The Express.
London, England, 1851-08-02 00:00:00

The Vi

HIM

(Fran the D&y News.)
At a half-yearly meeting of shareholders in the
Copiapo Milling Company held to-day, it ay pearcd
from the directors report that since the last meeting
the Acacia had arrived at Swansea,: bringing 427
tons of cooper ore, 21 tons of silver leavings, and 3
tons of silver ore from the Santa Ava mine. Tho
copper ore averaged 224 per cent. copper, and rea-
lised The silver leavings averaged 159 oz.
of silver to the ton, and' at present remain un-
sold; whilst the ore had not been assayed. Tho
quantity of copper ore raised at the mines during
the six months, ending 30th April, was 407 tons,
showing an increase of 75 tons as compared with
the preceding six months, and the reports from the
manager still continue highly satisfactory, particu-
larly of the new copper mines at Tres Pumas and
Flamenco.

The total expenditure at the different silver mines
to 30th December last, including the purchase money
of 5,250 L, had been 15,720/. ; and the proceeds of the
silver shipped to England amounted to 12,470/. ; and
the amount of charges had been 10,4701., leaving a
surplus of 2,000/. The returns were principally from
the two mines of Al-fin Hallada and San Jose del
Carmen, in which the company have only a small in-
terest, whilst the expenditure has been in developing
the six other mines in which they are interested.
The total expenditure at the gold mines, including
the purchase money of 300!., amounted to 4,070/. up
to 31st December last; and the returns had been
only :3•i0!. The present working is confined to the
les Cubridom de Oro Mine, and the manager hopes
that it will eventually repay the expenditure on
these mines. A dividend of 514. per share, amounting
to 2,500/., was declared payable on and after the 10th
October next.

A very interesting report has just been presented
Ito the l.nited States House of Representatives by
Messrs. J. W. Foster and J. D. Whitney, who were
deputed to make examination into the geography
and topography of Lake Superior Land district, in
the state of Michigan. A number of highly valuable
details arc given relative to the copper region
and the yield and prospects of the nuns, besides
a auras of useful E tat tst ica I information, with a view
to contrasting the produce and consumption of vari-
ous countries. The mining interest in North Ame-
rica may be fairly assumed to be as yet only in its
infancy, for in addition to the vast mineral wealth
already disclosed, as the country becomes opened and
the means of exploration increased, new sources will
undoubtedly be revealed, as indeed daily experience
shows. Fur certain purposes in the arts, the copper of
Lake Superior stands unrivalled; and, according to
the present report, it surpasses all other copper ores
in density and tenacity. Its per centage of silver,
though too inconsiderable in most eases to justify
separation, still enhances its value by protecting it
in a considerable degree from the corrosive action of
'salt water. The average value of the copper annu-
ally imported into the United States exceeds
1,700,000 dots., or say 3.51,01101. Assuming the price
of pig copper to be Is cents. per lb., and that of
sheathing 22 cents., the annual consumption would
he rather less than 5,000 tons. 'lite produce of the l atko
Superior Mines for the year Mal will probably
reach one-half this amount, or 2,+4111 tons.

According to the estimates of M. Leplay, tho
secretary of the Commission of Mining Statistics in
France, the whole amount of the copper produced in
the world is 52,100 tons. 'this, however, does not
include portions of the Asiatic continent, with regard
to which we have no statistical knowledge, though
none of the produce of these regions is exported.
The estimate of the amount consumed by various
countries is as follows. viz.:—Great Britain, 10,000
tons; France, 0,200; the German Customs Union,
5,400; the Austrian Empire, 2,1k)0; the Russian
Empire, 2,000; Sweden and Norway, 400; other
European states, 0,000; the United States, 3,1100;
other states of America, 1,1(H); the Asiatic continent
(India and Oceania), 3,300; and Joist'', 1,204).
The evidences of ancient mining and excavations
in the Lake Superior region, which are very fre-
quently met with in particular districts, constitute
a very interesting feature. The high antiquity of
this rude mining is partly inferred from the fact that
the existing races of Indians have no traditions by
what people or at what period it was carried on.

TRAFFIC RETURNS FOR THE PAST WEEK.

Males opened.

1,3171. per mile: and in 1848 they avenged 1,4621. per
mile. The traffic menus on railways during the week
ending the 26th of July amounted to 336,7921., being at
the rate of 53/. per mile per week, and ezeceding
byi;6,1211. the receipts of the corresponding week
to 18.10. The gems receipts of eight runways having
their termini in the metropolis amounted to 176,1 W. '
for the week sliding the 26th of July, and for the
corresponding week of last year to 127,4481., showing an
Increase of 48004 'the increase on the Eastern Counties;
Railway amounted to 1,1511., on the Great Western to
10,09 i/., on the Great Northern to 11,8801. (chiefly in eon-
sequence ot the line being in operation between London and I
Peterborough, which was not the case rat the corresponding'
period of last year), on the London and Blackwell to 3091.,
on the London, Brighton, and South Coast to 1,3631., on
the London and North M'esterti to 14,2191., on the Lou-
don and South Western t 04,61041., and on the South F.satern
to 5,001/. The aggregate increase, as above, Rd% 48,690!.,
hoeing about 87 per cent. of the total increase of traffic on
railways in the United Kingdom, and leaving but 13 per
cent. increase on the other railways.