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The story of the Black Hills has as yet been witten only piecemeal, and it can never attain to the significanoe which made the gold-hunt of California's early years worthy of special historie treatment ; it ie afa episode, nob an epoch. The treaty, the rumors of gold, the military prospecting tour, the irruption of adventurers, the Sioux war and the tragic retribution of Custer's death, with his brave men - are its incident. The Black Hills have since copied the other El Dorados of these thirty years past, and furaished in abundance the delightful elements of Mr. Harte's stories for the benefit of his imitators. A writer in the New York Sun gives the flrst really sober and probable account of the whole región that we have seen, and it is worth while tb indícate briefly what he tells ur, fprj there has been enoiigh eniigraiion thither from hereabouts to give local interest in the matter. The Black Hills are a mountain mass rising abruptly froin the center of an immense prairie to from 3,000 to 8,000 f eet from the sea-level, andpierced by a few canons and gulches at wide intervals. Tlioy derive their name from the _ somber pines which clothe them ; but within, as the fatal Clister expedi:ion proved, exists a beautiful and tile country. And it was likewise íound theu and taade certain by ííie subseqnent scientiflc exploration of Prof. Jenny in 1875, that Éhe tales of gold there were true. It is said tliat the Jesuit missionaries knew it many years ago, and, liaving regard to better things than gold - namely, the welfare of human souls - they persuaded the Indiana to keep the secret of the Hills to themselves. itoweVer that jnay be, they did keep the secret as long as they could. The Black Hills embrace some 6,000 square miles, but not all this región is gold-bearing, and much of what may be called so is not rich enough to pay for working. The gold belt extends twentyfive miles wide for a distance of eighty miles along the Hills, from Bear range on the northwestern. slope to French creek on the southeast ; of this, the only really profitable district is that known as Deadwood, comprising the northern fourth of the belt, abottt 500 square miles, as rich as it can be with gold and silver - the "richest diggings in the world," according to old miners. Two streams, Whitewood and Deadwood, rise n the Hills fifteen miles southwest of Deadwood City, unite at that point, and !ow nörtheast ; the Deadwood is "the ionanza." On the gulch proper 00 claims are located, and n a half-dozen dry branch gulches bearing such poetic names as Split-tail, Job-tail, etc.) there are as many more, ach claim being valued at froni $15,000 ö $30,000, and sometimes at still higher figures. For instance, the owners of a laim which yielded $1,300 in one tenïour run not irrationally refuse $10,000 or a fifth interest in it ; and adjoining ais is the Wheeler claim, the crack one f the Hills, which yielded $97,000 last ear, and now yields from $300 to $500 er shift. From bank statistics and the miners' statements the production of the whole mining región last year is estimated t $2,500,000, fonr-fifths of which were rom Deadwood and its tribixtaries. This ear's yield is calculated at $25,000,000, n support of which apparently wild esimate it is asserted that in the tunnel f one quartz lead is now visible ore worth $800,000 by mathematica! demontrrtion. We may remark, for the benefit f those who may feel tempted thither )y these glittering figures, that every bot on these gulches is taken. In the Deadwood district, as extended iy the Sun correspondent for his conenience, he includes Potato gulch, 'hich is in Wyoming Territory, 20 miles west of Deadwood City, and covers some 5 square miles, full of streams, chief mong which is the Bedwater, 50 feet vide, 20 inches deep, and falling 100 eet to the mile. Here was found the nggest nugget of the Hills, weighing a ittle over seven ounces, and worth about 1150. It was found by accident by two enniless colored miners who were sadly vandering back to civilization. They ook shelter from a storm under the oots of an overturned tree, and by mere accident saw this lump in the clay. Of ourse they " located," and netted $20,30 by their season's work. Such stories s these are frequent, but to one such ortune there are hundreds of cases of uin. One of the most deceptive statements made about "ïnines is that ore is aken out which will assay at the rate of L20,000, $30,000 or $50,000 to the ton. )f course such ore is sometimes found, Ut the fact is that it is extraordinary re that averages $35 or $iQ to the ton. The gold in the Black Hills is found n auriferous ores in well-defined leads n all the southern sides of the hills, hich will only be developed when cap;al brings in maehinery. In the rich iortion of the belt, however, the gold ccurs also in a quite peculiar deposit of eddish sand-stone, sometimes conglomrate, which covers certain hills, and oes not possess a single recognized featre of a mineral lode. The best authorities in the Hills agree ïat there is no chance there now for any )oor men, though men with money can ind there opportunity to invest it. All ie territory that remains unexplored ïas no water, and without water there an be no mining. Discourage emigraion, they all say; there are hundreds in Deadwood strects and gulches that are ctually starving. and crushed its way clear through. Mrs. Canico was sitting m the liouse and a small child was lying in the eradle at the moment. The log missed the mother and, passing on, struek the eradle, knocking it into splinters and pitching the babe several yards to one side of the room. The child was holding a dolí in its nrms when the log struek, which was also crushed to pieces. Very atrange as it may appear, the child escaped without a scratch or bruise, as did also the mother and other children. Mr. Carrico, as may naturally be supposed, was dreadfully frightened at the accident. He hastened with all speed to the foot of the bluff, expecting to find his wife and children orushed to jelly. Imagine his joyf'ul surprise on ascertaining that they had all escaped without iniury.