The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-10
Fros ~ Mn Oriesns CommsrcisI psslst;v.
Geology.


From ~ Mn Orlesns ConmsrcisI Dssussiu.
Geology. ~
LEAD MiNEs or AaxAHsAs.-Ths obiect Of The
present number y to gise an account ~ The afesn-
tiferous lead mines Of Arkansas. and NJ rncSrns
for believing them TO be worthy Of safsnfion
These have excited considerable attention for
several years past; and various, and somewhat
contradictory .tstsmsnis and reports. have bssn
consequences j., that The public mind has become
quite sxsPt'cal a. @ their character for produc-
tiveness, II not of their very existence.
The writer has spent much tins in nyerSIs>t-
ing them, and watching their Developments. Niar
as y has procssded. during the past two ysass;
similar character elsewhere, which have been
longer worked, and whose character Tor peclcc
tiveness has been established beyond ado;sht a.
result is thorough oonviction that thsy ID pot
fall behind those OF any other part Of oar country
in any Of the essential characteristics which inds-
cate an abundance Of mineral. ~
When any tract of country is first discovered IN
contain mineral, it is always the first inquiry, both
of practical miners and scientific msn, what n the
mode of its exstence,--tha 10, WHISTLER Il exinta
in regularly formed veins or lodes, o. ia di,con
nected, isolated patches. sia
As soon as it is ascertained thatthsre il resu
lar system of veins or 1odes, especially If thew
| run nearly east and west. no one, who ID either
practically or scientifically acquainted With min
ing, has any doubt of their capacity for preduc-
tiveness, whenever they are jadiciously and ener-
getically worked There is a correspondeyre
running throughout oil the works Of nature, that
when certain characteristics found, others are
as sure to follow, as day and night, or seed time
and harvest. The former, in iud9inr Of the a.
pabilites Of certain soil, does not ask to eco q
crop growing upon il before he will believe Il -.
pabie of producing one. When he sees what -he
knows to be the essential characteristics Of rood
soil, he knows, without further evidence, that II
he uses the proper degree OF industry. with 4 -
NAL season. the labor Of his hands s sure 10 be r..
warded.
The Creator has made the world for map-i,a
mineral as well az its agricultural resources: and
He has not placed the indications Of mineral
wealth before us, TO mock our curiosity. or 10 en-
iIce US into runous enterprises, but as guides or
indexes to point us to the places of their deposit
The principal difficulties that have hitherto a.
tended mining operations in our country, have
been from the want of sufficient capital and OF
that steady and patient perseverance which II re-
quisite, in every kind Of business to insure sue
cess. There are few examples in our country. =
yet, where men have engaged in mining with tho
persevering energy that we witness in every other
pursuit. They are too much, or too little excited
| too hot, or too cold; they have tho most extravs
| CANT expectations Of immediate wealth. or else
they are totally fhithless ofany success in mining
| enterprises.
Now, II is not reasonable. nor is it good sense.
Tor one 10 expect that ne is going to make bis for
tune in dayrat mining, or in month, or wear.
But II Is reasonable, andaccording to the dictates
of good senseand sound judgment, to expect that
where the essential characteristics OF a good min
eral region exist, the patient and perseyerine
prosecution of mining operations, guided by the
aids which experience and science afford, will 40
certainly be productive Of satisfactory reward,
as that Of the farmer, the mechanic, or the manu-
| facturer.
Nor is this ALL In large operations like mining.
which require much capital, as well al 4 rnTe
kind of scientific and practical skill, the business
is hot oyerdone, like those pursuits which are
within the reach OF the generality of mankind
consequently the profits are usually much greater.
This is proved by the most abundant and reIia-
BILE documents from all the principal mining coun-
tries on the globe. One Of the principal sources
| ofthe overgrown wealth of England has been her
mines. Whatever may be said of the fate Of their
operatives, their employers have grown rich al
most beyond example. Mexico and South Amer
lea have filled the world with silver; and vet their
ores are, on an average, no richer than those OF
Arkansas. The only doubt is as to the quantity
But those who have seen both the Mexican and
Arkansas mines, declare that the surface signs Of
the latter arc as promising as those Of the foruaO
but the Mexicans are down from 1000 tn Ism
feet, while we are scarcely down 100 The Enc-
llsh obtain their lead principally from 300 70 COO
feet deep. They scarcely expect to find more thar
enough to guide them in their course for the first
200 feet. The same is true Of their copper and tin
mines; the principal part Of these ores are obtain
ed from $500 to 1900 feet below the surface.
| Disastrous failures have sometimes occurred in
mining, yet what business is there where thew
have not But when we come to inquire into the
causes of them, we shall find them to be the same
that they are in every other kind Of business.
Sometimes failure is owing to the, want of a
proper knowledge OF the business, and sometimes
to lack of energy and skill in its prosecution, or
more likely to both Of them combined. Another
cause Of failure in mining is the incompetencv. or
the untrustworthiness of the superintendent; but
the most common Of all, and the one most to be
dreaded, the practice of gambling When fail
ures occur IN mining, they are almost always at
trbutable to some one, or all Of the above causes
though the impression generally is that they are
the result of some inherent difficulty or uncertain
fy IN the business itself. But the truth il that
there "a no inherent uncertainty about il when it
IS conducted with skill and energy and persever-
ing industry, it is certain to reward the OUTLAY
Of labor and capital, any other business is. The
difficulty, when there is any, is almost always
in the ignorance, or bad management, or wick
edness Of the men who engaged in it,
My next will be upon the coal measures
LAWRENCE, Geologist.