GRYLL'S STATISTICS OF COPPER ORES.

The following statement of copper ores sold from each mine, British and Foreign, is derived from Gryll's Annual Mining Sheet, from June 30th, 1846, to June 30th, 1847 :-

BRITISH NORTH AMERICAN MINING COMPANY.

The silver mine of the British North American Mining Company, known as Colonel Prince's Location, is attracting considerable notice at present, in consequence of the ascertained extent of the vein, and the exceeding richness of the ore. The "American Mining Journal” states, on what is deemed good authority, that "the vein has been distinctly traced for more than three miles on the north shore of Lake Superior, opposite Spar Island; and that the metalliferous portion is from three to five feet in width. The captain of the mine has sunk a shaft into the silver-bearing portion several feet, with increased richness of the ore as he descended; and it would really seem, from the developments already made, that the mine of this company is the richest silver mine in the world. The depth of the vein cannot, of course, be determined; but if the experience of those who have worked silver mines elsewhere can have any application to this mine, the extent of its wealth cannot well be overrated.

We have just seen a number of specimens of ore taken from this mine, which are said to be a fair average of several barrels recently forwarded to the office of the company, in Montreal. They are very rich, containing, we should judge, near 12 per cent silver. We also saw a bar of pure silver, weighing about five pounds, smelted from the ore, and about forty pounds of the ore, which had been roasted and pulverized preparatory to smelting. There is a large force now at work on the mine, and it is the intention of this company to have one hundred tons of ore ready for shipment on the opening of navigation in the spring. A considerable quantity is now on its way to Montreal, where it is daily expected. The annual report of this company was published in the ninth number of the "Mining Journal.”

USEFUL TABLES OF DRY MEASURES.

The following tables of dry measures, which are selected from the Prairie Farmer, are worthy attention. They will be found sufficiently correct for all practical purposes. The first table is cubic boxes, and the first column of inches and decimals of inches are the cube root (or sides of the boxes) of the cubic inches contained in each box, which is the second column of inches, &c. The second table is oblong boxes, and the first two columns of inches are the width and length of the bottom, and the third column of inches, &c., are the height of the boxes. As the inches on most measures of length are divided into eighths, &c., the decimals of inches in the tables can be reduced into 8ths, 16ths, and 100ths, if wanted. The rule for laying out boxes is thus:-Divide the cubic inches in the measure or box wanted by the area of the bottom, and the quotient will be the height. Thus for a peck, as in the table, 8, multiplied by 9, is equal to 72; 537.6, divided by 72, is equal to 7.466; .466, multiplied by 32, equals almost 15-32, of an inch, equal to 7 and 15-32 inches high, which is near enough for common use; and so of all the rest.

SCHNEBLY'S ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

This newly invented steam-engine possesses, as we learn from experienced engineers, the following advantages over the ordinary engine:

1. The Rotary motion is original and complete, without any waste of power or possibility of interruption, like the "stopping on the centre," well known to all who work with

steam.

2. This engine occupies not more than one-third the room required by the old ones. 3. It is less than half the weight of an ordinary engine of equal power-a vital consideration in steamboats, on railroads, &c. >

4. It requires much less fuel-a fact of great importance, in view especially of the rapid extension and increase of Ocean Steam Navigation.

5. It costs considerably less money than any other engine of equal capacity..

This last is a circumstance quite adverse to what is usual. Generally, when a machine is invented to save labor or fuel, or to increase power, it must encounter the drawbacks of increased cost. Manufacturers and operators of machinery are weary of looking at inventions which promise to save them so many hundred dollars per year, but require an immediate outlay of thousands to effect it; but here is an invention which economizes not only in future, but first cost, giving treble power from the same weight of metal and on the same area of space, while you have less to pay for it than for any other of equal force.

IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SCREW-WINCH.

The London Mining Journal furnishes a description of this useful tool, which has just been registered by Messrs. Smith and English, of Princes-street, Leicester-square, which, while it possesses all the powers and capabilities of the old screw-handle screw. winch, can be applied in a considerably less time, is equally effective, and much more economical. The fixed jaw and handle is the same as usual, only the latter has a serrated rack on its upper surface. The moveable jaw has a corresponding rack in the upper face of the slot, and is furnished at the bottom with a pin, which makes a quarter revolution; having on one portion of its circumference a flat surface, and worked by a trigger. When this flat surface is uppermost, the jaw slides easily; but, on depressing the trigger, the cylindrical face of the pin bites against the handle, and fixes the jaw by the aid of the two racks. It works with the greatest rapidity.

