The mill is situated on South Fork, whence it obtains a water-power of 42 feet fall. A Tyler turbine gives 150 horse-power. There are 20 stamps, of 550 pounds each. The gold is very fine and is saved with difficulty, owing to the creamy consistency of the slimes. The method followed is to amalgamate in battery, discharge into pans, riffle-boxes, &c., and save the sands below, as they contain a large percentage of gold. The distance from the mine to the mill is some 2,000 feet, the mine being above the mill some 1,500 feet. The distance from Mariposa is eighteen miles, by a good road to the summit opposite the mill, whence there is a very abrupt and difficult descent to the bottom-say 2,000 feet in half a mile. The present estimated value of the mine and improvements is half a million dollars. The water-power is ample for the present mill for ten months in the year. Timber is obtained within five miles of the mine. The workings are dry, but owing to the softness of the walls heavy timbering is required. No "deads" are left, as all the vein is taken out for crushing. The product of this mine for the year ending July 1, 1870, was not far from $180,000.

Of placer-mining operations in Mariposa County there is little to be said. The aggregate of gold from this source during 1870 will probably not exceed $25,000.

TUOLUMNE COUNTY.

No change of importance is reported to me in the mining industry of this county since last year.

Little hydraulic mining has been going on, only four claims being reported in operation. These employed six men on an average of ten months, at about $60 in wages. Water costs from 8 to 10 cents per inch. The total product of these claims for the year ending June 1, 1870, was $20,000, making the average yield per hand per day of this class of mines $12 65; which must be considered as very good returns. The claims producing the most were those of Spalding & Co., which yielded $5,400, employing two men ten months, and of Hayner & Co., which yielded $10,200, employing the same number of hands during the

same time.

Eight quartz mines have been worked during the year, and in these sixty-seven men were employed an average of 8.7 months, at about $3 per day. The whole product for the year ending June 1, 1870, was according to the returns of the mills, $165,900, or about $13 $2 for each ton of ore worked. The following mines produced: Eagle, 2,500 tons; Golden Rule, 3,000 tons; App, 2,000 tons; Heslep, 1,900 tons; Reist & Co., 1,425 tous; Mount Jefferson Company, 1,400 tons. The principal mills reduced ore as follows: The Eagle, 2,100 tons, yielding $31,500; the Golden Rule, 2,600 tons, $38,500; the App, 1,600 tons, $23,000; the Heslep, 1,500 tons, $20,000; Reist & Co., 1,200 tons, $13,000; Mount Jefferson Company, tons, $21,500.

The following description of some of the mines of this county, taken from the San Francisco Scientific Press, will prove interesting: "The App mine, on Quartz Mountain, near Jamestown, and some 6 miles from Sonora, is owned by Griffing & Totten. The ledge is 1,000 feet long, and from 15 to 30 feet wide. They have a 25-stamp mill crushing 15 tous per day, but with a capacity of crushing 25. Some twenty men are employed. They are now further developing the mine, the reason of not running to their full capacity. Their rock will run from $15 to per ton. They have a shaft down 580 feet, on an incline of 600, H. Ex. 10-3

$20

The hoisting works are very complete, and run by an engine of 25 horse. power.

"The Heslep, next adjoining the App, and parallel with it, separated only a few hundred feet by an immense horse, is owned and superintended by B. F. Heslep, esq. This ledge is well defined, 14 feet wide and 1,650 feet long. Mr. H. has a 15-stamp mill, run by water-power40-foot wheel. His tunnel is in 700 feet on a water grade. At this point it is 170 feet to the surface. Nine men are regularly employed, crushing 15 tons per day, (twenty-four hours,) and the rock averages $5 per ton.

"The Knox mine, mile from the Heslep, and midway between this and Poverty Hill, is 1,200 feet in length, with about a 20-inch vein. It is owned by Green, Jones & Preston. They have hoisting works run by a 30 horse-power engine, and a mill of 10 stamps and 2 arrastras, now crushing 7 tons per day. They employ fifteen men, and have lately introduced giant powder to expedite their supply of rock, as they are not running to their full capacity. They claim to get an average of $35 per ton out of their rock, exclusive of sulphurets.

"The Golden Rule, of a mile beyond Poverty Hill, and about 7 miles from Sonora, is owned by a joint stock company, principally of San Francisco. A. S. Phifer is its superintendent. The mill of 15 stamps is run by water-power, (50-foot wheel,) and is now crushing 15 tons per day, (twenty-four hours,) which average $10 per ton; sixteen men are employed. This mine was originally owned by a company of Italians, and was first struck in 1863. A tunnel 500 feet in length is run in on a grade with the mill, to which the rock is brought by car. This tunnel runs nearly east; at this point the tunnel runs south 75 feet, where their hoisting works are situated, 87 feet under ground. It cost $36 per foot to run it. The hoisting works are run by an engine of 12 horse-power. At the hoisting works there is a vertical shaft 225 feet deep from the surface. The hanging wall is of serpentine, and the foot wall of feldspar formation. The vein is from 7 to 9 feet wide, and is nearly 90 per cent. slate. Free gold is found in each of the above-named formations often 4 inches deep in the foot wall, which goes to prove the old Forty-Niners' saying, that gold is just where you find it. The company consume about 25 pounds of giant powder weekly for blasting purposes. Their sulphurets pay them about $40 per ton." The population of this county, according to the last census, is-total, 8,150; Chinese, 1,523.

