﻿GEOLOGY. 
  243 
  

  

  All, 
  I 
  was 
  informed, 
  had 
  been 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  Mint 
  at 
  New 
  

   Orleans, 
  where 
  I 
  was 
  assured 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  assayed 
  and 
  

   pronounced 
  pure 
  copper. 
  

  

  I 
  learned, 
  in 
  conversation 
  with 
  different 
  persons, 
  who 
  

   knew 
  something 
  of 
  the 
  matter, 
  that 
  the 
  particles 
  found 
  

   were 
  of 
  various 
  sizes, 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  shot 
  to 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  ''end 
  of 
  a 
  mans 
  thumh" 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  picked 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  gravel 
  on 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  ridge, 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  a 
  creek. 
  It 
  had, 
  

   it 
  was 
  said, 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  droppings 
  of 
  melted 
  

   mental, 
  could 
  be 
  cut 
  with 
  the 
  knife, 
  was 
  malleable, 
  and 
  

   emitted 
  no 
  sulphurous 
  fumes 
  in 
  the 
  furnace; 
  in 
  short, 
  

   had 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  distinguishing 
  characters 
  of 
  pyrites. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  assay, 
  the 
  belief 
  in 
  gold 
  was 
  abandoned, 
  and 
  

   the 
  copper 
  hypothesis 
  adopted. 
  

  

  Some 
  tradition 
  of 
  the 
  neighborhood 
  reptresented 
  the 
  

   discovery 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  new 
  one, 
  and 
  alluded 
  to 
  an 
  old 
  

   bell-maker 
  of 
  the 
  vicinity, 
  who, 
  some 
  twenty 
  or 
  thirtv 
  

   years 
  before, 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  using 
  it 
  for 
  the 
  

   brazing 
  of 
  his 
  bells. 
  

  

  May 
  these 
  particles 
  not 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  droppings 
  from 
  

   the 
  brazier's 
  furnace, 
  of 
  copper 
  obtained 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  com- 
  

   mercial 
  way 
  ? 
  

  

  A 
  belief 
  has 
  been 
  current 
  in 
  the 
  country 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  

   forty 
  years, 
  that 
  lead 
  mines 
  do 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  

   small 
  fragments 
  or 
  cubes 
  of 
  galena 
  have 
  in 
  that 
  time 
  

   been 
  frequently 
  picked 
  up 
  in 
  various 
  quarters. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  aware 
  that 
  such 
  fragments 
  have 
  been 
  

   found, 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  Indian 
  relics 
  dispersed 
  over 
  

   the 
  country 
  and 
  disintombed 
  from 
  the 
  burial-places 
  of 
  

   the 
  aborigines, 
  and 
  have 
  entertained 
  the 
  opinion, 
  in 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  with 
  many 
  others, 
  that 
  these 
  were 
  worn 
  and 
  re- 
  

   garded 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  amulets 
  or 
  orna- 
  

   ments, 
  and 
  were 
  buried 
  among 
  the 
  cherished 
  trinkets 
  

  

  