The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-29 00:00:00

TARE CSANCELLORSVILLE FREEHOLD
GOLD MINING COMPANY.-L-The Direc.

tors of the Chancellorsville Freehold Gold Mining Company at
• length find themselves in a position to make a Statement to
their Shareholders, on their own past proceedings, and on the
present position and future prospects of the Company.
After having encountered and overcome great difficulties,
they are happy in being able to announce that they have ar.
rived at complete success.
The question of Quartz Reduction has latterly assumed a
great importance. Of the vast importations of gold into this
country, the portion which shows a progressive increase is
that which comes from the Quartz ; but the reduction is still
effected with great difficulty and expense, and at a consider.
able 'maple of the precious metal. One cf the problems of the
time is to unlock the treasures which lie undeveloped in
elearteL formations in various parts of the world, and to make
them • available for the increase of the general stock of gold.
The Directors of this Company believe that they do not arro-
gate too much to themselves, when they express their convic.
tie• a that they have succeeded in removing many of the ob.
sts ►des that stood in the way of a solution of the problem.
RIGIN AND OBJECTS OF THE COMPANY—NATURE
OF THE PROPERTY. _

This Company was formed about three years since for the pur-
'chase of the Grasty Estate, in Orange County, Virginia, and for
-the extraction of Gold from the valuable quartz with which that
estate abounds. At the outset, the Directors despatched to
Virginia Mr. W. T. Henwood, F.R.S., F.G.S., &c., author of
" The Metalliferous Deposits of Cornwall and Devon ;" a mining
engineer of high character. Mr. Henwood was formerly her Ma-
. assay master and supervisor of Tin in the Royal Duchy
of Cornwall, and Secretary of the Royal Geo,graphical Society of
Coriorall. He was subsequently Chief Commissioner of the
ID'.perial Brazilian Mining Association in Brazil, and more ro-
e.ently he was employed on a special survey mission by the
Hon. East India Company. These credentials sufficiently est,U-
blish the fitness of Mr. Henwood for the duty ho was appointed
-to perform. . .
MB. HENWOOD'S REPORT ON TFIE ESTATE AND