CALAVERAS COUNTY.

The mining enterprises of this county have been prosecuted with energy during last year. The product from hydraulic shallow placer and quartz mining amounts, according to the returns to the Census Bureau, to $1,080,000 for the twelve months ending June 1. Many shallowplacer claims have been actively worked, but the majority are small affairs, on which all the work is performed by the owners themselves. On 236 claims reported 684 hired men were employed on an average of 7.31 months. Besides these about 250 owners spent an average time of 8.6 months on their claims. The yield per hand per day was low, being $2 57 on an average. Total wages paid, $250,300. The total materials consumed had a value of $109,600. The price paid for water has generally been 10 cents per inch, and the average wages amounted to $50 per month.

The total product of this branch of mining in the county is reported

as a little over $500,000. The largest returns were received from the following claims: Railroad Company, $15,000; Texas Company, $30,000; Paul & Co., $12,000; Crehr & Co., $15,000; Gleason, O'Neil & Co., $10,000; Henry Connelly, $10,000.

Of hydraulic claims 46 are reported. They yielded about $180,000, of which amount the following claims gave the highest yields: Bomig & Co., $15,000; Strong & Mathews, $10,000; Leckerman & Co., $12,000. The quartz mining enterprises of the county are mostly small and a limited amount of capital is invested.

The prices of labor, lumber, and charges for milling during the year, have not varied much from those given in my last report, but it is evident that a tendency to lower the wages begins to gain ground.

Thorp & Co.'s mine was worked by two men during the entire year, and the quartz was worked in their three arrastras. These are driven by a 24-foot water-wheel. They have a flume connected with it 200 feet long. Two men worked in these reduction works and crushed, in twelve months, 450 tons of quartz, which yielded 187 ounces of gold, valued at $3,000.

John Bachman's mine was worked by two men during six months. They took out 200 tons of quartz, valued at $1,000.

A. Acerford's mine has a shaft 90 feet deep. Two men raised, in six months, 150 tons of quartz, valued at $1,200. The ore is raised by windlass.

The Union lode, 5 feet wide, was worked by three men throughout the year; 400 tons of quartz were raised, valued at $5,000. The shaft on this mine is 150 feet deep. The mill of the same company, ten stamps driven by a 20 horse-power water-wheel, crushed this ore and also some custom-rock, producing with nine men in eleven months $1,700.

The following are some of the mines worked during the year:

Reed & Co.: Shaft 80 feet deep; two men took out 200 tons in six months, valued at $1,600.

Davis: Shaft 90 feet deep; ores raised by whim; three men took out in six months 500 tons of quartz, valued at $3,000.

B. K. Thorn & Co.'s mine has two shafts, 85 feet each, from which four men extracted 600 tons of quartz in six months. Value, $3,000. Quaker City: Shaft 150 feet deep; ores raised by horse-whim; six men took out 1,200 tons in twelve months. This ore was worked in the same company's mill, a 10-stamp mill, driven by a 30 horse-power engine and yielded 350 ounces of gold, worth $6,000.

Joseph Lafay's mine: Shaft 160 feet deep. One thousand eight hundred tons of quartz, valued at $9,000, were taken out during the year. Barry, Frank & Co.'s mine has a tunnel 300 feet long and a shaft 90 feet deep. Five men raised, in twelve months, 400 tons of quartz, worth $17.200.

Besides this, the following mines and mills were in operation:

Gold Mountain Company worked its 5-stamp mill, driven by 8 horsepower engine, for three months with ten hands, and produced $6,600. Reserve Company has a 20-stamp mill, driven by a 30 horse-power water-wheel. Produced, in eight months, employing nine men, $7,000. The Finnegan Mining Company ran its 5-stamp mill, driven by an 8 horse-power engine, for a short time with two men, and produced only a little over $300.

Angel's Quartz Mining Company produced $48,000. This company employed fifty men for eleven months.

Garret & Co. crushed 1,800 tons of cement, yielding 337 ounces of gold, valued at $5,400. "heir mine has a tunnel 300 feet long and a

shaft 50 feet deep. The 5-stamp mill is driven by a 20 horse-power over-shot water-wheel.

Bouckell & Co. employed twelve men throughout the year in their mill and mine. The former has 5 stamps driven by a centrifugal waterwheel, and a flume, 600 feet long, is connected with it. The product was $37 ounces, valued at $15,000.

The Golden Gate Mining Company have a tunnel 450 feet long. Their 6-stamp mill produced, with twenty men, during twelve months, 1,350 ounces of gold, valued at $20,000.

