Volume 26 (1873) (431 pages)

MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS. [March 1, 1873. B. EWERecsers-eoeceeeers eccoeees es SENIOR EDITOR DEWEY & CoO., Publishers. a. T, DEWEY, GEO. H. STRONG. Ww. B, EWER, JNO. Ly BOONE. Office, No. 888 Montgomery St., 8S. E. Corner of California St., diagonally across from Wells, Fargo & Co,’s. Sunsorrerrona payable in adyance—For one year, $4; six months, $2.50; three montha, $1.25. Olnha of ten namea or more, $3 each per annum. $5, in advance, will pay for 1% year. Remittances by registered letters or P, O. ordera at our risk. ADVERTISING RATEa.—1 week. limonth. 8 months. Lycar. Per line. ..+025 +80 $2.00 $5.00 One-half inch. «$1.00 $3.00 7.50 20.00 One inch..ecces 2.00 5.00 14.00 38.00 Large advertisements at favorable rates. Special or reading notices, legal advertisements, notices appearing in extraordinary type or in particular parts of the paper, inaerted at special ratea. San Francisco: Saturday Morning, March 1, 1873. Legal Tender Rates.—s. F., Thurs., Feb 27.— huying 88; selling 88%. Table of Contents. GENERAL EDITORIALS.—New Zeuland Mining Affairs; Grindstones, 129. Amalgamation of the Precious Metals, 136. DLLUSTRATIONS.—An Improved Pavement; Different Forms of Drill Points, 129. Wish Culture,134. The Probable Periovicity of Relnfall, 137. CORRESPONDENCE,.—White Pine Minea, 130. SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS. — An Electrical Tower; Interesting Chemical Experiment; Luininous Tubes: Firea and the Atmosphere: Biela’s Comet; The Electric Depoait of Copper; Influence of Pressure on the Spectre of Gaaes, and on the Electric Current; Conservation of Force; A Fatal Flaw in the Darwinian Theory, 131. MECHANICAL PROGRESS.—The Canal Navization Award; Steel Raila; New Proccss for Plating; Value and Utilization of Water Power; Electricity va. Boiler Scale; Tinning Cast Iron, 131, USEFUL INFORMATION.—The Primary Colors; A Veloclpede Race: Foaming in Boilers; Change the Law of Process, 135, GOOD HEALTH.—Process of Digestion; A New Idea in Batha: A New Febrifuge; Fatand Lean; Dietetic Hinta; Color-Blindnea, 135 NIN MARY from various counties in Cslifornia, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Montana, 133, MINING STOCK MARKET.—Table of Dally Sales and Prices and Comparative Prices for the Week; Noticea of Assessments; Meetings and Dividenda; Review of Stock Market for the Week, 132. MISCELLANEOUS.—Resourcea of Utah—Some of the Principal Mincs.—Continued; The Mineral Belt of Colorado; Coalin China, 130. Effect of Gold Dis coveries, Utah Coal for Nevada Minea; Blasting Seam Diggings; South Aurora MinIng Company, White Pine, 134. Lawa Under New California Code; Fucl atthe Washoe Mines; The Iron Mine Sold; A Safety Shoe for Rallroad Cars, 138. Litris Corronwoon Rarroap.—A_hill to inoorporate the Little Cottonwood Railroad and Telegraph Company, as amended and recommitted to the Honss Committee on Pacific Railrosds, provides for a continuous route from Sendy Station on the Utah Southern Reilroad, through Granits City and Tannersville to Alta City, in Little Cottonwood Cafion, with ths right to huild a hranch to the Big Cottonwood, and collateral linee not sxceeding twenty miles from ths main lins; the principal office to be in Pittshurgh, Pennsylvanie; ths capital stock of the Company $5,000.000. Transit or Venus.—Our Government will ehortly be callsd upon to give an example of ite generoeity in aiding the cauee of science to ths extent of $100,000. Aean ‘‘amendment to sundry civil appropriation bille’’, a provision hae bsen introducsd, providing for the organization, hy ths Secretary of War, of parties to ohssrve the transit of Venus on Decemher 1874, The amsndment authorizes a detail of two veesele of war for the transportation of parties to the Pacific and Atlantic stetioue, aud appropriatee $100,000jto defray expenses. Deata.—Mr. A. H. Bangle, the inventor of an improved printing press, died at hie reeidence in Brooklyn, Cal.,on Wednssday last. He was avery worthy man, Coau.