426 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Prof. Forrest Shepherd, whose skill and energy in developing me- 

 tallic veins is so well known to the public, and who has of late 

 been much interested in mining lands in Maine : 



Eastport, November 14, 1862. 

 Prof. C. H. Hitchcock: 



Dear Sir : — The late discoveries of sulphuret of lead by the 

 "Maine Mining and Manufacturing Company" at what is known 

 as the Old Comstock, or Lubec Lead Mine, are truly wonderful — 

 far surpassing the most sanguine expectations and calculations of 

 the highly esteemed and much lamented Prof. Manross. The new 

 veins discovered by, and the former ones more judiciously opened 

 by General J. N. Palmer, expose to view on the face of the cliff, I 

 may safely say, hundreds of tons of galena in vertical veins with 

 very little foreign admixture. Collectively they will probably quite 

 equal if not surpass the extraordinary mine recently opened eighty 

 miles from New York, on the New York and Erie Railroad, near 

 Port Jervis. Gen. P. has introduced very simple machinery for 

 cleaning the ore effectually, so that he can smelt it with the great- 

 est ease. A steam engine is now being erected at Denbo Point, 

 four miles from the Lubec Mine upon a vein which I am informed 

 promises a rich return of Silver Lead. 



P. S. Gen. Palmer found by trial that the machinery adopted 

 by Mr. Collum at the Lead Mine would not answer, and therefore 

 rejected it and substituted the simple jig, Dolly tub and buddle, for 

 the ore after it had passed twice through the rollers, having first 

 passed through Blake's crusher. 



Calais, Nov. 14, P. M. — I have arrived here and am at once 

 presented with a surface specimen of surface gold taken, or said to 

 have been taken from a gravel bed in Baileyville on the railroad. 

 It is embedded in quartz having slate almost black, like that in 

 Nova Scotia, on one side. I am inclined to believe it genuine, and 

 I have engaged a miner to open one or more of the quartz veins 

 for a trial. 



I have recently found additional specimens of Ox. Tin at Mt. 

 Mica, Paris, and secured said mount and adjacent grounds for 

 further exploration. 



Believe me very sincerely yours, 



FORREST SHEPHERD. 



