Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1834-01-09

4
sively with pure quartz, - as TO yield
when treated BY proper prssess, from
one to six penny weights FOR every bu
shsl or 90 posnds weight. The sOimi
mum ofthese rates would be consider
cd a profitable ere. There have bee,
various attempts to extract the gol,
from ore Of this kind. upon asomswha
large scale, but the want Of practisa
knowledge in nstallurgy, tho dolce
tiveness Of the process applied. m
the novelty Of the undertaking. con
Quoted in most instances by persons
unacquainted with the art Of rsdseinl
metals. have hitherto produced few
failures in tho experiments attempted
these, beng greatly exaggerated asd
much misrepresented. have had the ef.
feet of checking the deposition whisl
had arisen amongst capitalists to come
forward in aid Of this branch Of indus.
try, by establishing the most promis.
ing of these mines upon regular systs
matte principles.
A gold mine, projected with judg.
ment, and conducted with skill aad e.
economy, is blu, mandatory Of par.
ticular kind, which gives employment,
TO laborers, who are fed and clothed
by other branches Of industry. What
ever gives honest and constant en-.
ployment TO the laboring Glasses, is a
blessing, enabling the laborcr to cup.
port his family, whilst his employer
draws prof. from his industry; but
in Virginia, where labor aud food are
so comparatively cheap, and where the
main strength of mining labor would
soon be as advantageously drawn from
colored men--and this | have had evil
dcncc of--as from the lower class Of
whites, mining would be new and in.
valuable direction to turn her surplus
labor into. But the great lever, capt.
tai, still is wanting, and without it no.
thing can be done.
The aurlferous veins appear to MAN.
tain a steady continuity towards the
centre Of the earth; and to sink shan
Of sixty feet, and construct tunnel to
intersect il, is mere superficial ope-
ration, TO which, for want the Of CAPT.
tai, the operations now in progress are
necessarily limited. Ii the vein 10 to
be tried at lower depths, a steam en-
CINE must be employed to keep the
works dry; and Favorable indications
encourage the proprietors to construct
galleries parallel TO his veins, he soon
finds that his unaided efforts are insult.
ficient; that he is doing nothing for his
country, and is embarrassing himself;
that to carry his mine on upon well
principles, he must have the
aid Of capital which will enlarge his
business to the required scale, md
bring experience and practical science
to the management oft. Private part
nerships are subject to so much incon.
veniencc in similar undertakings; il is
so difficult to withdraw from them when
great interests are embarked; and death
so often enhances the difficulty, by
making it impossible for the survivor
to separate his interest from that Of in
heriting minors; that It is seldom one
or two individuals can be found willing
to risk the required amount.
1t is by incorporated companies a.
lone such undertakings can be profitn.
bly, established. A hundred individu.
ais will chcerfnlly divide risk that
may appear formidable to few; If the
undertaking succeeds, hundred are
gratifed; lift fails, no one is seriously
injured, whilst in both cases the public
industry is encouraged. And this, in
my opinion, is the true policy to be
adopted by the State, viz. to encourage
capital to come from distance to de-
velop her dormant resources. / speak
guardedly when aver, that if the ca
pitalists Of England had entertained as
favorable an opinion Of the gold and
copper lodes of Virginia as they de-
serve to inspire, that in 1924 and 1925,
when from twelve to fifteen millions
sterling went to South America - re-
establish the mines, at least two mil
lions Of that amount might have been
placed in Virginia, if her gold veins had
been then discovered.
Some philosophers are feelingly a
live to the danger Of encouraging TO-
reign money to come into the country:
foreign labor in the disguise of cloth,
cotton, cutlery, pottery, may come, al
though a substitute for native labor;
but foreign money to pay American
labor, that may not come. venture,
however, to predict, if ten millions of
dollars are ever placed in Virginia, for
the purpose of bringing her gold and
silver, her copper and other valuable
minerals and metals TO light, the pros
perity will be so universally enjoyed,
as to leave the alarmists in very fee
BILE minority.
And, indeed, although little more
49,, ,.,,<, x,aa rs have etanxed since gold