3*28 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



As the drainage of these basins progressed by the cutting down of the outlet, 

 they were gradually converted to the dry plains which they now are. 



Among other points of interest in the geology of the "West which were 

 touched upon, was the geological age of the coal deposits of Oregon and 

 Washington territories, all of which Prof. N. said were tertiary, and were 

 associated by unmistakable tertiary fossil plants. 



THE GOLD AND SILVER WEALTH OF THE WORLD. 



The following paper is translated from a recent work by Narces Tarassenko 

 Otreschkoff, Russian Councillor of State : 



The amount of gold and silver annually taken from the mines of Europe, 

 including Russia, is 26,805 kilogrammes of gold (2 7-10 pounds to the kilo- 

 gramme), and 101,444 kilogrammes of silver, valued together at $25,000,000. 



In America, including California, the annual product is 169,834 kilogram- 

 mes of gold, and 755,180 kilogrammes of silver, worth in all $146,000,000. 



In Asia, the annual product is 2,700 kilogrammes of gold, and 110,000 of 

 silver, amounting in value to $22,000,000. 



In Africa no silver mines are wrought, and only 4,200 kilogrammes of gold 

 are produced, valued at $2,600,000. 



Australia^ too, yields no silver, but the annual product of gold amounts to 

 290,360 kilogrammes, valued at $200,000,000. 



Sum total in all parts of the world, 510,199 kilogrammes of gold, and 

 1,026,624 kilogrammes of silver, valued together at 1,988,000,000 francs, or 

 over $397,000,000. The whole sum extracted from the earliest times up 

 to the present amounts to 15,314,653 kilogrammes of gold, and 254,410,170 

 of silver, worth together something more than $20,536,000,000. 



Of this sum, there had been extracted at the birth of Jesus Christ, 2,245,265 

 kilogrammes of gold, and 63,630,123 kilogrammes of silver, valued at 

 $4,328.000,000. 



The increase in the production of gold and silver is enormous, and we shall 

 at present rates gain more in this respect in fifty years, than our ancestors did 

 in fifty centuries. 



The following table shows the amount of gold and silver that has been 

 extracted during various periods, from the birth of Christ down to the year 

 1855: 



Gold. Silver. Value. 



Kilo. Kilo. Francs. 



From A. C. to 1492 6,123,711 13,662,107 23,459,000,000 



" 1492 to 1810 3,856,487 137,096,830 40,523,000,000 



" 1810 to 1825 270,190 6,237,414 2,288,000,000 



" 1825 to 1848 863,514 16,715,923 6,598,000,000 



" 1848 to 1851 839,585 3,013,411 1,803,000,000 



" 1851 to 1855 1,615,654 4,054,362 6,375,000,000 



The gold product has steadily increased to swell the amount. The yearly 

 gain increased, from the first period (from the birth of Christ until 1492) until 

 the second period (1492 to 1810), from 4,106 to 12,477 kilogrammes. In the 

 next period of fifteen years (1810 to 1825), it increased nearly 50 per cent., 

 viz. 18,012 kilogrammes. In the fourth period, the annual gain was 37,544, 