—A new coal vein, eight feet wide, has heen opened at Widefield on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, 12 miles from Colorado Springs, Tue Reorrprs of the San Rafael and San Quentin Raihoad company for 1872 were $19,152; expenees $15,435. Coan is to he used in Pioche from the minee of the Wasatch Co. in Utah, ae soon ae the roade will permit hauling. Tue WetsH minere’ strike is reported to be over and ahout 60,000 of the etrikere have returned to work. Minina sales in Colorado are quite frequent of late at heavy pricee, The Carihou mine ie eaid to have sold for $1,500,000. Amalgamation of the Precious Metals. The recent lecture hy Eugene N. Riotte, hefors the Polytechnio Class on the eubject of “‘Amalgamation—with special references to the Pacific Coaet” wae an interesting one, particularly to the mining community. Literalure. Mr. Riotte opsnsd his lecturs hy rsferring to the Hteraturs of Amelgamation, saying there were hut two works on the subject, hoth of them already old. One is Wrinkler’e—‘‘the European Amalgamation of Silver Ores,”’ puhlished in 1848 and nsver translatsd. Ths other is ‘‘Kustel’s Processee of Gold and Silver Extraction,” puhliched (hy Dewey & Co.) in San Francisco in 1863. Although ths principles of amelgemation as there laiddown are still the seme, etill the practice hae since changed materially. History. Far hack in the dark ages wes known ths property of quickeilver to combine with ths different metale, hut especially with gold and eilver to form alloye or amalgams which could agein he decompoeed eimply hy heat. This property hes heen employsd to sxtract gold and silver from ores and products and the peculiax metallurgical operatiou resulting hae heen tsrmsd amalgamation. At first the proceee was only ueed to sxtract metallic or native gold from gravel, eand, soil, stc., or from sweepinge, butit was aleo employed on ore containing free gold. As the orss to hs worksd grew poorer and poorer, or chemically more complicated, the eimple mortars, pots, or pans, eluices, riffles, long-toms, etc., hy which the process was carried on, hecame more extensive, Largs mills and chemicals, salt,vinegar, ete., were used in grinding the ore and quicksilver together. At the commencement of the 14th centary in ons district in Bohemia, 350 gold mills were in operation. Ths amalgamation of eilvsr orse did not come into uee eo early or so gensrelly; only few ores could he worked, as the minsrelized silver could not he extrected for a long time; hnt in the middle of ths 16th century, Bartolemo de Medina, a Mexican, euceseded in this also. Velasco took it to Peru in 1588 and Cordova attempted to introduce it into Austria, hut failed. For two hundrsd yeare after thie eilver amalgamation reeted in Europe. In the United Statee Barhae’ procsss was introduced which employed pans and chsmicals. It saved quicksilver hut did not get 60 much silver, as Medinas’ method, which caueed a successful opposition in America; Von Born ohviated this defset hy a careful preparation of the ors. He firet roasted it with ealt and then emalgamatsd it in coppsr pans, nnder which a fire was maintained, The ore was stirred with wooden rakes, and after 20 houre poured into a settler, the gangae worked off, quickeilver streined and amalgam retorted. Thie is the entire theory as it stende to-dey; hut ths practics hae besn changed and rechanged, In 1784, Vou Born made some puhlic trials, which foreshedowed a great reduction in the coet of working silver ores, Metellurgical amhaesadors fiocked to Vienna, and as a reeult mills were huilt in many places. Jellert, the director of the reduction works at Freiherg, Saxony, about this time found by experiment that the ore hecame hot withont fire undsr the pane, if etirred violently in a woodeu cylinder. The huilding of ths 40-pan mill at Freiherg was etopped until his experiments were concluded. The mills in Hungary were soon changed from the poieonoue, hot amalgametion process to Jellert’s procese of cold amalgemation in wooden cylinders. And now in 1789 a large mill was commenced, with horizontally revolving harrele devieed hy Ruprecht, and the best amalgamative process to thie day wae invented. But all these scientific and practical men baeed the explanation of so great an invention on fallacy. They thought only metallic silver wouldamalgamate, and that it wes metallic eilver that was formed in the Pateo hy magistialand in the furnacee hy ealt. Lampadius proved that it wae chloride of silver that wae wanted, and what had really heen formed during the preliminary wasting. Andto thie day we have got no further. The speaker said that you ought to take this slight sketch and eubstitute well known nemes and placeein California and Nevada, and you have the history of amalgamation here. The