FARMERS' REGISTER— GOLD MINES OF VIRGINIA. 



501 



There are few places in the world which can vie 

 with Sallviile in beauty and novelty of scenery — 

 the extended meadow s, rich rid2;eB, hi>i"h conical 

 peaks, mountain coves, clear sprin(;s, and the re- 

 markable verdure coverinfj the soil, setoff to great 

 advanlaii'e the neiji-hborinji* lofty Clinch mountain. 

 The Chilhowee springs are in tlie vicinity, and often 

 the summer visiters add new interest, in their pur- 

 suit of pheasants, deer, foxes, and other game. The 

 fish, mutton, and beef are superior to any elsewb.ere 

 to be found, all in the same region ; but why praise 

 a country hardly ever thought of abroad, except 

 in connexion with imagined mountains and wild 

 beasts.' 



We verily believe our city friends know nothing 

 about the good things of life till they find their way 

 here. c. d. 



THE GOLD MIIfES OF VIRGINIA. 



[Several years have passed since gold was found in 

 Virginia, in quantities sufficient to cause the pursuit to 

 become a regular employment. Until recently, the pro- 

 ducts obtained from mining adventures were so scanty, 

 as to induce the belief, that the whole gain would scarce- 

 ly compensate the wliole cost of the business. Now, 

 however, it seems that this precious metal is found in 

 great abundance in several places, and there is a strong 

 indication that the gold mines of Virginia, will prove to 

 be so rich, as to become an important Source of wealth to 

 tlie country. Though somewhat doubtful as to ten- 

 dency and effects of such discoveries on the community, 

 there is no question of the good effects of. mining being 

 increased, and the evil being diminished, in proportion 

 to the productiveness of the mines, and the certainty 

 of profit accruing from the business. If five millions of 

 dollars worth of gold, could be produced annually in 

 Virginia, with as little risk and uncertainty, as the pro- 

 duct of any other branch of industry, the benefit to the 

 commonwealth would be equally great. These five 

 millions in gold, would as surely serve to exchange for 

 its value in foreign commodities, as an equal amount of 

 any other product. The evils caused to the community 

 by gold mining, do not arise (directly) from the gains, 

 but from the losses — from the uncertainty of the busi- 

 ness, the gambling spirit engendered by the tempting 

 prizes in this lottery, and the greater number of failures 

 than of successful adventures. With these general 

 views, we considered the first annunciation of gold be- 

 ing found in Virginia, as prophetic of evil, and every ex- 

 tension of the discovery of small and scattered parcels 

 of the metal, as serving to hasten and increase the 

 dreaded consequences. But rich mines and certain pro- 

 ducts may have effects altogether different, and the later 

 discoveries maybe considered as highly beneficial to the 

 state, as well as to the individual proprietors; and as a 

 moral, as well as a pecuniary advantage, to the region 

 of country, through which, gold had been previously 

 found in small quantities only. 



We present below several articles which will serve 

 to show the present state of the gold discoveries, and 

 the expectations thereon founded by men of science, as 

 well as by the public. Still, error and delusion are 

 much to be feared, and it will be tiie most pntdent 

 course, to distrust these brilliant and tempting pros- 

 pects] 



GOLD IS LOUISA. 



From t'lc RichmnnJ Whi,^. 

 The annexed letter addressed by Peter Scales, 

 Esq. to Col. Joseph S. Watkins, the Delegate from 

 fjoochland, will be read with interest by every 

 person. The account which it gives of the Louisa 

 Gold Mine, exceeds any thing of the kind ever 

 knov/n in this country. 



Wood Lawn, Orange County, Dec. 5, 1833. 



COL. JOSEPH S. AV ATKINS, 



of Goochland, Virginia. 



3fy Dear Sir, — A ride of six or seven miles la.st 

 Tuesday, placet! in my possession the following- 

 facts, v/hich if you choose, you can have placed be- 

 fore the public eye, for however humble our situa- 

 tion, we shoultl not shrink from the public duly of 

 giving intelligence calculated to shew the resources 

 of our slate, arouse us to energy of action, or 

 " brifflitcn tlie glorv of our commonwealth." 



On Friday, 29thNovember, 183.3, Col. William 

 Robardsof Granville county, N. C. the head of the 

 Gold Mining Company now operating at Tinders, 

 in Louisa county, (known as the mine at Rattle 

 Snake Den in our neighborhood) arrived, and the 

 rich suiface deposite that had been discovered 

 about two or tiiree weeks previous, was upon con- 

 sultation re-opened, and on Monday last the 2d 

 inst. with the labor of hvcrity-three hands, large 

 and small, the result was as follows : 3,680 dwts. 

 in the amalgam, and the estimated value of the 

 specimens, together with some promiscuous pan 

 washings, Avas believed, would upon a reasonable 

 calculation be equivalent to 4000 dwts. The con- 

 tents of a single pan of earth, estimated at three 

 pints to two quarts by the operators, produced 125 

 dwts. On the 3d inst. I witnessed the washing of 

 a pan of the earth, and the product weighed before 

 me over 115 dwts. of the amalgam. The speci- 

 mens that are thrown out by the rocker, shew the 

 virgin matter in great abundance, and to use the 

 expression of Col. Robards, the quartz seems to 

 be imbedded in gold, instead of the gold in the 

 quartz. Two handfulls of the earth were washed, 

 from the most favorable part of the deposite, which 

 produced 35 dwts. of gold after the mercury was 

 burnt off, and ten barrows estimated to contain 

 one-fourth of a bushel, 450 dwts. (Inirnt off like- 

 wise.) 



The polite and courteous freedorii to communi- 

 cate the result of the Company's labors tendered 

 by Col. Robards, enables me to give the following 

 result per week of the Conq^anv : 1st week, (Oct. 

 7th, 1833,) 381 dwts.; 2d do. 21)1 dwts.; 3d, 158.; 

 4th, 229; 5th, 1,601 dwts; 6th, 949 dwts.; 7th, 

 280; 8th, 941 dwts. The above I infer was the 

 .promiscuous washing beibre the present rich depo- 

 site was found. 



This extraordinary rich deposition of gold, is no 

 delusion or visionarjf calculation, nor is it made 

 public with any speculative object. The gentle- 

 men now reaping this Golden Harvest are, we are 

 informed, largely engaged in the like vocation in 

 North Caj'olina, and have been led hither by the 

 strong and rich indications of gold within our state, 

 with the intention of making it a permanent busi- 

 ness within our limits. , Their mode of operation 

 is cheap and simple, using what they term the 

 rocker, with an internal and external ripple (or 

 rifller, as it is called by the miners,) costing about 

 fifteen dollars. 



