GOLD was, in all probability, one of the earliest discovered of the metals. The fact of its being found very generally distributed over the surface of the earth, and that, too, in its simple metallic state, combined beautiful color, and many valuable prop erties, would cause it very early to attract the attention of man. Accordingly, we learn that gold was used by the Hebrews, the Egyptians, and other ancient nations, for much the same purposes as it is at the present day.
Previous to the great Californian discovery in 1847, Enfope was to a great extent supplied with gold from Mexico, Brazil, New Granada, Chili, and Peru in North and South America; a large quantity was also obtained from Asiatic Russia and the islands of the Indian Archipelago; the east and west coast of Africa furnished a less but still considerable quantity. All these countries 'still produce gold, but their total yield, including Europe, is only about one-fourth that of California and Australia.
The most famous mines in Europe are those of Hungary and Transylvania, which produce annually about, £300,000 worth of this metal: Piedmont and Spain are almost the only other European countries where gold is worked; but it is occasionally found in all districts where the rivers flow over primary rocks.
Gold has been found in several parts of the British islands. The most productive district yet discovered was that of Wicklow, in Ireland, where towards the close of the last c., the stream-works were prosecuted for some time with considerable success. In Scotland, the Leadhills, on the borders of Dumfriesshire, as well as the highlands of Perthshire, and recently Helmsdale, in Sutherlandshire, have produced gold; so also have Cornwall and Devonshire in England, and in recent years a considerable quantity has been obtained from North Wales.
First among the celebrated gold discoveries of this c., in point of date, though not in importance. come those of eastern and western Siberia, where extensive aurifer ous tracts were discovered between 1829 and 1838. The quantity obtained iu these eastern regions raised the annual produce of the Russian empire to three, and ultimately to four millions sterling-s--more than triple its former yield. Concerning Russia, it may be well to remark that an examination of the auriferous deposits of the Ural Amin tains led sir Roderick Murchison. in 1814, on comparing their rocks with those brought home by count Strzelecki from Australia, to predict the presence of gold on the latter continent. Subsequent discoveries, as is well known, have proved the accuracy of this conclusion in a very remarkable degree.
The rich gold region of California was discovered in Sept., 1847. Mr. Marshall, the contractor for a saw-mill pn the estate of rapt. Suter—a Swiss emigrant, settled on the banks of the Sacramento river—detected particles of gold in the sand of the mill-race, and on further examination, it was found that valuable deposits existed throughout the bed of the stream. Intelligence of the discovery soon reached the town of San Fran cisco, whose scanty population at once abandoned their usual occupations to join in the exciting search for gold. The supply was soon found to be abundant over a large area, and emigrants quickly poured in from all parts of the American continent, and ere -long from Britain, Germany, and other European countries, till the population of San Francisco alone robe from under 200 in 1845 to 40,000 in 1858, and in 1870 it was 150,000 (see SAx FRAxasco). At first, it was thought that the supply of gold from this region would soon fail, but though the supply, which continued for several years at up wards of £13,000,000 per annum, had in 1878 fallen to little over three millions from California, the total production of gold in the United States in that year was £9,455,000 —almost wholly from the states near to or west of the Rocky mountains.
In 1851, before the excitement of the California discovery had time to subside. the world was startled by the announcement of another, or rather. by a series of others, of not less importance, in Australia. It is a curious fact that not only sir R. Murchison. as stated above, but also the Rev. W. B. Clarke, a native geologist, had pointed out the likelihood of gold being found in the eastern chain of the Australian mountains, several years before the value of the gold-fields near Bathurst was discovered by Mr. Hargraves iu April, 1851. This discovery was no sooner made, however, than several other places in Bathurst and the adjoining counties were found to contain rich deposits; so that, before many months had passed, 6,000 persons were employed at these diggings. In Aug., of the same year, further discoveries of gold were made at Ballarat, in Victoria, which excelled in richness those of the Sydney district; and these, in turn, were soon surpassed by fresh discoveries in the mount Alexander range. During the climax of the excitement created by the Victoria gold-fields, the number of divers rose to such a pitch as to withdraw for a time the great mass of the population from Melbourne and Geelong.