A Silver Mountain

This season wheo the whaling neet returned from a short cruise in the Arclk Ocean itwasstated that the season bad been unusually short and that tbe catch had been large, hut few people wero awaie of the extraordinary discovcry which had been made by the crow of uue of the v. and which is to result in the euriching of a score or more of people. The story, as told by the captain of the whaler, is as follows : Whi)e the vessel was lying in a small l:iy at the mouth of one of the river.s which enapty into the ocean on the coast uf Alaska, a great many of the nativos cauie aboard to trade for sea biscuit, of which they are passiouately lónd, and they were treated so liberally by the white men that the chief invited the captain to accorupany them up the river a short distance on a fishing excursión. The captain consented, especially as he was told that the river swarmed with salmón, and he desircd to lay in a supply. A wiialeboat was manned, and captain, ono of the 'guates and f'our men started on tbe ezpedition. The entire party went up the river about fifteen miles, passing over a rapid whioh was difficult on account of the swift current and rocky obstructions. Soon after passing the rapids they camc in Hgbt of a hill, fringed with trees anti shrubs at its base, but barren and rocky toward the summit which seemed to be not more thao 400 or 500 feet high. Here-the party lialtcd, and after partaking of dinnerthe seauien bogan taking salruon, while the captain and mate, tpgether with thp chief, njaui; an ;ioent of the hill. Arriving at the top thoy found what seemed to be the cráter of an extinct volcano, and around were evidences that at one time there had been a terrible oruption, for loose bowlders, charred and blackened, strewed the ground in every direction. In the cráter itself the captain noticed that the rocks resembled oongealed iron ai ter it had been meitod, and undertook to knook off a piece, but could not do it, as it seemed to bend, not break, with his repeated blows with the head of a boat ax, He then struek it a blow with thejblade of the ax, and actually chopped it off and took it in his haud. Where the ax had cleaved its way through the rock, he saw it was as soft nearly as lead, although it did notshine. He thought then that it was a metal of soine kind, and kept it. The mate mcanwhile had picked up some of' the loose rocks and bowlder?, and they started away. Toward evening a native brought a picco of rook about twelve inoheslongby sixinolieg thick, whicb weighed 48 poundsaod sprinkled with gold, stating that he had found it near another hill farther up the rivor, and that such rock was easily gathered there. The party returned to the vessel, and in due time arrived in San Francisco. Here the story was told to a gentleman living in Oakland, and the specimens handed over to him for the purpose of having proper assays made. This was done, and the piece whioh the captain chopped off the top of the hill with the ax went $6,000 per ton in BÜver, and the loose rocks picked up on the side of the [hill went as high as $275, silver, per ton. It seems then that this hill is a mountain of silver, and that it is only the beginniog of va9t discoveries which may yet become the El Dorado to which thousands will rush. The Oakland gentleman spoken of immodiately formed a party or company which bas chartered the whaler to take a trip to the scène of the remarkable find, as soon as the season opens. The party will consist of the same captain and mate who found the treasure, and six others bcsides the crew. The company will provisión the veesel for seven inopths. and pa.v the crew and give the captain and mate an equal share of the proceeds. It isdesigned to leave San Francisco in April. It will take eighteen or twenty days to mako the run up and not more than fifteen or twenty days to load the vessel, which will return to San Francisco, unload cargo and make another trip up to the place again. On her first trip she will leave the working party, which will put in the time during her abse'nce in getting out a cargo of the richest ore for her return. It will be remembered that the Corwin, on her trip to the Arctic this season, discovercd an unlimited supply of coal in northern Alaska, and also brought back specimens of silver bearing rock, which assays $175 per ton. So if the whaler is successful in 1S81, wc may look for lively times in Alaska in the ncar future.