The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-02-19
THE PRECIOUS METALS.


What RcoUy Incomes Of Thcm-SOWefhina
Of Interest.
"What becomes of the precious met
ais r asks an eastern journal, and then
proceeds to consider the question, and
succeeds in throwing much doubt upon
it, or, rather, leaving it in just As much
doubt as before. The question, What
becomes of all the pins p has been Oft
ener asked, perhaps, and has been an
swered with about the same illustration
Fred. Ever, many years ago in this city,
was hugely amused at a question asked
ly the Sacramento Union, namely,
Where does all the water go?' To
which interrogation the questioner pro-
ceeded, with the philosophical sobriety of
an owl, to reply through long, column
article, when it might have been answered
in two words-the ocean.
But it is not so easy to answer satisfac-
torily the question as to what becomes Of
the precious metals. That a vast amount
has been extracted from the earth-ac-
cording TO an English writer, who, of
course, must depend to great degree
upon guess-work, not less than five thou
sand millions since the days of Noah, in
gold and silver-there can be no doubt. OF
this amount, he think that three billions
two hundred millions have been
produced since the discovery of Amer
lea. The Christian world is credited
with having had two thousand millions,
most of which has been disposed 0: by
shipwrecks, gliding, fire, and various
other ways, as effectually, we might sug-
gest, as many of our citizens have dis
posed of theirs by investing in stocks.
He thinks this loss proceeds at the rate
of sixteen millions annually while the
production he puts at forty millions,
which is undoubtedly too low. One
half of the balance, three hundred and
fifty millions, he thinks is held in the
form of plate and ornaments. of the
balance of three billions in the anti
Christian world, wastes and losses omit
ted, he thinks that over a thousand mil
lions have been hidden in Asiatic lands
in different ages of the world, and he
continues that it is well known that a
thousand millions were thus hidden in
India and China in the six years sue
cceding 1851 that is, during the time
when wholesale murder and slaughter and
wholesale robbery and depolition were
the business of the natives and their en-
emies.
One would think that China must he
carpeted with gold leaf, paved with sill
yer dollars, glittering with the precious
metals, did he think only of the vast
sums sent there for hundreds of years
past, little or none of which ever comes
back. But some how those metals have
a fate there as they have elsewhere
they disappear. What became of all the
gold with which Solomon covered his
grand temple? What became of all the
Spanish spoils in South America and in
Mexico? One might ask such questions
forever and be no wiser therefor. Gold
and silver serve their purposes and disap-
pear, as 90 the human race, anu oIu
boots, and all other material things, and
there is none 50 wise as can tell us accu.
rately what has become of them. When
the faucet is turned, where has the gas
light gone one might ask, and the
q question would be as reasonable. and, per-
haps, AS difficult to answer. We know
pretty well where our little portion of
gold and silver has gone, but that knowl.
edge does not give us any particular graf
California