hacienda. The workings are approached, however, by a well graded wagon road, skirting the edges of the hills, which is two and three-eighth miles in length.

It appears partly from tradition, and partly from the memory of persons now living, that the existence of cinnabar upon the hill was known for a long time prior to the discovery that it possessed any economic value. In fact, upon the very loftiest summit of this subordinate range, cinnabar came to the surface, and could be obtained by a slight excavation or even by breaking the rocks lying upon the surface. In looking about for physical evidences such as would aid the eyes of an experienced observer in detecting here the probable presence of valuable metallic deposits, one observes on the summit of the hill, at various points along the line of its axis for 2 or 3 miles, and also beyond, toward the place called Bull Run, occasional loose boulders of drusy quartz, with more or less well characterized geodes and combs; accompanying which is an ochraceous or ferruginous deposit, such as frequently forms the outcrop of metallic veins. There is, however, no such thing as a well characterized vein, the quartz and its associated metals occurring rather in isolated masses or bunches segregated out of the general mass of the metamorphic rocks, and connected with each other, if at all, somewhat obscurely by thread veins of the same mineral.

The main entrance to the mine at present is by a level about 800 feet long, and large enough to accommodate a full sized railroad and cars. This level enters the hill about 300 feet from its summit, and is driven into a large chamber, formed by the removal of a great mass of cinnabar, leaving ample space for the hoisting and ventilating apparatus employed in working the mine.

At this point a vertical shaft descends to an additional depth of nearly 300 feet, over which is placed a steam "whim" with friction gearing and wire rope, worked by a steam engine, and by means of which all the ore from the various workings of the mine is conveniently discharged from the cars, which convey it out of the level to the dressing floors.

The first thing which strikes the observer on entering the mine is the liberal scale of its exploration. Every thing indicates a liberal and judicious use of capital in the development of a property which upon any other principle of exploration would probably have been unremunerative. We note also the absence of the usual galleries or levels, cut at regular distances of ten fathoms, common in the exploration; for example, of copper mines, and of other metallic deposits in which the ore is confined to well characterized veins.

In order to reach the lower workings of the mine, the observer may employ the bucket as a means of descent, or he may, in a more satisfactory manner, descend by a series of ladders and steps, not in the shaft, but placed in various large and irregular openings, dipping for the most part in the direction of the magnetic north, and at an angle of 30° to 35°. These cavities have been produced by the miner in extracting the metal, and are often of vast proportions; one of them measures 150 feet in length, 70 feet in breadth, and 40 feet in height-others are of smaller dimensions; and they communicate with each other sometimes by narrow passages, and at others by arched galleries cut through the unproductive. serpentine.

Some portions of the mine are heavily timbered to sustain the roof from crush

ing, while in other places arches or columns are left in the rock for the same purpose.

The principal minerals associated with the cinnabar are quartz and calcareous spar, which usually occur together in sheets or strings, and in a majority of cases penetrate or subdivide the masses of cinnabar. Sometimes narrow threads of these minerals, accompanied by a minute coloration of cinnabar, serve as the only guide to the miner in re-discovering the metal when it has been lost in a former working.

Veins or plates of white massive magnesian rock and sheets of yellow ochre also accompany the metal. Iron pyrites is rarely found, and no mispickel was detected in any portion of the mine; running mercury is also rarely, almost never,

seen.

The cinnabar occurs chiefly in two forms, a massive and a subcrystalline. The first is fine granular, or pulverulent, soft, and easily reduced to the condition of vermillion; the other is hard, more distinctly crystalline, compact and difficult to break; but in neither of these forms does it show any tendency to develop well formed crystals. It is occasionally seen veining the substance of greenish white or brown compact steatite or serpentine.

The ores are extracted by contract, the miners receiving a price dependent upon the greater or less facility with which the ore can be broken. By far the larger portion of the work people in the mines are Mexicans, who are found to be more adventurous than Cornishmen, and willing oftentimes to undertake jobs which the latter have abandoned. The price paid for the harder ores in the poorer portions of the mine is from $3 to $5 per cargo of 300 pounds. This weight is obtained after the ore is brought to the surface and freed by hand breaking from the superfluous or unproductive rock; by this arrangement, the company are secured from paying for anything but productive mineral. All the small stuff and dirt formed by the working of the "labors," are also sent to the surface to form the adobes used in charging the furnaces.

It has often happened in the history of this mine, during the past fifteen years, that the mine for a time has appeared to be completely exhausted of ore. Such a condition of things has, however, always proved to be but temporary, and may always be avoided by well directed and energetic exploration. Upon projecting, by a careful survey, irregular and apparently disconnected chambers of the mine in its former workings in a section, there is easily seen to be a general conformity in the line of direction and mode of occurrence of the productive ore masses. These are found to dip in a direction toward the north, in a plain parallel, for the most part, to the pitch of the hill, but at a somewhat higher angle. An intelligent comprehension of this general mode of structure has always served hitherto in guiding the mining superintendent in the discovery of new deposits of ore.

