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TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



summary of his views and experience on that subject 

 might prove serviceable to the mining world, if not in 

 the processes themselves, at least in the probability of 

 their affording hints to men abler than himself. 



We would briefly consider the various processes at 

 present in use, and point out the difficulties or advan- 

 tages of each. 



The wet stamps and Tyrolese cold amalgamating mills 

 have been tried very generally in the United States. 

 In many instances, without, however, much knowledge 

 of their treatment and arrangement. Three wet stamps, 

 weighing each from 300 to 400 lbs., wood and iron, 

 stamp upon an iron bed plate, and a box or cistern is 

 fitted to it, within which the stamps work ; the ore is 

 ratroduced behind by a self-feeding hopper, is stamped 

 under water, and has to rise from a depth of from fifteen 

 to seventeen inches before it passes over into the con- 

 ducting trough, which, on an inclined plane, leads it to 

 the first of the sets of the Tyrolese mills. When it thus 

 passes from the stamp trough, the ore is in a very mi- 

 nute state indeed. In the first Tyrolese mill, from 300 

 to 400 lbs. of quicksilver is placed, and a proportionate 

 amount in the succeeding two. The ore passes from 

 one to the other and the greater portion of the gold is 

 obtained in the first. This process is extensively used 

 in N. Carolina and Virginia, and is greatly approved of 

 by the miners there. 



The great desideratum is to stamp the ore fine enough 

 and to attenuate it when entering the bowls or Tyrolese 

 mills with abundance of water. No gold is to be found 



