The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-01-29

MINIS or chOFTALEs, ON THE NORTH SIDE OF
LAKE NICARAGUA.
We are Indebted for The following letter to the pse.
ness Of OIL Parker II. French who received it by the
Northern Light from Nicaragua, on Saturday the 18th
inst. II contains matters Of great importance to per
interested n the prosperity Of Nicaragua and lifts cor
ner OF the veil which has hitherto hidden from the adven-
turous world thote treasures which destined to make
Central America the third Fl Dorad, Of the centuryast
in order and richest in promise. The leter is written
by gentleman Of distinction, personal friend OF
Col French and who may be relied implicitly for the
correctness of his statements =
IIBE1rrAp DISTRICT OF CHoNrALEs
NIcAKAoUA Dec. II, 1855
Ny DEAN CoIosn-Sinee my arrival here, about week
ago. have been busily engaged in "prospec ing the
mines Of this locality The gold mining, to the present
time all quartz rock and has been conducted
IN the rudest manner apparently by who know very
little of the business in which they engaged. The
mines discovered some six years ago. by q
who IL Of the principal OPERATORS and who,
II Is said, has accumulated large fortune by his opera
tions He worked diligently about three years in de-
veOppg the value Of his discovery, when the revolution
broke out and he and his men were pressed into the
service OF the Chamorro party His operations wee down
to very late PERIOD suspended and it is only since the
peace that has egsin worsg his veins The
discovery first made in quarz rock, which win ac-
count for the fact that only quartz mining has been
sued here snce but am fully satisfied the very
rich deposits OF gold in the soil hereaoout not In the
rock My for this conclusion are that the
try bears the same appearance the gold country in
California; that there reports that gold has been
found h the sell near the quartz veins that are wrou ,hs
for this metal but ny best Is because Of the fact
that upon examination, myself found gold 10 the soil
OF q ravine the place where am now writing.
You have idea of the difficulties had to overcome
and the preudices found necessary to remove
dsijy Walking over gold fields Notwithstanding they
bad heard Of placer diRgipgs in the neghb orhood.
sy Ssrs certain they old not 9 s1s n any LEGALITY
sinh hole in the earth to crafty my curiosity offered
Fay mere than the regular rate OF wages, but no one
would work for such foolish job. All insis ed
tia. there were diggings either up or down the liver
they not certain IN which direction; but were sure
there no gold where desired to test the ground.
assured isbcrers that would pay them well FOR the
work desired done, whether any gold was found no..
Fay seemed To be no idaeement to them to serve me-
ts2sed the patron" not to compromise him BY
proving myself to be man Of many tlncies." !,
a"svs did n s,sa "1 my project sns pas
mil ed 10 sink "a hole without resistance Not a
spade could be found in the town. and obliged to
60 to work vi an iron bar and horn scraper. The
scraper held about pint in bulk. flied it with DIRT
washed 1t in puddle near BY and found gold The halt
was Of course pased and went to my dinner of tor
tillas with re sh
The chief object of my visit is accomplished had
felt thai there must be placer dggngs in the neigh
boIhood though was assured Of the contrary by every
ore who Rrasssea to BE- s mar with the locality
pretty thoroughly, but gold mines in other countries
and never knew TO TAIL that whore aurerous quartz
veins are found gold is slso found In the soil: Ny
qua Of the richness Of the disgipgs Of Chontsles
compared VIII t those ,s Of oa.si & mot
The result OF the experiment ABOVE described To 'pros
pect the country In such manner to arrive ct
require tools which are not be procured hee and
more time than am authorized to consaae here Judg-
n z Tine at
god found Chon.aes is Of the richest gold coun
tiles in the world.
Az / have before written, all the gold mining hsre at
present in quartz rock. The veins that opened
all within OF 1--WE six miles, and far
s as al
In which they iourd and the ore is bought up
mems shoulders, in bags made Of raw hide. A log
of wooe about foot in diameter with nctches cut ia IT,
and placed IN almost perpendicular position, serves for
stairs from the bottom Of the shaft 1s ard is
1t is then carried the backs Of mules pack to
the mil-usually from q mile to three miles distant
when il is ground and amagamated.
The quartz mills here all OF the fashion known In
sponish America asustas, and carried BY wafer
there being an abundance OF water power The dsdsa
is nothing more than shallow tub, about ten feet in
other cf 200 zoo pounds weight each caused
to volyc something in The Of the upper sscne
OF Touring mill In the crew. Of the pavement OF the
0d quicksilver IA placed, and this pavement after
being broken into pieces about the size Of hens eggs
Is thrown the ere. By TINS machine aooug tw6
toms OF ore can be ground daily The Grdtrd, a,
managed here does rot pulvelize the thoroughly
and the small anount Of quicksilver which the managers
here insist is sufficient, prevents perfect amagama ion
Of the gold separated from the rock Notwithstanding
the work is performed in tho imperfect above
descr bed informed that the averages from
opnce and bsh two Of gold to the ton. This
gold is all distributed pretty generally throughout the
veins Of the quartz in very small PARTICLES not generally
appa ent to the NAKED eye but averages evenly that
the Of mills cap generally calculate with much
certainty upon the amount that viii be produced in .
given time.
Persons familiar with gold mining viii at from
the above description which have endeayored to make
accurate arS Ineligible that the mines Of Chonsles
very rich had gathered all this information and
amned ofhe quartz veins in the neghborhcod
fore made "prospect"in the SOIL Having done 20,
should have been very much disappointed had the soil
contained no gold.
Iibsrad is located stream called the Mco, which
branch Of the Bew6elds river, and which empties
Atlantic at Blewhclds in the sosaed Mosquito
Territory 1here several other streams in the neigh
bcIhccd all Of which find their way to the Atlantic by
the same char mel The locality may be called the lower
range Of the gold country Of Nicaragua, well
sured from the appearance Of the country the character
Of the gold found here and especially from what can
the geological formation Of the EARTH that higher
up these streams, say ten twelve miles coarser
gold laeer dggings will be lound and have doubt
very rich deposits will from time to time pay the
plorer