﻿326 
  PfiOCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SOCIETY. 
  [-^V 
  T 
  ' 
  ^ 
  

  

  and 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  bright 
  irregular 
  particles 
  among 
  the 
  sulphurets, 
  or 
  

   mingled 
  with 
  the 
  friable 
  quartz. 
  It 
  is 
  entirely 
  free, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  and 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  ore 
  by 
  washing 
  in 
  a 
  pan. 
  

   These 
  patches 
  and 
  irregular 
  veins 
  of 
  ore 
  and 
  metal 
  in 
  the 
  soft 
  quartz 
  

   do 
  not 
  have, 
  apparently, 
  any 
  prevailing 
  direction, 
  or 
  connexion 
  with 
  

   the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  walls 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  studied 
  and 
  

   mapped 
  upon 
  the 
  plans 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  this 
  important 
  practical 
  

   point. 
  They 
  incline 
  at 
  various 
  angles, 
  and 
  are 
  frequently 
  bent 
  and 
  

   shifted 
  by 
  local 
  faults, 
  or 
  slides, 
  from 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  to 
  several 
  feet 
  

   in 
  extent. 
  The 
  ore 
  is 
  also 
  found 
  in 
  isolated 
  bunches 
  or 
  pockets 
  in 
  

   the 
  midst 
  of 
  the 
  white 
  quartz, 
  or 
  irregularly 
  sprinkled 
  in 
  grains 
  

   through 
  it 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  may 
  be 
  profitably 
  extracted. 
  

  

  Portions 
  are 
  granular 
  mixtures 
  of 
  galena 
  and 
  sulphuret 
  of 
  silver, 
  

   which 
  minerals 
  crumble 
  into 
  black 
  powder 
  in 
  the 
  hand, 
  but 
  are 
  very 
  

   rich. 
  The 
  other 
  or 
  eastern 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  vein, 
  above 
  the 
  " 
  horse," 
  

   is 
  very 
  different 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  compact 
  and 
  hard, 
  and 
  has 
  the 
  usual 
  cha- 
  

   racter 
  of 
  fissure-veins. 
  The 
  quartz 
  is 
  firm 
  and 
  crystalline, 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   tends 
  in 
  a 
  layer 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  ore, 
  frequently 
  including 
  masses 
  

   or 
  nodules 
  of 
  it. 
  This 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  the 
  vein 
  through- 
  

   out 
  its 
  extent, 
  that 
  small 
  masses 
  of 
  ore 
  (the 
  sulphurets 
  of 
  lead, 
  iron, 
  

   and 
  silver) 
  form 
  nodules 
  or 
  nuclei 
  for 
  the 
  crystallization 
  of 
  the 
  

   quartz. 
  The 
  mixed 
  sulphurets 
  (the 
  ore 
  of 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  mine) 
  

   are 
  hard 
  and 
  compact, 
  break 
  with 
  a 
  granular 
  sparkling 
  fracture, 
  and 
  

   consist 
  of 
  galena 
  with 
  blende, 
  iron-, 
  and 
  copper-pyrites, 
  charged 
  in 
  

   varying 
  degrees 
  with 
  sulphuret 
  of 
  silver, 
  and 
  in 
  places 
  with 
  native 
  

   silver 
  and 
  gold. 
  

  

  Some 
  specimens, 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  cavities, 
  exhibit 
  very 
  

   fine 
  crystals 
  of 
  stephanite, 
  from 
  one 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  to 
  two 
  inches 
  

   in 
  length. 
  The 
  large 
  crystals 
  are 
  irregular, 
  and 
  seldom 
  have 
  flat 
  

   smooth 
  surfaces, 
  but 
  are 
  much 
  striated, 
  and, 
  in 
  form, 
  lustre, 
  and 
  

   general 
  appearance, 
  very 
  closely 
  resemble 
  the 
  crystals 
  of 
  vitreous 
  

   sulphuret 
  of 
  copper 
  from 
  the 
  Bristol 
  copper-mine 
  in 
  Connecticut. 
  

   They 
  are 
  sometimes 
  coated 
  with 
  filaments 
  of 
  native 
  silver, 
  and 
  the 
  

   metal 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  vein, 
  especially, 
  where 
  the 
  sul- 
  

   phurets 
  abound. 
  

  

  In 
  connexion 
  with 
  this 
  west 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  lode, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  layer 
  or 
  

   course 
  of 
  ore 
  composed 
  chiefly 
  of 
  galena, 
  blende, 
  and 
  pyrites, 
  form- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  granular 
  sparkling 
  ore, 
  but 
  which 
  is 
  comparatively 
  free 
  from 
  

   silver 
  or 
  gold. 
  

  

  2. 
  Gold 
  Hill 
  Vein. 
  — 
  The 
  vein 
  of 
  this 
  name, 
  south 
  of 
  Virginia 
  City, 
  

   though 
  but 
  little 
  known 
  beyond 
  the 
  territory 
  of 
  California, 
  is, 
  per- 
  

   haps, 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  and 
  promising 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  region. 
  The 
  

   outcrop 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  mass 
  of 
  quartz 
  vein-stone, 
  standing 
  up 
  like 
  a 
  

   dyke 
  or 
  wall 
  above 
  the 
  rugged 
  exposures 
  of 
  bare 
  porphyry 
  around. 
  

   It 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Gold 
  Canon, 
  near 
  to, 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  slope 
  of, 
  the 
  di- 
  

   vision 
  between 
  it 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Six-mile 
  Canon 
  at 
  Virginia 
  

   City, 
  being 
  thus 
  nearly 
  in 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  prolongation 
  of 
  the 
  Cornstock 
  

   and 
  Virginia 
  lodes. 
  This 
  quartz 
  outcrop 
  is 
  nearly 
  100 
  feet 
  wide, 
  

   and 
  forms 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  hill 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  place 
  takes 
  its 
  name. 
  

   The 
  rich 
  portion 
  underlies 
  the 
  compact 
  quartz, 
  and, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  yet 
  

  

  