prepared for the market. By the side of the tram-road | mallets make a somewhat agreeable sound as they all runs a small rivulet of water, taken off from the sluice which supplies the water-wheel. Insignificant as this may appear, we shall presently find that even this tiny streamlet has a most important duty to fulfil before it is lost once more in the parent stream. The trucks arrive at length at their destination, and here there are also three funnels, corresponding in function in some respects to those through which the ore has already passed, being each appropriated to the reception of the different "lots" dug up by each of the three gangs of miners. The rivulet now becomes confined in several wooden tubes, and as the ore is discharged from the trucks down each of the funnels, a stream of mountain water, clear as crystal, falls upon it, and washes away at once much of the dirt and extraneous matters, in some measure purifying it, and preparing it for future operations. These are carried on in a convenient area below, where a large number of men and boys may be seen busily engaged upon different portions of the work. It is very possible that the appearance of lead ore in the rough, just as it is extracted from the mine, may cause some surprise that such apparently valueless rubbish should be so carefully dealt with and anxiously sought after. We were ourselves surprised on being told that a little heap of yellowish dirt and spar contained any lead-ore; but our surprise vanished when we saw a stream of pure water sent rushing through and through it, and lumps of grey ore alone remained behind. It was experience teaching us the value of what ignorance calls refuse. It is associated in this case with calcareous and fluor-spar, and with a yellowish clay and rubble. The ore is occasionally met with in large lumps, and in those cases is of fine quality, and bears a proportionate value in the market. This is called "round ore;" in consequence of its greater purity, it yields a considerably larger portion of metal per cent. than the "small ore" does. Although a lump of lead. ore taken in the hand has all the density of a mass of lead, and to the eye much resembles a portion of the metal in brilliant crystals, it must not be mistaken (as is commonly done) for pure lead. Technically, it is called galena, and its chemical composition indicates it to be a compound of sulphur and lead, a sulphuret of lead in fact. One hundred parts of galena contain about eighty-seven parts of lead, combined with thirteen of sulphur. In order, therefore, to obtain the metal in a fit state for economical purposes, it is not 'sufficient simply to melt the ore and run it into moulds, as one is disposed to imagine. The sulphur in combination with it must be discharged; and this is effected by the operation of smelting, a process we shall shortly describe further on. After the first washing, we found the ore was conveyed to one side of the area on which these operations are going forwards, and here we were amused at the simple method which is at the beginning of the extractive process. There is a long, cast-iron bench, a little raised from the ground, on which the spar and lead-ore are placed to be bruised; and prepared for the washers. This iron bench is called the "knock-stone." Six or seven young men were busy bruising a heap of ore, which lay before each, by means of a heavy kind of mallet, having a broad, flat head of iron, technically, the “beating-bucker." Wielding their instruments with a peculiar sweep, the ore is crushed, and pushed off the bench to make room for more; and the six or seven fall together upon the knock-stone. The foreign matters with which the lead-ore is found united, in this mine, being soft and friable, cause this inartificial method to be perfectly adequate to the trituration of the mass; but in other mining districts the more perfect machinery of crushing and stamping mills is requisite to prepare the hard ore for the washers. A coarse sort of powder, or rather gravel, is thus obtained, and we are conducted to the wash-pools, a little beyond. Here, the sparkling rill we were tempted to despise, as it gambolled through the field by our side, enters upon the serious duties of its existence. It is conducted by a number of pipes, which ramify in every direction, to a series of shallow beds. The ore to be washed is spread out, and a current of swirling water rushes through it; it is raked to and fro across the current until the operation is completed. The water thus carries away all the lighter particles of clay, mud, and spar, but is unable to carry to any distance the heavier por tions of the lead, which are therefore easily separated. The lead-ore is then collected, re-washed, and sifted, and after undergoing several processes of a similar description, it is conveyed to a certain heap in the weight ing place. The water, however, carries away a con siderable quantity of ore in the form of a fine powder, called "sludge;" this is, of course, too