Scenes and Adventures in the Semi-Alpine Region of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas Part 16

_a._ To lease out public mines, and receive and account for rents.

_b._ To prevent the waste and destruction of wood on the public lands.

_c._ To see that no mines were wrought without authority.

_d._ To keep the government informed, periodically, of the quant.i.ty of lead made at the different mines, and of new discoveries of lead, or any other useful minerals; and,

_e._ To explore, practically, the mineralogy of the country, in order fully to develop its mineral character and importance. Connected with these duties, should be the collection of mineralogical specimens for a national cabinet of natural history at Was.h.i.+ngton.

The superintendent of mines should be a practical mineralogist, and such a salary attached to the office as to induce a man of respectable talents and scientific acquirements to accept the appointment. To allow the manufacturers of lead every advantage consistent with the public interest, the rent charged on mines should not exceed two and a half per cent. on the quant.i.ty manufactured, which is equivalent to the proposed governmental duty on imported lead, whereby the revenue would not only be kept up, but might be considerably enhanced. The foregoing details exhibit an annual produce of 3,726,666 pounds of lead, which, it is presumable, may be half the quant.i.ty the mines are capable of producing, with proper management. But, estimating the lead at four cents per pound, and taking that as the average quant.i.ty, the annual rents, at two and a half per cent., will create a revenue of thirty-two thousand four hundred and ninety dollars.

This subject is believed to be one that commends itself to the attention of the government, which has, from a policy early introduced, reserved the mineral lands on the public domain. No one can view it in the light of these facts, without perceiving the propriety and necessity of an efficient organization of this branch of the public interest.

FOOTNOTES:

[12] The following sketch of the life of Burton is given by Colonel Thomas H. Benton, of St. Louis, in the Enquirer of that city, October 16, 1818:--"He is a Frenchman, from the north of France. In the fore-part of the last century, he served in the Low Countries, under the orders of Marshal Saxe. He was at Fontenoy when the Duke of c.u.mberland was beat there by that Marshal. He was at the siege of Bergen-op-Zoom, and a.s.sisted in the a.s.sault of that place when it was a.s.sailed by a division of Marshal Saxe's army, under the command of Count Lowendahl.

He has also seen service upon this continent. He was at the building of fort Chartres, on the American bottom; afterwards went to fort Du Quesne (now Pittsburgh), and was present at Braddock's defeat. From the life of a soldier, Burton pa.s.sed to that of a hunter; and in this character, about half a century ago, while pursuing a bear to the west of the Mississippi, he discovered the rich lead-mines which have borne his name ever since. His present age cannot be ascertained. He was certainly an _old soldier_ at fort Chartres, when some of the people of the present day were little children at that place. The most moderate computation will make him a hundred and six. He now lives in the family of Mr.

Micheaux, at the little rock ferry, three miles above St. Genevieve, and walks to that village almost every Sunday to attend ma.s.s. He is what we call a square-built man, of five feet eight inches high, full chest and forehead; his sense of seeing and hearing somewhat impaired, but free from disease, and apparently able to hold out against time for many years to come."

[13] The following is a list of the princ.i.p.al mines worked under the Spanish government, with their situation:

Mine La Motte Head of St. Francis river.

Mine a Joe On Flat river.

Mine a Burton On a branch of Mineral Fork.

Old Mines On a branch of Mineral Fork.

Renault's Mines On Mineral Fork, or Fourche Arno.

[14] A law erecting the Territory of Arkansas from the southern part of Missouri, has since pa.s.sed; but its northern boundary is extended so as to include all White river above the lat.i.tude of 36 30'.

[15] The following are the princ.i.p.al historical epochs of Louisiana, chronologically arranged:

A. D.

Discovered by Ferdinand de Soto, and named Florida 1539 Visited by the French from Canada 1674 Settlement made by La Salle 1683 A settlement made at Beloxi 1699 Granted to Crozat by Louis XIV., 14th September 1712 New Orleans founded by the French 1717 Retroceded to the crown by Crozat 1717 Granted to the Company of the West 1717 Retroceded by the Company of the Wes 1731 Ceded by France to Spain 1762 First occupied by the Spanish 1769 Ceded to the United States 1803 Taken possession of by the United States, 20th December 1803 Louisiana became a State, August 1812 Missouri Territory erected, 4th June 1812

