328 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



; . .. 353g '*"- : i 



\ 



could only have been obtained in" centuries by a[scanty and lazy indigenous 

 population; and thus the present large floio of gold into Europe from such 

 tracts ^oill, in my opinion, begin to diminish within a comparatively short 

 period. * * * In conclusion, let me express my opinion, that the 

 fear that gold may be greatly depreciated in value relatively to silver a 

 fear which may have seized upon the minds of some of my readers is 

 unwarranted by the data registered in the crust of the earth. Gold is, 

 after all, by far the most restricted in its native distribution of the 

 precious metals. Silver and argentiferous lead, on the contrary, expand 

 so largely downwards into the bowels of the rocks as to lead us to believe 

 that they must yield enormous profits to the skilful miner for ages to 

 come ; and the more so in proportion as better machinery and new inven- 

 tions shall lessen the difficulty of subterranean mining. It may, indeed, 

 well be doubted whether the quantities of gold and silver, procurable from 

 regions unknown to our progenitors, will prove more'than sufficient to 

 meet the exigencies of an enormously increased population and our aug- 

 menting commerce and luxury. But this is not a theme for a geologist *, 

 and I would simply say, that Providence seems to have originally adjusted 

 the relative value of these two precious metals, and that their relations, 

 having remained the same for ages, will long survive all theories. Modern 

 science, instead of contradicting, only confirms the truth of the aphorism 

 of the patriarch Job, which thus shadowed forth the downward persistence 

 of the one, and the superficial distribution of the other : < Surely there is 

 a vein for the silver .... The earth hath dust of gold.' ''' 



QUICKSILVER DEPOSITS OF CALIFORNIA. 



M. D'Weiiiy, in a communication to the Courier des Etats Unis, fur- 

 nished the following information relative to the quicksilver deposits of 

 California : 



The annual production of mercury at the mines of Almaden, (Spain,) 

 Idria, (Frioul,) Hungary, Transylvania, Peru, &c., is valued at from 

 thirty to forty thousand quintals, (cwt.) China and Japan also produce 

 an equal quantity of mercury, but, I believe, do not export the article. 

 Notwithstanding this large production, the supply is by no means equal to 

 the demand, and many gold and silver mines have ceased to be worked on 

 account of the scarcity and high price of that metal. The mystery which 

 yet envelops the operations at the mines of New Almaden has prevented 

 me from obtaining accurate returns ; but we can to some extent supply 

 that want from our own observations, and enable your readers to appre- 

 ciate the value of these mines in California. The richest minerals of Eu- 

 rope are those of Almaden and Idria ; the first contain 10 per cent, of 

 metal, the latter 8 per cent. The other minerals are less rich. I have 

 analyzed several samples of cinnabar, taken from different spots in New 

 Almaden, and they have yielded from 29 M to 72 per cent. The general 



