New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-02-12
Bullion ard Washed Crnins of Geld.


BuIIion ard Washed Graius of Geld.
Mssr,L o. GoLD A,D siLvEk CONS o. AL NarioSs,
stnlc. NIB q toe AS CeriUy showing iteT H.,Ory
sa5 Legal Bssls. sad their As'ua Weight Fl1etess sud
Value VIA Tresrs@s on Bullion and PIs.-. Counter
fi Coins spec6c Gravity Of Precious Metals, &c sc
~ JaCoB ECsFtLDr and WILLIAM a.. d. Bois,
Asssyers q The Mi1i u he United STATES vol so
PbsseiPhis For sale a. he Stint and E, Tie Book
This work has been long enough before the pub-
lie have mad il accuracy tested By the severe ordeal
through which al business Transactions with Bankers
and dealers ia The Precious Metals are compelled to
undergo TIE suthors hsye been for a long time ca
gagged As Practical Assaysts in the principal Mat
ibi. Continent md have operated On nesrly al the
kinds Of coin current ia the world during the pre- ut
century Unlike most works Of This nature. compiled
from various authentic and unsuihcliic these
results arc from actual experiment. in most instances
upon considerable Of metals and by frequent
repeu,ions That portion Of the work devoted to Bal
lion cannot fail just this time be highly useful 20
those engaged On mining or IN trading with the
Gold Regions Of California. while the original and
tensgs series Of results IN the SPECIFIC gravity Of the
Precious Metals vii be found alike important -
Of science aud men Of busness. We make room for
the following extracts
GoLD BULLIoS-The term b.liioa IS commonly -
Piled o. gold or silver reduced from the ore, bur NOT
Manufactured AZ the mint IL IL taken 10 xder sense
rstiOns with the exc puOu only Of our coin. In
this the Sil be understood 10 the remarks
which follow.
The precious metals come to the mutt 10 great
ey Of forms from the rst reductions a. the m.nes 10
the delicate and elaborate plate and ornaments
Indeed nothing bat ores aud very base alloys are re-
jected unsuitable for mintng operations
WASHED GEAISs-Ihese are shapeless PARTICLES or
IN the state IN which they remain alter the sfn
pie process OF washing from the rich aluval sands.
They are Of all sizes from the massive lump toe mi
farm l. lc far he M
usual nsOmuch that Il il spty enough called g0d dust
There are however remarkable exceptions on record,
and nearly every mining region can boast Ot its large
humps Of gold some Of these are deserving Of special
notice
10 Cabarrus County North Carolina. lump
found which weighed, ia the crude state, p pounds
avOirdupOs II lay the surface Of the ground snt
was dug up by negro. This happened At the com
mencement % the mining operations The lump was
melted aud into bars and believed 10 have been the
same parcel which brought 70 the mint In May -04
and which constituted the fret depos, OF United States
gold lts value was $3.50 Many heavy masses have
been found since, but none equal 10 this The largest
native lump received from Georgia weighed 81 ounces
troy and was worth 500
~ south America, the largest ptyta found IN Peru
weighed 26i pouodsi Another occurred in New Ora
nsda Of ~ pounds lump 10 the possession OF the
French Academy weighs about 81. pounds troy, AID
being 992 thousaDdths fine, is worth 80 200 the
French valuation is & 900 francs Baron HUMBOLDT
recent essay states that the largest lump (g0d
gSscht5o found In the Russian mines weighs - ~ %
Russian pounds equal 70 q pounds troy and is pre-
'eryed in a collection Of minerals At 81 Petersburg
Thus the lottery Of gold mining IN every country, re
leves its blanks by occasional brilliant prizes
In most forms OF bullion not improved by art, prsc
ced eye jadge with toerabe accuracy OF the quail
" Of the metal There is much uncertainty, however
in pronOuncBg upon gold dust, which is commonly
sOed and dimIned with earthly matter. still If there
Is large alloy Of silver the paeness OF color will be
manifest
God ia its native state is invariably alleged with s
YER in greater or less proportion Ia some locations
particularly the Brazilian mnes, palladium 10 found
mixed with gold and In New Granada platinum is often
present Other bsser metals, such as tin, lead sc
contained in native gold In very small proportion,
but often sufficient 20 render the texture brittle.
