COMPARATIVE TABLE

Showing certain Statistical Returns made for the State of Michigan, with the census of 1840, compared with similar Returns of Assessors made 1849.

NOTE-The Returns of 1840, included those from every county in the State; those of 1949, are exclusive of the City of Detroit, and 20 Townships, not reported.

Report of S. V. R. Trowbridge, Assistant Agent United States Mineral Lands.

HON. GEO. W. PECK,

OFFICE OF THE MINERAL AGENCY, Saut Ste. Marie, Sept. 26, 1849.

Secretary of State:

SIR:-Your communication requesting statistical and other information in relation to the copper and other minerals of Lake Superior, has been submitted to this office. The undersigned, assistant agent of the U. S. Mineral Lands, was directed by the Hon. John W. Allen, principal agent, to proceed to Lake Superior and examine the mines and all that part of the country containing mineral, in the region of Lake Superior.

I beg leave respectfully to submit the following report. On the 29th of August, I left this place in the propeller Napoleon; the mouth of the Ontonagon was my first destination. As the steamer did not call, I proceeded to Lapointe, and returned on the 6th of September to Ontonagon; on Saturday, 8th of September, hired me a boat and started for Minesota mines.

This mine is twelve miles by land, and twenty by water, from the Lake. The Ontonagon is a fine stream, and is navigable for any vessels to the Grand Rapids, eleven miles, and for boats twenty miles above. The Minesota mine is two miles from the river. Upon this location was discovered the ancient diggings which are now found to exist over a vast extent of the country, and which excite the curiosity and wonder of every one.

Here are two immense bluffs of the trap rock range, half a mile distant, and running east and west. These bluffs are, in many places, very precipitous, and attain an altitude of ten and eleven hun

dred feet above the level of the lake.

Upon the first bluff from the river are the improvements and mining operations of the company, under the magement of Mr Knapp, a very excellent and energetic nan. Upon the southern declivity of the bluff the reining has commenced. Three parallel

rows of ancient diggings extend for two or three miles through the forest, from twenty to fifty yards apart, easily discovered by the large indentations in the earth and rock, at some places like a cavity twenty to thirty feet in breadth. On one of these pits & hemlock tree is standing, of immense size, and the cavern extends some distance under the tree, worked out of solid rock, into which I crept and found one of the ancient hammers, a small bolder, with an indenta tion around it to hold a withe or handle.

At one point of the bluff, the rock had been worked out and thrown up in immense quantities.

From every appearance, a very large amount of labor had been performed. It is easily seen that this mining has been carried or by burning and roasting the rock, and beating off with their ham

mers.

Copper is found in all these pits, by removing the earth and vege table matter. In one pit, Mr. Knapp found a mass of pure copper weighing six tons, and worth $1,800, the timber and tools under and around the mass ten feet below the surface. In that pít a shaft is now working and here are the works.

I went down fifty feet. The vein or lode is rich and masses are constantly found. Another shaft, one hundred and fifty feet distant, is now working, thirty-five feet deep. A drift to pass from one to another has been made.

Fifty tons of masses have been forwarded this season to market. The company has just commenced. Mr. Knapp has been there but eighteen or twenty months; he has now eighty men in all. In Cornish language, "the mine has a good show." I took some pains to examíne veins. I found large masses in both shafts, and the whole drift filled with good stamp work. The country is but partially known; parties are constantly out discovering copper and finding veins. A miner at Mr. Knapp's informed me that he had found a large mass some distance in the woods, upon government land, while passing through to see a friend.

I came down the river on the 12th of September, and proceeded

in an open boat to east down the Eagle River to visit the Cliff and North American mines. The Cliff mine stands now at the head of all the copper mines in the world for producing the pure metal. On Monday morning, September 15th, I was invited by Capt. Jennings, to visit and explore the whole interior eperation of this rich mine. I was presented with a full miner's suit, and then doffing my own garb, with a large overdress and iner's cap, candle in hand, I started to descend ladders two hundred and sixty-five feet in the bowels of the earth.

Capt. Jennings, to whose kindness and hospitality I am much indebted, is an old miner, and has been employed from his early youth in the mines of Cornwall, and whose knowledge of mines has been obtained by years of practical experience.

He was my guide and protecter, and guaranteed most explicitly my safety. Te go inte the earth perpendicularly two hundred and sixty-five feet, was new to me, and from my natural timidity, I supposed that I never could be brought to encounter such an adventure. Capt. J. said, "Come along, come along-I'll warrant you." He took my candle and placed around it some clay, and down the ladder (made with iron rounds) we went forty feet to another ladder, and another, and another, &c., until we had descended the two hundred and sixty-five feet, to the lowest level. The bolts are horizontal drifts, five in number. In some are small rail tracks to move the ore each way to the principal shaft, where it is elevated by whims. A whim is a large wooden drum, made around an upright post; a horizontal shaft passes through the post; mules are harnessed to the ends of the shaft; a large rope passes round the drum, connected through pullies to the copper.

The descent of the mine is not dangerous; but still, to a stranger, it is attended with some risk.

In passing along the fifth level, we passed a mass of copper one hundred and twenty-five feet in length, and varying from one to two and a half feet in thickness, and depth unknown. At one place, Capt. J. says, here are one hundred tons of pure copper in sight.

On the second level, we passed another of the same description. We continually encountered miners, two and three in number, with their candles fastened against the immense rock wall by sticking on some clay; some cutting the great masses with cold chisels, (a long