1857.] ANSTED — MINERAL VEINS. 251 



Towards the south-west the vein is continued beyond the gossan- 

 outcrop by strings of quartz, one in the direction of the lode and 

 another making an angle of 25° to the south. The former is at first 

 very large, but dies away at the surface. The latter is inconsiderable 

 and hardly traceable for about three-quarters of a mile, but then 

 presents another gossany crop, and forms the Tennessee lode. At 

 several points where it has been proved by costeanings between the 

 two gossans, it is seen as a thin string of quartz with no orey indi- 

 cations. 



Towards the north-east the Hiwassee vein branches at a point on 

 a hill-side, and from the bottom of the next valley (at the point 

 marked a in the map, fig. 4, p. 247), it shows but an inconsider- 

 able gossan. It has been opened on by shafts at two or three points 

 beyond this ; but, though containing black ore, the quantity is not 

 large and the quality is inferior. A few hundred yards beyond, it 

 passes oif into thin quartz-strings, and is lost. 



The south-western extremity of this gossan-lode adjoins a re- 

 markable garnet-schist of great beauty. The north-eastern part 

 shows an equally striking development of eurite and fine crystals of 

 cyanite. 



The Tennessee lode or branch ranges N. 20° E. and S. 20° W., 

 dipping very variably to the S.E., sometimes being nearly vertical, 

 and sometimes inclined at an angle of 45°. It commences as a gossan- 

 lode near the crest of a hill, and crosses three valleys, generally 

 appearing to diminish in value in the valley. It passes southwards 

 into a quartz-vein of no importance. It is extremely irregular and 

 bunchy, but has yielded some very rich ore, and in hollow cavities in 

 the gossan very fine specimens of crystalline and arborescent native 

 copper and crystalline red oxide of copper have been found. The 

 bunches of rich ore in this lode have sometimes been found descend- 

 ing 12 to 18 feet into the comparatively barren veinstone below, or 

 penetrating upw^ards to the same extent into the gossan. 



The Polk County lode is nearly parallel to the Tennessee, and is 

 one of a group of three or four veins near together, but with no 

 other gossan than that which belongs to the lode itself. It has been 

 traced for three-quarters of a mile, terminating abruptly to the north- 

 east, and passing off into strings of quartz tow^ards the south-w^est, 

 one of which has traces of gossan. At some distance from the point 

 where the large outcrop ceases, there is a cross-course of quartzy vein- 

 stone, making an angle of 60°. In the Polk County mine, whence 

 a good deal of ore has been removed, the breadth is from 20 to 40 

 feet, and the thickness of black ore very irregular, but estimated to 

 average 3 feet. In many places it has been observed, that the floor 

 of black ore is not only not parallel to the slope of the hill, but rises 

 towards the surface as the hill slopes down to the valley. There is 

 evidently no accordance of the floor of ore with the form of the 

 surface. 



The Isabella lode is nearly parallel to the Hiwassee, but is the 

 most remarkable of all in the district for its enormous width, which 

 is estimated to average 250 feet. Its length, as marked by gossan, is 



