The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-04-02

advantage of the other Southern States.
Should the rate of production of phos.
pilates continue as it has in the fourteen
years of its discovery, in the same
length of time which has elapsed since
the United States mints have recorded
the production of gold, the value would
reach the enormous sum of 5000 ,0OO, 600;
and there is reason to think that it will
far exceed this amount, as the demand
increases every year and the supply is
believed to be inexhaustlble.
MINERAL DEPOSITS.
South Carolina is said to have very few
mineral deposits of much value, bat the
samples shown here seem to refute the
opinion of geologists, and the researches
which are constantly making among the
once almost unknown mountains of the
Cup Country" as the northern part of
the State is called, may bring to light
wealth that is not now known. We see
here that the State possesses fine quail
ties of gold, silver, copper, lead and iron
ores and sparkling among them, the stars
of the mine-rubles, emeralds, topaz,
amethysts, garnets and other gems.
There are some very fine building stones,
soapstone and marble, with granite, from
the ouarries around Columbia which are
now doing paying business. The most
interesting of all things shown in this
section, is the collection of fossils from
the quarries of the phosphate deposit on
the South Carolina coast. The following
account of the supposed origin of this
deposit will convey good idea of the
curiosities to be found in this exhibition
of fossils, the largest collection in the
United States. The immense jawbones
and teeth of these old fossils makes one
feel thankful that the animals they rep
resent are now extinct, or have grown so
beautifully smaller as to have lost their
former te -iic appearance.
NATUR.. HISTORY OF THE STATE.
The natural history of South Carolina
is superbly illustrated here by collec-
tion of stuffed animals from the Charles
ton Museum. The beautiful birds of
this State make a bright CLINT of color
among the dark animals and ghastly
skeletons, they are placed beside. A
group in one of these cases never fails to
attract the attention of visitors. 1t :on.
sists of an immense rattlesnake wound
around an old messy tree, wbose limbs
support q vine of the yellow Jessemine
(the vine and flowers are of waxl. a
mocking birds nest has attracted The
snake, and the family of birds are rep
resented as attacking the snake, as mock.
ing birds will, in defence of their home:
This group is q perfect copy of one OF
Audubon's plates Over two hundred
specimens of the fish of the State are
shown in this collection, but they belong
to the State Fish Commission, which has
in the last few years done grest deal to
increase the supploy of rood fish in
South Carolina. Those exhibited here
are preserved in plaster and painted and
varnished until they present very life
like appearance. Among them is trout
which weighed IA! pounds and some
specimens of the German carp which in
the warm waters OF the Southern States
reaches in few years a prodigious size.
Lord CORVALLIS said, great many years
ago, that Carolina was worth conquering,
if only for the brim in her streams, and
great many will agree with the old
gentleman when they examine thes speci'
mems exhibited here.