COPPER MINES OF CUBA.

We learn from a late London journal, that a company is in course of formation at Madrid, with the object of working some copper mines in Cuba. It demands that it should have, during a period of forty years, the privilege of importing into Spain copper ore free of duty, and then, again, the same privilege of exporting abroad. It also demands that a duty should be imposed on all other companies exporting from Cuba. This matter had been referred by the government to the royal council, by whom it was decided, with a majority of eight votes to seven, that the privilege of free importation from Cuba should be granted, but for twenty-five years only. Senor Burgos, an influential member of the council, has also a considerable interest in the company.

AN AMERICAN CHINAWARE MANUFACTORY.

We learn from the Philadelphia Inquirer that a gentleman named Ridgway, from Staffordshire, England, has established a manufactory of china and queensware, on the Big Sandy river, in Western Virginia, within a mile and a half of the Ohio river. This manufactory is already the nucleus of a new town, which is rapidly rising around it; while further to the eastward, and especially in Tazewell, Cabell, and Logan counties, extensive settlements of farms and vineyards are also in progress. There are valuable mines of bituminous and cannel coal in the same region, with salt, iron ore, gypsum, lead, and limestone, in abundance.

METALS AND ORES OF AMERICA.

We find this brief statement of metals, etc., in a late number of the "American Mining Journal:"-___

At the last meeting of the Association of American Geologists and Naturalists, Dr. T. C. Jackson, the president of the society, in an essay on the subject, explained the state in which the metals and ores of America are found.

GOLD, nearly pure. The author explained the different methods of washing and separating the metals in the United States and Brazil, and that the greatest gold deposit in the world is in the eastern slope of the Oural mountains.

SILVER, in the pure or native state, is found in many places, but more generally in combination, as with copper, lead, zinc, etc. Native silver and native copper, are occasionally found in the same specimen. Such is the case with the metals as they occur in the Lake Superior copper.

NATIVE COPPER occurs in the igneous rocks, as the basalt, greenstone, amygdaloid, etc. TIN has not yet been found in quantities which justify the attempt at working it in the United States. The only known localities are in New Hampshire.

LEAD, as an ore, is next in value to copper. It is generally found in combination with sulphur, constituting the galena, or sulphuret of lead. In the Western States, the lead is nearly a pure sulphuret, but often contains a little silver, amounting toper cent. Five to seven pounds of silver have occasionally been obtained from a ton of lead ore.

IMPROVEMENT IN SMELTING COPPER.

It is stated in the London Mining Journal, that a patent has been obtained for a process of smelting copper ores, whether consisting of the oxides, sulphurets, or carbonates, on a principle entirely new, and by which pure merchantable copper can be produced at a cost of £5 per ton.

The trials of methods now in operation at Swansea, Dartmoor, etc., and the success which appears to have followed Mr. Bankart's experiments, render the present invention of great interest to every one at all connected with the copper trade; and we shall endeavor to give the fullest and most clear account of the process, that the materials with which we may be furnished will enable us to do.

A NEW MINERAL-SULPHATO-CHLORID OF COPPER.

Professor Connel remarks amongst some minerals which were lately put into his hands by Mr. Brooke for chemical examination, there was one which he found to consist of sulphuric acid, chlorine, copper, and a little water. Although he had not enough material to determine the proportions of the constituents, there can be no doubt that it consists of sulphate and chlorid of copper, with a little water. It occurs in small but beautiful fibrous crystals; which, according to Mr. Brooke, are hexagonal prisms, having the angles replaced, and thus belong to the rhombohedral system. Their color is a fine blue-pale when the fibres are delicate, but much deeper where they become thicker. Lustre, vitreous-translucency, considerable-locality, Cornwall. The mineral is associated with arseniate of copper. Ten specimens are at present known; one is in the British Museum.

RELATIVE WEIGHT OF METALS.

The following table comprises a list of the metals generally known, with their relative weight, as compared with that of water, which is allowed to weigh one thousand ounces per cubic foot: