HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA. 283 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE MINERALOGICAL AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF 

 GOLD, AND THE MODE OF DISTINGUISHING IT WHEN 

 FOUND ; TOGETHER WITH THE ASSAY, REDUCTION, 

 AND REFINEMENT OF GOLD. 



For the purpose of presenting all that is connected 

 with that precious metal, that has built up a state 

 within a few years, and of making the reader fully 

 acquainted with all that is necessary for the gold- 

 seeker to know, we will now describe, in some detail, 

 fche natural history, character of gold, and the mode 

 of determining its presence and value. 



Gold invariably exhibits something of the peculiar 

 yellow color which it is known to possess in a pure 

 •state ; but this color is modified by various metals 

 with which it may be mixed. Thus it may be described 

 as having various shades of gold-yellow ; occasionally 

 approaching silver-white, occasionally resembling 

 brass-yellow of every degree of intensity, and even 

 verging on steel-gray in some specimens from South 

 America. 



The lustre of gold is highly metallic and shining, 

 and owing to the small amount of oxidation at its sur- 

 face, it preserves its shining lustre even after long 

 exposure in contact with other substances. Thus the 

 shining particles are often seen in sand when the 

 quantity is barely sufficient to repay the cost of work- 

 ing, notwithstanding the value of the metal. Even 

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