Arizona citizen., 1878-01-11
Statement or the Amount Of Pre-
 eiOus Metals Produced West Of the Missouri River, During 1877.
WELLS, FARGO < COMPANY, BANKING, EXCHANGE AND EXP'ss SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 31. 1877

BANKING, EXCHANGE AND EXP'sS,
 SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 31, 1877.
 DEAR SR:-The following is a copy of our annual statement of precious metals produced in the States and Ter ritOries west of the Missouri river, in cluding British Columbia and the west coast of Mexico, during 1877, which shows an aggregate of sos, 42l, ,754, be- ing an excess of $7,546, ,5S1 over 1876. the greatest precious annual yield in the history of the country. Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada. New Mexi- co, Oregon, Utah and Washington in crease; British Columbia, California, Mexico and Montana decrease; but it 1 is possible the falling off in Montana is more apparent than real In our statement for 1876, Dakota (Black Hills was not mentioned. It appears herein credited with $1 ,jO0,OO0 gold, but the estimate is uncertain, as $950.- Vov AS buC tJNli ulnouuL CdIIItu out Dy all express companies and mail. The amount named as carried by other conveyanceS is conjecture. If the Com stock mines yield as much in 1878 as during the present year, the aggregate product of silver and gold will ap- proXimate one hundred millions of dollars. Total production during 1877
 California, S1S,174716; Nevada, $51, ,5SO, ,29O; Oregon, $1,191, ,997 {; Washington, $92, ,226; Idaho, s1,s32,- 495; Montana, S2,644,912; Utah, $S,- .113,755; Colorado, $79l3,549; New Mexico, S379,OlO; Arizona, s, ,3SS,- 622; Dakota, $l,5OO,OOO; Mexico, sl,- 432, ,992; British Columbia, SLIT, ,19O Total, $9S,421,7 ,754.
 We have used the utmost care and diligence in ascertaining the character of bullion and ores reported, with the following result: The yield of the Comstock mines is 4j per cent. gold i; of the whole bullion product of Ne vada, 37 per cent. is gold; and of all so-called silver or base bullion, 2S per cent is gold. The gross yield for 1877, shown above, segregated, is, in round numbers, as follows: Lead, , per cent, $5,0S5 .250; silver, IS per cent, $47,- 206,957; gold, II per cent, S46, ,129, 547. Total, $9S,421,754
 As lead is an important element in what is herein termed base bullion, we might add that of Missouri and Hi nois, value approximately $1,500,000; which, with the silver and gold of the Lake Superior country, Virginia and North and South Carolina, amount say SJO0,000, would swell the gross pro- duct to oyer $1OO,OO0,0OO for the year. The lead product of Utah, Nevada and California exceeds that of the remain der of the United States and Territo- ries combined; and in tonnage is greater this year than ever before, though not exceeding in value that of 1876, the average price having been lower than for many years past.
 We are uniformed as to the annual exports of silver to India, China and the straits previous to 1851, but assume that they were less since that date, which being so, the exports this year are the greatest known, viz, Sl05, ,00O,- 900 to the 26th instant The greatest amount in former years was SS3,65O,- 900 in 1851 The amount exported during the present year were approXi- mately as follows: From Southamp- ton, SSO,OOO,OOO; from San Francisco, SIS, ,GG0, 600; from Marseilles, $4,000,- GOO; from Venice $2,000,OO0.
 We take pleasure in acknowledging the prompt responses of persons ap- piled to for information, and to whose cordial cooperation we are indebted for much of the data necessary to our compilations.
 JOIN J. VALENTINE,
 General Superintendent.
 TIE New York World says the