this, where it is not intended to adopt the
chlorination or cyanogen process, it will be found most economical to
crush to a coarse gauge, concentrate, calcine the concentrates, and
finally amalgamate in some suitable amalgamator.

Probably for this mode of treatment Krom rolls would be found more
effective reducing agents than stampers, as with them the bulk of the
ore can be broken to any required gauge and there would consequently be
less loss in "slimes."

The great art in effective battery work is to crush your stuff to
the required fineness only, and then to provide that each particle is
brought into contact with the mercury either in box, trough, plate, or
pan. To do this the flow of water must be carefully regulated; neither
so much must be used as to carry the stuff off too quickly nor so little
as to cause the troughs and plates to choke. In cold weather the water
may be warmed by passing the feed-pipe through a tank into which the
steam from the engine exhausts, and this will be found to keep the
mercury bright and lively. But be careful no engine oil or grease
mingles with the water, as grease on the copper tables will absolutely
prevent amalgamation.

The first point, then, is to crush the gangue effectively, the degree of
fineness being regulated by the fineness of the gold itself. This being
done, then comes the question of saving the gold. If the quartz be
clean, and the gold unmixed with base metal, the difficulty is small.
All that is required is to ensure that each particle of the Royal metal
shall be brought into contact with the mercury. The main object is to
arrest the gold at the earliest possible stage; therefore, if you are
treating clean stone containing free gold, either coarse or fine,
I advise the use of mercury in the boxes, for the reason that a
considerable proportion of the gold will be caught thereby, and settling
to the bottom, or adhering to amalgamated plates in the boxes, where
such are used, will not be afterwards affected by the crushing action,
which might otherwise break up, or "flour," the mercury. On the whole, I
rather favour the use of mercury in the box at any time, unless the ore
is very refractory--that is, contains too great a proportion of base
metals, particularly sulphides of iron, arsenic, etc., when the result
will not be satisfactory, but may entail great loss by the escape of
floured mercury carrying with it particles of gold. Here only educated
intelligence,