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hundred feet higher up the mountain. The strata are inclined at high angles, the upheaval having been made at or near the close of the cretaceous period. The dip is to the northwest of the mine, being but slightly inclined from the perpendicular. Iron ores, red hematites, which were dug out at or near the surface, lie around the entrance of the vein. Did not go into the mine, the wooden steps being much decayed, and did not get any good specimens of argentiferous galena from it.

In the valley, on the the northwest side of the mountain, about one mile distant from the Padre mine, is a vein of argentiferous galena from two to three feet thick, which seems very promising. It is in hard limestones, which contain large rhomboidal crystals of calcite. Here diggings to the depth of only two or three feet have been made, and good specimens obtained at several places, the vein extending one hundred or more feet.

The most promising mineral region I have seen in the State for rich ores of silver, lead and copper, is in and on the outskirts of the Chinati mountain, in Presidio county.

Mr. Williams, agent for the Central Railroad, in the location of lands, says that he has seen more than one hundred veins in different localities, of argentiferous galena and copper there. Iron ore also abounds. Accompanied by him, I visited that region and examined some of said veins. The Chinati mountains are from four thousand to five thousand feet high, in the southwestern part of Presidio county, the region examined being about twelve miles eastward from Mr. Spencer's, who has a large farm on the Rio Grande, twelve miles above Presidio.

The Spencer mine is in a ravine, near a fine spring, on the western base of the mountains. It, like all others seen by us in that region, is a fissure vein, extending across the ravine, exposing a width of ten feet and extends up the hills on both sides to an unknown distance. There diggings have been made to a depth of about three feet; not deep enough to see the dip or inclination of the vein.

About sixteen years ago, Mr. Spencer took several cart loads of surface ore from this vein into Mexico to be smelted. It gave $20.50 of silver to the ton. No account was taken of the lead. Since then great improvements have been made in smelting silver ores. I gave some of the ore from this locality to Mr. McCrary, of Omaha, who had it analyzed at Balbach's smelting works in that city, who