at action, though
considerably weakened, is still going on. The occurrence of two slight
shocks of earthquake felt at Adelaide, since the establishment of the
colony, would further strengthen this opinion.

The copper ores of South Australia fetch a higher price at the Swansea
sales than those from any other part of the world, not only because they
are intrinsically rich, but because they are generally composed of
carbonates, which are necessary to facilitate the smelting of the ores of
sulphuret of copper from Cuba and other places. The necessity for sending
the ores from Adelaide to some foreign port to undergo the process of
smelting, will probably exist for a considerable length of time; until
such time, indeed, as the electric process shall be found to answer on a
sufficiently large scale to be profitable, or, until smelting works are
established; but, the great difficulty to be apprehended in carrying on
such operations would be the want of fuel, which scarce even at the
present moment, would soon be more so--for there is not sufficient wood
in the vicinity of any of the mines to keep up the supply for such a
consumption as that which would be required; besides which, the cartage
of the wood, and the expenses attending its preparation for the furnace,
would materially diminish any profits arising from the smelting of the
ores. In such a view of the case I cannot but think that the
establishment of works at the mines will be found to be as unprofitable
to their proprietors as to the smelter, and that such works will only be
remunerative when carried on under more favourable circumstances--for it
would appear that coal is the only mineral South Australia does not
possess, and I am apprehensive that no bed of it will ever be found in
the colony. I have ever thought the geological formation of the country
unfavourable to the presence of coal, but, still, it is said to exist as
a submarine formation close to Aldingi Bay. The discovery of this mineral
in the province would immediately give to it, within itself, the means of
the most unbounded wealth, and would undoubtedly fill up the measure of
its prosperity to the brim.

By a late report of the Directors of the Burra Burra mine, it would
appear, that they had made several successful attempts to smelt the ore,
but, that the cost, having exceeded that of cartage to the port, and
freight, the process has been abandoned. Parties, however, had offered to
enter into an eng