MINE.
After two visits and a careful survey of the property, Mr.
Henwood made a report, which was printed at the time. He
there stated thesfollowing particulars:--
" The Grasty. Estate is situate in. Orange County, Virgin'
about 25 miles west of Fredericksburg, on the Rappahannoch.
It is bounded on the west by the 'Plank road, and for somle
distance on the north by the old *turhpikeroad between Fr -
dericksburg and Orange Courthouse, which will be shortly
.connected by a line of railway in course of construction, and
: will pass within a mile of the western limit of the property.
Both these places now communicate with the Potomac by rail,
the former at Aquia Creek, the latter at Alexandria, and
Alexandria is to be shortly connected with the great lines of
intercourse between Washington and the northern, eastern,
and western parts of the Union. The property can therefore
scarcely be exceeded in facility of communication, as well
with the east as the interior. -- -
" The greatest length of the estate is about a mile and a
half from east to west, and its width is perhaps half a mile
from about north to south. The boundary, however, is irre-
gular, and much indented ; its surface is gently undulating,
the difference between the elevation of the highest and lowest
grounds probably little, if at all, exceeding 100 feet.
"The area is 439 acres, of which 100 acres or thereabouts
aro clearly and partially cultivated. About 200 acres are co-
vered with a heavy growth of magnificent oak and other vain-
:able trees, and the remainder bears stunted pine and brush-
•wood, which serve for fuel. Near the dwelling house there is
a small marshy declivity, and in the western part of the estate
several depressions have each a rill. These unite within the
boundary of the property, and their stream, although scarcely
enough for cleaning ore by the ordinary washing processes, is
ample for the supply of amalgamating apparatus.
• " There is a very good dwelling house, a tolerable one of
smaller size, nine cottages, a smith's and carpenter's shop, a
storehouse, barn, stable, and several small out-houses."
' Referring to the auriferous formation of the rocks on the
estate, Mr. Henwood added :
• " The rock is a talcose slate, sometimes very closely resem-
' bling clay slate. It is generally soft, of a pearl-white or very
• pale blue colour in some places, and light buff in others ; but
- many portions are deep red, occasionally passing into brown
—an aspect not uncommon in other auriferous districts. The
, structure is, on the whole, thick lamellar. The strike of the
' cleavage planes'is about 35 (leg. E. of N. and W. of S. (mag-
, 'tette), and their dip (from the horizon) is 70 deg. to 85 deg.
towarsis the N.W.
" Masses of potstone appear at intervals, and seem to range
I parallel to the lamination of the slate rock. They probably
' form the continuation of a similar formation, which is oh-
nerved in a like position beyond the limits of the property
eastward.
"Just within the belt of forest which covers the northern
boundary of the estate, a large range of quartz rock is traced
for some distance, in the same direction with the strike of the
potstone and of the schistose rocks. No operations have ever
been instituted on it, but if other parts of the estate are
wrought I think this ought not to be passed without trial.
" At the north-western fence of the cleared land, enormous
blocks of quartz are abundantly scattered over the surface, in
a line co-incident with the range of the rock formations; and
' still farther within the enclosure, southward, two other pa-
rallel ranges of similar stones are still more plentifully traced.
Although we nowhere see the parent rock of these surface
blocks, there is, I think, little or no doubt but they mark the
• vicinity of parallel quartoze deposits, to witioh further atten-
tion should be directed.
" Still south, on the elevated ground, about 200 fathoms
'north-west of the house, an enormous quartz formation crops
out, and may be traced in the same direction with the others
for perhaps 100 fathoms in length. Large masses of the same
rock also appear in situ at intervals, on the same line of bear-
ing through the length of the estate, but separated here and
there by copse and cultivated land. As its junction with
the talc-slate is not visable, it is impossible to ascertain the
exact breadth ; a width of from 20 to 30 feet is, however,
, exposed, and broken stones of it cover the surface for double
that extent. It is from this formation that the specimen of
, gold in your possession was obtained. At 150 fathoms from
the western boundary of the estate, within a fine trect of vir-
gin forest of great beauty, there is a similar quartoze for-
mation, containing earthy brown iron ore, and small pieces
of talc slate, which has considerable resemblance to the for-
! reation formerly wrought, whence your samples of ore were
taken. Of the propriety of giving this part, of the property
more examination than it has yet been subjected to I think
no doubt can be entertained.
" About 100 fathoms still southward near the ' marshy do.
elivity ' already mentioned, and immediately in front of the
best dwelling, another large quartoze deposit crosses the
south-eastern angle of the estate for perhaps 150 fathoms in
length. Its width cannot bo accurately observed, but in
position it conforms to the lamination of the adjoining talc
slate. The silicious matter is more or less mixed with por-
tions of slate, and it encloses some iron pyrites and copper
_ pyrites, but these aro not abundant ; earthy brown iron ore
. is, however, plentiful in many parts of it,
" It has been partially wrought for about 100 fathoms in
length, but most of the shafts have been sunk only about six
fathoms in depth, and the deepest of them is only about 15
fathoms.
" The quantity of rock at the surface is about 500 or 600
tons. It was from the ferruginous portions of quartz remain-
' ing that the samples you have had assayed were obtained,
and during my last visit to the property I also made some
• examinations of the ore, which, defective as they necessarily
were from the rudeness of the implements I found on the
spot, afforded gold in amply remunerative proportion to the
quantity of stone submitted to experiment.
" This deposit is so little seen in situ that it is impossible
to estimate the quantity of ore contained in any given extent
of ground, the samples, assayed, however, leave no doubt
that it deserves more examination than it has yet received.
`, " These extensive formations of quartz coincide in position
with the laminae of the rocks, of which, in fact, they doubt-
less form members, and they differ from the schistose varie-
, ties only in being more silicious, and in exhibiting fewer
traces of slaty cleavage."
As the foregoing Report was made more than two yearsago,
on information obtained some months before, it may be a sa-
tisfaction to the shareholders to have a confirmation of them
• in general terms, made on the 22d of June of the present
ye tr, by an eye-witness, the Company's own agent, a gentle-
man of the highest character and respectability, who was de-
spatched to Virginia on a special mission to make arrange-
ments for the practical working of the mine, and the trans-
mission of the ore to this country. This gentleman says :
" I have made au examination of the Property, and find
- that there is au endless supply of Quartz, with indications of
great richness. The Master Vein, which runs for upwards
. of a mile through the centre of the estate, remains untouched,
and the surface indications (rich Gossau, and dark, reddish,
bro an quartz) lead me to suppose that it is much richer than
any which has yet been tried. The width of the vein averages
• about 49 yards.
" There are several other veins, running almost parallel to
the one alluded to, but not of the same width or length.
There is an abundant supply of timber, principally oak. I
believe about two hundred acres, richly covered. Also
about one hundred of pine. The railroad to Fredericksburg
will run within a few hundred yards of the estate; which
will of course greatly facilitate the communications and ren-
• der , expenses much lighter."
Thus the original statements of the promoters of the Com-
' pany and the engineer are fully borne out; and the value of
the property remains unimpaired at the present hour.
IMPORTATION OF ORE FOR REDUCTION.