valuable to be allowed to run to waste. The water is consequently conducted, all black and slimy now with particles of the ore, into a number of deep pits. In these it deposits its lead, and after it has escaped from the last and is once more free, it retains but little mineral impurity. When the pits are filled to a certain depth with the ore in this condition, it is dug out, dried, and sold separately at an inferior rate to that in larger crystals. The last spot to which we were conducted about the mine is the paved area, on which a number of heaps of ore of different qualities, and belonging to different gangs of miners, rest. We might call this the shop of the mine, for here the goods are exposed ¡to view, and here the bargains for their purchase are made. This, therefore, is the proper place for the discussion of matters of business connected therewith. The sales of ore are effected once a-month, and its price is, of course, regulated by two circumstances, the market price of the metal, and the purity of the parcel for sale. The mar ket price of lead has varied extremely, and is always more or less uncertain. The price of ore at the mine in 1823 was as high as 147. 10s. a ton, whereas at the present time it is only 97. 10s. Every ton of ore has to pay a certain royalty to the lord of the manor; at present, the royalty paid at this mine is 17. per ton. A productive mine is therefore a source of considerable revenue to the lord of the manor, originating without anxiety, and collected without trouble of any kind on his part. The average amount of ore raised at this mine in a month, has varied from 150 to 200 tons. As the yield is always dependent upon the character of the vein worked, and as the latter is well known to be most uncertain, it follows that the amount of ore obtained is sometimes in excess of this sum, and oftener in diminution. A large heap of ore by our side had just been sold to an eminent patent-shot manufacturer. heap was perhaps twelve feet square, and about three in height: our conjecture as to its probable value made the gentleman who was kind enough to accompany us smile; but it is probable our readers will wonder with This us to learn that this mass represented the value of upwards of five hundred pounds, a sum of which our conjecture fell wofully short. most extensively employed is the reverberatory or cupola furnace. A few words will suffice to make its construction readily understood. At one end of a long furnace, having an arched roof, the fire is placed : between it and the place where the ore is deposited is a block of masonry, called the fire-bridge; beyond this is a basin-shaped cavity, into which the ore is placed; and the flue leading into the chimney is at the end of the furnace. The fire, in consequence of the curve of the roof, is thus made to strike down upon the ore as it passes over it in its way to the flue; hence the term re. verberatory. In the centre of the basin-like cavity is a hole leading to a tap by which the liquid metal is drawn Before following the lead into the hands of the retail dealers, we believe it will interest to give a short statement of the manner in which the work of this mine is conducted. The total number of men employed is one hundred and forty; the miners forming, of course, the majority. The day is subdivided into three parts of eight hours each; for day and night are all one here. At the end of each period of eight hours, one gang of men comes up, while another gang descends. The men are said to enjoy tolerable health; but there can be no doubt that the nature of their occupation-off: and in the roof and sides of the furnace are holes so much wet, such continued toil, and such privation of air and light--has a serious influence upon their constitutions, and but few are in the enjoyment of that robust health which is the above-ground labourer's portion. There is a captain set over them, who descends into the mine every other day, reports its condition, and the conduct of the miners, and also sets them their work. Bargains for work are made every month. The system of pay has already been hinted at; it is by piece- | work; either so much a yard is paid for excavating the vein, or so much a ton upon the amount raised. This system has this advantage, that it keeps the men to their work, and holds out to the industrious gangs the certainty of remuneration for their efforts, while the less diligent receive their silent reproof in the smallness of the sums they obtain. The men, on the whole, are a better and more contented class than the colliers, and we had evidence that their welfare is not a subject of slight consideration in the eyes of the benevolent proprietors of the mine. We may tag on to this a desultory fact or two which we find in the notes of our excursion. There are eight or nine drifts, or levels, in the mine, of varying length and depth. The extreme depth is three hundred yards; the levels are generally passages six feet high, by four and a half feet in width. One of