The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-27 00:00:00

NEVADA.

A correspondent of the Missouri Democrat gives the fol-
lowing account of the history of the Reese River mines :
Tn the latter part of the year 1862 the silver mines at Reese
River were discovered, and the Reese river mining district,
in which the town of Austin is located, was formed. This
district, the mining belt of which is about six miles long
by three wide, contains at least 3,000 claims.
The veins are small in comparison to the Comstock at
Virginia, but what they lack in size is more than made up
in richness.

According to the returns of the assessor for the year
1864, the average yield of all the ores worked in the dis-
Wet was two hundred and four dollars per ton, a yield
which has no precedent in the mining history of the world.
All we lack now for the purpose of taking out a hundred
millions yearly is the Pacific Railroad. Let that be com-
pleted, and we can with ease increase the productions of
silver at least ten-fold. Austin is on the overland mail
route and telegraph line, 180 miles east from Virginia City,
and 420 miles west from the Salt Lake. Besides the Reese
River district, there are a number of mining districts extend-
ing 70 miles north and 130 miles south from Austin, all of
which contain valuable quartz veins of gold, silver, and
copper, and, in fact, nearly all of the different kinds of
minerals known. To persons wishing to invest capital I
know of no better inducements than are offered at Austin.
Claims which can now be bought for a small price will in
three or four years be worth fortunes. The cost of work-
ing the ores at present, owing to the great distance ma-
chinery has to be hauled, and the high price of labour, is
about forty dollars per ton. Add to this the cost of mining
the ore from the veins, and it will be seen that it has to be
rich to pay for working. There are thousands of tons of
ore in the Reese River district, which will yield from $5O
to $6O a ton ; but which, until the railroad is completed,
enabling us to reduce them for a reasonable sum, will have
to lie perfectly worthless.
COLORADO.

The News of Feb. 14 says:—A little fact as to the value
of Colorado mines is to-day on exhibition at the National
Bank in this city. This fact is a piece of bullion weighing
gold, one third ; of silver, two thirds ;
1571 b., consisting of
and is worth, in currency, about $16,000. This bullion
goes east to-morrow, and is the first shipped from Lyon's
works, which are now in successful operation, and have
demonstrated the truth that that operation of separating
the precious metals from their ores is best which is founded
upon time and experience. Many people have an idea that
this smelting of pyrites is something new, whereas it has
been the German method of treating pyritous ores ever
since the ninth century. Mr. Johnson, foreman, of Lyon's
works, states that this class of ores in this country are
much easier smelted than anticipated.
The American Mining Index says :—The friends of Colo-
rado must bo abundantly gratified with the turn things
have taken within the past few months. Everything con-
spires to a satisfactory solution of all questions respecting
both the richness of Colorado oressand the success of the
processes now in operation for their reduction. The effect
upon the stock market, growing out of the success of the
Kieth process, is very satisfactory. The World quotes the
stock of the Mammoth Company at $1,500, which is 50 per
cent. above par. This company was the first to adopt the
Kieth Desulphtuizer.

MONTANA.
The Galena Gazette, of the 19th Dec., has the following
in relation to the Uncle Sam lode :—lt will be remembered
that we recently published a statement from the Montana
Post relative to a great gold discovery lately made near
Helena, Montana Territory. The account says the new dis-
covery is an immense ledge of almost solid gold, which glitters
before the bewildered vision of the beholder. Mr. C. E.
Duer, formerly of this city, writes to his friends here that
the story of this great discovery is no humbug. He has
seen some of the gold from this lode, and says it is remark-
ably pure. It is certainly the greatest discovery of gold
ever yet made.
A Colorado paper says that in the banking house of
Warren Hussey, a lot of specimens from Last Chance,
Montana, are on exhibition. They are the richest speci-
mens ever produced from the mineral kingdom. Lumps o f
quartz, over one-half of whose weight was made up of
pure gold, which stuck outin great spurs all over the sur-
face, many of these spurs being as large as a man's finger.
The lode from which the quartz came is opened only to a
depth of 16 feet, and these rich specimens exist in pockets
in the crevices, which average six feet in width. The
poorest ores of tho lode yield $5OO per ton in gold, treated
with the arastra. Much of the ore yields largely in silver.
MINERAL WEALTII ON OUR WESTERN BORDER. —Few
have yet begun to realise the extent of the 12 States and
territories on our Western Borders, whose vast store
of mineral wealth are yet to attract teeming multitudes to
them. California has 158,685 square miles, containing
101,659,680 acres; Dacotah, 148,832 square miles-
-95,316,480 acres; Nevada, 81,539 square miles-52,184,960
acres; Colorado, 104,500 square miles-66,880,000 acres;
New Mexico, 121,201 square miles —78,568,640 acres ; Ari-
zona, 126,141 square miles-80,730,140 acres; Utah,106,382
square miles-68,074,480 acres ; Oregon, 84,248 square
miles-60,958,720 acres ; Idaho, 326,375 square miles-
-208,878,726 acres ; Nebraska, 75,955 square miles-
-44,796,160 acres; Washington, 69,994 square miles
48,636,800 acres; Kansas, 81,318 square miles-53,043,550
acres; making a total of 1,495,310 square miles
957,720,400 acres, of which only 61,738,546 acres have been

disposed of. Idaho alone will make five States as large as
Pennsylvannia or New York.

Works are erecting at Golden City, Colorado, for the
manufacture of railroad bars. Extensive mines-of iron ore
have been discovered there, which will be worked by
eastern capitalists, and promise to yield great wealth to the
new State.

Tennessee is showing up great mineral wealth. Near
Cleveland is the largest copper mine in the world. Iron
ore, tin, coal, marble, rock crystal, gypsum, paints, salts,
and nitrous earths, abound in the eastern section of the
State. Gold has been found near the Georgia line. The
whole section of country along the Nashville and Chatta-
nooga Railroad exhibits unmistakable evidences of petro-
leum. A flowing well has been struck near Tullahoma.