Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-07-26
MISCELLANEOUS.
(Erum TIE Ii,oinia Herald. J


and highly important Extract for yCur columns, 10 b;
\ come n lille at leisure from The all absorbing incident
grnwi ng out q cur late political campaign nno Tor IN
minds Of The people To become tanlnisizec TOT sooe
thought md new enterprise.
In soliciting The publication Of The Russian method .
extracting The gold from It's E,srix in all lis dversih'
/ forms conceive you VIII confer lasting benefit upnI
Of your subscribers who have deep interest II
The subject many of whom have embarked th2nsaEhs
d.lars IN the purchase Of valuable gold mines HhiGh now
lay dormant inactge from want of skill in all OF on
previous operations, collect The gold from its various
combinations the mercury being the emily agent used 'o
That purpose which only take The disengsgPd par
clss and this by hurried process, which seldom colleen
than fifth Of that that is separated tke balance
goes riff with the earAP matter in the ripple o the wa
ter through which all has 10 pass and the much larger
portion passes away d!Senrmmhercd iron the metallic
substances with which il is chemically cnnibined-as
prcof Of which compare the results OF fire assay with
any other and the best mcde rracilsed sHorg u.s. ana
Won will al once perceive The immense difference, from
90 TO AZ times in favor OF the fire assay. This fact
shows TINT all our general modes of applications
Ideally wrong and Why II is that The high wrought an.
ticpaons oi splendid results from our gold veins have
not hpen realized? The obvious 10 all acquainted
with the experiment through all liz stages. Anilcpa
lions of large results based upon the product of
says small scale, all of which yielded an immense
proportion OF gold but il was found. that on large
scale OF operation scarcely enough was obtained TO re-
move the impression that the assayer was deceived
dectivng. Why this disproporlou? Simply because in
the assay, heat and ncds used in The larger npe
ration, only pounding, washing and quicksilver amaga-
nuIion by hurried proctssii having been always Ia
ken for granted by u.s. that fire assays could not be used
on n large scale because of the great expense.
The Russian chemist has ohv'aed the difficulty
mounted The obslacle simphrd ard reduced The whole
ope alton he familiar and simple process Of smelling
-n ore the time prPciudrs the possibility of pill
ering The guild by the many hands through which it
passes thereby preserving the must remote PARTICLES OF
thu pre- cous metals.
Hence we can account for the difference in the
nrth Two IN nlp q n
errors into which have fallen chrHy IN account Of
mscnucer'ion Of the mineral nature OF The metal we
have sought TO recover--not understanding lis chemi
cal combination, or lis primeyu existence III cruder
metals
Here shall no doult present somewhat novel idea
ard c, me conflict with many eminent writers on this
subject Bot, nevertheless, practical experience dive
npes The erqu!ring mind Other lights on this inter
esi.ng and highly important subject, hich it is veil 10
give attention 10 In opening up ihtse results, shall
90 step hf yond the Russian chemist, and with much
difference Others submit them iG. consideration =
While uiIy concur with Col Anasuf in the expert
mcnrs well The astonishing results he has arrived
A. yet ncreriherss he seems 10 have obtained tie OBJ
iect Of his abnrs step short of understanding tie
true nature OF The SUBJECT that he has per-
scverngiy brought successful results Ia my ohser.
vrlors this head. shall necessarily hive I" travel
over par, OF HE ground already occupied The posi-
ton shall take is ths-tlot gold is not an original
metal I'm which Think am amply supported by The
Russian cxppriments) hut EXISTS in mineral conb;na-
tons with cruder metals oil OF which sub "ct 10 oxi
drt!nn. and consequently 10 decomposition, from me
so,r but unriro hind oi time III conjunction with The
IF earth heat. aud water the c"fnding M
fuence Of these drcUmp0ses The base crude metals,
AID prrc pilates the gold pure rets! in fine dns or
rrauuinr pnrrcl-s These, from tier natural affinity
for Their body form masses from grams, penny
wrirhs md pounds Witness the drposi,e lands where
they are chiefly found nmedatrv in lie vicinity 0f
explnd. veins either vertical! INCLINED or hnrznnat-
invariably whenever you find lag you viii also
nd ie greatest q! oxidation and decomposition oi
SHli uf wi a
unGrmIy poor desii,"ip nf gold.
