96 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
at bottom, thinning out, like a wedge, towards the surface. It was explored only to about a depth 
of twenty-five feet. In general this mine has been worked in open-cast; and a number of the old, 
abandoned works may be seen along the ridges—the refuse piles covered with sulphate of iron, the 
result of the decomposition of the pyrites thrown out of the mines. The mines of this locality 
have been worked steadily, and I understand profitably, since 1828—a fact that may fairly be attri- 
“buted to the circumstance that they have remained in the hands of the original owner, and have 
not been rented to persons having no permanent interest in them, rather than to its being so much 
richer than other mines. , 
On a ridge between Hanna’s Creek and Gill’s Creek, some mines of considerable extent occur. 
Two of them, known as Belk’s and Perry’s mines, occupy two parallel beds about 300 yards dis- 
tant, and have been worked to a depth of thirty-five feet. Stevens’s mine is a continuation of 
these, and can scarcely be distinguished from them. Not far from Taxahaw’a mine was opened 
that gave good promise to the owners. In the ardor of first discovery it was excavated in a wide 
open-cut, which soon fell in at the sides. It now became necessary to retrace their hasty steps, and 
take the course that should have been pursued at first, and which now could only be done at great 
disadvantage, and with much unprofitable labor. 
Brewer’s MINE. 
In that part of Chesterfield District which is drained by Lynch’s Creek, slates similar to those in 
Lancaster are found in several localities. After crossing the creek at Slate-ford, a hill presents 
itself, which is composed of talcose slates ; a little farther onwards, and immediately between Fork 
Creek and Lynch’s Creek, the slates are exposed on the surface. They contain fine beds of soap- 
stone, and groups of beautiful crystals of radiating talc, of red and yellow colors. Protruded 
between these slates is an enormous bed of what, at first sight, appears to be arenaceous quartz, 
mixed with talc. Its greatest thickness is nearly 800 yards; and I traced it for a distance of one 
mile and a half, along the outcrop of the slates. 'The whole of this vast bed is more or less aurif- 
erous, and is known as Brewer’s mine. 
Before setting out upon the survey I consulted the United States’ census of 1840, to obtain some 
information as to the mineral resources of the State, and copied into my field-book “51 hands 
engaged in mining.” The reader may judge my surprise on finding here 200 hands, employed in 
a mine of which there was | any thing known beyond the immediate neighborhood. 
On the slope of the hill a part of this bed is covered by a deposit consisting of clay, gravel, and 
rounded pebbles, which was pretty rich in gold, and continued to be worked profitably from 1828 
to 1843, when the bed already alluded to was discovered by Col. Craig and Messrs. Anderson and 
Kipnson—a discovery which has added greatly to the mineral wealth of the State, and entitles 
them to honorable remembrance. 
So entirely disintegrated is the rock composing this bed that it continued to be worked, up to the 
time of my visit, two years after its discovery, without exciting any doubts as to its being at all 
different from the deposit already known and worked. 
On the crest of the hill a bluish, heavy rock is found in masses above the surface, and in frag- 
ments scattered around, which is a compact hornstone, and is seen in all the stages of disintegration 
