explorations are in progress at other points on this line-more or less promising in their character.

In no instance, so far as I have learned, has it been necessary to extend the excavations to the depth of forty feet, and nearly all the mineral deposits have been found at much less than that depth. From the formation of the metal, tunnelling is practicable at nearly every point, thus affording the cheapest and most efficient mode of procuring the ore.

Indications of the presence of other metals are not wanting. Mingled with copper in some instances, and separate from it in others, are evidences of the presence of tin, bismuth, zinc, lead, and even silver and gold.

TENNESSEE MINES.

We are informed that three veins or divisions of this metal running parallel with each other the entire extent of this country, promise an abundant supply. These have been recently surveyed by Judge Peck, geologist in the State of Tennessee, and he says there is more copper in the county of Carroll than in any other section of equal extent in the United States.

There are also agents of some two or three mining companies of the State actively employed in taking leases, and the number of leases taken exceed one hundred and fifty in number. We understand Mr. Beauchman of Tennessee, who has taken leases adjoining each other for a distance of nine miles in succession, contemplates commencing work in the course of the next ten days.

Mr. Stuart, on the part of the Ducktown Mining Company (Tenn)., will · commence on another lead near Toncray's Furnace, in Floyd County, and work in a westerly direction. The lead is the same as the Ducktown lead in Tennessee, and has been traced from there to the lower end of this county. We learn that Mr. Worth, who commenced work last fall, intends to vigorously press his op rations this spring.

The consequence is, that property has steadily and rapidly increased in value; old fields and waste lands have risen from a few dollars to as many thousands. Our merchants are bringing on drills, powder, and other necessary implements for exhuming the copper.-Carroll Mountain Torrent.

GEORGIA MINES.

While on this subject we would remark that the copper mines of this country bid fair to rival those of our sister State. Ore of a superior quality is now being taken from the mine of Messrs. Moore & Co., for market. The vein at the point opened upon is from thirteen to twenty feet in width; the character of ore gray and bi-sulphuret. A great obstacle or impediment to the speedy development of this mine, is the great quantity of water flowing from the vein, but this evil we learn from the company will be remedied at an early day. They are now preparing to drive a drain tunnel upon the same, which, when completed, will place them at a depth upon the vein of some two hundred and fifty feet or more. The lead is quite prominent for several miles, and several other companies are actively engaged in prosecuting their works, with hopes buoyant with success.-Dahlonega Signal.

JOURNAL OF SILVER AND LEAD MINING OPERATIONS.

The quickness with which, in some instances, fortunes have been made in the lead region of Illinois, will scarcely be believed by those not familiar with the facts. As an evidence, take the following instances related by the Jeffersonian:

The suddenness with which fortunes have been acquired in the mines equals the marvellousness of the tales of California or Australia. One or two of an amusing character we will relate:

Several years ago a party of miners were at work not far from Galena, when they were accosted by a verdant specimen of the Coles County tribe, who, with pick and shovel in hand, and plenty of hay-seed in his hair, inquired of them if they knew "a place where he could dig and strike a lead." The day was intensely hot; an August sun poured down his burning rays with such intensity that labor anywhere was almost beyond human endurance. Nevertheless, the unsophisticated nature of the inquiry provoked the waggishness of the mining party to such a degree that they determined to test at least his capability to withstand the melting influence of old Sol.

Directing him by a cowpath to a dense alder thicket, in the centre of which was the dry and baked bed of a spring pond, where the heat was absolutely intolerable, they assured him that there he would find all he desired. With the utmost stretch of good faith in the honesty of their intentions, our friend did as he was bidden, and commenced work on the spot indicated. It was a sweltering place, and his tormentors chuckled as they thought of the funny trick they had played upon a greenhorn; but he persevered; and when about four feet below the surface, he struck upon a chunk of ore several feet in diameter, which was, as exploration progressed, followed by another and another; until after a little time the fortunate finder sold out his diggings and went back the envied possessor of $20,000 in gold, and fitted to be, to the end of his days, a country wayside nabob. It may be supposed that the practical jokers did not soon hear the last of it.

A gentleman now of this city, once commenced with a partner the labor of sinking a shaft on a range where they supposed mineral could be found. They labored with commendable perseverance, drilling and blasting in the tough and pockety rock, until spring; but not the glitter of a particle of ore encouraged them to proceed. At length, tired of their fruitless toil, and disgusted with the place, they abandoned the work. One Sunday in the April following one of the partners strolled from his cabin down to his old diggings, attracted by an idle curiosity to see the hole he had made. When there, he went down by the windlass: but when half way to the bottom, he was met by an obstruction-he could not tell what. Striking a light, he found to his astonishment that the shaft was half full of the richest ore. In working down, they had missed a large deposit of mineral in a conical cavity, by only an inch thickness of rock. The rains of the season had so softened this, that the weight of the ore broke down the thin partition, with the result we have stated. Our friend had, for his share of the pile, just $46,000!