[16] On this pa.s.sage, Mr. Silliman remarks, "that sulphur is not poisonous to men or animals.... The _carbonate_ of barytes is eminently poisonous; but we have never heard that the sulphate is so. May not the licking around the furnaces expose the cattle to receive lead, in some of its forms, minutely divided? or, if it be not active in the metallic state, both the oxide and the carbonate, which must of course exist around the furnaces, would be highly active and poisonous. Is it not possible, also, that some of the natural waters of the country may, in consequence of saline or acid impregnations, dissolve some of the lead, and thus obtain saturnine qualities? We must allow, however, that we are not acquainted with the existence of any natural water thus impregnated."--JOUR. SCI., Vol. III.

[17] I was mistaken in supposing this the only locality of the fluate of lime in the United States. It has also been found "in Virginia, near Woodstock or Miller's town, Shenandoah county, in small loose ma.s.ses, in the fissures of a limestone containing sh.e.l.ls. (Barton.)--In Maryland, on the west side of the Blue Ridge, with sulphate of barytes.

(Hayden.)--In New Jersey, near Franklin Furnace, in Suss.e.x county, disseminated in lamellar carbonate of lime, and accompanied with mica and carburet of iron; also near Hamburg, in the same county, on the turnpike to Pompton, in a vein of quartz and feldspar. (Bruce.)--In New York, near Saratoga Springs, in limestone; it is nearly colorless, and penetrated by pyrites.--In Vermont, at Thetford.--In Connecticut, at Middletown, in a vein, and is accompanied by sulphurets of lead, zinc, and iron. (Bruce.)--In Ma.s.sachusetts, at the lead-mine in Southampton, where it is imbedded in sulphate of barytes, or granite; its colors are green, purple, &c.--In New Hamps.h.i.+re, at Rosebrook's Gap, in the White Mountains, in small detached pieces. (Gibbs.)"--CLEVELAND'S MINERALOGY.

MINERALOGY.

A CATALOGUE OF THE MINERALS OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.

In the arrangement of this catalogue, the order introduced in Professor Cleveland's mineralogical tables, has been chiefly observed. It is the commencement of an investigation into the physical history, character, and mineral resources of the West, which it will become the duty of future observers to continue and perfect. The field is an extensive one, and invites attention. The order and beauty that are observed in this branch of natural history, afford as striking proofs as any of the other departments of it, of that design which, in so remarkable a manner, pervades the organization of the various cla.s.ses of bodies, animate and inanimate, on the surface of the globe. So far as respects mineralogy, its species and varieties have not all been seen, in crystallized forms, agreeably to our imperfect state of microscopical knowledge; but as far as the species have been brought within observation, in the cla.s.ses of crystals and crystallized ores, they rival, in their colors and exact geometrical forms, other systems of bodies.

In revising the list, those specimens are dropped, respecting which further reflection or examination has shown, either that the early descriptions were imperfect, or that the quant.i.ty of the mineral was deficient.

I. ALKALINE AND EARTHY SALTS.

1. Nitrate of potash. Nitre.

2. Muriate of soda. Salt.

3. Sulphate of barytes. Heavy spar.

4. Carbonate of lime. Calc. spar.

_a._ Rhombic crystals.

_b._ Concrete forms.

5. Fluate of lime. Fluor spar.

6. Sulphate of lime. Gypsum.

7. Sulphate of magnesia. Magnesia.

8. Sulphate of alumine and potash. Alum.

II. EARTHY COMPOUNDS AND STONES.

9. Quartz.

_a._ Hexagonal crystals.

_b._ Radiated.

_c._ Chalcedony.

_d._ Agatized wood.

_e._ Agate.

_f._ Jasper.

_g._ Hornstone.

_h._ Red ferruginous quartz.

_i._ Tabular quartz.

_j._ Granular quartz.

_k._ h.o.a.ry quartz.

_l._ Carnelian.

_m._ Buhrstone.

_n._ Opalized wood.

10. Pumice.

11. Mica.

12. Feldspar.

13. Hornblende.

14. Greenstone porphyry.

15. Clay.

_a._ Native alumine.

_b._ Indurated clay.

_c._ Reddle.

16. Basanite.

17. Indian pipestone.

Opwagonite.

18. Sch.o.e.rl.

19. Novaculite.