The Placer herald., 1872-01-06
Written for the HERALD.
ANCIENT AND MODERN MINlNu'

Mining OF almost every description has Deeii
known from the remotest ages. In the 'iiA0 y,
Queen Elizabeth gold was found III the aild'i"'
soil near the lead hills of Scotland. and III ooin-
wall in several of the sLrean,corhS OF that cou'y'
one specimen weighed as much as ten grains a
few wears ago as much as one thousand ounces
were found in the auval soil at Cro9hah hllS-
hela, County Wicklow, Ireland one piece
weighed twenty-five ounces, and IN TINS in9''n0'
it was aloyed with silver.
The richest gold mines in Europe are tho7S Vi
Hungary and Transylvania, in which aoou' ~
900 workmen are employed; part OF them III 'iie
Government mines and part in those worked py
n,ivate enternrise. The mines of Schemitz III
Lower Hungary, have been known ever s'ho'
the twelfth century. They lay in small oi'S'i
| in the midst Of barren mountains. All the inihe'
| terminate in a common leUel, about OOo 1eeI De
low the surface from whence the water Is con-
vovod bv means of a subterranean adt twelve
miles long
The veins of the Hungarian mines are the
largest in Europe, being rarely less than from
eighteen to twenty-five feet, and IN soma places
or parts upwards Of one hundred and twenty
feet thick. At Kremmitz, in the same country
mines of gold and silver have been worked Tor at
least one thousand years, in veins OF a mountain
of white quartz containing silver, also gold
Joacbimsthal. in Bohemia has long been cele-
brated for its mines, situated IN steep, ru88eu
moutains, intersected by deep valleys, which al
low of numerous levels to the various works be-
ing opened in their sides. One level, by when
the mines are drained, extends to distance OF
"a 900 feet, and is 40 feet below the top OF the
mountain But in some places operations nave
been carried on to the still greater depth OF q
100 feet The product of the Bohemia mines
altogether is stated to be only about 1000 ounces
annually. But this arises rather from the works
being neglected, in consequence of the superior
richness of the Hungarian mines, than from any
deficiency in the ores Of Bohemia Sweden and
Norway possess fertile mines, From those at
Kongsberg in the latter Kingdom, large masses
of native silver have been obtained, The annual
product is about 5000 pounds weight of this
metal One mine at Konigsberg is $3.50 feet
deep.
Silver abounds in the Alta mountains OF
Northern Asia. The most important mines'
those of Kolyvan, produced in less than one
hundred years about 300 coo pounds OF silver
and 10 600 pounds of gold.
The mines of Huantajaya, in Peru, used to
furnish annually from 10000 to so, 600 marks
(the mark is eight ounces, troy,} of silver de-
rived either from the native metal, found in
large masses, from chloride Of silver, or from
sulphuret and other ores.
The mines of Potosi have been long celebrated
rs surprising all others. These mines are III a
mountain of that name, near the source Of the
river Plata (silver) which derived its appela-
ton from that circumstance. The mountain,
one of the most considerable in the country, is
of the form of a sugar loaf, six leagues in cir
cumforence, and 4200 feet high 1t is flled
AVN sop .~se~"i wan veins Oh suVer ore OF
the richest quality, and the whole mountain i,
perforated in every direction by the drifts exca
waited IN the pursuit of it. The mine regis
: tered according to the laws OF the Governmen
{ on the Dist of April 1915. Since that time it has
been wrought constantly, and the quantity o
silver it has yielded is 50 immense that it is use
less to attempt to describe its value. 1t is sait
the mountain is completely excavated being
perforated by above 800 shafts; few of which
however, exceed seventy yards in depth. Sine,
the first discovery Of this mine the ore has ma
terially deteriorated in quality, the best having
been earliest exhausted The abundance of th,
ore is, however, so great that the mine can still
be worked with profit, the actual quantity OF
silver extracted from it having fallen off only il
the ratio of four to one.
The Mexican mines are the most productive
on the Western Continent There are thirty
seven mining districts comprising no less thar
800 places celebrated for their silver mines
which are about 5000 in number, and contain
from 1000 to 5000 beds or veins of ore. The
most remarkable of the mining districts is that
OF GuanaXuato, owing to the immense richncs,
of the La kux vein. But it is impossible to de
termine, with anything like accuracy, in what
particular locality the precious metals are most
abundant. The quantities of gold, silver and
mercury which, during little more that three
| hundred years, have been obtained from the
south American continent can never now be
known. When it is remembered that the min
ing operations, for the most part. have been
conducted in tho toughest manner. with inner.
feet tools and machinery, and with unskilled
iaborers and managers, the wonder is that the
results have been so profitable Still this is only
an additional proof of the vast treasures tbe
! country has contained, and which. on the hest
authorities, it is stated are at the present time
in sense, inexhaustible. As an illustration Of
the productiveness of the country we NAV men.
ton the great vein of Potos and which made
the mountain so famous. 1t appeared little
below the surface, near the apex, and could he
seen about seven yards wide for more than one
thousand feet down the slope Its depth and
breadths We're so direct and the quantity of ore
SO great that for forty years it was worked with
out artificial light
The most extensive system of mines in Corn
wall are those called the Consolidated Mines
near Redruth. They are situated on a ronoe Of
hills from 200 feet to 800 feet above the level of
the sea; the deepest Of the shafts reaching | $40
! he 6 Al.