134 Miner alog leal Journey. 



every where penetrated by the crystals, which are disposed, for the 

 most part in a direction nearly perpendicular to the sides of the seams. 

 They are easily separated from the engaging matter, and when thus 

 detached, form the most brilliant crystals of Hornblende with which 

 I am acquainted ; although, as has been observed above, they 

 are defective as respects their terminations. The tangent replace- 

 ment in them is so narrow as almost to escape observation ; yet a 

 careful search will always detect it. The variety from the other 

 vein offers quite a different aspect. The crystals here, are, chiefly 

 engaged in a fine quartzose gangue, often tinged green by an inter- 

 mixture of Epidote : they are much more interlaced and hable to be 

 curved ; and besides, have the tangent plane, above alluded to, pro- 

 duced to an extent of five or six times that of the adjacent primary 

 faces. 



Franconia Iron Works. 



The Franconia iron works are situated upon the south branch of 

 the lower Ammonoosuc, which empties into the Connecticut River 

 at Bath, sixteen miles distant ; and are seventy-five miles noi'th-west 

 from Concord the capital of the state, one hundred miles west from 

 Portland, (Me.) ^ind one hundred and forty north north-west from 

 Boston. There are two manufactories ; the New Hampshire Iron 

 Manufactory Company and the Upper works, — formerly, the Haver- 

 hill and Franconia Iron works. The first of these is situated in the vil- 

 lage of Franconia, and the second, one mile above. The ore is near- 

 ly four miles distant from both, and costs them, delivered at their 

 works $4,75 per ton : the price of raising and picking it, being $4, 

 the ton, and its carting from the mountain the remainder. It yields 

 fifty per cent, pig iron and thirty three per cent, bar iron. They 

 manufacture at present, three hundred tons of bar iron, and three hun- 

 dred, or three hundred and fifty tons of cast iron, annually ; the larg- 

 est part of which is required for the consumption of the neighboring 

 country, and the remainder goes, either, over land or by water to Bos- 

 ton, — the transportation by land, being $25 per ton and down the 

 Connecticut by water, ^'12 per ton. Bar iron is worth at Franco- 

 nia $112 per ton, and Fig iron $40 per ton. 



The works of the New Hampshire Iron Manufactory Company 

 form much the largest establishment, consisting of a Blast Furnace, 

 Forge, Trip Hammer, Shop and Mills. It employs sixty men in the 

 various departments of mining, coaling, smelting, and forging ; the op- 