euphoneous Alonzo Barha’e procees becomes plain ‘‘Smith’e pans,” etc. In epeaking of the way things were done On the Pacific Coast, rn Mr. Riotts said: How often may you not hear the rsmark in rsgard to the ore from new localities, or new comhinatione, ‘‘If we could only find out how to work our ores;’’ or, hetter etill, ‘‘There ie uo way to got at the silver;’’ all of which is very eilly. Give the metallurgist the price of labor, wood, salt and frsight at any given point, and the way or ways of working can hs told with mathemetical certainty. Then a teet muet hs made, not hy e quack, hut hy a scientific and prectical experimenter, who is at the sams time thoroughly honest, The mistakes may all he accounted for, You must rememher one little maxim: “Don’t huild mills hsfore you have ore and don’t experiment as to how ore ehould he worked with a $100,000 qnartz mill, with an ass, or worss, a knave at the head of it. Now Jet me lay down a few General Principles of Amalgamation. First, it is a settled fact that gold needs friction, and silver chemical action. Gold isin a native or metallic etate’in ths ores end can only he extrected in this form. It is therefore necessery to connect it and the quicksilver very intimatsly to maks the two combine or one diesolve in the other; it ie a purely mechanical operation and uponits mechanical perfection reeteite success. Rsmembher again thet only metalhe gold will amalgemets, evsrything to the contrary notwithstandiug. Silver must enter the “pans or harrels asa ehlorids; from this compound it is sither precipitated hy quicksilver and chloride of mereury and eilyer formed which is immediately taken off hythe surplus quickeilver, or it ie precipitated hy the iron and eimultansously amalgemated. Thie ie a chemical action, during the progrese of which hsat ie envolved, which like the acid eolution of salt, aids the decomposition. Galvanic effects are produced which suffice to explain the reeults in harrsl or pan. Chemicale added during gold and eilver amalgamation ars often dangerous, alwaye detrimental and never of any use. Kustel eays: ‘In regard to chemicals, after several months at Col, Raymond’e mill on the Cersourivsr, experisnce proved that the nse of chemicals is entirely ueelese: Iam prepared to prove thie hy actual experiencs.’’ Wriukler provsd the same ideas in regard to ths large addition of magistral. In gold ore amalgamation any and all chemicals have only the effect of reducing ths fineneee of the hullion and costs much monsy. In eilver amalgamation the addition of salt and sulphate of coppsr eesms to’ hasten amalgemation at first, bat is liahle to etop it too soon, and then the gelvanioreaction neceesary, cannot again hs producsd. No more eilver is produced thsn without thsm, the hullion ie leee fins, and quicksilver is lost hy ‘‘flonring ’’ in proportion to the chemicale employed. A notehle exception to this is working slimes from ths Comstock. In this case chemicals ars employed to advantage, hut havsa mechanical action. The elimss are, when put in a pan and mixed with water, difficult to ‘temper,’ that, is, to mix to such a consietency thet the action of the mullsr of the pan will throw the qnicksilver finely divided into the ore. No results can be obtained from a pan that is not ‘ tempered.”” We have here, as hefore, an sntirely mschanical operation to deal with. The particles of gold and silver mnst be brought in contaot, Now a mixture of eelt or sulphate of copper, or either singly, finely divides the quickeilver that is shaken with it, which is what we wanted. No matter how poor the workmanship in tempering you have hecome independent of it. In the Mechanical Appliances For the use of Barha’s or Von Born’e process, we have made immense etridee recently. Inetead of 200 or 300-pound pans we have the Steveneon 6,000-pound, or even Park’e 20-ton cast iron pan, that finiehes a cherge every six hours. In raw amelgamation, fancy, or the sizs of the purse etill govern the eize of the pan. The simplest and cheapeet is the beet. Don’t be deceived by the catch-word “‘it is a great grinder.’ Thieis just what you don’t want. Powder your ore under stampe, which is the mechinery for crushing, not the pan. Stamps will crush for one-tenth the cost in one-tenth the time. The pan that ‘‘ie a great grinder ” willalso grind your quicksilver and make it ‘fiour.”’