25 



A mine of copper was once opened in the county of 

 Annlierst, on the north side of James' river, and anoth- 

 er in the opposite country, on the south side. However, 

 either from bad management or tlie poverty of the 

 veins, they were discontinued. We are told of a rich 

 mine of native copper on the Ouabache, below the 

 uf)per Wiaw. 



i he mines of iron worked at present are Callaway's, 

 Ross's, and Ballendine's, on the south side of Janjes' 

 river; Old's on the north side, in Albemarle; Miller's 

 in Augusta, and Zane's in Frederic. These two last 

 are in the valley between the Bhie ridge and North 

 mountain. Callaway's, Ross's, Miller's, and Zane's, 

 make about J50 tons of bar iron each, in the year. 

 Ross's makes also about IGOOtons of pig iron annually ; 

 Ballendine's 1000; Callaway's, Miller's, and Zane's, 

 about 600 each. Besides these, a forge of Mr Hunter's, 

 at Fredericksburg, makes about 300 tons a year of bar 

 iron, from pigs imported from Maryland ; and Taylor's 

 forge on Neapsco of Patowmac, works in the same 

 way, but to what extent 1 am not informed. The indi- 

 cations of iron in other places are numerous, and dis- 

 persed through all the middle country. The toughness 

 of the cast iron of Ross's and Zane's furnaces is very 

 remarkable. Pots and other utensils, cast thinner than 

 usual, of this iron, may be safely thrown into, or out of 

 the wagons in which they are transported. Salt pans 

 made of the same, and no longer wanted for that pur- 

 pose, cannot be broken up, in order to be melted again, 

 unless previously drilled in many parts. 



In the Vv'estern country, we are told of iron mines 

 between the Muskingum and Ohio ; of others on Ken- 

 tucky, between the Cumberland and Barren rivers, be- 

 tween Cund)erland and Tannissee, on Reedy creek, near 

 the Long island, and on Chestnut creek, a branch of the 

 Gieat Kanhavvav, near where it crosses the Carolina 

 line. Wliat are called the iron banks, on the Missis- 

 sippi, are believed, by a good jtjdge, to have no iron in 

 them. Jn general, from what is hitherto known of that 

 country, it seems to want iron. 