Since the settlement of the famous law suit, which has so long held this company in a condition of doubt, the new parties, into whose hands the property has now passed, have commenced a series of energetic and well directed explorations at various points upon the hill, with a view to the discovery of additional deposits of ore. At one of these new openings, distant at least 500 feet from the limit of the old workings, and not more than 200 feet from the summit of the

hill, a deposit of the richest description of the softer kind of cinnabar has been discovered, which, so far as hitherto explored, has a linear extent of at least 70 or 80 feet, and in point of richness has never been surpassed by any similar discovery in the past history of the mine. A charge of 101,000 pounds, of which 70,000 were composed of this rich ore, 31,000 pounds of "granza," or ordinary ore, and 48.000 pounds of adobes, worth 4 per cent, making a total charge of 105,800 pounds, yielded on the day of our visit, 460 flasks of mercury at 764 pounds to the flask. This yield is almost without parallel in the history of the mine. The only preparation which the ores undergo, preparatory to reduction, consists of hand-breaking, or "cobbing," for the removal of the unproductive rock.

The small ores and dirt hoisted from the mine are made into "adobes," or sundried bricks, sufficient clay for the purpose being associated with the ore. The object of these "adobes" is to build up the mouths of the furnaces to sustain the load of richer ores. No flux is employed, there being sufficient lime associated with the ores to aid the decomposition of the sulphurets.

The furnaces are built entirely of brick, in dimensions capable of holding from 60,000 to 110.000 pounds, according to the character of the ores employed. The chambers are fired from a lateral furnace, fed with wood, and separated from the ore by a wall pierced with numerous openings by the omission of bricks for that purpose.

Connected with the furnace is a series of lofty and capaeious chambers, also of masonry, through which the whole product of combustion is compelled to pass alternately above and below, from chamber to chamber, until all the available mercury is condensed. The draft from these furnaces is carried by inclined stacks up to the top of a lofty hill several hundred feet distant; and here the sulphurous acid and other effete products of the furnace are discharged. Formerly, no precautions were taken to prevent the escape of mercury through the foundations of the furnace to the earth beneath; now, the furnaces stand upon double arches of brick work, and plates of iron are built into the foundations, so as to cut off entirely all descending particles of the metal and turn them inward. To be convinced of the importance of this precaution, it is sufficient to watch the operation of the furnace for a few moments, when an intermittent stream may be seen to flow into a reservoir provided for it, and which by the former process was completely lost in the earth.

On taking up the foundations of some of the old furnaces, within the last two years, the metal was found to have penetrated, or rather permeated, completely through the foundation and clay of the substructure down to the bed-rock beneath, a depth of not less than 25 or 30 feet. Over 2,000 flasks of mercury were thus recovered in a single year from the foundations of the two furnaces. This loss is entirely avoided by the improved construction which has been adopted.

The whole process of reduction is extremely simple, the time occupied from one charge to another being usually about seven days. The metal begins to run in from four to six hours after the fires are lighted, and in about sixty hours the process is completed. The metal is conducted through various condensing chambers by means of pipes of iron, to a "crane-neck," which discharges into capa

cious kettles. It undergoes no further preparation for market, being quite clean from all dross.

Deducting 2 years, during which the mines were in a state of inactivity, pend ing the decision of the law-suit, the average monthly product for 12 years has been not far from 2,500 flasks, of 76 pounds each, of mercury. The selling price in San Francisco is, at present, and has been for some time past, 75 cents per pound, while in London and New York it has ranged from 40 to 50 cents per pound.

San Francisco, May, 1864.

BREADSTUFFS.-EXPORTS TO GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND AND THE CONTINENT FROM THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.

THE exports of breadstuffs the past year show a great decrease in quantities and still greater decrease in values over previous years. As to the corn trade it has been almost entirely suspended, the small shipments that were made being at a loss.

The following is an estimate of the total quantities and value of the shipments of flour, wheat, and corn, from the United States to Great Britain, Ireland, and the Continent, from September, 1, 1863, to September 1, 1864, compared with the previous year:

Below we give our usual table of the exports of breadstuffs from the United

States for the year ending September 1, 1864:

EXPORTS OF BREADSTUFFS FROM UNITED STATES TO GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 1863, TO SEPTEMBER 1, 1864.

The following are the total quantities for the last eighteen years:

Below we give the exports for a series of years to the continent from the United States, and also a table showing the quantities exported during same time from Canada:

NEW YORK CITY AND COUNTY RESOURCES, DEBT, SINKING FUND, ETC.

THE necessary means to defray the ordinary expenses of the New York City and County governments are derived from: first, the general fund, which comprises all the ordinary revenues except such as have been especially appropriated and pledged to the sinking fund; second, the annual taxes which are included in the general levy made by the Board of Supervisors for State, County, and City purposes.

ANNUAL TAXES.

The following were the purposes and amounts for which taxes were levied for the year 1863: