2i 



yards under the hill. These wouhl employ about 50 la- 

 bourers to advanta^'e. We have not, however, more 

 than 30 generally, and these cultivate their own corn. 

 'J'hey have produced GO tons of lead in the year; but 

 the general (piuntily is from 20 to 25 tons. The pre- 

 sent furnace is a tnile from the ore bank, and on the op- 

 y)osite side of the river. The ore is first wagoned to 

 the river, a quarter of a mile, ihen laden on board of 

 canoes, and carried across the river, which is there 

 about 200 yards wide, and then again taken into wa- 

 gons and carried to the furnace. This mode was origin- 

 ally adopted, that they might avail themselves of a 

 good situation on a creek, lor a |)ounding mill: but it 

 would be easy to have the furnace and pounding mill on 

 the same side of the river, which would yield water, 

 without any dam, by a canal of about half a mile in 

 lengtli. From the furnace ihe lead is transported 130 

 mihs along a good road, leading through the peaks of 

 Otter to Lynch's ferry, or Winston's on Janies' river, 

 frou) whence it is carried by water about the same <lis- 

 tance to Westham. This land carriage may be greatly 

 shortened, by delivermg the lead on James' river, 

 above the Blue ridge, from whence a ton weight has 

 been brought on two canoes. The great Kanhaway 

 has considerable falls in the neighbouj hoed of the 

 mines. About seven miles below are three falls, of 

 three or four feet [)erpendicular each ; and three miles 

 above is a rapid of three njiles continuance, which has 

 been compared in its descent to the great falls of 

 James' river. Yet it is the o|)inion, that they may be 

 laid open for usefid navigation, so as to reduce very 

 much the portage between the Kanhaway aNd James' 

 rivers. 



A valuable lead mine is said to have been lately 

 discovered in Cumberland, btlovv the mouth of Red 

 river. The greatest, however, known in the western 

 country, are on the Mississippi, extending from the 

 mouth of Rock river 150 miles upwards. These are 

 not wrought, the lead ^.aed in that country being from 

 the banks on the Spanish side of the Mississippi, oppo- 

 site to Kaskaskia. 



