Remarks on the Gold Mines of North Carolina. 211 



pending on other and slower operations. The proprietors of 

 these mines or deposits, resemble very much the boy with his 

 goose that laid golden eggs. They are impatient to get the 

 whole at once, and (as the boy served his goose,) they rip up 

 their mines and greatly injure them. Instead of beginning at 

 one end or side of the deposit, and carrying it on regularly, eve- 

 ry digger sets in at any spot he pleases, and sinks down his 

 pit. The consequence is, that in a short time, pits are sunk 

 on every part of the ground, and the top earth thrown up in 

 heaps all over the face of it. The old pits are now and then 

 filled up, with the earth thrown out of the new ones, and in a 

 short time it is difficult to tell what part of the ground has 

 been worked and what not. Hence, it is not uncommon for 

 persons to find more the second search than the first. New 

 hands always miss the greater part of the gold, while experi- 

 enced ones know how to save it. When the deposit is very 

 rich, but little pains is taken to wash clean ; all are impatient 

 to get fresh dirt, in the expectation of finding large pieces. 

 Hence it is, that at some of the mines good wages have been 

 made by washing dirt over, that had before been washed not 

 ♦once, but five, or six times. This is the case at Reed's and 

 Barringer's mines. , 



Thus it may be seen, that there is nothing like a regular bu- 

 siness carried on at any of the mines ; and, yet in this loose 

 and unskilful manner, during every summer, large amounts 

 of gold are extracted from these deposits, (u.) 



It may be stated as a fact, that no mine is considered 

 worth working, or is resorted to by the diggers, at which the 

 hand cannot make his one pennyweight per day, clear of the 

 proprietors share. 



A pennyweight of gold is worth from eighty-seven to nine- 

 ty cents in cash. First rate experienced hands, consider that 

 they are doing bad busines, unless they can make ten to twelve 

 pennyweights clear per week. 



These facts, show that the mines of North Carolina are 

 much richer than the alluvial mines of Brazil, where 2s. ster- 

 ling is rather more than any hand can average, even with the 

 aid of jetties, (v.) But the difference is, that in Brazil, labor 

 and provisions are more than one hundred per cent cheaper 

 than in North Carolina. 



It is unfortunate for the gold mines of North Carolina, that 

 they are situated in a part of the country where cotton is the 

 leading staple of production. The cultivation of this article. 