them, which is called the "adit level," is one mile and a quarter in length, driven through solid rock! From some peculiarity in the arrangement of the super-incumbent rock, the mine is much incommoded with water. Although the water-wheel and steam-engine eject an enormous volume of water, a mimic cataract in itself, the galleries are often flooded, and the water rises with a rapidity sometimes almost alarming. Even the effects of a shower are often sensible in the depths of this mine. It is curious that another mine in its immediate neighbourhood is so free from water as to require no draining machinery; and the very natural conjecture is, that the ponderous mechanism of these works fulfils that office for both. Heavy laden teams are winding down the road, each with its load of lead-ore, on the way to the smelting works. That we may present a complete view of the history of this metal, let us follow one of these carts, with its blue, but weighty load. When galena is heated before the blow-pipe with caution, its sulphur flies off, and the lead remains behind in a melted form. It was by means of a simple process analogous to this that the ancients obtained their lead. The ore was put into furnaces, which were generally placed on some elevated site, and the fire was urged by the natural current of air in such positions. This was, however, a very waste. ful process, as much of the lead became oxidized, and it is therefore no longer employed. The furnace now and doors for putting in more ore, or for stirring it backwards and forwards. A ton of lead ore is put in,— this is the ordinary charge; it is spread over the hearth or basin of the furnace, and a gentle fire is kept up for about the space of two hours. The heat is then raised, and it is common to throw a small quantity of small coal upon the ore, and to rake all thoroughly together. The ore now begins to melt, and in a little time becomes a liquid mass of slags and metallic lead. The furnace is again opened, and, in order to make the fused slags separate more readily from the metal, some quicklime is then thrown in, and the heat is lowered for a time. The slags thus become more solid, and are pushed up the sides of the basin, so as to be clear of the melted metal. The heat is again increased, and more lime is added. In about five or six hours the smelting process is completed. The lead is then allowed to run through the tap into a cast-iron cistern, placed in the wall outside the furnace. From this reservoir it is ladled out, and poured into cast-iron moulds; it is then called pig-lead. Some lead ores contain a very large admixture of silver, so large as to render it worth while separating it from the baser metal. This is ingeniously effected by allowing the lead to crystallize repeatedly, and ladling out the crystals, and it is found that at last only a small portion remains, which will not crystallize, and this contains all the silver that might have been originally dispersed through a ton or more of the liquid metal. It is separated by causing the lead to oxidize, and the silver is at last left in a glittering mass at the bottom. The actual amount of silver thus obtained is considerable,—many thousand ounces in a year. The lead is now ready for the manufacturer. It is principally made into three articles, sheet-lead, leadpipe, and shot; of course we do not here take into consideration its decomposition for the purposes of paint, &c. Sheet-lead is made by pouring a quantity of the liquid metal upon a cast-iron table of large size, evenly covered with a layer of fine wet sand, and surrounded by a raised edge to prevent the metal flowing over. It is then spread evenly by an appropriate instrument, and rolled by steam-power to the requisite thickness. Lead-pipe is first cast as a thick, hollow cylinder, and is then drawn repeatedly through a steel plate, until it is reduced to the proper length and diameter. The simple but ingenious method of manufacturing shot has a curious history. It is said that one Watts, a workman, at Bristol, in the year 1782, conceived it in a dream! Full of his project he ascended the tower of the church of St. Mary Redcliffe, in that city. Melting some lead there he poured it down, and, hastily descending, to his great joy he found a multitude of round metallic drops at the bottom. A patent was obtained, and the process continues to be adopted to this day, only that the lead is poured through a colander, and is allowed to fall into a vessel of water. The shot are afterwards sifted, sorted, and polished by being made to rub against one another in a sort of tub rotated by machinery. length along, guarded by mountains round about, and opening in a graceful curve toward the blue sea in the distance. Surely here, thought we, is a whole book upon the folly of mining speculations. The iron never enters this soil in vain; the seed committed to its care does not die and rot, and waste away like the gold and silver sown on the other side of the mountain. No dis We might fill