ALLEN", HENRY W. 



Democrat Upon the outbreak of the war, Mr. 

 Alli-n joined the Delta Rifles as a volunteer, and 

 upon his promotion as lieutenant-colonel of the 

 Fourth Louisiana was stationed for some -months 

 at Ship Island. Subsequently he was made colo- 

 nel, .'uid appointed military governor of Jack- 

 1IU first actual engagement was in the 

 e of Shiloh, where he commanded his fa- 

 vorite regiment, and fought gallantly, even after 

 intr a severe wound in the face. He was 

 afterward ordered to Vicksburg, where ho did 

 efficient service in preparing the fortifications, 

 sometimes directly under the fire of the Union 

 array. At the battle of Baton Rouge, Colonel 

 Allen commanded a brigade, and, while making 

 a fearful charge, his horse was struck by a shell, 

 killing him instantly, and the scattering shot 

 passing through both legs of his rider, stretched 

 him helpless upon the field, from -which he was 

 borno iu an almost dying state. The amputa- 

 tion of one leg was advised, but owing to his 

 entreaties it was, after a long period of suffer- 

 ing, finally spared. While lingering with his 

 painful wounds he received the appointment of 

 president of the military court at Jackson, Miss., 

 also that of major-general of the militia of 

 Louisiana, both of which he declined. In Sep- 

 tember, 1864, he was appointed brigadier-gen- 

 eral, and ordered to report to the Trans-Missis- 

 sippi Department, and had hardly entered upon 

 his duties when he was almost unanimously elect- 

 ed Governor of Louisiana. He accepted the 

 office, and at once gave himself up warmly and 

 passionately to its duties. He was eminently fitted 

 for the position, and was cheered and sustained 

 by the devotion of the people. One of his first 

 elForts was for the improvement of the State 

 finances. For this purp9se he arranged with 

 General E. Kirby Smith, then commanding the 

 Trans-Mississippi Department, to have the cot- 

 ton tax duo the Confederate Government paid 

 in kind, and established, without cost to the 

 State, the export of the cotton, which the State 

 received for taxes, through Texas to the Mex- 

 ican frontier, and the return by the same route 

 of such articles of medicine, clothing, and ne- 

 cessity as could not otherwise be obtained, 

 which were sold to the people at moderate 

 prices, and distributed gratuitously to the very 

 poor. Ho also instituted and encouraged manu- 

 factures for the production of articles of prime 

 necessity in the State. He most carefully en- 

 forced all the laws, especially those forbidding 

 the distillation of alcoholic liquors from grain 

 and sugar-cane, and did all in his power for the 

 suppression of drunkenness and other vices, and 

 by his frugal management was enabled to de- 

 vote large sums to public charities. His devo- 

 tion to the interests of all classes speedily won 

 the confidence and affection of the people, 

 and the results of his wise, efficient, and benefi- 

 cent administration were felt throughout the 

 whole Trans-Mississippi Department, and gave 

 him almost arbitrary power. At the close of the 

 war, Governor Allen was strongly urged by his 

 frieudg to leave the country, and feeling that by 



AMALGAMATION. 



15 



remaining he could be of no further UHO to 

 the State, ho took up his residence in Mexico. 

 Here he established an English' paper, "The 

 Mexican Times," laboring faithfully and zeal- 

 ously as the sole editor for eight months. But 

 his career was drawing to a close. Upon the ad- 

 vice of his physician, ho was making arrange- 

 ments to go to Paris, and submit to a surgical 

 operation, when his general health indicated 

 immediate danger, and ere he could mature his 

 plans, the end had come. A volume, entitled 

 " Recollections of Henry "W. Allen," prepared 

 by Mrs. Sarah A. Dorsey, was published in New 

 York City early in 1867. 



AMALGAMATION. The art of extracting 

 precious metals from their ores by amalgama- 

 tion, has made considerable progress within the 

 last few years, especially since the discovery of 

 rich gold and silver mines in the Territories of 

 Nevada, Montana, Idaho, and others. The 

 amalgamation of free gold from quartz is a 

 simple process, and has become of great impor- 

 tance in the gold mines (now systematically con- 

 ducted) in California. The auriferous quartz, 

 after being extracted from the mine, undergoes 

 the process of milling, which consists in the 

 reduction of the same to an impalpable powder, 

 that is generally performed by a stamp-mill, and 

 a subsequent treatment with mercury in various 

 ways. It is really in the details where many 

 improvements have been proposed, several of 

 which are actually worth mentioning, and have 

 contributed much to reduce considerably the 

 expenses of " milling." To give an idea of the 

 cost of treating quartz by milling, it may be 

 stated that it ranges from $0.67 to $8.31'per 

 ton, with a product of gold varying between $o 

 and $80 per ton. The profits resulting from this 

 process in these California mines range from 

 $0.97 to $56.40 per ton. 



Many complaints have been made with regard 

 to the great loss of gold by the amalgamation, 

 since the practical results obtained have been 

 so variable and unsatisfactory, amounting in 

 many cases to less than half the gold in the ore. 

 One of the most important discoveries, effecting 

 a better and more thorough amalgamation, has 

 been made by Prof. Henry Wurtz, of New York, 

 and patented by him in this and other countries, 

 in 1864. In order to explain the merits of this 

 invention, we refer here to the remarks made 

 by Prof. B. Silliman at the session of the Na- 

 tional Academy of Science, held in Washington 

 during January, 1866, of which the following is 

 an extract : 



It is well known to metallurgists that the amalga- 

 mation of gold is often attended with peculiar difficul- 

 ties, and that in the best-conducted operations on the 

 large scale there is always a considerable, often a 

 large loss, of the precious metal. Samples of waste 

 or "tailings" collected bv myself at various amalga- 

 mation works in Grass Valley, California, a place 

 noted above most others for the great success which 

 has attended amalgamation of gold, proved on assay 

 to contain in the quartz waste over thirty dollars to 

 the ton, and in the sulphides over fifty dollars to 

 the ton showing a loss nearly equal to the average 

 amount saved in that district. One of the most cau- 



