Uringier on the Region of the Mississippi^ S^c. 25 



eiglity-six per cent, of lead; and this lead is said to have 

 afforded one per cent, of silver. But the other lead mines, 

 now working near Herculaneiim and St. Genevieve, produce 

 only one-fourth per cent, which is not separated, as it would 

 not defray the expences. 



The galena or lead ore is found disseminated in hlocks of 

 different sizes, at a depth of about nine feet, covered with a 

 stratum of seven feet, composed of rubbish, very much de- 

 composed, and strongly impregnated with oxid of iron, 

 under which, large blocks and small pieces of what Walle- 

 rius calls Corneus Trapezius, are found intermixed in about 

 equal proportion with white selenitic spar, (sulphat of Ba- 

 rytes, Ed.) in pieces of about the same size, buried in the 

 rubbish before mentioned with the ore, which generally 

 adheres to some of the spar. 



The workmen dig only at random. Some are fortunate, 

 and will dig, on an extraordinary occasion, two thousand 

 pounds a day; when another will not dig fifty pounds. At 

 mine ChobohoUay,^ the workmen who lease, each of them, 

 so many square yards per week or per day, all work on 

 their own account, and sell their ore at two dollars per hun- 

 dred, to the founderers, who are proprietors of the mineral 

 land. The ore is simply piled on a kw logs of wood, which 

 reduces all the metal it can, and the cinders (since a few 

 years only) are put afterwards into an air furnace, where 

 they are reduced into slags, after yielding another little por- 

 tion of the lead remaining in the scorias. The ore of this 

 mine yields generally eighty per cent, of lead. 



To the north of mine Chobohollay, the whole face of the 

 country exhibits indications of metals. In 1812 I had ga- 

 thered numerous specimens while merely crossing the coun- 

 try. Unfortunately they all \A^ent under a raft, with my boat, 

 below Cape Girardeau, as I was descending the Mississip- 

 pi. I would advise adventurers to explore the mountains 

 between the waters of St. Francis, high up near its sources, 

 and near and even above the head waters of Big and Little 

 Black river, Between these waters and White river are 

 very extensive salt petre caves, where great quantities of ni- 

 trate of potash could be extracted. Lead mines are very 



* A Choctaw name for St. Francis river, upon the head of which this 

 mine is situated : it means (smoke) taken from oca rhnhnhhUnji, smokey wa- 



"voT,. nT.....iVo. 1. 4 



