534 



NEVADA. 



ward released on a writ of habeas corpus. The 

 Supreme Court of Nevada decided that the law 

 in question was constitutional, but the United 

 States Supreme Court reversed the judgment 

 of the court helow, with instructions to enter 

 judgment in accordance with this opinion. 



Mr. Justice Miller, who delivered the opin- 

 ion, after examining the subject in its consti- 

 tutional relations, took the general ground 

 that citizens in one part of the country have 

 the same unrestrained right to travel as citi- 

 zens in any other part of the United States. 

 He reviewed the question in a national aspect, 

 referring, among other things, to the fact that 

 Washington is the seat of a great Government, 

 Congress makes laws, the judiciary expounds 

 them, and the President directs its thou- 

 sands of employe's in the transaction of busi- 

 ness. They may be called to Washington for 

 instructions, or other citizens may be appointed 

 to office in Washington, or such public officers 

 may find it necessary to leave their respective 

 localities to attend to Government business in 

 other States. If restrictions 'be imposed upon 

 their travel, it is apparent that the design of a 

 free Government, where every man has a right 

 to emigrate, cannot be efficiently carried out. 

 And so of business of. all kinds in the States, 

 whether connected with the Government or 

 not. If one State can impose a capitation tax 

 on passengers leaving it, or passing through its 

 territory, so can another, or all the States may 

 thus restrain or impede travel, and interfere 

 with commerce between the States. In fur- 

 ther support of the views of the majority of 

 the court, he said the Government, under such 

 State laws, could be seriously embarrassed in 

 the transportation of troops and supplies, and 

 quoted numerous legal authorities to sustain 

 the opinion. Chief- Justice Chase and Associate- 

 Justice Clifford dissented as to some of the 

 principles advanced in the opinion. 



The construction of railroads is already at- 

 tracting attention among the people. The 

 Central Pacific is about completed through 

 the State. Another enterprise is the Virginia 

 and Truckee Railroad, to connect with the Cen- 

 tral Pacific at Eeno, on the Truckee River, 

 passing through Washoe City, Carson City, and 

 the richest agricultural valleys to Virginia 

 City. The engineers are engaged in the neces- 

 sary surveys. Arrangements have been made 

 for the iron and rolling stock, and nothing 

 remains to engage the attention of the com- 

 pany but the speedy grading of the road and 

 the laying of the track. Another road is 

 contemplated from Oroville, California, to 

 Virginia City, and a portion of the capital 

 is taken up. 



The mining operations throughout the State 

 have improved during the year, although the 

 yield of some districts has declined. Of the 

 new fields which have been discovered, the 

 most promising is known as the White Pine. 

 This district comprises an area of about twelve 

 miles square, in a bold chain of hills bearing 



the same name, whose general altitude varies 

 from six to nine thousand feet, though several 

 high ridges reach an elevation of eleven thou- 

 sand feet. It lies one hundred and twenty-five 

 miles east of south from Elko, and about the 

 same distance south of east from Austin. Elko 

 is on the Central Pacific Railroad, some four 

 hundred and sixty miles east of Sacramento, 

 and at present is simply a collection of tents, 

 at the mouth of the south fork of the Hum- 

 boldt. Stages already run between Silver 

 City and Boise, to Elko, and thence to Hamil- 

 ton, in the White Pine district. The discovery 

 of the silver lodes regarded, as the richest 

 ever known in the world was made by an In- 

 dian and a man named Eberhardt, and the 

 mine located in January, 1868. A shaft was 

 sunk at the point of discovery, out of which 

 some good ore was taken, but nothing to indi- 

 cate the immense value which has since been 

 developed. In May following, a discovery was 

 made, about a hundred feet east of the shaft, of 

 exceedingly rich ore, and work was commenced 

 with vigor. The nearest reduction-works 

 were at Newark, some twenty-five miles dis- 

 tant, and Austin, one hundred and twenty 

 miles distant ; and the ore was shipped to 

 both these points. The first lot, worked at 

 Austin, paid at the rate of fourteen hundred 

 dollars per ton. 



The Eberhardt is located on the southern 

 slope of Treasure Hill, and development has 

 shown that it runs nearly east and west, rather 

 than north and south, as located; yet that 

 portion which is at present yielding so abun- 

 dantly is called the South Eberhardt. The 

 workings have been extended until two dis- 

 tinct and well-defined walls appear, which are 

 one hundred and eighty-four feet apart, and 

 between which the ore is enclosed. The vein 

 matter is a conglomerate of quartz, calcspar, 

 limestone charged with metal, and bowlders of 

 barren limestone, a majority of which contain 

 from eight thousand to twenty thousand dol- 

 lars per ton in silver; none of the lower grade 

 is at present worked, and nothing less than 

 three hundred and fifty dollar ore has yet been 

 sent to the mill, and by far the greater portion 

 has yielded from eight to twelve hundred dol- 

 lars per ton. The mine lies in a limestone 

 formation; the workings during the summer 

 were in an open cut, but during the fall two 

 shafts were sunk which were covered with a 

 substantial building, and through which the 

 workings are conducted. The deepest shaft is 

 but eighty or ninety feet down. There was in 

 sight in the mine, on January 1st, as estimated 

 by competent judges, between four and five 

 hundred tons of milling ore. Small lots of ore 

 have been selected and smelted that yielded 

 from four to seven dollars per pound ; and the 

 company had on hand about seven tons of ore 

 that will yield from five to seven thousand dol- 

 lars per ton in silver. Since the opening of 

 the mine, in May last, according to the books 

 of the company, an amount of ore has been 



