. The boy travellers in Australasia : adventures of two youths in a journey to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Society, Samoan and Feejee islands, and through the colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. and reduc-tion being practically the same all over the world. Frank and Fred obtained the following information relative to gold-mining in I^Tew Zealand, and especially in the region now under con-sideration : Gold-mining in ISTew Zealand properly dates from 1861, when goldwas discovered by Mr. Gabriel Eead at Tuapeka, in the province ofOtago. The
. The boy travellers in Australasia : adventures of two youths in a journey to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Society, Samoan and Feejee islands, and through the colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. and reduc-tion being practically the same all over the world. Frank and Fred obtained the following information relative to gold-mining in I^Tew Zealand, and especially in the region now under con-sideration : Gold-mining in ISTew Zealand properly dates from 1861, when goldwas discovered by Mr. Gabriel Eead at Tuapeka, in the province ofOtago. The existence of the precious metal was known nine or ten GOLD-MINING IN NEW ZEALAND. 215 years before that date, it having been found at Coromandel by a , who reported his discovery to the authorities at Auckland. Since1861 it has been found in many places, and is now an important indus-try of the country. Some of the mines are wholly alluvial, or placer,diggings, others are wholly quartz-mines, which are called reefs in NewZealand and Austraha, and others are combinations of alluvial andquartz mining. For the enlightenment of some of my younger readers I will hereexplain that alluvial, or placer, mines are those where the gold is found. struck a pocket. in the earth or soil and is separated from it by washing. Quartz-minesare those w^here the gold is in the ledges of the mountains and requiresto be removed by tunnelling or blasting, or both. The rock containing 216 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN AUSTRALASIA. the rock must be crushed to powder, and the gold separated from thepowder by washing and minghng it with quicksilver. Quartz-miningrequires a great deal of money to carry it on; so much, indeed, that itis generally conducted by companies, and these companies, it is properto say, very often take more from the pockets of the stock-holdersthan they do from the mines. Alluvial diggings are the resort of thepoor man, who needs only pick, shovel, and pan to set him up in busi-ness.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury180, booksubjectsailors, booksubjectvoyagesandtravels
