GEOLOGICAL SOCIETV 



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thirty miles from the Blue Ridge chain of mountains, 

 we met it in comparatively the same aspect, in South 

 Carolina and North Carolina ; where, however, the gold 

 region enters Virginia, a sensible difference occurs in 

 relation to its position with the Blue Ridge. The up- 

 per mineral belts cross the Blue Ridge and pass on 

 through the valley between that chain and the Alle- 

 ghanies. It is only the lower mineral belts that are 

 met with in Virginia on this side of the Blue Ridge. 



The largest amount of gold has been obtained from a 

 class of mines generally known by the name of u branch 

 mines'' or stream mines 5 situated in the beds of rivers 

 and rivulets or ravines. The capital required to work 

 such mines being small, and the profits almost immediate 

 and daily, a few machines called " rockers" for washing 

 the gravel strata in which the gold is found, and some 

 negroes with the necessary digging tools, are the pre- 

 parations for opening and profitably working a mine of 

 this nature. Many hundred negroes are yearly em- 

 ployed in the different states for this purpose, and in 

 general very profitably. It is considered that a mine 

 of ordinary importance will yield from one to 5 dwts. to 

 the hand per day. It is not uncommon to obtain 10 

 dwts. to the hand, and instances have occurred when as 

 high as 120 dwts. to the hand per day have been ob- 

 tained. Several individuals in N. Carolina and Georgia 

 have been eminently successful in this particular kind of 

 gold mining, and have realized large fortunes. 



The gold is found in a bed of gravel — the debris of 

 some vein or veins either crossing a watered ravine or 



