212 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [June 



crushing. In the stamps, a portion of quicksilver is placed in the 

 stamper-box, and the paste, as it flows forth, is carried over plates 

 of copper amalgamated with quicksilver ; or is led directly into 

 shaking-tables ; passed over riffles, having mercury in the top 

 riffles; over complex arrangements of copper cups containing mer- 

 cury ; through amalgamated pans, &c. ; or combinations of two or 

 more of these systems. In some mills, after the paste has passed 

 through or over the amalgamating system, it is passed through a 

 Chilian mill to recover any gold that may have passed away in 

 the tailings. In others the tailings are carried over inclined tables 

 covered with blankets, in the asperities of which the metals lodge 

 by their gravity, while the silicious particles are washed away. 

 These blankets are removed at intervals, washed of their contents, 

 and then relaid. Or the tailings may be passed over a buddle, 

 and the metallic portion thus collected. In either case, this is 

 placed in barrels attached to a horizontal shaft, with a few pounds 

 of mercury and a quantity of water, and the whole kept revolving 

 for a number of hours. The yield of gold in this process is, how- 

 ever, generally very small. The tailings are then allowed to go to 

 waste ; the propriety of doing which, will be alluded to hereafter. 



The question, can there be perfect analgamation ? is still unan- 

 swered. Many machines, simple or complex in their construction 

 and arrangement, have been invented, each of which has been deem- 

 ed the only perfect machine, and yet none is perfect. An arrange- 

 ment by which the quartz crushed to a fine powder and freed from 

 the sulphurets could be passed through a body of mercury so as to 

 ensure contact with every particle of gold contained in the mass, 

 and at the same time to avoid the loss of mercury, would be the best 

 for amalgamation. A number of machines to effect this have been 

 constructed, but have not proved successful, The great difference 

 between the specific gravities of quartz, 2.60, and mercury, 13.5, 

 renders it a difficult matter to pass successfully the lighter bodies 

 through the denser. 



That a large portion of the gold from the mines of Nova Scotia 

 is lost and carried away in the tailings is well established ; and 

 with the systems of amalgamation in use, it would appear impos- 

 sible to avoid a loss. In the Chilian mill the gold is ground to a 

 fine powder, and may be seen floating on the surface of the water. 

 Although its specific gravity is so great, no known means will cause 

 it to settle, and it is carried away in the overflow. Under the 

 stamps the quartz is crushed into fine particles, and adhering to 