pages with anecdotes of the lead-appointed hopes are created here, no gaudy bubbles lotteries for such, mining speculations upon this ore have often proved. We shall content ourselves with an authentic one, related to us by a friend in the mining locality : A drunken, but clever miner, who was supplied with funds by the unfortunate inhabitants of a village not far from the mine, had for several years been boring, without raising a pound of ore. Buoyed up by hope, the company long continued, with invincible patience, to furnish him with the money necessary for the undertaking, and he and his men, on their parts, were full of promises of an abundant return the moment the vein was reached. Thus matters went on, the mine swallowing up money by heaps, but disgorging nothing beyond a few faint symptoms of lead ore. Late one evening, this miner entered the town, and applied to several of the shareholders only for a deposit of a few more pounds, and then, he declared, the vein would at last be reached. Every one turned a deaf ear to him; all said they were weary of giving so much, and receiving nothing in return; and it was generally determined to throw the mine up. They forfeited their shares in consequence; and the man, in despair, went to a gentleman hitherto unconnected with the undertaking. This person believed the solemn assurances of the miner, and for a few pounds bought the greater number of the shares himself. The miner went home, elated with his success, and in less than a week afterwards the vein was opened. Out of it flowed an amount of ore so vast, that in a few years the fortunate person who had advanced the money had made an immense fortune, and the miner himself became rich enough to buy a considerable estate. No one can paint the disappointment which appeared on the faces of the quondam shareholders on learning the event. This is one of many; but probably a greater number might be related on the opposite side of the case, and forcibly impress the general truth, that it is always hazardous to grope in the dark. Men may fall upon untold treasures, but the probability is that they will oftener fall into poverty in the search. blown and burst, nor are men either suddenly thrust up to the giddy heights of luxury, or dragged down to the depths of poverty and distress. God's blessing appears to rest upon these pursuits; the earth yields her increase at His command. "He watereth the hills from his chambers. He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man," and the beautiful landscape seems to join in creation's harmonies to sing His praise. Such, at least, is the aspect of things: on the one side desolation and ruin, on the other, peace and plenty. And with these thoughts, after a long and pleasant walk, we concluded our Day at a Lead Mine. N. C. LOVE IN SORROW. BY S. M. WHAT shall I do for thee? Thou hast my prayers, How can I comfort thee? my tears are thine; Full duteously upon thy griefs they wait; Yet still upon thy brow the darkness lies, The tempest threatens,-and I cannot shield; What boots that altar in my heart, whereon For comforting with hope thy time of need, Bidding adieu to the gentlemen who had so courteously entreated us, and so readily supplied us with the requisite information, we set off on foot for home-home, deep buried in the charming vale on the other side of Oh, were this all! But no--I have the power To grieve thee by unwary tone or deed,] those blue and beautiful, but ore-less mountains. Our road lay across the little valley of which we have spoken, Or, niggard in my fear, to miss the hour and clomb the broad bosom of a swelling hill. In spite of the occasionally fertile aspect of a few scattered fields, the impression left upon the mind after a visit to these mining districts is, that the region is barren and desolate; and the white heaps of refuse, which show conspicuously on the distant hills, add much to the feeling. Climbing the mountain's side, at length we reached its summit; and here what a contrast lay before us a fair valley, rich in alluvial soil, studded with beautiful country seats, with here and there a snug town sending its warm blue breath up into the sky, fields dressed in living green, sheep "upon a thousand hills" and knolls, and a quiet river winding its lazy We know this of each other, and forgive Lift we our eyes to heav'n! Love greets us thence RECENT SCENES IN NEW MEXICO. "War is a game which, were their subjects wise, Kings would not play at." THESE words of Cowper seem written almost expressly to describe the events which have occurred in the country indefinitely named New Mexico, since the United States government chose to imagine that it could rule the inhabitants of the western plains better than they could rule themselves. The war was a game played for the acquisition of territory, whether "to have and to hold" remains to be proved, and it appears to have been played with a wantonness of purpose, and a recklessness of suffering, which, to us old islanders, who witnessed