Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/119

 pockets. Having fairly cleared all out, we found we had made in twenty-three days about £360, giving each of us £72 for less than a month's work. We set to work sinking another hole; our hands being better used to the toil, we could get on faster. The strata were much the same all round, varying only in thickness; we sunk here, in all, seven holes, from which, on squaring accounts and paying expenses, we found we had netted a sum of £3400."

In another part of his work Mr. Earp gives an account of his visit to a different locality:—"Little time was lost in pitching our tent and commencing operations; we soon found that considerable quantities of small gold were to be obtained from the soil, and whilst turn by turn we rocked the cradle, the others supplied earth, we found some rich pockets amongst a quantity of rubble stuff; one nugget weighed 3 lbs. 7oz. For eleven days we were undisturbed, working without cessation, and reaping a golden crop. We remained here a fortnight longer, after the locality became known, and then, as our stock of dust and nuggets was very considerable, we resolved to start for Melbourne."

A geological description of Ballaarat as a gold field will serve for the whole, there being more of volcanic action apparent at these diggings than any yet discovered. The locality lies about six miles in a direct line from the remarkable volcanic hill of Buningyong, and to the west of Warrensteep, another eminence of similar origin rising on the same ridge or water-shed.