its management, which is under the charge of C. C. Douglass, Esq., is highly skilful, judicious, and economical. Its stock sells at the board for fifteen

dollars.

Portage Mine.-Directly north of the Isle Royal, and within about half a mile of the lake shore, lies the Portage mine, carrying the same vein, with the same indications which are presented upon the former. Four shafts have been sunk upon this vein, and its appearance justifies very high expectations. No. 1 and 2 shafts have been sunk about 70 feet, from which barrel, stamp and small masses have been taken. No. 3 shaft, which is just commenced, is found to be very rich. No. 4 shaft is on the vein 200 feet distant from No. 1, 66 feet in depth, and has produced copper from the surface.

The Cazique Mine, which has lately been bought out by the old Albion company. formerly operating one mile south-west of the North American, takes the Isle Royal vein, and work is just commencing upon it with fine prospects. This location is directly east of the Portage.

The Webster is a new enterprise, lying east and south of the Cazique or Albion, and east of the Isle Royal.

The Montezuma is also a new mine, taking the parallel vein of the Isle Royal, and lying directly west of the Portage mine and directly on the lake shore. Old practical miners have the greatest confidence in this location, and the operations now about to commence upon it will, without doubt, satisfy their hopes.

The Dacotah, a new enterprise, lies still west of the Montezuma; a tract of land lying south-west from the Isle Royal mine, and taking the same vein, is owned by Phelps, Dodge & Co., of New York.

This disposes of the Portage mines south of the lake, and we next come to those across it, which are

The Quincy Mine, lying on the west of Portage lake, directly opposite the Montezuma and Dacotah. This mine is employing a small force, in mining and exploring. The company have lately opened three new veins, from one of which they have taken several lumps or small masses of copper, varying from one to two hundred pounds. The mine looks and promises finely.

The Pewabic, which is a new company, lies directly on the north shore of the lake, east of the Quincy, is employing a few men and have opened their vein with fair prospects.

The Ripley is a new enterprise, the location of which is east of the Pewabic, on the north shore of Portage lake, having an extensive front on the lake, and taking the Isle Royal vein after it has crossed the lake. The Ripley has opened five new veins which vary in width from three to fourteen feet, which are rich in shot copper. Two other veins have lately been discovered upon their location, and are now employing thirty men, with fine prospects. The stock commands five dollars per share.

The Cornwall lies directly back or still north from the Ripley, and about two miles from the north shore of Portage lake. This is a new mine.

Mr. Ransom Sheldon, the enterprising Superintendent of the Isle Royal and Portage mines, jointly with Mr. Douglass and the original proprietor of the Isle Royal location, foreseeing the amount of business which must ultimately spring up upon the Portage lake, has secured the immediate lake front for a considerable distance, from which operation he must realize a handsome sum.

The novelty of the leading characteristic of the Portage mines is the great width of the veins, and the friable character of the rock of which they are composed, and in which the copper is found. It is by no means unusual to find the vein fourteen feet in thickness, and carrying rich stamp and barrel work, and small masses easily handled, not generally exceeding five hundred pounds in weight. These two circumstances together, combine to make the mines at this point very easily worked and productive; hence the popularity which their stocks enjoy, and the confidence with which practical men regard them. The only drawback upon them, which it must be admitted is a serious one, is the small

quantity of land possessed by them; very few of the mines owning over one section.

The Bruce mine is on the Canadian side of the Lake, at the north-western extremity of the Georgian Bay. A recent visit to it, by one familiar with mining operations, is thus briefly described:

It was evening before we reached the pier in front of the mine, but not so dark as to prevent our seeing, to good advantage, the little village of white houses that has sprung up, as if by magic, on this rocky shore. The noisy stamps and pumps were in motion, and the lights about the engine soon attracted us in that direction. We were politely taken through and shown the extensive engine-house, and other works, and never have we seen a finer engine in motion than this. It is of Cornish make and style, large and powerful; and it is the most finished mining engine in this region of the world. This does the stamping, crushing, pumping and much other work of the kind, and was intended for an extensive smelting apparatus which has been erected, but which is not now in use.

