MINERAL WEALTH OF JAPAN.

Southland Times, Issue 905, 24 February 1868, Page 3

MINERAL WEALTH OF JAPAN.

(From " Morgan's Trade Circular.") Mr Grower, the British Consul at Hakodadi, refers in his report of this year to the minerals which abound in the island of Xesso, and states that he has visited some of the rich mines which have been abonddned through mere ignorance of the fijst engineei-ing principles, and through disregard for economy of time and labors. Near Ono, a village twelve miles from Hakodadi, there is a good lead mine, situated in a valley well supplied with the necessaay wood for arming the galleries, and plenty of water to work machinery, where operations were actually ordered to cease when the vein of ore fonnd was over three feet wide. Further on, some 40 miles, in the neighbourhood of Ulop, and in almost as favourable a position, there is another neglected lead mine, which contains about 1% per cent, of silver ; but here also the veins have been followed from the surface, where they are comparatively thin, instead of cross-cutting them lower down, with welldirected galleries, and thus meeting them in their thickness. Many spots ; where this mineral is found are left unoticed, Copper and iron are found in different forms. On the east coast the Consul has gone over miles and miles of iron sand which is said to contain over 60 per cent, of pure metal. Gold is found in small quantities in the vicinity of Uulop. There are also springs of asphaltum, with every indication of the probable existence of petroleum not far below the surface. Coal is plentiful. To use the expression of a native officer, cliffs of pure coal form part of the east coast near Kusuri, where the waves wash it it into the sea. Russian men-of-war are allowed to help themselves freely to coal, which the Japanese leave waste near their frontier at Karsonnai. Again, at Iwanai, close to a fair anchor in the Japan sea, the Consul visited a rich mine of excellent soft coal, which burns with a clear fire, gives great heat, and is almost free from ashes ; the proportions being 55 per cent, pure coke, 35 per cent, bituminous matter giving gases, and 10 per cent, ashes. An engineer employed in saw mills belonging to a British firm at Hakodadi describes the coal, in a written report, " as good as any English coal he has ever used." The Ainosor aborigines ofTesso, are so rerestricted in privileges, and socially confined by their despotic rulers, that this interesting race may be considered as slowely disappearing and gradually being replaced by natives of the Southern islands.