Prof. Olmsted on the Gold Mines of North Carolina. 383 



in this respect, it resembles the gold countries of South Ame- 

 rica, of England, of Scotland, of Ireland, and of Africa. (Buck- 

 land, Rel.'biluv. 218—20.) 



I liave already adverted to an impression entertained by the 

 inhabitants of our gold country, that the precious metal exists 

 somewhere in the vicinity in an ample bed or vein, from which 

 the pieces found are derived. It may not be uninteresting to 

 inquire whether we can obtain any light respecting its origin., 



1. Is it brought doisonfrom the sources of the rivers? 



That this is not the case is evident, because it is not found 

 merely in the beds of the rivers, but also in the neighbouring 

 grounds, and that too whether the ground be plain or hilly. 

 The formation in fact, crosses over hill and dale, and frequently 

 the earth which is obtained on the hill side, or on the summits 

 of an elevation of one or two hundred feet above the beds of 

 the streams, is rich in metal. It is found on both sides of the 

 Yadkin, and in the bed and throughout all the branches of 

 Rocky River. It is evident, then, that the rivers do not 

 brino- down the gold from their sources, but that they cut 

 through a stratum containing it, which covers like a mantle, 

 an extensive tract of the country through which they flow, 

 and that they bring the precious metal to view by separating 

 it from its stony matrix. 



2. Did the j^resetit lumps and graijis ever form parts of large 

 masses in a continued bed or %mn ? 



It has been already remarked that the present aspect of 

 these pieces is such as would naturally result from collision 

 among the siliceous fragments that accompany them. Impres- 

 sions of sand and gravel, or even imbedded sand, might, it is 

 true, be the result of fusion in a bed of sand ; but the appear- 

 ance is not that which arises from fusion nnder such circum- 

 stances, the cavities being superficial, forming impressions or 

 indentations, while there is no appearance in any specimen that 

 I have seen of a grain of sand enveloped by the mass*. But 

 if the present appearance of these lumps and grains be owing 

 to attrition, and the formation be, as we have sujiposed, a de- 

 posit from water, then we must regard them as the remains of 

 laiger j)ieces, reduced in size by collision with the accompa- 

 nying minerals, but not as parts of very large masses which 

 have been torn up and broken into fragments. Tiie same cause 

 that would be suilicient to break up into fragments the accom- 

 panying gravel, would not break u}) large masses of gold into 

 smaller pieces, since gold is soft and malleable, and not brittle 

 • Vide Kirwan's Geological Essays, lOJ. 



and 



