Violets, anemones,
Bursting into birth;
Nature's painted playthings-
The pretty things of earth!

Blooming in the woodlands,
Underneath the trees;
Little meek-eyed violets,
Pale anemones!

Clustering by the brookside,

Clustering in the glen,

Nature hides her dearest flowers,
Far away from men ;

Robes herself in velvet,

Jewelled like an earl's;

Violets- anemones-
Amethysts and pearls.

Gold Mines.

GOLD is one of the purest of all metals, and is not liable to perish by rust or by the action of fire. It is of a very bright yellow color, easily bent, and can be hammered so thin that a single grain can be made to cover more than fifty square inches, and then divided into five hundred thousand parts, each of which can be seen with the naked eye.

Gold is found in primitive mountains, usually in slender veins, often penetrating the hardest rock. But it is more commonly obtained in very small grains from the alluvial soil which forms the beds of rivers, or the sides of channels, which have been created by floods and are frequently covered with water. Many have supposed that these fragments are washed down from the adjoining mountains; and persons have frequently endeavored to trace them up to their supposed original beds, where they hoped to find large quantities of gold, and become rich at once. But in all cases the miners have been disappointed; for where the sands of the rivers afford golden

grains, the particles have become scarcer as the searchers approached the rocks from which the streams have issued. The general belief among geologists now is that the gold is thrown up from the bowels of the earth by volcanoes, and that the rivers are constantly carrying the loose and light soil towards the sea, while the heavy grains of gold sink to the bottom and remain there.

Gold has been found in many European countries, and in Asia and Africa, but in moderate quantities. At the present time, America takes the lead in furnishing mankind with the precious metal. Mexico is rich in gold mines, the principal of which are situated inland from the sea, in the provinces of Zacatecas, New Biscay, and Mexico proper. But the veins are generally small, and the produce uncertain. It has been observed that gold mines have generally ruined those who have engaged in them; although the purifying of the ore is not so expensive as that of other metals. This happens because the veins are very apt to fail. For some distance, the vein will be full and rich, and then it is suddenly lost. When, indeed, a vein can be traced to its end, the miners frequently find what is called the purse of the mine, or such a considerable quantity of gold as at once makes the fortune of the adventurer.

The gold in Mexico, as in other parts of the world, is found in two different states; either within the rock, in veins, or scattered in small particles in the sands of rivers. It is sometimes found in lumps, or masses, which are called native gold; but more frequently it exists in a mineralized state, mingled with other substances, as earth, stone, sulphur, &c. In this state it would not be recognized to be gold by an inexperienced person; for it is red, white, or black, as it may happen, and shows none of its brilliancy or metallic char

acter.

When gold is found in this state of mixture, the ore is broken in pieces, in a mill, consisting of an upright circular stone, which turns on its axis, while it traverses a circular trough, such as is employed in grinding bark in England. When the ore is thus broken, some of the refuse is easily separated from it. To the remaining mass a considerable quantity of quicksilver is added, which, having a strong attraction for gold, fastens upon every particle of it, and draws it away from whatever it had been attached to.

When the gold is thus amalgamated with the quicksilver, a full stream of water is let into the vessel, which carries with it the lighter matters, earth, &c., and leaves at the bottom the heavy metal: the amalgam, thus cleansed, is squeezed in a cloth; and much of the quicksilver being forced out, the remainder is driven off by fire, which leaves the gold pure.

When the miners suspect gold to be in the bed of a river, they turn the stream away from those spots in which they conceive it may lie. Then they loosen the bottom of the river, by digging; and in this loosened state the soil is easily washed off by the current, which is let in suddenly for the purpose; and a stiff earth remains, in which the gold is concealed. The waters are again turned off, and the workmen dig up this earth, which they carry away to the lavaderos, or washing places. Here it is kept continually stirred with iron hooks and rakes, while water, rushing in, carries away the earthy matter; and the gold, from its weight, falls to the bottom. Still it is mingled with a black heavy sand, which hides the gold, unless there be a few lumps larger than the general size; and, to get rid of this sand, it is put in successive portions into a shallow dish, deepest in the middle, and filled up with water. With their spread fingers the workmen then whirl the whole round and round; so that the water and sand may pass over the edges of the dish, and the pure grains of gold remain in the central hollow. This gold is obtained without the aid of quicksilver or fire.

Brazil is, perhaps, one of the two richest gold countries in the world. The discovery of her gold mines was made by a party of soldiers, who were sent into the inland provinces to quell an insurrection, and found among the natives some fishhooks made of gold. On inquiry they were informed that the gold was brought down from the mountains by the floods, when the torrents came rushing into the valleys. This was enough to instigate a diligent search. It is true, only a few veins of gold were discovered, but the quantity of grains found after the flood exceeded belief. This searching for gold is now the employment of negroes, who have this privilege, that if any one brings the quantity required of him, his master cannot demand of him any more. Should he find more, it becomes his own property; and, if he can save enough of it, he may purchase his freedom.

Henry. Good-evening, Mr. Forrester; we have been waiting very anxiously for the cars. You see our room is full to night.

M. F. So much the better. It is a source of great pleasure to me to know that I can be instrumental in imparting knowledge, in my rough way, to the young. But we have no subject fixed upon for to-night. What shall we talk about?

M. F. Stop, stop! one at a time, and I will settle the matter. We cannot talk about two things at once. I will write down the subjects on this scrip of paper, and put a number against each one. There are six of them. Now, Henry, what number will you choose? Henry. Number three.

M. F. Well, let me see number three, RIVERS.

So, with your permission, we will converse a little while about those great natural veins of the earth. But what are rivers ?