Gwin & Coleman have a 35 horse-power hoisting and pumping engine at their mine. The shaft is 300 feet deep and four levels are run from it. From these they took 9,000 tons of quartz with twenty-eight men in twelve months. This ore was worked in their 16-stamp mill, which is driven by a 30 horse-power water-wheel. Besides the stamps it contains two pans and one concentrator. Seven men were employed for twelve months. The product was 3,000 ounces of gold worth $48,000, and 50 tons of concentrated sulphurets valued at $4,000. These sulphurets, together with others, were worked in chlorination works, which were erected for custom work by a firm whose name is not given by my agent. The works consist of a concentrator, one furnace and the necessary vats, precipitating vessels and generator. They employed five men for six months, and treated altogether 200 tons of sulphurets, which yielded 800 ounces of gold valued at $16,000.

Rathgeb & Co.'s mill, containing five stamps and one pan, driven by a 25-foot water-wheel, employed two men for twelve months and produced $5,000.

Alexander & Co.'s mill, containing two centrifugal water-wheels of 25 horse-power, together driving ten stamps and two pans, worked the ore from the company's own mine. Twelve men were employed in the mine and mill for twelve months, and the product was $20,000.

Chas. Clacklin & Co.'s mine is opened by a shaft 140 feet deep, and a tunnel 200 feet long. Eight men took out, during twelve months, 4,000 tons of quartz, which were worked in the company's 15-stamp mill and yielded 1,250 ounces of gold worth $20,000. The mill has also three pans, the whole being driven by a 20 horse-power engine, and six men were employed throughout the year.

Albert Lazy has worked a crusher and two grinders, and produced $10,000 from 500 tons of quartz.

John F. Henry's mine has a shaft 150 feet, with whim for raising the ore. Three men were employed for six months and took out 100 tons of quartz. His mill contains eight stamps, one pan and one concentrator, all moved by a 25-foot water-wheel. Two men were employed for twelve months and 1,500 tons of quartz reduced. The product was 1,875 ounces of gold worth $30,000.

Besides those mentioned, many smaller quartz mining enterprises were in operation during part of the fiscal year, and the total product of this branch of mining may be safely estimated at not less than $340,000.

The population of the county is, according to the late census: Total, 8,895; Chinese, 1,432.

AMADOR COUNTY.

Quite a number of hydraulic claims are reported as having been in operation, but most of them were carried on by the owners themselves, who employed very little help. The sixty claims reported gave employ ment to 223 men for an average of 7.2 months, and the total product

was about $125,000. Exact returns of yield I have been unable tc obtain, but the figure indicated is not taken too high. The yield of these mines per day per hand has been low for several years past, and did not exceed $3 last year. The price paid for water was 5 cents per inch. An unfortunate fire in the principal shaft of the Amador mine in the month of April, 1870, caused a suspension of mining operations for four months. The following figures taken from the secretary's report for the calendar year 1870 give the most important items connected with the business of the company: "The receipts for the year from all sources were $341,701, including $301,533 from the proceeds of ore. The disbursements were 341,437, including $111,000 in dividends to stockholders, $98,298 for construction of shaft and improvements, $63,405 on mine account, and $20,887 for general expenses."

Besides the Amador, the Keystone, Oneida, Potosi, Lincoln, and Marklee mines have been worked. I estimate the yield of these mines for the year ending June 30, 1870, as follows: Keystone, $300,000; Potosi, $12,000; Oneida, $128,000; Lincoln, $30,000; Marklee mine, $20,000. Four hundred and fifty-six men were employed in eleven quartz mines, which were in operation for an average period of eleven months. The wages paid are about $75 per month.

Only thirty-seven placer claims are reported in operation, and the yield per day per hand is little over $2, hardly wages; two hundred and seven men were employed on these claims on an average of 7.6 months, and many of those working were owners. The total product was less than $50,000. Water has been sold throughout the year at prices varying from 3 to 5 cents per inch.

The population of the county, according to the census of 1870, is: Total, 9,582; Chinese, 1,629.

PLACER COUNTY.

Both hydraulic and placer mining has been carried on actively and with good results. The quartz mines so far worked have yielded small returns, and the business is not very encouraging. The reports from fifteen placer claims, worked during 8.88 months on an average, give $176,000 as the yield for the year ending June 1, 1870. One hundred and forty-six men were employed at about $60 per month, and the average product per day per hand was $5.

The Mountain Company, the only one which works in the "back channel" at Forrest Hill, has 2,300 feet of main and 1,700 feet of branch tunnels completed, and produced $40,000; the Mountain Gate Company, with 3,100 feet of tunnels, produced $35,000; the Morning Star, $20,000; and the Cañon Creek Company, $12,000.

The total product of twenty-one hydraulic claims in operation in this County is reported as $385,000. They gave employment to one hundred and sixty-two men, who were employed for 6.25 months on an average. The average yield per day per man was $14 50, and the wages paid were from $70 to 75 per month.

The largest returns were received from the following claims: Pond & Co., at Todd's Valley, $25,000; Van Emon Bros., $35,000; Harkness Company, $34,000; Indiana Hill, $14,000; Gosling Ravine Company, $30,000. These hydraulic claims, according to the returns per day per hand above mentioned, must be ranked among the richest in California. Few quartz mines were in actual operation. The product of the five mines reported amounts in the aggregate to only $58,000 for the year ending June 1, 1870, and the operations seem to have left little profit.