In these days of wonderful gold discoveries one is apt to forget the big finds of the past, which set the world wild with excite llent and gave such impetus to mining about half a century ago. This brief account of fanmus gold nuggets will help to revive the rrlernories of the golden days of Australia and California, and to show how history tends to repeat itself in gold mining as well as in other mundane affairs. The data has been gathered from many sources, involving a large arno inotf research, which extended over the face of the globe. In procur ing this information the compiler has corresponded with some two hundred persons, to many of who n he is indebted for whatever credit may be attached to his efforts. He ventures to believe that the result will be found of deep . interest to all concerned in m i n i n an d mining matters. For much of the material used the compiler is indebted to the Etlgineeri lg and Mining Journal and Anlcrican Mining News. of New York the Mining and Scie ltificP ress, of San Francisco Mining Reporter, of Denver Milling Record, of Colorado Springs the Australian Mining Standard, of Melbourne Mining and Me tall rgicaJol urnal, Los Angeles, California ex-Unitell States Mining Com nissioi e R r . NT. R aymond, and representative mining engineers residing in all parts of the world. With one exception, no mention is made of nug gets found in South America or Mexico, the con piler having beet1 unable to collect reliable data from hesc countries, exceptirlg as to their gross gold and silver output. Gold mining has made rapid strides durjng thc past decade. Not only has the enormous wealth of South Africa astonished the world, but the exploration of the rich fields of Cripple Creek, Oregon, Idhho, Utah, Brit ish Columbia and other mining sections of this continent has also revealed vast storehouses of the yellow metal. Kcarly every district has its stories of great strikes and immense outputs. On all sides we hear of wonderEul pannings, of spIetldid mill runs, of the discovery of pock ets and nuggets that bid fair tb rival the grand finds of the golden days of California and Australia. The twentieth century has been pre-eminently th ige of gold. From 1492 to ISSO the total gold production of the world, as estiil ated by the Bureau of Statistics at LVas lington, D. C., was 3,1zg, 72o, m. From 1851 to 1899 the tota1 product was 6,665,631,000, or more than twice as much as during the entire 350 years preceding the half century now closing. The additions to the worlds supply of gold during the past four years was as O O L T S Gold production in Total gold production Date. United States. in the world. 1896 ......... 3,088,000 202, 5 I ,000 1897 ......... 57,3631000 238,812, m I 598 ......... 64,463 m 287,428, m r 899 ......... 72,5Q xx 3 15,000,000 Total ...... 247,4 1 4 . cCQ 1,043 149 1 9- lt is a remarkable coincidence that, though the diameter of tlx earrh separates them, though one lies towards the South Pole and the other towards the North Pole, and a half century intervenes between the discoveries, there is a si gu1arit. y in the history of mining in Australia and South Airica and that in Alaska ancl the great North west...