There certainly is room for fraudulent practices In
the traffic of gold dust but our experience does not
prove that 1t is much to be spprehended II has been
ssid that the Africans ntermx small particles OF base
metals In the gold resulting from their washngs, but
the TACT 10 not borne out by trials al this mint.
Its not unusual for the mners especially in our own
country 10 melt down the grains and cast the metal
into bars cakes preliminary to Transmission for coin
age. This form is most advantageous for all parties
wing 10 the presence OF dirt and moisture consider
able loss varying from 10 10 per cent OF the weight
but ordinarily about per cent? invariably sccrues IN
the huxug Of native dust and IL is desirable that this
should fall within the personal cOguizsnce es well rs
responsibility of the owner Grains also less
yenen and secure in transpOr ation and too much eN
posed to dmiuuton by accident or otherwise.
The whence the gold dust s derived which 10
brought the Mint OF the United States the mines
of Southern States, OF Mexico Central America,
various parts Of South America and the western coast
of Africa.
Before entering into detail Of these localities il may
be remarked, that from the mines of country
gold brought 10 the mint in the three forms Of dust
amslgsm aud bars but except In certain instances of
fraud there is neness marked preference Tor
either of these forms that what is said of sort
is far applicable to the rest Here also II should be
observed that the classifying OF gold by countries ur
by districts lie and unsatisfactory Mines 10
the region though tOerably uniform within them
selves the customary nercss OF their product
widely different from each other. Thus. IN Geygs one
mine yields hsbiusly gold OF $50 TO 30 ihousandths
fine while another, not many miles distant produces
the inferior 6neuess OF so The variation IS stl more
striking in North Carolina, where the gold is from so
TO ESQ hne
VUSiRia gold Ia seldom brought 10 the mint IN the
form OF dust, aud viii therefore be more properly con
sidsrcd under a future head
The average Of North Carolina gold, taking the est
mate from All the deposits at the Charlotte Branch
Mint IN 1889, sal thoussnd.hs, aud in lsi0 50
th0ussndths DeposOrs often receive both silver and
gold the svss OF their bullion IN consequence of the
large proportion of silver present
The gold Of S0Hfh Carolina compared with that
jusi mentioned is much lees in amount limited IN
ts range of hneness, and of higher average II 10 sci
dom below 400. and varies from that limit 10 go the
mean hneness being about 91j.
Georgia gold Is very variable but In the aggregate
It's quality 10 superior to any yet mentioned. Il has
been found low $40 and occasionally reaches
high 9e5thc nearest approach TO absolute purity OF
any gold ever discovered The mean Of the whole pro
ductiOn may be set down At $50 Most of the gold de
posted for coinage the Branch Mint OF DahlOnegs IN
1eofgis IL in the form OF grains from washngs but
reaches this mint often in bars and occasionally in
smagsm.
Gold is occasionally found In alabama aud TeaatSssc
aud the quality is good in the average that VI
Georgia
Passing from our region which Is comprised within
the six states already named. the gold dust received
from Mrtco comes next in view. The quarters from
which 1t Is quoted California snd Santa re OF the
former Say nothing decisive. Santa re Is an
entTepOt for oversnd traders situated the head
of the Rio del Norte and eastward Of Indian
reservations The gold from this region 10 Of high
standard but its snsrksble feature Is its uni
iormy IN tneness insomueh that the coin OF the
Try from which 1t does lie within eloser
bounds The compass is from al 10 952 thoussndihs
but ID Is safely raiesble al $50.
Nep GrGaaaa long famed for the production OF grain
gold sends considerable proportion to this mint lts
oneness varies from s5 TO SIS and Ss0 IL
is usually marked by the presence Of platinum in mi
mute proportion.
The gold OF BrasR is chiefly carried to England and
10 very variable in hneness.
considerable quantity OF gold dust is brought here
from other pcrts OF South America doubtless nom the
ports the Pacific side but the information Is too
SsgRe to sllOw Of specifications some Of II Is as low
10 noe. and requires parting iron its silver alloy
in other II yields hoeness OF 90
The small island of or4ba situated At the outlet Of
the Gull Of Marscsbo the coast Of NencKuciA but
ssbect the Netherlands has repeatedly contributed
To our stock Of gold bGlion during ntecn years