? Rubbing would be a much more needed faculty; this ie whet is neededina pan, For ‘and towns, roaeted ore the selection of pane is narrowed down to one or two. Only the ‘‘ Comhination pan” cofitains all pointe. “Future Processes.” Mey we hops that the daye of amalgamation of roasted ore ere numhsred. We ars now 50 years hshind the age, Nowhere, excspt here, ie it now precticed; emelting furnacee and leaching tuhs have long ago superceded the hulky machinery nesded for amalgamation. Whers we can chloridizs up to 95 per cent. and mors, we are but amalgamating upto 90 psr cent. Two, thres, and even tsn per cent of the silver already in our grasp ie thrown awey by this costly, ponderoue, hut simple process. Ws know how to do thie, and to learn anything nsw ie fesrfully diffionlt. ‘Let us raise up a generaation of yonng men who are willing to devote a life’e etudy and purpose to mining and met~allnrgy and we will soon overtake and pase the halance of the world. Australia and New Zealand. The wonderfnl island continent of Australia, with its neighhoring ielands of Taemania and New Zealand, contain on their shorse, wached hy the waters of the Pacific, many fine porte and harhore now the eeats of fiourishing cities The area of Auetralia, Tesmenia and Nsw Zealand ie ahout equal to that of the United Statee, hnt the cireumstaness of eoil and climate are very different. By muoh the greater part of Australia is hot and dry with a deficiency of navigahle rivers, and of arahle land. There are immenes tracte, however, on the east and north euited to the culture of Sugar, Cotton and other tropical productione, a tract ae large as ths whole of ths Pacific Coest, Thrsefourthe of the remaindsr will havetohe dsvoted toehsephushendry. From this may be predicted the naturs of the commsrce that will in future suhsist hetweeu San Francisco end the trads ports of Australia. We shall have to eupply a population ae largs as the United Statee with Wheat and all the various productione of the temperats climats of thie Coast, and we shall in return he purchasere of their Cotton, Sugar and Wool, which we will manufacture and dietrihute abroad to the world. Quicrstuver.—If Napa county provee ae prolific in quicksilver as it ie in ‘‘qnicksilver minee’’ we will surely see the speedy downfall of ths Rothschild-Barron monopolise throughout the world, and especially on this coest. The product of the county ieae yet, howevsr, quite limited, hut judging from reesnt reporte it will he materially augmented hsfore long. ‘We are informed hy the Register that a vein of ore was struck a few weske eince that promisee to he the richset yet found. It is heing drifted upon and showe a free show of rich ore. If even a very small proportion ‘of the locations made ars worked and provs hy their product to he veluahle, Napa county ought to do well in the quicksilver trade, without having to put her minss in the London market. Coprzr Pronvet or Lace Superior Mres.— From a detailsd statement of the production of copper of Lake Superior mines in the Marquette Bining Journal, ws learn that the total forthe ysar 1872 was 15,166 tone, a decrease of 905 tons from 1872 when the production was 16,071 tons. Ths total copper (minsral) product of the minse from 1845 to 1873 ie 176,395 tons. An epproximate stetement of ingot copper produced and its value from 1845 to 1872 inclueivs gives 2 total of 135,075 tons, valned at $76,303,320. The dividsnde dsclared hy mining companiee in 1872 amounted to $3,390,000, while the aeseesmente were only $190,000, leaving an excese of divideude over aeseeemeonts of $3,200,000. The total dividends declared by minee at Lake Snperior aggregate $11,910,000, A Sxquet to rHE Dramonn Fravps.—Everyhody remembers the big diamond fizzle of last . year, and moet prohahly the names of prominent partiee, with ewindlere or ewindled, who had any connection with it. The whole affair was thoroughly investigated hy the press and comments made upon the actions of those who were at all connected with the affair. Wm. M. Lent who allegee thet he lost hy the whole transaction the eum of $250,000, hes eued the Territorial Enterprise for puhliehing an alleged hhellous article which accusee Mr. Lent of heing frandently implicated in the Arnold etock diamond swindle. Mr. Lent aeke for $15,000 dameges from Jas. T. Goodman, editor of the Enterprise. A ueavy enow slide ocourred in Little Cottonwood on the 26th ult., and the roads hlockaded hut no lives loet.

