Washington telegraph., 1855-07-18

for The aerial trip to Ar. BanDlSter about
three d0LLdrS q mile.
From the 81. Louis I,ueliigenocr.
Gold Mines on the Arkansas River,
We do not at ali doubt the news that has
just been received in Missouri, of the discov-
cry of rich gold mines on the head waters
Of the Arkansas river 1t has been, for
years, the fixed belief of all shrewd persons
that gold deposits were as abundnnt and
rich on the Eastern as on the Western slope
Of the great mountain ranges of the
West. An eager desire to explore the re-
gions, lying high up on the Arkansas river,
has for long time existed among Western
pioneers. Gold dust was the loadstone that
drew them.
Once or twice before we have had ru-
mors Of gold discoveries on the Arkansas,
and several companies have made success
ful attempts to explore and test the matter
The difficulty Of subsisting themselves in
the wild aud unknown region. and the gen.
eral doubt of the friendly disposition of the
Indian tribes, and the absolute certainty of
rich gold mines on the Pacific side of the
mountains have been cause sufficient to de-
lay till the present the full fruition of the
great fact now. at last revealed to the world
We believe firmly in the account of the
rich deposits of gold on the Arkansas, as
rich perhaps as any in California and We
lock for rush of emigration across Kansas
and up the Arkansas greater than ever roll
ed onward toward California in the marvel
Gus years of 1S49. 40. and so The con-
temp.ible border quarrel that has sprung up
between the people of Western Missouri and
Kansas. that threatened to both States will.
we think, be suddenly swallowed up in the
glitter of the Arkansas .'placerS'' and the
indiscrimnate rush of Free-soilers and Fire
eaters to land that promises something
tet;er than political controversy about sla-
very.
Grant that the discovery of gold has been
truly made on the Arkansas river-and ask
whether there is anything surprising in it
Is it not indeed just what could surely have
been counted on Take whole ranges of
mountains that extend from the Straits of
Magellan TO the Straits of Bhering-from
the southern point of South Amerca-the
Andes of South America and the Sierra
Nevada and Rocky mountains of North
America-take the whole range, and it is
found auriferous and argentiferous from one
extreme to the other. 1t is full of gold
and silver in Bolivia Brazil, Peru, Chilli
and Grenada, in Central America and Mex
leo and in California and Oregon. And
what is most striking and interesting Of ali,
the richest mines of the extraordinary range
have SO far been found on the eastern or
IrfH32ys/ Slnno of tho This
has proved to be the case in South Ameri-
ca invariably it has been the case in Mex
leo; and are we to suppose that the rule is
reversed and that all the gold and silver in
North America is on the California side,
and none on the Eastern side of the noun
tains at all?
Not many months ago we mentioned in
the intelllgencer that company Of gold
diggers had been found working with sue
cess In the head streams of the Sweet Wa
ter river. a tributary of the Platte. The
discovery of gold on the Arkansas river ex-
tends the proof that the Eastern slope of
the Western mountains is rich with gold
du>t-we hardly doubt that it will prove
quite as rich as the California side.
l, is quite interesting. in view of these
facts to recur to the circumstance that the
Eastern slope of the great Cordillera range
of mountains in South America and Mexi-
CO have yielded the richest treasures of
precious metals The celebrated silver
mine of Potosi, in Bolivia. South America,
that has yielded. to this date, 81 SOC, ,000,-
900 of silver metal, is On the head waters
! of the Piconrayo. tributary OF the La Plat
te. river that pours into the Atlantic, as
does our Mississippi. Prof. Maury. in his
pamphlet nthe Valley of the Amazon" ="
says:
Near by Chuquisaca is Pososi Here we
pass from the regions of gold and diamonds.
of quicksilver and silver
Since the discovery of the mines of Po-
! tosi, there have been extracted from them
not less than sixteen hundred millions of
/ dollars. The vein is said to be as rich now
as ever it was but it is not worked for the
want of mechanical force, such as steam
and the facilities of commerce alone can
give.
/ When we ascended Northward from Bo-
liyia, and come to Peru and Chill, we find
the same fact to exist Lieut. Herpdon,