Early in March last Mr. Marsden, well known in this vicinity, after an unsuccessful pursuit of fortune in California, purchased, within three miles of here, a farm of 160 acres for $1,600, with the determination of abandoning mining forever. One day he set about cleaning out a spring, within a few yards of the house on his new place, intending to build a milk house over it for summer use. He had hardly commenced when he had raked up a lump of mineral and then another and another. The search was continued, and to-day the lode that was then discovered is one of the attractions of the mining region, and is valued at $100,000 cash!

SILVER MINES IN SONORA.

Mr. Livingston left San Francisco in February last, on board the bark Petrita, bound for Guaymas. His intention was to find, if possible, some mines which he believed were situated in the northern part of Sonora. Soon after the confirmation of the treaty between the United States and Mexico, ceded to us a portion of Sonora, &c., he proceeded as far inland as Alta, where he remained three weeks, thence proceeded to Pitaquitas, 16 miles east of Alta. Here he stopped until the setting in of the rainy season, occupying his time in examining the country in that vicinity, taking with him two of the Indians known as the Papagoes, to guide him to the already discovered gold and silver mines. On the first of July, he extended his search to Sonoita,

where he found Mexicans engaged in grinding quartz and extracting gold therefrom. These had no other than their own simple tools, the batea, or wooden bowl, in which to wash, after digging the quartz with a small bar of iron, and crushing it between two stones. By this process, they were making from $2 to $4 per day by the hand. He then continued southward 90 miles to Quiquator, near which he found other parties of natives engaged in a manner similar to those before mentioned. In this part of the country he suffered innumerable hardships, being frequently without water for two or three days at a time, and upon one occasion he would have died from exhaustion in the mountain fastnesses, unattended and unknown, but for some friendly Papagoes, who found him in a helpless condition, and bore him twenty-five miles to where he could get water. Even this did not deter him from the prosecution of his self-imposed task.

He searched and prospected in every direction, and the result is that he has discovered some of the richest deposits of gold and silver ever found in that section of the continent. He discovered a mine of silver, the "blossom" of which extended for three miles, varying from two to five inches in width pnon the surface. Although his researches for gold were eminently successful, and he assures us that parties of miners would do a very good business in them, he intends devoting his attention exclusively to the working of the above mentioned silver mine, and for that purpose he returned to San Francisco with a view to the organization of a proper company, to consist of 100 men, well armed, with at least one revolver and rifle each, and the whole to possess a capital of $14,000 with which to purchase the requisite machinery for successful silver mining.-Alta Californian.

SEPARATING SILVER FROM LEAD, AND THE PURIFICATION OF TIN.

At the last annual gathering of the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society. Mr. J. A. Phillips, of London, at the request of the chairman, addressed to the Society some observations, in which he stated that one of the most important improvements which had recently been made in the metallurgical art came into operation last year, and is the separation of silver from lead by means of zinc. After describing the old process of separation, and the subsequent process discovered by Mr. Pattinson, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, involving several crystallizations and a final cupellation, he stated that still more recently a patent had been taken out by Mr. Parkes for a process by which he separates the silver entirely by one operation. To do this, the alloy of silver and lead is melted in the usual way in a large iron pot. To this a small quantity, a few pounds of zinc per ton, is added, the whole mixed up and allowed to remain a short time. By this means the silver is brought to the surface in the form of alloy with the zinc, and this mixture is subsequently skimmed off and treated for the silver it contains. In order to do this the zinc is first partially separated by oxidation, and the residual alloys afterwards treated in the cupel. In connection with the purification of metals, he might mention some of his own experiments in regard to tin. The tin from Peru and some other countries contains a large amount of tungsten, or wolfram, which very much depreciates its value. Till recently this tin could only be employed for very common purposes, such as making tin pipes and other things, which did not require tin of good quality. But in analyzing some of this tin he happened to discover a process by which the separation was very easily effected, and this process has been recently patented. It consists in taking impure tin, containing from 5 to 10 per cent. of tungsten (worth 257. per ton less than tin of ordinary purity,) granulating it by melting it in a reverberatory furnace, and allowing it to flow in a vessel containing water. This granulated tin is then placed in a pan with common hydrochloric acid, which may be obtained from the soda manufacturers at also a nominal price. This being heated, hydrogen gas is evolved, and a solution of chloride of tin is obtained. In this operation it is necessary the tin should be present in ex