yalgo, as it was originally spelled, is a large field, the surface of which is diversified by many mountain ranges and some prominent peaks. Its proximity to the coast also ensures for it a larger rainfall than falls to the lot of most of the auriferous areas. The discovery of the Emerald mine first ushered this field into existence. The mine in question consisted of an unusually rich patch of quartz and gold, which produced some thousands of ounces for the fortunate prospectors, though it has afforded but little to the English company which purchased it. The principal centres are Yalgoo Proper, Carlaminda, Bilbrother, Melville, and Gullewa, at all of which reefs of considerable length and size have been unearthed, with results of a fairly promising and satisfactory nature.
THE EAST MURCHISON
is a huge area, lying, as its name implies, to the eastward of the Murchison. Its principal centres are Lawler's, Lake Darlot, and Mount Sir Samuel. A large amount of alluvial has been obtained from the two first-named places. Among the numerous quartz mines, the Belle Vue and Mount Sir Samuel are well spoken of, while the East Murchison United, the only property possessing a battery, has been crushing regularly with highly satisfactory results. We now come to the great southern group of goldfields, which have proved the principal source of the gold output of Western Australia, as well as the main origin of her present high state of prosperity. The first of these in the order of discovery was
YILGARN,
a title which for a long time was applied to the entire group, until their increasing importance rendered subdivision necessary. The history of the find was sufficiently remarkable, and will be found elsewhere in the pages of this work. The Yilgarn gold belt, which may be described as the southern continuation of the Murchison, is situated about 160 miles east of York, in the midst of undulating plains of sand and ferruginous soils, scantily clothed with vegetation, possessing no watercourses or features of interest, except a few salt lakes, and to all intents and purposes a desert. The reefs at Yilgarn occur in a low range, or upheaval of metamorphic rock, which contains a number of quartz reefs of varying degrees of richness, but mostly of a lowgrade character. The average, including the results of rich specimen patches, is only 1 oz. 5 dwts. to the ton, and in recent yields this has sensibly diminished. This diminution is unlikely to continue, however, as some of the mines are improving with depth. Several of the mines which give from 8 dwts. to 14 dwts. to the ton have paid dividends for some years past, which shows that even in country where fresh water does not exist and salt water is scarce proper management can produce excellent results. Golden Valley, Hope's Hill, Blackborne's, Jacolletti, Parker's Range, and Mount Jackson are the outside centres; but the "capital," Southern Cross, is the only place where the mines are as yet producing regularly. The author is of opinion that a good
