Baltimore commercial journal, and Lyford's price-current. [volume] (Baltimore, Md) 1840-1849, 1848-12-16

ed but very little attention is paid to them now.
Immns beds iron ore, ofsuperior quality yielding
from s. to 80 pr cent have also b;en found near
the American Fork.
A grist mill is to be attached to the mill for
the purpose of convenience of families and others
ttling at the mines, The water power of the
American Fork is equal to any npon this continent,
and in few years large iron ioundrcs splitting and
nail mills will be erected.
The granite of the mountains is superior 10 the
celebrated Quincy quarry of beautiful marble has
been discovered near the McCossamy River, spec-
mems Of which you will see in few years in the
front of the Custom House, Merchants Exchange,
City Hall, aud other cdilcts in your flourishing
city.
p S.-'sThc cry is, still they come" Two men
have just arrived for provisions from the Adjnba
River who state that they have worked five days,
and gathered $3.50 in gold-the largest piece weigh
ing nearly one ounce. They report the quantity on
that river TO be immense, and in much larger pieces
than that taken in other parts.
PURITY.
We publish below the official letter of the Drcc-
tor of the mint at Philadelphia TO the Secretary Of
the Treasury, showing the assay of the California
gold.
The gold assaycd yielded 6,492 The purity
is extraordinary, the gold dust yielding $50 pure
gold; the melted gold yielding within 6-UIO, or six
dollars in the thousand dollars, of the mint stan
dard Of 900. This far exceeds the expectations Of
the most sanguine, and places the extraordinary
purity Of the gold beyond controversy -IpashinStO ton
Union.
MINT OF THE UNITED STATES,
Philadelphia, Dec. II lS4S.
Sir: On the Sth instant, we received, as j have
already had the honor 10 inform you, the first de-
pOsite of gold from California Ii deposited by
MIR. Carter, who brought il from San Francisco by
the isthmus route 1t weighed l5Oi.59 ounces troy;
of which l423.S0 was from the lower surface mines,
and 35O.79 from those at Feather river. On the 9th
instant another deposite sent by the Secretary
of War, which weighed 22S OUNCES.
The gold was Of two sorts in external character,
though apparently not different to quality. The
first from the ''dry diggngs," was i'll grains, which
averaged from one To two penny weights; the other
variety, from the swampS margins OF the streams,
being in small flat spangcs, Of which, oh avcrag
il would take six seven TO weigh one grain. Ol
these by far the larger part of the dcpoSitcs was
composed.
The gold was melted in six parcels and the loss
by melting, due TO thu earthly and oxidablc matter
which disappears in this operation, avcrag d about
- per cent. of the original weight. The loss thus
reported is moderate aud shows that the gold had
been carefully washed.
Assays of the melted gold made with great
care, and the results showed variation in fncness
from S92 TO S97 thousandths; the average Of the
whole being S9l. This is slightly below the standard
tineness, which is 900.
Thnavcragc value per ounce OF the bullion, before
melting is i Is s.; that of the in bars, after
melting, is s Is 90.
The whole value of the gold in the two d"po>tes
was $780, 1872 besides few ounces reserved in the
native for the Secretary Of War, at his request
Very respectfully, your faithful servant.
r. NJ. PATTERSON, Director.
Hon. RoBERT J. WALKER, Src'ry of the Treasury