We learned from a gentleman connected with the establishment, that the company have shipped this season about 1400 tons of dressed ore to Swansea, England, and to the Bergen Point Smelting Establishment, near New-York city. Their ore yields a very high per centum of copper, and exceeds, as a general thing, the best ores of Cornwall. They expect to ship about 400 tons of ore more this fall, and had it not been for the scarcity of miners this season, they would have shipped over 2000 tons of ore. They have at this time but a small force of men engaged in mining, and, as near as we could ascertain, their whole number of men would not count over one hundred. They have undoubtedly a rich vein of copper and one that will pay handsomely for working. They have declared a dividend this season of $1 per share of their issued stock, 45,402 shares, and they are in a fair way to make another soon.

Another mine has been commenced on the same range of veins, about threefourths of a mile west of the Bruce, to be called the Wellington mine. The company are now engaged in erecting houses preparatory to the commencement of mining, and the surface indications are favorable for the enterprise. Mr. Vivian, of Cornwall, and lately of the New-York and Michigan mine of Lake Superior, is to take charge of this concern. We believe this to be a district as rich in copper as ever was Cornwall. As yet very little is known of the country. Veins have been found in many places, and rich specimens have been taken from them, and still there are no laborers in this field of enterprise to test their value and extent. The evening before we made our visit at the Bruce mine, explorers came into that place with beautiful specimens of copper from new localities in that neighborhood; and every discovery underground and at the surface, goes to show that here is a mineral region that will sooner or later be taken up and occupied by mining capitalists.

RECENT ENGLISH PATENT FOR IMPROVEMENTS IN OBTAINING COPPER AND OTHER METALS FROM ORES, OR MATTERS CONTAINING THEM.—TO THOMAS TRUEMAN, SWANSEA.

This invention consists in acting on oxide ores (or sulphuret ores, after they are reduced to oxides by calcination), by digesting them in acids, and afterwards applying muriate of lime, and lime. If sulphuric acid be used for extracting copper from the ore, the copper alone will be dissolved, and may be drawn off; leaving sulphate of silver, which is to be washed out by hot water, and added to the sulphate of copper previously ran off. Common salt or muriatic acid is to be added to this solution, to throw down the silver as a chloride; the solution of sulphate of copper is then to be run off, and muriate of lime added to it to form muriate of copper, and a precipitate of sulphate of lime. The muriate of copper thus formed, is to be run off, and lime added to it to throw down the copper in the form of oxide, leaving muriate of lime in solution, which is to

be again used for the previous process. The oxide of copper and the chloride of silver are to be treated in the usual way to obtain the metals. The residue in the first tank, after the copper and silver solutions have been drawn off, is to be boiled in a solution of caustic alkali to extract the oxide of tin, which may be obtained from the caustic solution by various means; or the residue may be smelted in the usual way to obtain tin. If muriatic acid be used, the copper alone will be dissolved out, and may be at once treated with muriate of lime, and lime, as before stated; the chloride of silver, left in the first tank, to be dissolved out by a hot solution of common salt. or of hyposulphite of lime from which the silver may be obtained by various means; the residue is to be treated as before. If nitric acid be used, both silver and copper will be dissolved. The silver may be obtained by the addition of salt, or muriatic acid, the same as from the sulphate of copper solution. The copper is to be thrown down from the solution by soda or potash, forming a solution of nitrate of the substance used, and the solution may be evaporated to obtain crystals; the residue in the first tank is to be treated as before. Some of the slugs, obtained in smelting now in use, are proposed to be treated in a similar manner; that is, by digesting them in acid.

Carbonates of copper may also be treated in a similar manner, with or without calcination, that only being necessary when other metals are present which it is desirable to separate from the copper. By the calcination, some will be per-oxidized and rendered less soluble in acids, and others will be drawn off, two or more acids may be be used together, the after treatment being varied accordingly.

