The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1845-04-11
DIR. Mitchclrs Second Letter.
To Hon. THOMAS l.. CLINGMAH:

Dear Sir: II will be long before III,
moua,ains of North Carolina viii be full,
explored, and their mineral contents ascer
tanned. The parts which are too eieep, OF
too much encountered with rocks to be cu
iivalcd, viii seldom be iravefscd except by
farmers locking for their cattle, or by huu
lers IN pursuit OF game. In e,iher case The
surface will be so covered with brush-w oeC
aud leaves as to prevent the discovery Of
he valuable minerals which may be there
II could not with reason he expected even
Of o careful geological survey, that II would
result IA nauy important discoveries. Its
principal benefit would be, here os il has
been elsewhere, to draw tho attention oil
The inhabitants to the subject Of minerals
and by making them acquainted with few
species, prepare them TO examine and dis
cover for themscyes--l0 make every in
more or less able, OF bis own Arm aud
neig hborhood. With a view 10 such a
condition of things, offer record OF a
few facts Of very miscellaneous character,
| that have fallen under my own observation
in regard 20 the rocks and minerals Of the
mountains.
Il is we'll known that the Western part
Of North Carolina is made up Of ancient
primitive, and Tennessee Of more recent
rock formations. The boundary between
.hese t@o is generally, perhaps always,
within the Stale Of North Carolina, and at
no great distance from the line separating
the two S'a,cs. Between Ashe and Carter
coua,es il may at some points cross tho
border, so as 10 give a few primitive rocks
to Tennessee. Ga the other hand, a tongue
from the formations of Tennessee enters
North Carolina by the Watauga River, the
Beech Mountain, Grandfather. and Lin.
VILE, and extends quite down to the Cataw.
ba 10 Mcdowell county. What follows
relates exclusively TO the region Of the
primitive rocks.
The three principal kinds Of these rocks,
Granite, Gncss, and Mica Slate, are so IN
le5mingled and associated that II will be
work of much labor 10 ascertain the differ
ent fields Of each, and the limits Of those
fields. Gness, and especially the horn.
blende variety, appears TO be more abdn
dant than tho others. OF this the Black
Mountain is principally composed. saw
more mica slate 10 Henderson (soHe con.
timing imperfect garRets, than anywhere
else. A coarse grained granite abounds IN
lancv county towards the head waters OF
Toe River, and on the road leading from
Evansville TO the Turkey Cove. This is
the kind that yields the materials of porce
lain. When It has been so far decomposed
that all the potassa is removed, the White, |
infuslble mass that remains is the kaolin,
whilst the Feldspar, unchanged, is the Pc
tun'ze of the Chinese. When these two
are reduced TO fine powder, mixed, wrought |
into vessels, aud baked with an intense
heat, the fusion OF The feldspar gives to the
material so formed ,heteansluccncy that
belongs to porcelain. | found small masses
Of Kaoln near Thomas Young's, in Yauc7 |
county, some years since, and during the (
present year bed of it as white as snow
was struck in digging q we'll at Burnssille,
A body of beautiful feldspar, free from amy
of other minerals, has been
ODStINtu OU tUt iullUS vi WIS VIZ N lH
o~-I'nr'~ Snner Macon county. Neither
of these may be Of mucn vu's1 49, noy
or at any future time, but they encourage I
the belief that the materials OF porcelain OF
good quality will be found abundantly in
some OF these counties.
SERPENTINE.
Besides two in Ashe, whose precise 10
caIity | cannot give, know OF five consid
cradle beds of this rock 10 the western
one on the waters Of Cane Creek,
near the Baker settlement; second near
Pagan Youna's, bat on the side OF Zoe
River opposite TO his house ; third at the /
ford Of ivy, on the road from Burnsvile to
Ashvllle; a fourth on the lands OF Enoch |
Hall, near the head Of Iiominy, in Hay.
wood county and the fifth at The lord oil
in Haywood and Macon. In
all these places il is coarse. worthless
rock, but interesting minerals associated
with it.
IRON ORE,
Chemists are unable to account for the
super,or quality of certain kinds OF IRON.
This is true of the very best iron that is /
madc-,hui Of Dunnemorb, 10 Sweden; the
whole of which is sent to England to be
cnnver,ed INTO steel. quote the following
passage from Scrivenor's History oil the
Iron Trade page l5l;
"The cause of the superiority OF the
D1nnemora iron has never been explained.
Some chemists ascribe it TO the presence OF
Bevulius attributed II TO the .
prcscnce Of the metal of silica, while others
suppose II 10 arise from the nature OF the .
process employed Dr. Thomson was as,
sured hv one gentleman, who had bestowed
attention TO the subject, that by I
following similar process be has obtained
as GOOD iron from other Swedish ores. But
that something is due 10 the ore ITSELF is
eyiden, from the circumstance that the
quality of the iron, though the same pro-
cess is followed, differs good deal accord |
mo TO the part of the vein from which the
ore is taken"
For some unknown cause the iron made
n, Craneherry Works, in the northern part