28th Congress, 1st Session. [Senate.] [291]; Report of the Secretary of War, Communicating (In compliance with a resolution of the Senate), A copy of the report of Captain G. W. Hughes, of the Topographical Engineers, relating to the working of copper ore.

Original publisher's beige paper pamphlet. Text printed in black ink. 5 3/4" x 8 3/4." Fifty-eight pages, complete. One folding leaf (Page 58) in back. Pages are very clean and intact except for light age toning, occasional small spots of foxing or discoloration, slight wear to extremities, and slight chipping along spine. A Very Good copy. "April 9, 1844. Read, and ordered to lie on the table. April 10, 1844. Ordered to be printed." An invaluable record of mid-nineteenth-century knowledge about geology and mineralogy. This is the report of Secretary of War William Wilkins transmitting the report of Captain George W. Hughes of the Topographical Engineers. In his report, Hughes describes the prospects of copper mining in the United States. He begins by recollecting a tour he had made to England for the purpose of learning more about copper mining. Among his descriptions are "celebrated steam engines employed for pumping water and raising ores from the interior of the mines." Hughes proceeds to describe English mining operations (especially in the region of Devon and Cornwall), the machinery used there for mining, and the geology of England in relation to copper mining. Hughes enthusiastically writes about mineral samples he obtained at the English mines and describes their attributes such as color, structure, general appearance, and chemical composition. Hughes writes about other subjects such as the plight of some English miners who, at the time of his visit, still used ladders to ascend from and descend into the mines instead of labor-saving mechanical elevators. Hughes is sympathetic to these miners and also notes the injurious effect upon them from rapid temperature changes between the mines' interiors and the surface and the overall arduous work that mining entails. Hughes notes a sobering statistic by a Mr. Lanyon who said that the maximum laboring age of a miner is significantly less than that of a rural laborer. Hughes then briefly discusses theories about the origins of mineral veins. Other subjects Hughes addresses include mineral rights or royalties in Cornwall; copper, copper ores, and their treatment; refining of copper; tin, tin ores, and their reduction to a metallic state; and Cornish engines. Pages 51-58 contain data tables for Wheal Friendship mine in England that address finances and a miscellany of scientific data such as numerical figures relating to the use of water power in the mine. The back folding leaf is a comparative table of English and American mines.…