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ASSAY OF THE GOLD.--Lieutenant Loeser having arrived at Washington with
specimens of the gold from the diggings, the following account of its
quality appeared in the "Washington Union," the government organ:--
"Understanding last evening that the lieutenant had arrived in this
city, and had deposited in the War Office the precious specimens he had
brought with him, we called to see them, and to free our mind from all
hesitation as to the genuineness of the metal. We had seen doubts
expressed in some of our exchange papers; and we readily admit that the
accounts so nearly approached the miraculous, that we were relieved by
the evidence of our own senses on the subject. The specimens have all
the appearance of the native gold we had seen from the mines of North
Carolina and Virginia, and we are informed that the Secretary would
send the small chest, called a caddy, containing about 3,000 dollars'
worth of gold, in lumps and scales, to the mint, to be melted into
coins and bars. The specimens have come to Washington as they were
extracted from the materials of the placer. The heaviest piece brought
by Lieutenant Loeser weighs a little more than two ounces; but the
varied contents of the casket (as described in Colonel Mason's
schedule) will be sent off to-day, by special messenger, to the mint at
Philadelphia for assay, and early next week we hope to have the
pleasure of laying the result before our readers.
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