Mr Olmsted on the Gold Mines of' North Carolina. 363 



ducted here. The clay is not so dense at this place as at Reed's Mine, but 

 more ferruginous and full of spangles of golden- coloured mica. This 

 stratum rests on gneiss : those before described were over the slate for- 

 mation. 



Parker's Mine is situated on a small stream four miles south of the 

 river Yadkin. As in the instances already mentioned, excavations were 

 numerous in the low grounds adjacent to the stream ; but, at the time of 

 my visit, the earth for washing, (which was of a snuff colour,) was trans- 

 ported from a ploughed field in the neighbourhood, that was elevated about 

 fifty or sixty feet above the stream. The earth, at this place which con- 

 tained the gold, was of a deeper red than that at either of the other mines. 

 The gold found here is chiefly in flakes and grains. Occasionally, how- 

 ever, pieces are met with which weigh 100 pwts. and upwards ; and very 

 recently a mass has been discovered that weighed four pounds and eleven 

 ounces. This is said to have been found at the depth of ten feet, which 

 is a lower level than any I had heard of before. The idea of an aqueous de- 

 posit, which is apt to be impressed upon us whenever we either inspect 

 the formation or reflect upon its origin, would lead us to expect, on ac- 

 count of the great specific gravity of gold, that the largest masses would 

 be found at the lowest depths. But I am not aware that any uniformity 

 exists in this respect. The largest mass hitherto discovered was, as has 

 been mentioned already, found within a few inches of the surface It is 

 evident that the thin stratum which contains the metal, will be buried 

 at different depths, by variable quantities of alluvial earth, that are accu- 

 mulated over it by causes still in operation ; and, consequently, that the 

 depth at which the stratum happens to be met with, in any given place, 

 is no criterion of its richness. Nor does the fact, that this fortunate dis- 

 covery was made at a lower level than ordinary, afford any encouragement 

 to work lower than the usual depth. It might interest geological curiosi- 

 ty, however, to learn the nature of the strata below the gold deposit, al- 

 though I do not know that the existence of this furnishes any reasonable 

 grounds for supposing that there are other similar deposits below it. I 

 could not find that any search had been made with such an expectation 

 except in a single instance. Near the spot where the largest mass was 

 found, the earth was penetrated a few feet below the gold bed. Imme- 

 diately beneath this was a thin layer of green sand, and next a similar 

 layer of a bright yellow sand. These had a very handsome appearance, 

 but neither of them seemed to contain any thing more precious than mica. 



The terms on which the proprietors of the mines permit them to be 

 worked, vary with the productiveness of the earth which is worked. Some 

 of the miners rent for a fourth of the gold found ; some for a third, and 

 others claim half, which is the highest premium hitherto paid. The ave- 

 rage product at ltced's mine was not more than sixty cents a day to each 

 labourer; but the undertakers are buoyed up with the hope of sonic .splen- 

 did discovery, like those which have occasionally been made. 



The mines have given some peculiarities to the state of society in tin 

 ni iidibouring country. The precious metal is a most favourite acquisition, 



