136 ' GEOLOGY OP NORTH CAROLINA. 
where gold was first discovered in North Carolina, and the largest 
mass found. In some places there is soap stone. In the south- 
ern part of Person, in Orange, Chatham, Randolph, and David- 
son, there are interspersed amongst the slates, larger patches of 
granite, or of those rocks, by which a passage is made from slate 
to granite, these last often coloured green by epidote, and there 
results a much higher degree of fertility in the soil than where 
the pure argillite prevails. A fine grained triple compound of 
silica, alumina, and magnesia found in Orange six miles west of 
the University, in Chatham and elsewhei e is an excellent oil-stone. 
Until within five years, the ores of but two metals, (iron and 
gold) were known to exist in any quantity within the limits of 
this formation. The argillite often contains imbedded, a quanti- 
ty of the bi-sulphuret of iron ; Iron Pyrites. If a rock of this 
kind be roasted so as to expel a part of the sulphur, and acidify a 
part, and then exposed to the weather, copperas and alum will 
gradually be formed in it. But that this manufacture may be 
prosecuted profitably, it is necessary that the materials should be 
abundant, and they have nowhere been met with in North Caro- 
lina, in such quantity, as to justify a person in embarking in this 
enterprize. Traversing the argillite, are veins of quartz, (white 
flint,) containing imbedded, small masses of the specular oxid of 
iron. This is a good ore ; the same that in the Island of Elba 
has been explored for centuries, but the quantity in any one lo- 
cality is inconsiderable — such as to furnish specimens to the 
mineralogist, but not materials for the manufacture of iron. The 
only important ore bed, of the slate, is on the waters of Tick 
creek in Chatham. It was from this that the furnace built at the 
Gulph, on Deep river, before the Revolution, was supplied. 
Gold appears to be sparingly distributed through the whole body 
of the slate. But one vein of gold of any value has been 
opened in it ; Barringer's in the north-west corner of Stanley. 
The great vein of Davidson county, in which lead, silver, 
copper and zinc, but especially the two former, are associated 
in such quantities, is near the northern border of this forma- 
tion. The prevailing rock around the mine is pure argillite, 
and the soil produced by its decomposition very poor. In the 
spring of 1838, the owner (Byerly,) of a small tract, was led to 
examine a spot at the top of a hill, or rising ground of very gen- 
tle elevation, in the hope of finding gold. He found the carbon- 
ate of lead and then sold his possessions. Mr. King, who became 
the purchaser, sunk a shaft and fell in with the ores of the other 
metals during the summer of the same year, and in the following 
winter, the Washington Mining Company was incorporated. 
The discovery of this mine is an event of great interest, from the 
additional evidence furnished by it that the central counties of 
North Carolina are one of the rich mining districts of the world, 
where farther developments of mineral wealth may be confidently 
expected ; as also, that where there are no remarkable indications 
