ON GOLD AND SILYEE. 519 



developed. It is believed that the production o£ Oregon is nnder- 

 estimated. 



Idaho varies very little in its production of gold, but has somewhat 

 increased in silver. About 60 per cent, of its gold was from placers in 

 1880, probably rather less than this now. 



In New Mexico the yield of gold increased from ^49,.354 in 1880 to 

 ^300,000 in 1884, and to ^800,000 in 1885 ; the silver produce has 

 likewise increased, but not in the same proportion. 'No record of placer 

 workings could be collected during the census year, and it was believed 

 that the amount of gold so obtained was very small. Kich placers were, 

 however, known to exist, and have since been worked. The increase is 

 therefore largely due to this cause. 



Arizona, which produced only ^212,000 in gold in 1880, increased this 

 to over ^1,000,000 in 1881 and 1882 ; but the yield afterwards fell, and 

 was only ^800,000 in 1885. Only 14 per cent, of the yield in 1880 was 

 from placers ; the proportion must be considerably less now, the develop- 

 ments of late years having been chiefly in vein-mining. 



The remaining States call for no special remark, their total yield of 

 gold in 1885 having been only ^1,020,000. Utah (^120,000 in 1885) is 

 interesting from its steady yield of gold, over 90 per cent, of it being 

 from veins. 



The general result of this inquiry is to establish the important fact 

 that so far as the United States are concerned the gold supply is steady- 

 ing, with a slight tendency to increase ; we may expect this steady yield 

 to continue, because it is due in an increasing proportion to vein-mining. 

 Placer-mining yielded 36 per cent, of the gold in 1880 ; only about 30 per 

 cent, in 1885. 



Mr. A. "Williams in his ' First Report on the Mineral Resources of 

 the United States ' (1882) makes the following remarks on the probable 

 future production of the United States ; remarks which the succeeding 

 four years have well justified : — ' From the foregoing figures [statistics of 

 production] the general deduction may be drawn that the annual pi-e- 

 cious metal output of the United States during recent years may be 

 stated at between ;^70,000,000 and ^80,000,000, coining value, and that 

 the fluctuations in the proportional amounts of gold and silver are greater 

 than those of the total product. It is also safe to assume that this rate 

 of production will be maintained for some time to come, and that the 

 probability of a slight increase is greater than that of a decline. Ex- 

 perience has shown that old localities become exhausted, or fall oflf in 

 their rate of production ; new localities are developed which fully take 

 their place ; and that the general result is therefore nearly uniform as 

 compared year by year. By the time the country has been thoroughly 

 explored for gold and silver deposits — a time whach may be considered 

 as indefinitely remote — the facilities for mining and working the ores 

 will undoubtedly be such as to enable systematic and permanent develop- 

 ment to be maintained in places and with ores which at present could 

 not be profitable.' 



Victoria. — Gold was discovered in Victoria in 1849. It was re-dis- 

 covered in 1851. There was then a rush to the alluvial workings, and 

 the yield suddenly rose from about 200,000 oz. in three months of 1851 

 to 2,286,000 oz. in 1882 ; the maximum yield in 1856 was 3,053,744 oz. 

 The total yield of Victoria up to the end of 1885 is estimated at 53,750,000 

 oz., valued at 214,000,000Z., or an average of 4Z. per oz. 



