1890-91.] GOLD AND SILVER IN GALENA AND IRON PYRITES. 125 



under superimposed strata of deposited sediments or igneous rock 

 matter, then it is apparent that the material for the nonmetamorphic 

 superficial deposits would have to be drawn from the already formed 

 veins of segregation, and I know of nothing that would influence me to 

 view this negatively as native lead when found, or, properly speaking, as 

 far as has been found, up to the present, has resulted from the decompo- 

 sition of galena which is undeniable. 



To proceed, the galena was not leached from the older veins nor yet 

 carried in solution as sulphide of lead by alkaline sulphide or carbonate 

 solutions, simply for the reason that it is not soluble in those solutions 

 as some geologists would like to believe. Gold is the only sulphide of 

 the metals we are treating of, that is soluble in an alkaline sulphide. 

 Then what possible state would be the most convenient ? I have come to 

 the conclusion that the following would be possible, as well as soluble, 

 under the conditions which I shall hereafter give, namely: the lead as 

 chloride, sulphate carbonate, or in metallic state the silver as metallic 

 or chloride, the gold, the chloride, metallic sulphide or the necessary 

 solvents would be alkaline, chlorides, hyposulphites and carbonates ; the 

 sulphate of lead and chloride of silver would be soluble in the hyposul- 

 phite, the chloride of gold and chloride of lead would be soluble in 

 water ; but you will ask me where is there a possibility of any of these 

 solutions existing as well as some of those salts, especially the chloride 

 and hyposulphite solution ? Allow me first to remind you that three- 

 quarters of the earth's surface is submerged under what may be called a 

 solution of an alkaline chloride, and as to the hyposulphite solution, 

 active volcanoes always produce sulphur dioxide. Si. O.,, water in the 

 vicinity of those is generally charged with this gas, which combines with 

 it to form sulphurous acid ; this again would combine with another atom 

 of sulphur, providing it were present with the necessary heat to form 

 hyposulphurous acid. The following equation would show reaction : — 



SO,-fH,0-FS=H2S,03, 

 or the oxygen could be replaced by sodium — 



= Na,S.03 

 This may seem a rather complicated process and might be thought 

 unpractical, but when we take into account the vast amount of action 

 exhibited by sulphur springs, we cannot help admitting it to be possible. 

 A good illustration of those springs is one described by Dr. Beck, as 

 existing at Manilus, in the State of New York, which is, according to 

 him, one mile and a half long, half a mile broad, and i68 feet deep ; a 

 spring like this would furnish material, allowing us to dispense with the 

 volcano. A spring such as this possibly existed at the bottom of a 

 Silurian or carboniferous sea. We have an example of such off the coast 