n making explorations. ] always gave preference
10 those regiuns in III. quartz ranges exhibiting the
greatest degree Of me,aerous qnars and those mos,
m gnetic my peculiar choice, for the reason that
tn. iron is most pure finer qush,y-wh!le ascertain.
ed from The magnet iron sbonndng IN hose regions as
a common metal, though differing greatly IN lis mag
helic Influence, by which vas determined either 10
pass on or make search, by the degrees OF magnetic at
traction in the black saRd (cabonaied iron IrIcking
down the seams or washes OF the hills, or found
in the valleys below These trials determined gold
no gold, in proportion % the attraction OF the sand
when the magnet produced active Effect WAS salts
fed iha, gold TO be found IN It's vicinity by wash.
Ing The earth. by pounding AMI washing, seldom
failed in finding more less. ! next examined The
formation or geological construction oi the locality, to
find whether vertical inclined or hurz inlnl rs
well as for its mineral comPus"n-laying 1t down in
my own experience that iron may be found without
gold but gold is found ~ihou; iron, the pre-
srnce Of iron either suipburet, ydet, pyrc, crrbo
mated The at,eri the favorable synplom-belnG
more pure is highly magnetic and ra7e iuud IN large
masses, except in the mines OF Brazil particularly IN
The Congo Socu mine, which has vein from To fet
vide in short mountain, Whch IS immensely Ilcl,
aud is wrought 10 great prUht
The more GENERAL the oxidation Of the metals, the
more gold is sppaen, from simple washlngs IN recuc.
ing the auprous pyri,ss or pyriIc ore, ma tne eoo
extremely fine most Of which is unkind in amuga
lion with tho mercury. owing suppose TO the presence
Of ;rsenic rr mlcaous matter coating it Often, IN
such cases find the glosnle OF mercury literally cover
ed with fine gold, which ii does not absorb hence lie
great loss in the quicksilver aud nmalsamaiion-owng
=, Tho rolling and rnpid melton in The gravel created by
he rippe Of The water Gnanti'iPs are taken oil IN the
water and myriads OF particles do not come IN contact
with the mercury, while much larger portion adheres
10 its prmeval or inherent chemical combination with
other me,aerous substances, and passes OH with The
earthly matter
,,.xamninp the pvri;ic ores il Is often found, BY
CAREFUL examination that within The shell! orncruslaon
or the pyriles, of gold are found Whence this
phennmenon The answer IS obvious 10 reason; thai
was in chemical combination with the ron-iha oxda
lion hns brought The decomposition Of the crude me
tall and separated precipia'ed The sn'Id, which, from
lis affinity Tor lis body found 10 exist 10 granular
forms within III cubes These being broken up by ma
causes such as acids OF the earth heat air and wafer,
fiji the valleys and plains with and dust OF gold,
which by The same affinity, unite in grains penny.
weights and pounds troy
From the fore grng results Of experience and palIe
Investigation unnided by books OF science am con.
strained 10 take the position and say that gold IS mol an
oripnal metal but exists intimately remotely ~ pure
mapnec ircn, or kindred metals BY concentrating
these on the Russian plan Of smelling in the dorm OF
cast ron have all The precious mclus in connection
with il : and BY careful assay OF this metal do not
wonder at The erroneous rcsrlts-they will well Justify
the astonishing assays made small scale by our
assayers
In this form OF cast iron oil is safe I'LL 1t reaches the
hands IF The NJ atalurgs, your own laboratories or
those distant cities where The acids are Manufactured
and car be had cheap and the best skill obtained though
by M means difficult in The process uncertain in their
results If these results in proportion To The Russian
eSperimenrs-ar there is reason why they shonld
nal bet would be difficult to appreciate the value OF
many of orr mines lying dormant. or but few fee
bly operating at loss dny Of 3 10 IF the precious
metal after undergoing hr fnll expense of mining ana
raising The from hch they lose lin the res'duumJ
s Of their labor whrh is prepared 'or the sm''ne
operation instead of suffering il to pass off IN The waste,
should be carefully preserved Such ores az give rom
10 10 25 and so per bushe at most by NE