the tremendous continental struggles of years gone by, and have recently mourned over the destruction of human life among our kindred the Sikhs, mingles something of absurdity with the tragedy of war. We believe this Mexican business is as unpopular among the sober and thoughtful portion of the American nation as it is reprobated by us; but a thirst for aggrandizement by increase of territory is one of the features common to recently constituted empires. The day is fast coming when a war of aggression shall be acknowledged a sign of internal weakness. The tract of country which has been the seat of this war is very little known to us; the Spaniards know it better; is lies along the eastern base of the rocky mountains, and is watered by the Rio Grande del Norte, one of the few rivers of that region which flow almost due south and fall into the Gulf of Mexico. The face of the country seems to alternate between sandy deserts and monotanous prairies, interspersed with narrow river-bound strips of fertile land, which it requires little industry to render highly productive. The Mexican inhabitants are hemmed in by the Apache and other Indians, many of whom have acquired the vices only of their more civilized neighbours, but who are extremely interesting on account of their primitive religious customs. The following extracts are taken from an unpretending but entertaining little volume published at Philadelphia, and written by a young volunteer, who happening to be at St. Louis, with time hanging heavily on his hands from unusual inactivity," enrolled himself in the battalion of light artillery under General Kearney, and subsequently under Colonel Doniphan. The book is written in a free and lively style, the author having evidently as much taste for scenery, manners, and character, as for the glorious pomp and circumstance of war; of which, by the way, he met with but little. But we happen to know that his cool and determined courage had a considerable share in deciding the Battle of Bracito in favour of the Americans. The following was the equipment of the volunteers at starting. 66 "Each soldier was to furnish himself with a good horse, a saddle, clothing-in short, every thing except arms. Although we were not absolutely required to uniform ourselves, it was recommended that a suitable (1) A Campaign in New Mexico with Colonel Doniphan. By Frank S. Edwards, a Volunteer. uniform would be desirable, so we provided a neat Thus provided and arrayed, the band started from St. Louis along the Military road, as it is called, and entered the Santa Fé road, on the 4th of July, 1846. Their hardships began with a violent rain-shower, which our young volunteer says he and his comrades of the city, who had previously led what might be called a delicate life, endured better than the young farmers, whose lives had been spent in the open air. Of the Arkansas our volunteer says:— "Although the northern bank of the Arkansas is well covered with grass, and scattering groves of trees are not unfrequent, yet the southern bank consists of nothing but huge sand-hills, entirely destitute of vegetation. We had been travelling within sight of these hills for several days before we came to the river, and could hardly believe that we did not see large cities on the banks—indeed we could plainly distinguish gilded domes of churches and roofs of houses,-the deception was caused by the rays of the sun upon the pointed sand-hills." The army saw but few Indians in this part of the country; all the prairie tribes have a great dread of cannon, and they as carefully avoided strangers. Buffaloes and large gray wolves were numerous. On the night of 17th of August they halted at Pecos, a small Mexican village so called from the ruins of an Indian town at the same spot. "All that is left of what was one of the most celebrated of the Aztec towns is the church, which is of immense size, and supposed to be over 500 years old. This is the church which contained the sacred fire, said to have been kindled by Montezuma, with orders to keep it burning till his return. The fire was kept alive for more than 300 years, when having by some accident been allowed to go out, and most to Santa Fé; but most of the officers were for remaining in quarters, on which the colonel "gave the board to understand that they might possibly have found fair reasons for staying, but, gentlemen,' he added, 'I'm for going home to Sarah and the children.' The reader may be assured that we caught up these words, and often afterwards spoke of going home to Sarah and the children." of the town having been depopulated by disease, | diency of returning home by Monterey, or retreating the remainder of the inhabitants abandoned the place and joined a neighbouring village. There are many traditions connected with this old church, one of which is, that it was built by a race of giants fifteen feet in height, but these dying off, they were succeeded by dwarfs with red heads, who, being in their turn exterminated, were followed by