336 GOLD-MINES OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
forming a zone twenty miles in width, and embra* 
cing beds of other rocks. 
The principal mines are the " Anson mine," on a 
branch of Rocky River ; " Reed's mine," in Cabar- 
rus, occupying the bed of Meadow Creek; and 
" Packer's mine," on a small stream four miles 
south of the River Yadkin. At Reed's mine, a few 
years ago, a mass of gold was dug up by a negro 
which weighed twenty-eight lbs. avoirdupois. It 
is not uncommon to meet with masses weighing 
600 pennyweights. The *' mines" are generally 
rented out, and worked for a half, a third, or a 
fourth of the gold found, according to its produc- 
tiveness. At Reed's mine, the average product is 
only sixty cents a day to each labourer. In the 
gold region, the uncoined gold is the common cir- 
culating medium. Every man, almost, carries about 
"with him a goose-quill or two of the particles, and 
a small pair of scales, in a box like a spectacle-case 
The value is soon ascertained by weighing; and 
Professor Olmstead states that he saw a pint of 
whiskey paid for by weighing off two and a half 
grains of gold. The gold is generally bought up 
by the country merchants, who pay about ninety 
cents a pennyweight* Much of this is bought by 
jewellers ; some goes into the banks ; but the great-* 
er part goes into the United States' Mint. 
Previous to 1820, but 43,689 dollars worth of 
American gold had been received at the Mint : and 
the first notice of North Carolina gold on the rec- 
ords of the Mint occurs in the year 1814, when a 
quantity was received to the amount of $11,000. It 
continued to be received till the year 1824, avera- 
ging about $2500 yearly. In 1824, the amount re- 
ceived was $5000; in 1825, $17,000; in 1826, 
$20,000; in 1827, $21,000 ; in 1828, $46,000; in 
1829, $128,000; and during the same year, the 
amount from South Carolina was $3500, and that 
from Virginia $2500. Indeed, this was the first 
