184 United States' Gold Mine. 



Other metals. — The sulphuret of iron and of copper, (pyrites,) 

 the sulphuret of zinc, (blende,) the argentiferous sulphuret of lead, 

 (galena) — disseminated, more or less, in the quartz. Probably these 

 sulphurets may be auriferous, as that of iron has been found to be. 



* Quartz vein. — In clay, opened lately : — the vein is about one foot 

 wide and stands up in the clay like a wall ; the decay of the slaty 

 rock has probably formed the clay, while the quartz, being a firmer 

 material, has better withstood the action of time. 



Crushing or stamping. — The quartz, with the contained gold, is 

 broken down by vertical stampers moved by steam ; or it is crushed 

 by huge iron — shod wheels of wood (Chilian mills) moved by water 

 power. 



The amalgamation. — The mercury and the crushed quartz are 

 agitated together ia Tyrolese or Hungarian bowls, and the amalgam 

 being decomposed by distillation, the gold is thus obtained and the 

 mercury recovered. 



Yield of gold. — In general about one pennyweight of gold to one 

 bushel (100 pounds) of the quartz ; the quartz that is in place in the 

 solid rock may not contain quite so much, while that in the quartz 

 standing in the clay affords fully that amount, or more; that is to say, 

 one dollar to the one hundred pounds of quartz. 



Product for time. — The greatest yield of this mine is about six 

 hundred dollars per week — the general yield is less. 



Pits, tunnels, and adits. — Several. One adit at the depth of forty 

 feet is carried into the side of a hill — one tunnel at the depth of 

 eighty feet — the adit being under the tunnel. Extent of ground 

 four hundred and fifty acres — cost, f 150,000, or $333 33 per acre. 



Hxpenditvres. — In all $18.000 — with an income of $12,000, in- 

 cluding land and all : the cost of working is $40 per day. 



JVumber of hands. — Forty to fifty, including ten Cornish miners. 



Time of beginning operations. — In 1835. 



A communication direct from the President of the United States' 

 Gold Mining Company through Mr. F. Shepherd, informs us, that 

 contemplated operations at this mine are soon to be on a much larger 

 scale ; and that already the working force has been trebled for the 

 year 1837. 



* Too late for the present No. we have received a description of the auriferous 

 quartz veins of this mine ; it will appear in the next number. 



