horseback.  There is no special news from the fields.  The Centrals are
still crushing.

MICA DEPOSITS AT NORTHAMPTON.

[BY TELEGRAPH.]

(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)

GERALDTON, April 3

Twenty acres of land have been taken up on a mining lease at Northampton,
by Mr A. F. Durlacher, of Fremantle, acting for himself and others, for
the purpose of opening a mica mine.  The property is said to be very
valuable.

FRASER'S G.M. COMPANY.

The following letter has been received by a gentleman in this colony from
a Victorian mining manager, in acknowledgement of the receipt of some
copies of the WEST AUSTRALIAN, giving details of the Fraser's crushings: —
"I am obliged you for WEST AUSTRALIAN, which came to hand this week.  They
seem to have made a complete mess of the Fraser's.  As regards the failure
in feeding the boiler with salt water, it is about what we might expect.
But the amalgamation and crushing seems to have been muddled, and, as I
told you before, must have been caused with dirt from different sources.
For new laws, stamps, dies &c. there is always a lot of loose iron sand
which rubs off, and the sources before mentioned would all contribute to
the result they obtained.  The saline water may have assisted the process.
 I think if they can arrange for three or four of the companies to go into
some scheme for conserving fresh water, and the battery is properly
maniputed [sic] there should be no trouble whatever with the amalgamation.
 I am of opinion however, there will always be a loss in the tailings as
the gold is so fine.  Even allowing for this the stuff seems to be
payable.  Moreover there is no doubt but they have taken from the best
heap, and further crushings would be a better guide.  If they do not put
any mercury in the boxes they will lose more gold I fancy, they must have
been putting too much in before.  All that is wanted is a thimblefull
every eight hours for such stuff as they have, and they must have used
more to form the mass of amalgam stuff they had.  As to the battery being
out of date and requiring a long time to clean up, it is all bunkum.  I
would guarantee to clean both off and have them started in two hours or
two hours and a half at the least, as it is not necessary to retort the
mercury when you are going to continue crushing.  The site is not a good
one for tailings room.

As to the wells being too large, it is a good fault, and only a little
more mercury is required to remedy it.  We give the tables a fall of 1 1/4
in. to a foot, or 1 3/8 in. if very heavy pyrites in loads.  As to copper
plates not keeping silver on, it is always the case until they get enough
amalgam on; there should be rubbed up once a day with nitrate of mercury
and hydrochemic acid etc. They soon get into good order.  As to their
being too thick, they use them a 1/4 of an inch up at Charters Towers in
Queensland.  We always take ordinary plates and find no difficulty as to
the want of scoops, buckets, basins, etc. The manager should get them.  It
is a pity for a new thing like this to the muddled as it evidently has
been.  Any other papers with further developments will be interesting if
it is not troubling you too much."