Abstract: A source material in the form of an ore, mineral, concentrate, calcine, or reclaimed tailings is subjected to fine milling in a stirred mill having an impeller rotatable in a grinding chamber filled with grinding media. A slurry of the source material is fed, on a continuous basis, to an inlet to the grinding chamber which is generally at a low level and flows through the chamber and out of an outlet, conveniently an overflow type of outlet. The carrier liquid may be a leach solution and/or oxidizing air or oxygen can be fed to the material as it is being milled. Enhanced recoveries of gold using a cyanide leach solution as the carrier liquid can be achieved using the process.