Hillsdale Whig standard. (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1846-1851, 1850-02-05
The Gold Bearing Quartz of California.

Cnefohee. lie Is a merchant In California,
and formerly resided ia Nantucket, Mass.
He was once a candidate for Congress from
The Nantucket District.
Mr.. Wight has brought Out numerous
specimens Of gold bearing quartz, said to Be
found in ioexhaustible masses or quanes,
through the whole region which forns the
I western slope Of the Sierra Nevada. The
iuvestig ations aud tests applied, Indicate IL is
said, that the mountain range OF the presious
metal altogether surpasses in importance sny
previous discoveries ia the gold region. Tie
Pacific News OF Nov. 30th, ststes that the
whole subject will be brought very soon 40
an authenticated shape 10 The sIierl,on cal
/ the public, in The form ofs fuli and compfe-
hensive report 10 the Department of Stale at
/ Washington, by the Hon. Il. Butler King -
Ia the early part Of the summer, Mr.. King
devoted two months TO a lsbOrious expIofa-
tion OF the whole regior, and fully malured
his conclusions in regard 10 IL. He viii take
full collection Of the gold formations. both
pure and in union with the quarlz, to Wash
ingtou. The news says:
! The principal specimens We have seen Of
these quartz mountain quarles are in the
possession of M. Wiighl, one Of The mem
bers elect from California, no " III take them
on 10 Washington on the steamer of the Isl
of December. They consist for the most
part of small pieces Of quartz rock, general
| ly Of brownish Iinge, aud 10 some iostauces
presenting the appearance Of slight iucipienl
decay, or decomposition of The rock fottna-
ton. Ia all these specimens, the gold points,
or particles, are very slightly, if AZ oil, yls.
BILE TO the naked eye. The mieeIascope,
however reveals the gold more clearly.
Besides these pieces which Mr.. Wrgh,
has himself selected with great care, as the
ialrest average samples OF The general ap.
pearance Of enormous aud vety numerous
veins or quarries oil quartz, there :3 also Que
larger fragment OF the same rock. weighing,
we should suppose, some ten or twelve
pounds; from all parts of which the gold pro.
tudes plainly, ia state almost pure.
This single fragment OF qusriz, which Mr..
Wright by no means regards as an average
sample OF the quarrles, bat which he pto
nouDces 10 be the richest slock specimen he
has seen, is found by the most careful speci-
fic gravity test as applied to il by Mr.. Virgin,
to contain pure gold TO the amount OF about
six hundred dollars, This piece of rock, We
undertaud from Mr. wight, is intended TO
be laid (as d memorial from the California
mountains we suppose) upon the table OF the
Speaker OF the House Of Representatives
Its appeal, We think. viii be needed.
But the Interest Of importance attaching to
this or 10 any other single or isolated frag-
ment specimen. however peculiar aud curI-
Gus aud rIch IA itself, Is very slight aud even
iueOnsiderdbie, IN comparison 10 that which
| belongs TO the more numerous fragments OF
quarz. ia which very llt,le gold OF uODe can
be discovered by the nakeL eve, aud which
have been cautiously selected by Mr.. Wright
on the spot. as The farest average specimens
Of whole veins OF quarries sand to sweep
ia siUus and broken lines through the whole
western slope ni the Sierra Nevada, aud TO
torn vast md-ses uf muuulaIn rock, large e.
noUgh dnd numerous enough TO ireight nd
~ umes over all the navjes aud COMMERCIAL
marine of the world Mr.. WrIght has spent,
he informs Us, much OF the past season among
the mountains, collecting MS samples. and
subjectIug the yield of gold from them, lu
very maIy instances, 10 the most iIgorous
tests.
La all these experiments, Mr. Wight has
been guided by The skill and Judgment Uf M
Augustus Leland, gentleman largely con-
SeTsaut with mining operations, aud VINO has
been from the first equally Interested with
Mr.. Wight ia all The researches, which
have been made,
The astonishing result brought out by
very extensive vein. four pounds OF Tins tocN
yielded upon au average eleven dollars worth
OF pure gold, valued at sixteen dollars to the
ounce. That is to say, the yield OF COLO
from these average samples OF the focK IN
this particular VEN, is nearly three dollars
for each pound of quarlz.
Nr. Wright exhibited TO us iva small mas
ses of gold, each about The sze aud shape OF
large musket ball, aud both presenting the
granulaIed appearance of gold extracted aud
collected by the aid of QUICKSILVER. Ohe Of
these contains about twelve dollars OF pure
gold, aud is the largest yield which has been
obtained from four pounds OF rock from the
vein in question. The other contains about
eleven dollars, and is the smallest yield which
has been obtained from any experiments up
the rock of this vein. We understand that
the tests applied have been sometimes the OPP
Grafton of quicksilver, aud sometimes the
test Of the comparative specific gravity ot the
pure quartz aud the gold bearing quartz
The samples of the rock nich Nh. Wright
has tested have been taken from many differ
ent veins. La no sample tested has the yield
been less than one dollar To the pound Of
quartz. The average yield Of the different
veins has been, as determined by the samples.
from one dollar and hall To two dollars to
the po und OF rock.
A single fact will show the unheard Of and
astonishing character of the resalts which
have thus been arrived at Mr.. Wright IN
forms us that he has conversed with an IN.
teligent gentleman, now Ia this county, who
has been long conversant, IN the capacity Ut
an overseer, with mining operations, as car
ried on in the quartz veins of Georgia -
From this source Mr.. Wright learns that 4
fifteen horse steam power working twelve
stamps, will stamp about thousand bushels
Of quartz in day-each bushel OF quartz
weighing eighty pounds. Ii lftweniy-hve cents
worth of gold is yielded from each bushe of
eighty pounds, the business is considered a
good oue in Georgia. If the yield be fi,y
cents to the bushel, the profit is large. Now
the yield Of the rock which Mr.. Virgin has
collected and tested, instead Of being quar-
ter Of dollar, or half dollar TO The seventy
6ga n Ii. t,Ka.