QUERY VI

A NOTICE of the mines and other fubterran

eous riches; its trees, plants, fruits, &c.

ore,

I knew a fingle instance of gold found in this state. It was interspersed in small specks through a lump of of about four pounds weight, which yielded feventeen pennyweight of gold, of extraordinary ductility. This ore was found on the north fide of Rappahannoc,

cifion, que las defigualdades del un lado entrantes, corresponden á las del otro lado falientes, como fi aquella altura fe hubiefe abierto exprefamente, con fus bueltas y tortuofidades, para darle tranfito á los aguas por entre Jos dos murallonés que la forman; fiendo tal fu igualdad, que fi illegafen á juntarfe fe endentarian uno con otro fin dexar hueco. Not. Amer. II. 10. Don Ulloa inclines to the opinion, that this channel has been effected by the wearing of the water which runs through it, rather than that the mountain fhould have been broken open by any convulfion of nature. But if it had been worn by the running of water, would not the rocks which form the fides, have been worn plane? or if, meeting in fome parts with veins of harder stone, the water had left prominences on the one fide, would not the fame caufe have fometimes, or perhaps generally, occafioned prominences on the other fide alfo Yet Don Ulloa tells us, that on the other fide there are always corresponding cavities and that these tally with the prominences fo perfectly, that, were the two fides to come together, they would fit in all their indentures, without leaving any void. I think that this does not refemble the effect of running water, but looks rather as if the two fides had parted afunder. The fides of the break, over which is the natural bridge of Virginia, confifting of a veiny rock which yields to time, the correfpondence between the falient and re-entering inequalities, if it exifted at all, has now disappeared. This break has the advantage of the one described by Don Ulloa in its fineft circumftance; no portion in that inftance having held together, during the feparation of the other parts, fo as form a bridge over the abyss.

.0

hannoc, about four miles below the falls. I never heard of any other indication of gold in its neighborhood.

On the Great Kanhaway, oppofite the mouth of Cripple creek, and about twenty five miles from our fouthern boundary, in the county of Montgomery, mines

tor

es of lead. The metal is mixed, fometimes with earth, and fometimes with rock, which requires the force of gunpowder to open it; and is accompanied with a portion of filver, too fmall to be worth feparation under any procefs hitherto attempted there. The proportion yielded is from 50 to 80lb. of pure metal from roolb. of wafhed ore. The most common is that of 60 to the roof. The veins are at fometimes most flattering; at others they difappear fuddenly and totally. They enter the fide of the hill, and proceed horizontally. Two of them are wrought at prefent by the public, the best of which is 100 yards under the hill. These would employ about 50 laborers to advantage. We have not more than 30 generally, and thefe cultivate their own corn. duced 60 tons of lead in a year;

They have pro

but the general

quantity is from 20 to 25 tons. The prefent furnace is a mile from the ore bank, and on the oppofite fide

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of the river. The ore is first waggoned to the river, a quarter of a mile, then laden on board of canoes, and carried across the river, which is there about 200

yards wide, and then again taken into waggons and carried to the furnace. This mode was originally

adopted, that they might avail themselves of a good fituation on a creek, for a pounding mill: but it would be eafy to have the furnace and pounding mil on the fame fide of the river, which would yield water, without any dam, by a canal of about half a mile in length. From the furnace the lead is transported 130 miles along a good road, leading through the peaks of Otter to Lynch's ferry, or Winston's on James River, from whence it is carried by water about the fame distance to Weftham, This land carriage may be greatly fhortened, by delivering the lead on James River above the Blue ridge, from whence a ton weight has been brought on two canoes, The Great Kanhaway has confiderable falls in the neighborhood of the mines. About feven miles below are three falls, of three or four feet perpendicular each; and three miles above is a rapid of three miles continuance, which has been compared in its defcent to the great falls of James River. It is the opinion, that they may be laid open for useful navigation, fo as to reduce very much the portage between Kanhaway and James River,

A valuable lead mine is faid to have been lately dif covered in Cumberland, below the mouth of Red Rive er. The greateft, however, known in the western country, are on the Miffifippi, extending from the mouth of Rock River 1-50 miles upwards. Thefe are not wrought, the lead ufed in that country being from the banks on the Spanish fide of the Missisippi, oppo Lite to Kafkafkia.

A mine of copper was once opened in the county of Amherst, on the north fide of James River, and another in the oppofite country, on the fouth fide. However, either from bad management or the of the veins, they were difcontinued. We are told of a rich mine of native copper on the Oubache, below upper Wiaw.

the

poverty

The mines of iron worked at prefent are Callaway's, Rofs's, and Ballendine's, on the fouth fide of James River; Old's on the north fide, in Albemarle; Miller's in Augufta, and Zane's in Frederic. These two last are in the valley between the Blue ridge and North mountain. Callaway's, Rofs's, Miller's, and Zane's, make about 150 tons of bar iron each, in the year. Rofs's makes alfo about 1600 tons of pig iron annually; Ballendine's rooo; Callaway's, Miller's, and Zane's, about 600 each. Befides thefe, a forge of Mr. Hunter's, at Fredericksburg, makes about 300 tons a year of bar iron, from pigs imported from Maryland; and Taylor's forge on Neapfco of Patowmac, works in the fame way, but to what extent I am not informed. The indications of iron in other places are numerous, and dispersed through all the middle country. toughness of the cast iron of Rofs's and Zane's furnaces is very remarkable. Pots and other utenfils, east thinner than ufual, of this iron, may be fafely thrown into, or out of the waggons in which they are transported. Salt-pans made of the fame, and no longer wanted for that purpose, cannot be broken up,

The

in

in order to be melted again, unless previously drilled in many parts.

In the western country, we are told of iron mines between the Muskinghum, and Ohio; of others on Kentucky, between the Cumberland and Barren rivers, between Cumberland and Taniffee, on Reedy creek, near the Long ifland, and on Chefnut creek, a branch of the Great Kanhaway, near where it croffes the Carolina line. What are called the iron banks, on

the Miffifippi, are

believed, by a good judge, to have no iron in them. In general, from what is hitherto' known of that country, it seems to want iron.

Confiderable quantities of black lead are taken occafionally for ufe from Winterham, in the county of Amelia. I am not able, however, to give a particular state of the mine. There is no work established at it; those who want, going and procuring it for themselves.

The country on James River, from 15 to 20 miles above Richmond, and for feveral miles northward and fouthward, is replete with mineral coal of a very excellent quality. Being in the hands of many proprietors, pitts have been opened, and, before the interruption of our commerce, were worked to an extent equal to the demand.

In the western country coal is known to be in fo many places, as to have induced an opinion, that the whole tract between the Laurel mountain, Miffifippi, and Ohio, yields coal. It is also known in many

places