The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-03-07
OUR SOURCES OF WEALTH-HoW
SHALL THEY BE DEVELOPED
BY W. P. HARRISON.

BY w r AAtfhlSOA.
The States of Georgia and Alabama
are rich in mineral resources-the vast
majority which reman untouched, and
indeed, unknown to the people of these
States. A large portion of their terri
tory lies in the region of the metamor-
phic, and metalliferous rocks, a region
which has never been accurately sur
veyed by any one competent to form
conclusion, or to reason from geological
data. A few biologists, it is true, have
been employed, on small salaries, who
lave made hasty trips, scanned the
surface of large districts, classified them
according to geological formulas, pub
lished theirreports, and there the matter
rests.
1t is of little service to the farmer to
know that he is blowing land which
belongs to the Upper or Lower SiIurian
period--or to the merchant that he lives
in city founded on u crctGceous basis
No practical information has been or
can be conveyed to the public through
such channels. The great need has
been, not Geoligist, proceeding from
principles already fixed to assign LARGE
districts to their proper places but a
competent Mineralogist, one who, talk
ing the lights which Geology furnishes,
proceeds by actual experiment to test
and TO deveIope the resources of the
country. Thousands Of dollars have
been wastedin seerching for gold, where
some enthusiastic wiseacre has found
particles of beautiful golden mica-and
hundreds of thousands wasted by made
quate machinery when the gold actually
existed in plenty.
The writer of this article has for many
years past given this subject special
attention, at such periods as his leisure
would admit, and he proposes to furnish
in this paper, a few of the results of his
observation. Embarrassed by no theories
to be upheld, he has carefully labored
to acquaint himself with practical Truths,
Ineligible to the most ordinary capa-
city.
OUR REsoURCEs-GoLD.- This metal
first in importance among our native
deposits, exists in much larger quantities
IAN has generally been believed. We
have no California in the South, but
we have, 1 do not question, a more Ie-
liable, and ultimately a more remuncr-
alive gold supply. Wild excitement
over the discovery of pocket goLd ia
large nuggets, have so demoralized
public sentiment that we cannot force
men to believe that thess heavy lodes Of
the precious metal are treacherous and
dangerous in the extrme. Find lump
of gold worth 81 900 on mans estate
and you have prepared him for speedy
bankruptcy. he reasons, he thinks
soundly, when he concludes that where
this lump was found, or nearly-there
are others-no one knows how many
He sets his figures at fortune in a
month, or year at most. He spenGs
his lump Of gold in heavy szsd costly
machinery, goes TO work with a large
debt awaiting his profits, ana-fnds no
more gold. Thus he breaks, and curses
his folly, and, perhaps, the discAverer OF
thu treasure. Now, if an experienced
Mineralogist had been at his side to tell
him: 'Sir, this lucky nugget may, or
MAY, not have any companion in thous-
and wards OF this spot. Yon must not
listen to your craving for Immediate
wealth. Look around you. The soil