Between the original formation of the Company and the
early part of the last year there was a period of comparative
inactivity. Nothing bat the confidence inspired by the Re-
port of Mr. Henwood, the oral statements of other gentle-
men who had visited the property, and the results of the
assays made by Messrs. Johnson and Matthey, Mr. Mitchell,
Mr. Claudet, Dr. Ryan, Mr. Wright, Mr. Edwin Smith, Dr.
Collyer, and others, could have sustained the Directors against
the discouragements. and disappointments they encountered.
All undertakings of the kind gradually fell into disrepute.
Changes also took place in the constitution of the Company
itself, which was at one time almost threatened with extine-
tiola ; but the remaining Directors and same of the Afficers
a. adhered to its fortunes under all vicissitudes, until they trust
they will ha4e earned the acknowledgments of the Share-
holders for thole faith and perseverance.
All the efforts of this and other companies to effect on their
several mines the extraction of the gold from the ores having
at that date proved unsatisfactory, the Directors of the Chan-
-,
cellorrille Company determined about a year and a half ago
to bring over to this country a considerable quantity of the
ore, so that they might have, under their own eyes and those
of their shareholders, the benefit of the best scientific and
practical knowledge on the subject of quartz reduction. In-
evitable obstructions and delays retarded for a considerable
time the accomplishment of this resolution ; so that it was
not until the close of the last year that the Directors received
their first consignment. Shortly after they received another,
A smaller consignment. Both wore advertised at the time.
With confidence unimpaired in the value of ,the mine, the
•
Director's now flattered themselves that their task would in
.
future lie comparatively easy. Those only who have had to
eneourfter the difficulties surrounding the subject can com-
prehend, why so much delay, nearly nine months, has never-
thelesseccurred. The. ore of this mine contains very little
•
visible gold ; and the precious metals which abound iu it ex-
ist in particles, so fine as to require the most elaborate treat-
ment. So much time having; elapsed since the first assays
already referred to the Directors considered it desirable at
. the outset to ascertain by the same means the value of the or;
, They were well aware that their greatest difficulty would
to obtain machines capable of crushing and amalgamating pr
otherwise extracting the gold, on such a scale as would con-
,
firm the tests of the assayers.

RESULTS OE THE TESTS.

The Directors invited the co-operation of scientific and
practical men who had studied the subject. The results of
their experiments were very unequal ; some of them encou-
raging the most extravagant ideas of profit, but few being be-
low such a yield as would give a dividend. If the undertak-
ing Were rationally regarded as a fair commercial enterprise.
It would answer no purpose to embody in this report the
Certificates in detail of the gentlemen who made the different
experiments ; but some notion may be formed of the uncer-
tainty in which the Directors from time to time were placed,
o from the following examples- For instance, on the 23d of
November, 1855, Mr. Claudet, of the Assay-office, Cannon-
, street (who had previously tested some of the ore with less
favourable results), certified that the iron pyrites, with which
'the ore abounds, contains from 34 to 39 ounces of gold, to
"the teli• tif pyrites; 'Mkt-6'5 ritikaeteerst.er: -At-the same date
Messrs. John Taylor and Sons, of Upper Ordnance wharf. ,
tilled per Mr. Jordan, that one specimen of ore mil-
gent yielded 217 i MOO 9f gold aud 44 0-

of
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