RemarJcs on the Gold Mines of Virginia. 113 



indeed like a mere mass of Spanish brown, prepared for painting ; 

 the color was darker than that of the pulverized ore generally, be- 

 cause it had been operated upon by fire. The six pounds of this 

 material were then washed — the gold, now become visible, was 

 amalgamated, and when the mercury was expelled by heat, there 

 remained five grains of gold, being in the proportion of eighty-three 

 grains to one hundred pounds, or one bushel of ore, and having, at 

 4-j-'2 cents a grain, the mint price, the value of ^3 39 for one hun- 

 dred pounds. 



Considering that in the triaLmade in the large experiment before 

 cited, all the gold was in the ore, and that in this trial all that was 

 visible had been picked out — considering also that in this smaller 

 trial the proportionate waste of gold in washing was greater than in 

 the larger, it would appear that the conclusion stated, from the ex- 

 amination of the ninety-two bushels, was sufficiently sustained. Un- 

 der all the circumstances which have been stated, the trial now made 

 upon the six pounds of the residuum of the great experiment, may 

 be fairly regarded as standing for the poorer sort of ore ; this will 

 more fully appear by comparison with the other trials that are now 

 to be stated. 



2. In addition to the large mass of ore more or less mixed with 

 the slate, and now lying at the mouths of the shafts, there is in the 

 ore-house, a pile, supposed to contain from twelve to fourteen hun-_ 

 dred bushels, upon portions of which the remaining trials were made. 

 The condition of this ore is as follows: The firm masses of quartz, 

 from the size of a hen's egg to that of a man's fist or of a human 

 head, are mixed with smaller fra^^ments, and with the mere ruins 

 both of the quartz and the slate, more or less pulverized, and much 

 of it is in the condition of powder, or of the fineness of common dirt 

 or soil. This rude heap is, to the eye, quite uninviting; it looks 

 like a pile of yellow ochre, mixed with dirty quartz stones, and 

 were an uninstructed observer to be assured that it contains a great 

 treasure, even at the lowest estimate, many thousand dollars, or 

 possibly many thousand guineas, he would consider the speaker as 

 trifling with his understanding. Still, although the heap exhibits to 

 the eye, no appearance of any metal whatever, except iron rust, it 

 is, without doubt, as will now appear, a treasure of great value. 



By my direction, a hole was dug deep into the pile, and the ma- 

 terials being taken up with a shovel, promiscuously, just as they 

 came, a sufficient quantity of both large and small was pulverized 



Vol. XXXII.— No. 1. 15 