MINING AND SCIENTIFIC PRESS. [March 1, 1873. B. EWERecsers-eoeceeeers eccoeees es SENIOR EDITOR DEWEY & CoO., Publishers. a. T, DEWEY, GEO. H. STRONG. Ww. B, EWER, JNO. Ly BOONE. Office, No. 888 Montgomery St., 8S. E. Corner of California St., diagonally across from Wells, Fargo & Co,’s. Sunsorrerrona payable in adyance—For one year, $4; six months, $2.50; three montha, $1.25. Olnha of ten namea or more, $3 each per annum. $5, in advance, will pay for 1% year. Remittances by registered letters or P, O. ordera at our risk. ADVERTISING RATEa.—1 week. limonth. 8 months. Lycar. Per line. ...+025 +80 $2.00 $5.00 One-half inch. «$1.00 $3.00 7.50 20.00 One inch...ecces 2.00 5.00 14.00 38.00 Large advertisements at favorable rates. Special or reading notices, legal advertisements, notices appearing in extraordinary type or in particular parts of the paper, inaerted at special ratea. San Francisco: Saturday Morning, March 1, 1873. Legal Tender Rates.—s. F., Thurs., Feb 27.— huying 88; selling 88%. Table of Contents. GENERAL EDITORIALS.—New Zeuland Mining Affairs; Grindstones, 129. Amalgamation of the Precious Metals, 136. DLLUSTRATIONS.—An Improved Pavement; Different Forms of Drill Points, 129. Wish Culture,134. The Probable Periovicity of Relnfall, 137. CORRESPONDENCE,.—White Pine Minea, 130. SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS. — An Electrical Tower; Interesting Chemical Experiment; Luininous Tubes: Firea and the Atmosphere: Biela’s Comet; The Electric Depoait of Copper; Influence of Pressure on the Spectre of Gaaes, and on the Electric Current; Conservation of Force; A Fatal Flaw in the Darwinian Theory, 131. MECHANICAL PROGRESS.—The Canal Navization Award; Steel Raila; New Proccss for Plating; Value and Utilization of Water Power; Electricity va. Boiler Scale; Tinning Cast Iron, 131, USEFUL INFORMATION.—The Primary Colors; A Veloclpede Race: Foaming in Boilers; Change the Law of Process, 135, GOOD HEALTH.—Process of Digestion; A New Idea in Batha: A New Febrifuge; Fatand Lean; Dietetic Hinta; Color-Blindnea, 135 NIN MARY from various counties in Cslifornia, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Montana, 133, MINING STOCK MARKET.—Table of Dally Sales and Prices and Comparative Prices for the Week; Noticea of Assessments; Meetings and Dividenda; Review of Stock Market for the Week, 132. MISCELLANEOUS.—Resourcea of Utah—Some of the Principal Mincs.—Continued; The Mineral Belt of Colorado; Coalin China, 130. Effect of Gold Dis coveries, Utah Coal for Nevada Minea; Blasting Seam Diggings; South Aurora MinIng Company, White Pine, 134. Lawa Under New California Code; Fucl atthe Washoe Mines; The Iron Mine Sold; A Safety Shoe for Rallroad Cars, 138. Litris Corronwoon Rarroap.—A_hill to inoorporate the Little Cottonwood Railroad and Telegraph Company, as amended and recommitted to the Honss Committee on Pacific Railrosds, provides for a continuous route from Sendy Station on the Utah Southern Reilroad, through Granits City and Tannersville to Alta City, in Little Cottonwood Cafion, with ths right to huild a hranch to the Big Cottonwood, and collateral linee not sxceeding twenty miles from ths main lins; the principal office to be in Pittshurgh, Pennsylvanie; ths capital stock of the Company $5,000.000. Transit or Venus.—Our Government will ehortly be callsd upon to give an example of ite generoeity in aiding the cauee of science to ths extent of $100,000. Aean ‘‘amendment to sundry civil appropriation bille’’, a provision hae bsen introducsd, providing for the organization, hy ths Secretary of War, of parties to ohssrve the transit of Venus on Decemher 1874, The amsndment authorizes a detail of two veesele of war for the transportation of parties to the Pacific and Atlantic stetioue, aud appropriatee $100,000jto defray expenses. Deata.—Mr. A. H. Bangle, the inventor of an improved printing press, died at hie reeidence in Brooklyn, Cal.,on Wednssday last. He was avery worthy man, Coau.