296 



ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



seven feet, and rich specimens taken from the body of the vein, from 

 the top to the bottom, when the gold was left descending with the 

 earth to an unknown depth. The vein at the foot of the hill has been 

 opened by adits run in on the course of the vein at several places at 

 different heights, and at all these places the gold is found very equally 

 distributed through the rock. In numerous instances the gold is vis- 

 ible to the eye, and seen in very small points, yet in a great mass of 

 the rock there is none visible externally ; but on pounding it in a rnor- 

 tar to a fine powder, and washing it, the yield of gold is so abundant 

 as to remove all doubt as to the propriety of working the rock by ma- 

 chinery." The San Francisco Herald, in a notice of some of the spe- 

 cimens from the locality, says, "Several lumps were selected, in 

 which no particle of gold could be discovered, even with a microscope. 

 These were pounded in a mortar, and when reduced to a fineness some- 

 what less than that of common table-salt, were washed in a rude tin 

 pan. Each piece yielded, when so reduced, several grains of gold. 

 The estimated product was twelve cents to the pound of rock." 



Mr. Tyson, in his report to the Secretary of War on the geology of 

 California, says, "It is not to be expected that the quartz veins 

 throughout the gold region will generally prove metalliferous; on the 

 contrary, but a small proportion of the whole number can be expected 

 to contain metal worth working." He observes that Col. Fremont 

 showed him a specimen from Mariposa River which contained a large 

 proportion of gold disseminated in small masses throughout the stone, 

 but he evidently is of the opinion that the question as to the profitable 

 working of the veins remains to be decided. 



CRYSTALLIZED GOLD FROM CALIFORNIA. 



MR. FRANCIS ALGER, of Boston, has recently obtained some crystals 

 of gold from California, which exceed in size any heretofore discovered 

 in any localities. The crystals were brought from California in two 

 separate parcels, by Mr. G. E. Tyler of Boston, and Mr. H. B. Platt 

 of New York, They are well characterized octahedrons, simple and 

 modified, the surfaces of which have been but slightly disfigured by at- 

 trition, or the effects of transported action usually observed in other spe- 

 cimens. As examples of crystallization, some of the specimens are as 

 perfect as are to be seen in magnetic iron ore or spinelle. The most 

 striking examples on a large scale, are three octahedronsof the dimen- 

 sions of the accompanying figures. They are isolated crystals, and the 