In the treatment of sulphuret ores, the ore is to be ground to fine powder and calcined, at a gradually increasing heat for about twenty-four hours, in order to drive off the sulphur. It is necessary to keep it at a good red heat for the last six hours, which will have the effect of per-oxidizing any iron or tin that may be in the ore; the sulphur should be driven off as completely as possible, and also the arsenic and antimony, if there be any in the ore. In some cases it may be found necessary or convenient to partially calcine the ore before grinding it to powder; in which partially calcined state it is more easily ground, and, after grinding, may be calcined to finish the operation. When the calcination is completed, the ore is to be removed to tubs or vats, or other suitable vessels, and acid added in proportion to the quantity of copper and other metals to be acted on contained in the ore; the proportions to consist of one equivalent of acid to one of copper in the ore, and an additional quantity of acid to act on the silver, if any be present in the ore; water is then to be added to the ore, and acid in the vessel, so as to make an equal or greater weight of water and acid than there is of ore; the whole is then to be boiled and well stirred during the operation. The boiling should be continued for several hours, at the end of which time the ore may be allowed to settle and the supernatant solution drawn off into a tank, which may be called No. 1. Fresh water is then to be added to the ore, to wash out all the copper, and this washing may be added to the solution first drawn off. If the sulphuric acid has been used for acting on the ore, the water used for washing is to be hot; if it is desired to obtain silver from the ore, by the use of hot water the sulphate of silver, previously formed, will be dissolved. This solution may be added to the first portion drawn off; and to it must then be added a muriate (common salt or muriatic acid are the most suitable), sufficient to precipitate all the silver, which may be allowed to remain at the bottom of the tank till a considerable quantity has accumulated. When the precipitation has taken place, the solution containing copper, and perhaps a little iron, is to be drawn off into another tank, No. 2, and chloride of calcium is added,—which will throw down sulphate of lime, leaving chloride of copper in suspension. This solution is drawn off into another tank, No. 3, and milk of lime is added thereto to throw down the copper an an oxichloride: the solution and precipitate, in this tank, should then be well boiled, to concentrate

the precipitate; after which the liquor may be drawn off and used for the previous operation.

The precipitate of oxichloride of copper may accumulate in the bottom till it becomes a foot or more in thickness; and it should then be removed, dried and fused in carbon, to obtain metallic copper. The chloride of silver in No. 1 tank, when a sufficient quantity has accumulated, may be treated in the usual way, to obtain metallic silver.

If, after boiling the ore with acid in the first vessel, and washing it with water, copper should then remain in the residue, a further quantity of acid must be added and the boiling repeated. When all the copper has been obtained, the residue, if containing tin, is to be washed with water, allowing the particles to arrange themselves according to their specific gravity; the oxide of tin being heavier, may thus be obtained nearly free from oxide of iron and earthy matters, and may be reduced by carbon in the usual manner. The residue in

the first vessels may be treated with a strong solution of caustic alkali, for dissolving out the oxide of tin, which may be obtained from the solution by the addition of a large quantity of water. This treatment, or that of washing, may be used so as to arrange the particles according to their specific gravities.

The acid preferred to be used is the muriatic, which may be employed in the following manner: if silver is in the ore, the acid should be sufficiently diluted to prevent the chloride formed from being dissolved, as it should remain in the first vessel with the residue. The chloride of copper, formed at the first washing and boiling of the ore, after being run into No. 1 tank, may have milk of lime added at once, and after boiling in this tank, the solution of chloride of calcium may be allowed to run to waste, or, if found of commercial value, it may be crystallized. The precipitate of oxichloride is to be treated as before directed.

The residue in the first vessel, if containing silver, is then to be treated with a hot solution of common salt, or hyposulphite of lime or soda-the latter salt being preferred; from which, after the solution has been drawn off into another tank, the silver may be precipitated by placing in the solution pieces of iron or other suitable metal. The residue may now be treated as before for tin. "Nitric acid may be used as well as either of the former acids, the solution of copper with which is to be precipitated by potash or soda, which solution, being drawn off from the the precipitated oxide of copper, is to be evaporated and crystallized to obtain nitrate of soda or potash."

As silver will have been dissolved in the first vessel by the use of pure nitric acid, it is advisable to use a very little muriatic acid mixed with the nitric, which will cause the silver to remain in the first vessel with the residue, which is to be treated as directed when muriatic acid has been used.

The slugs produced by the present methods of copper smelting are proposed to be treated in the same way as ore. The slug is to be ground to a fine powder, and cleaned in the same way as the ore, so as to oxidize the various metals which it contains; the subsequent treatment will be the same as with the ore.