—A new coal vein, eight feet wide, has heen opened at Widefield on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, 12 miles from Colorado Springs, Tue Reorrprs of the San Rafael and San Quentin Raihoad company for 1872 were $19,152; expenees $15,435. Coan is to he used in Pioche from the minee of the Wasatch Co. in Utah, ae soon ae the roade will permit hauling. Tue WetsH minere’ strike is reported to be over and ahout 60,000 of the etrikere have returned to work. Minina sales in Colorado are quite frequent of late at heavy pricee, The Carihou mine ie eaid to have sold for $1,500,000. Amalgamation of the Precious Metals. The recent lecture hy Eugene N. Riotte, hefors the Polytechnio Class on the eubject of “‘Amalgamation—with special references to the Pacific Coaet” wae an interesting one, particularly to the mining community. Literalure. Mr. Riotte opsnsd his lecturs hy rsferring to the Hteraturs of Amelgamation, saying there were hut two works on the subject, hoth of them already old. One is Wrinkler’e—‘‘the European Amalgamation of Silver Ores,”’ puhlished in 1848 and nsver translatsd. Ths other is ‘‘Kustel’s Processee of Gold and Silver Extraction,” puhliched (hy Dewey & Co.) in San Francisco in 1863. Although ths principles of amelgemation as there laiddown are still the seme, etill the practice hae since changed materially. History. Far hack in the dark ages wes known ths property of quickeilver to combine with ths different metale, hut especially with gold and eilver to form alloye or amalgams which could agein he decompoeed eimply hy heat. This property hes heen employsd to sxtract gold and silver from ores and products and the peculiax metallurgical operatiou resulting hae heen tsrmsd amalgamation. At first the proceee was only ueed to sxtract metallic or native gold from gravel, eand, soil, stc., or from sweepinge, butit was aleo employed on ore containing free gold. As the orss to hs worksd grew poorer and poorer, or chemically more complicated, the eimple mortars, pots, or pans, eluices, riffles, long-toms, etc., hy which the process was carried on, hecame more extensive, Largs mills and chemicals, salt,vinegar, ete., were used in grinding the ore and quicksilver together. At the commencement of the 14th centary in ons district in Bohemia, 350 gold mills were in operation. Ths amalgamation of eilvsr orse did not come into uee eo early or so gensrelly; only few ores could he worked, as the minsrelized silver could not he extrected for a long time; hnt in the middle of ths 16th century, Bartolemo de Medina, a Mexican, euceseded in this also. Velasco took it to Peru in 1588 and Cordova attempted to introduce it into Austria, hut failed. For two hundrsd yeare after thie eilver amalgamation reeted in Europe. In the United Statee Barhae’ procsss was introduced which employed pans and chsmicals. It saved quicksilver hut did not get 60 much silver, as Medinas’ method, which caueed a successful opposition in America; Von Born ohviated this defset hy a careful preparation of the ors. He firet roasted it with ealt and then emalgamatsd it in coppsr pans, nnder which a fire was maintained, The ore was stirred with wooden rakes, and after 20 houre poured into a settler, the gangae worked off, quickeilver streined and amalgam retorted. Thie is the entire theory as it stende to-dey; hut ths practics hae besn changed and rechanged, In 1784, Vou Born made some puhlic trials, which foreshedowed a great reduction in the coet of working silver ores, Metellurgical amhaesadors fiocked to Vienna, and as a reeult mills were huilt in many places. Jellert, the director of the reduction works at Freiherg, Saxony, about this time found by experiment that the ore hecame hot withont fire undsr the pane, if etirred violently in a woodeu cylinder. The huilding of ths 40-pan mill at Freiherg was etopped until his experiments were concluded. The mills in Hungary were soon changed from the poieonoue, hot amalgametion process to Jellert’s procese of cold amalgemation in wooden cylinders. And now in 1789 a large mill was commenced, with horizontally revolving harrele devieed hy Ruprecht, and the best amalgamative process to thie day wae invented. But all these scientific and practical men baeed the explanation of so great an invention on fallacy. They thought only metallic silver wouldamalgamate, and that it wes metallic eilver that was formed in the Pateo hy magistialand in the furnacee hy ealt. Lampadius proved that it wae chloride of silver that wae wanted, and what had really heen formed during the preliminary wasting. Andto thie day we

have got no further. The speaker said that you ought to take this slight sketch and eubstitute well known nemes and placeein California and Nevada, and you have the history of amalgamation here. The euphoneous Alonzo Barha’e procees becomes plain ‘‘Smith’e pans,” etc. In epeaking of the way things were done On the Pacific Coast, rn Mr. Riotts said: How often may you not hear the rsmark in rsgard to the ore from new localities, or new comhinatione, ‘‘If we could only find out how to work our ores;’’ or, hetter etill, ‘‘There ie uo way to got at the silver;’’ all of which is very eilly. Give the metallurgist the price of labor, wood, salt and frsight at any given point, and the way or ways of working can hs told with mathemetical certainty. Then a teet muet hs made, not hy e quack, hut hy a scientific and prectical experimenter, who is at the sams time thoroughly honest, The mistakes may all he accounted for, You must rememher one little maxim: “Don’t huild mills hsfore you have ore and don’t experiment as to how ore ehould he worked with a $100,000 qnartz mill, with an ass, or worss, a knave at the head of it. Now Jet me lay down a few General Principles of Amalgamation. First, it is a settled fact that gold needs friction, and silver chemical action. Gold isin a native or metallic etate’in ths ores end can only he extrected in this form. It is therefore necessery to connect it and the quicksilver very intimatsly to maks the two combine or one diesolve in the other; it ie a purely mechanical operation and uponits mechanical perfection reeteite success. Rsmembher again thet only metalhe gold will amalgemets, evsrything to the contrary notwithstandiug. Silver must enter the “pans or harrels asa ehlorids; from this compound it is sither precipitated hy quicksilver and chloride of mereury and eilyer formed which is immediately taken off hythe surplus quickeilver, or it ie precipitated hy the iron and eimultansously amalgemated. Thie ie a chemical action, during the progrese of which hsat ie envolved, which like the acid eolution of salt, aids the decomposition. Galvanic effects are produced which suffice to explain the reeults in harrsl or pan. Chemicale added during gold and eilver amalgamation ars often dangerous, alwaye detrimental and never of any use. Kustel eays: ‘In regard to chemicals, after several months at Col, Raymond’e mill on the Cersourivsr, experisnce proved that the nse of chemicals is entirely ueelese: Iam prepared to prove thie hy actual experiencs.’’ Wriukler provsd the same ideas in regard to ths large addition of magistral. In gold ore amalgamation any and all chemicals have only the effect of reducing ths fineneee of the hullion and costs much monsy. In eilver amalgamation the addition of salt and sulphate of coppsr eesms to’ hasten amalgemation at first, bat is liahle to etop it too soon, and then the gelvanioreaction neceesary, cannot again hs producsd. No more eilver is produced thsn without thsm, the hullion ie leee fins, and quicksilver is lost hy ‘‘flonring ’’ in proportion to the chemicale employed. A notehle exception to this is working slimes from ths Comstock. In this case chemicals ars employed to advantage, hut havsa mechanical action. The elimss are, when put in a pan and mixed with water, difficult to ‘temper,’ that, is, to mix to such a consietency thet the action of the mullsr of the pan will throw the qnicksilver finely divided into the ore. No results can be obtained from a pan that is not ‘ tempered.”” We have here, as hefore, an sntirely mschanical operation to deal with. The particles of gold and silver mnst be brought in contaot, Now a mixture of eelt or sulphate of copper, or either singly, finely divides the quickeilver that is shaken with it, which is what we wanted. No matter how poor the workmanship in tempering you have hecome independent of it. In the Mechanical Appliances For the use of Barha’s or Von Born’e process, we have made immense etridee recently. Inetead of 200 or 300-pound pans we have the Steveneon 6,000-pound, or even Park’e 20-ton cast iron pan, that finiehes a cherge every six hours. In raw amelgamation, fancy, or the sizs of the purse etill govern the eize of the pan. The simplest and cheapeet is the beet. Don’t be deceived by the catch-word “‘it is a great grinder.’ Thieis just what you don’t want. Powder your ore under stampe, which is the mechinery for crushing, not the pan. Stamps will crush for one-tenth the cost in one-tenth the time. The pan that ‘‘ie a great grinder ” willalso grind your quicksilver and make it ‘fiour.”’? Rubbing would be a much more needed faculty; this ie whet is neededina pan, For ‘and towns, roaeted ore the selection of pane is narrowed down to one or two. Only the ‘‘ Comhination pan” cofitains all pointe. “Future Processes.” Mey we hops that the daye of amalgamation of roasted ore ere numhsred. We ars now 50 years hshind the age, Nowhere, excspt here, ie it now precticed; emelting furnacee and leaching tuhs have long ago superceded the hulky machinery nesded for amalgamation. Whers we can chloridizs up to 95 per cent. and mors, we are but amalgamating upto 90 psr cent. Two, thres, and even tsn per cent of the silver already in our grasp ie thrown awey by this costly, ponderoue, hut simple process. Ws know how to do thie, and to learn anything nsw ie fesrfully diffionlt. ‘Let us raise up a generaation of yonng men who are willing to devote a life’e etudy and purpose to mining and met~allnrgy and we will soon overtake and pase the halance of the world. Australia and New Zealand. The wonderfnl island continent of Australia, with its neighhoring ielands of Taemania and New Zealand, contain on their shorse, wached hy the waters of the Pacific, many fine porte and harhore now the eeats of fiourishing cities The area of Auetralia, Tesmenia and Nsw Zealand ie ahout equal to that of the United Statee, hnt the cireumstaness of eoil and climate are very different. By muoh the greater part of Australia is hot and dry with a deficiency of navigahle rivers, and of arahle land. There are immenes tracte, however, on the east and north euited to the culture of Sugar, Cotton and other tropical productione, a tract ae large as ths whole of ths Pacific Coest, Thrsefourthe of the remaindsr will havetohe dsvoted toehsephushendry. From this may be predicted the naturs of the commsrce that will in future suhsist hetweeu San Francisco end the trads ports of Australia. We shall have to eupply a population ae largs as the United Statee with Wheat and all the various productione of the temperats climats of thie Coast, and we shall in return he purchasere of their Cotton, Sugar and Wool, which we will manufacture and dietrihute abroad to the world. Quicrstuver.—If Napa county provee ae prolific in quicksilver as it ie in ‘‘qnicksilver minee’’ we will surely see the speedy downfall of ths Rothschild-Barron monopolise throughout the world, and especially on this coest. The product of the county ieae yet, howevsr, quite limited, hut judging from reesnt reporte it will he materially augmented hsfore long. ‘We are informed hy the Register that a vein of ore was struck a few weske eince that promisee to he the richset yet found. It is heing drifted upon and showe a free show of rich ore. If even a very small proportion ‘of the locations made ars worked and provs hy their product to he veluahle, Napa county ought to do well in the quicksilver trade, without having to put her minss in the London market. Coprzr Pronvet or Lace Superior Mres.— From a detailsd statement of the production of copper of Lake Superior mines in the Marquette Bining Journal, ws learn that the total forthe ysar 1872 was 15,166 tone, a decrease of 905 tons from 1872 when the production was 16,071 tons. Ths total copper (minsral) product of the minse from 1845 to 1873 ie 176,395 tons. An epproximate stetement of ingot copper produced and its value from 1845 to 1872 inclueivs gives 2 total of 135,075 tons, valned at $76,303,320. The dividsnde dsclared hy mining companiee in 1872 amounted to $3,390,000, while the aeseesmente were only $190,000, leaving an excese of divideude over aeseeemeonts of $3,200,000. The total dividends declared by minee at Lake Snperior aggregate $11,910,000, A Sxquet to rHE Dramonn Fravps.—Everyhody remembers the big diamond fizzle of last . year, and moet prohahly the names of prominent partiee, with ewindlere or ewindled, who had any connection with it. The whole affair was thoroughly investigated hy the press and comments made upon the actions of those who were at all connected with the affair. Wm. M. Lent who allegee thet he lost hy the whole transaction the eum of $250,000, hes eued the Territorial Enterprise for puhliehing an alleged hhellous article which accusee Mr. Lent of heing frandently implicated in the Arnold etock diamond swindle. Mr. Lent aeke for $15,000 dameges from Jas. T. Goodman, editor of the Enterprise. A ueavy enow slide ocourred in Little Cottonwood on the 26th ult., and the roads hlockaded hut no lives loet.