The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-12-23
Is the World CROWN,

Whether or not this earth that We in
habit IN fact contains more matter THAI
1t did thousands Of year. ago. aud there
fore grows. We have reason for bciicI To-
that there are forces Il, work IN IT. nj
terror akin To that vitality whose cease
less operation produce, the organ
Z forms which appear upon It's surface
The afflnitles and as,innl2tive energje
that chemistry reveals to IL bprie
closely upon the phenomena ot Al leas
the lowest forms Of life, and - merge
into them. indeed. a. 10 make II Impo~
slble 10 detect the partitions that divide
chemical from vital action La tht
growth OF bo'h animal and plant,
chemical and vAal action are intimatel,
interviewer. 80 that the parts p!ayce
j res pectiyeiy By organic chemistry ane
automatic or UNCONSCIOUS life are dlth
cult TO be distinguished. tt i con
ceivable that essentially thcy may b,
Z identical. But Inorganic chemistry
deals with the same elements AMI l.
governed by the same laws with organic
! chemistry Since the latter v~ibly
{ supplies mankind with fresh stores oi
vegetable aud animal products to make
good the losses occasl sued BY the con
/ sumption or waste perpetualy going on.
why may not the former, through Its
invisible but constant operation III the
laboratory Of nature. be similarly re
cul Grating the resources OF supply IN
minerals. metals and other inorganic
products? Why may men not depend
upon thI. agency IN tne assurance tina,
the Inorganic a. we'll a. the organic
supply of human necessities shall never
be exhausted, aJd that the mining ln
terest is as secure against ultimate fail
ure a. the sgriculturai
That there is a new production OF
diamonds and other precious stones Is
an esta blished fact This production /.
supposed TO be due to the intense heat
and immense pressure that are condl-
tions ofyolcanic actien Discoveries OF
this kind have been made III South
Africa But there are well avouched
statements that certain diamonds bear
ing fields not subject to such action
once thoroughly worked over, have
oeen re worked successfully. The same
holds true as 10 gold. At recent
meeting Of the american Institute of
Mining Engineers tie subject OF the
temperance OF golu ia sands that had
been thoroughly worked was elaborate
y discussed Professor Kerr, the State
Geologlst OF North Carolina, remarked
IN reference to 1t
Il will state no fact about these gold
deposits is more commonly known Or
more universally acted upon than this .
that these gravcls are regularly rework
ed every ten or twelve years, the second
and third crops often equalling the first
aud my friend, Major Hotchkiss near
me, announce. that the same |. true IN
Virginia. 1t i true throughout tn.
gold belt of the South. Now. as to the
agency by which this aggregation of the
6ne, diffu-ed, Invisible gold is effected,
lust taken his seat, hs. indicated cor
Irectly the direction in which the solu-
'tion of the problem i. t. be sought.
viz. the gold-dissolving power Of aka
line waters. And DR.. Hunf has Just
shown us where to look for such sol
vents III these gravels. and also the
source Of the silica. In fact, the two
processes, the solution and aggregation
II the gold and the deposition of the
quartz. are parts Of the same complex
chemical action VIII 'ch is going on con
|tlnualiy in ali these superficial gold
gravels, and the two proceed pari p0ssu
and are complementary to each other.
You may almost see these two concur
rent. mutually independent chemical
processe. reaccumuiation OF work
able gold in old, exhausted washings
and the deposition Of the residual silica.
And why should we net expect TO find
these world old forces Of mineral accu
mutation, tranSterence and deposition
in activity now as well a at any former
period 7
W hle all the gold in the world, with
q few insignificant exceptions. IS native
gold, iron, copper. zinc and lead occur
in chemical combination with oxygen,
calbonic acid and sulphur Not 80
with ccld. This imperial metal Is very
combined with other metals for ex
ample, silver, copper. platinum ana
iron, but the combination is mechanical
only. and not chemical. For quicksil-
yer or mercury, however, gold has
strange, inexplicable affection These
loves of the metals and the function,
they perform in the hidden economy ot
nature no chemist has ever been able TO
interpret. They are among the inscru-
table secrets Of the mysterious alchemy
of the universe
The comparatively recent discovery
Of petroleum on large scale Is ore Of
the wonder. of modern .cicnce Ii eau
hardly be that these vast deposits have
existed from lbe creation of the world
Petro cum has indeed been known for
ages. but it is substantially new con