252 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [Feb. 25, 



about 600 yards, the whole cf it behig on the crest or eastern slope 

 of one hill. The black ore is reached by adit-levels from the foot of 

 the hill on the east side, and, judging from what has hitherto been 

 extracted, is of inferior quality to the average from the other lodes. 

 The gossan is also harder, and interspersed with magnetic oxide of 

 iron in considerable quantities. The floor below the black ore is 

 the usual mundicy veinstone, and the deposit less irregular than in 

 the Tennessee and Polk County lodes ; but the average thickness 

 does not appear so great as in the Hiwassee vein. 



As a gossan-lode this remarkable vein terminates abruptly at both 

 extremities. To the north-east, at the point where the gossan ter- 

 minates, there proceed three principal quartz-veins, nearly parallel, 

 but slightly divergent, and of small size. The furthest to the west is 

 the largest, and extends for some distance ; the others seem to die 

 away. To the south-west, one main branch of large size, bearing 

 gossan, turns due south for a short distance, but soon passes into a 

 quartz-string, alters its direction, and disappears. Another principal 

 branch, also of large size and having a good outcrop of gossan, takes 

 a south-west direction, and presently turns more towards the west. 

 Immediately it has passed the crest of the hill the gossan ceases, and 

 it becomes a quartz-vein, in which form it is traceable for fully half 

 a mile in a perfectly straight line. A third quartz-vein, between 

 these two, extends for som.e distance, and connects by a remarkable 

 quartz-knot with the quartzy strings from the Tennessee lode. 



I have been minute in the description of these lodes and quartz- 

 veins or strings on account of the exceptional character of the phse- 

 nomena, which will be at once manifest to those familiar with metal- 

 liferous lodes in Europe. It may be well, however, to point out 

 some of the important resemblances and differences. 



These veins agree with ordinary metalliferous lodes, — 1st, in 

 having distinct walls approximately parallel, clearly separating the 

 contents of the vein from the enclosing country. Thus enclosed, 

 they range parallel to each other for some distance, not changing 

 with the country, and not much affected by changes of the country ; 

 2ndly, in having a defined crystalline veinstone, "usually of quartz, 

 but including sometimes calc-spar, passing towards the surface into 

 more cellular quartz loaded with oxide of iron, such as is often found 

 in other countries at the outcrop of the most important copper-lodes ; 

 3rdly, in the limited extension of such veins in length and width, and 

 their apparently unlimited depth ; 4thly, in the fact that the prin- 

 cipal lodes are accompanied by parallel lodes and branches ; and 

 5thly, that the lodes are inclined to the horizon at a high angle, 

 which in most cases is tolerably regular in the same lode, and often 

 nearly vertical. 



On the other hand, we find the following differences : — 1. Instead 

 of crossing and intersecting at a considerable angle the general range 

 of stratified rocks in which they occur, these lodes are always ap- 

 proximately, and sometimes truly, parallel to the strike of the schists. 

 2. They not only agree with the stratified rocks in strike, but also 

 in the direction, and even in the amount of the dip. 3. Agreeing 