the Aztecs. But a singular part of the story is, that both the large and the small men were white. The bones which have been dug from the floor of the church are certainly of gigantic size. A thigh-bone that I saw could never have belonged to a man less than ten feet high." Here are traditions and relics of that race whose name even has passed away from the earth; it is observable that the red heads do not at all agree with Lord Kingsborough's theory, and cannot have been imaginary. After passing through a dangerous defile, where they were told to expect opposition, the army reached Santa Fé, which "although much larger than any place we had seen yet, had the same mud walls and roofs, and the accompaniments of dirt, pigs, and naked children. The city was in a measure deserted, the inhabitants having been persuaded that we should rob and ill-treat every body and destroy every thing; sobbing and crying were heard from the houses; and it was only after a long speech from our general that they were at all pacified." The description of this place is interesting, it being the great depôt for traders and pedlers who traffic with the Indians. There is an old church-old for America-containing some good carving and paintings, but now in ruins. Valentia, in the valley of the Rio Grande, is a large and handsome town, surrounded by vineyards, melon grounds, and orchards. The vines grow to the height of four feet without any support, and then spread into bushy heads bearing fine fruit of the Meuscatel kind. Here our volunteer met with some Indians; the men were well made, but seldom over five feet in height; the women not so tall, but good-humoured, and having a picturesque appearance. The author was chosen provider for his troop, and he gives some curious anecdotes of his dealings with the Mexicans. Of the fighting part of the book we shall say but little; but what will European officers think of the following description of Colonel Doniphan at the battle of Sacramento? "Further to our right sits Colonel Doniphan on his beautiful chesnut charger, with his leg crossed over the saddle, steadily whittling a piece of wood, but with his eye glancing proudly over the ranks of his little band. As the cannonading becomes hotter, he quietly says: 'Well, they're giving it us, now, boys!' and passes coolly to the left of our position, untouched by the copper hail that pours around him." This battle gained Chihuahua; and amidst all the triumph of the conquerors we are glad to find they remembered the claims of the wounded, both friend and foe. Thinking that enough had now been done, Colonel Doniphan called a council as to the expe Orders came to join General Taylor, and the army proceeded to Monterey, and thence to Reinosa, on the Rio Grande, where, their year of service having expired, the volunteers embarked on board the first steam-boats they had seen since leaving Missouri, and passed down the river to the Gulf of Mexico, thence to New Orleans, and eventually to their separate homes. Our author had found health in his year of hardship, and four thousand miles of rough travel, amid strange scenes, had no doubt benefited mind as well as body. THE STORY OF A FAMILY.! " BY S. M. AUTHORESS OF THE MAIDEN AUNT," ETC. CHAPTER IV.-THE HAPPY FAMILY. AT dinner there was a decided diminution of the restraint under which all the members of this singular family party had previously laboured, Somewhat of the old Eastern sancity of the bread and the salt yet lingers in the spirit, however utterly it may have departed from the forms, of English hospitality. You do not willingly keep a man at a distance after you have eaten with him. In the present instance there was more than ordinary difficulty to be contended with, inasmuch as the cure of disease is a harder task than the maintenance of health. These all had once loved each other, or rather, I should say, there had once been among them that habit of familiar kindliness, which is all that some natures know of love. There were therefore memories to be stifled, allusions to be avoided, wounds scarcely closed to be touched cautiously and tenderly; there was anxious tact, conscious and elaborate delicacy, fear, effort, silence. How unlike that service which, human as well as divine, is truly "perfect freedom!" Even this difficulty, however, gradually wore away, and by the time that the cloth was removed, and the table, spread with wine and fruit, drawn to the open window, through which the children could be seen at play on the sunny terrace, they were all conversing together quite as freely and easily as if they were acquaintances of three months' standing! "Clever boy of yours, that!" said uncle John, addressing his elder brother; "what do mean to do with him, Alexander? make a lawyer of him, eh?" Mr. Lee looked forth upon the gambols of his son and heir with a smile at once significant and benign, and replied, "I have scarcely yet determined; if he has talent, I should be very sorry not to give it full (1) Continued from p. 193. |