Carbonates and oxides of copper may be treated in the same way, either with or without calcination, that only being necessary when other metals besides copper are contained in the ore, and are required to be separated therefrom.

Although the chloride of silver is proposed to be separated from the residue by a solution of common salt, hyposulphite of lime, or soda, the separation may also be effected by the use of mercury, as is well known. The copper may also be precipitated from its solutions by the introduction of another metal, such as iron or zinc.

The patentee remarks that he is aware that acid has before been used to separate small quantities of copper from tin ores; he does not, therefore, claim the same; but what he claims is, the mode herein described, of separating copper from copper ores and slugs; and he also claims the application of earthy and alkaline hyposulphites for dissolving chloride of silver.

IMPROVEMENTS IN CALCINING CERTAIN ORES, AND IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FURNACES FOR THAT PURPOSE; AND FOR CONVERTING CERTAIN PRODUCTS ARISING IN THE PROCESS INTO AN ARTICLE OF COMMERCE, NOT HERETOFORE PRODUCED THEREFROM. Patent dated December 31, 1852. THOMAS BENJAMIN SMITH,

of Bristol.

This invention has reference more particularly to the first operation in smelting sulphuret copper, and other ores; namely, their calcination, by which a portion of the sulphur is expelled, and the metals they contain are oxidized. The inventor proposes to avoid the inconvenience and injury of the ordinary process caused by allowing the free vapors to pass into the open air; and, by condensing the metals which are evolved in the process in flues or pipes, to use the sulphurous vapors for the manufacture of sulphuric acid. For these purposes he uses nearly-closed chambers, furnaces, or retorts, which are heated from without, and by passing heated air into these he does not admit the products of combustion from the fire to mix with the vapors or gases evolved in the process of calcination, as such products would render these vapors unfit for the manufacture of sulphuric acid. With the chamber, furnace, or retort employed he connects suitable flues or pipes, to carry away the vapors, in which he condenses the volatilized metals, while the sulphurous vapors are carried away to suitable chambers, and proceeded with in the ordinary manner of obtaining sulphuric acid from them.

When sulphuric acid is not needed, the process of calcination may be much facilitated, by introducing a much larger quantity of air, which will be an advantage to the smelters.

The inventor also proposes to use a portion of heated oxygenated air at times, to assist the calcination of metallic ores.

Claims.-1. The improved plan of constructing a calcining furnace as before described.

2. The improved mode of calcining, whether the manufacture of sulphuric acid be combined therewith, or not, as described.

3. The use of heated air blown into, or on to the ore in the chamber, furnace, or retort, whereby the calcination of the ore is much facilitated.

4. The manufacture of sulphurous acid from the sulphurous acid obtained in and by the process of calcination.

COPPER SMELTING.

Mr. William Henderson, of Bow Common, has lately taken out a patent for the invention of "improvements in manufacturing sulphuric acid and copper from copper ores, regulus, and matts." The patentee proposes to separate the sulphur from the other matters, and treat it for the manufacture of sulphuric acid, and to act upon copper ores and regulus so that they may be converted into copper by more simple processes than hitherto; dividing his copper ores into three distinct classes, and treating each variety differently, according to the per centage of sulphur they may contain. This first class comprises all above 25 per cent. of sulphur, the second all between 10 and 25 per cent., and the third all under 10 per cent. He states the difficulties in the way of manufacturing sulphuric acid in copper ores have been threefold—the first is, the high heat by which the greater portion of the sulphur is separated from the copper, would destroy the vitriol chambers; the second, the carbonic acid gas and other gases in combination with the smoke, if they did not injure the chamber, are so great as to necessitate a large quantity of nitrate of soda to neutralize them; and third, a large amount of sulphur is sublimed or changed from the ore, which, if passed into a vitriol chamber in this state, would remain as sulphur, and very much retard the production of sulphuric acid. The first objection he proposes to remove by separating all the available sulphur by calcination at a low heat, and superseding, as much as practicable, roastings; the second, by removing a certain class of ores without the aid of fuel, and another sort, in close calciners, by causing the smoke and the gases from the ore to pass separately from the fur