bonded the property to M. S. Hicks, who associated with himself M. M. Johnson, F. B. Elliott and O. E. Lanning, who began sinking a shaft on the property. Interests in this lease were juggled about from man to man until they finally passed into the hands of George E. McClelland, F. G. Burns and Lafayette Hanchett, who proceeded, in February last, to place over the mine a complete hoisting plant, buildings, etc., and to vigorously prosecute development work.

Their shaft is now 275 feet deep, and a second level has been begun. No doubt exists as to this being the western extension of the Lamartine, and little remains to be done to make it a "bonanza-payer" also.

Southwest of and adjoining the Lamartine lies the Financier, owned and operated by Bell, Redd & Co., who have erected over their main shaft, now 310 feet deep, a good hoisting plant and large, roomy buildings. This mine has produced the only surface pocket of rich ore found on the mountain. From a space of ground six feet deep and sixteen feet long, the discoverers shoveled out a nice mill run of chloride ore which netted them $1,600. Rich ore was encountered in sinking the shaft, and the 300-foot level has been extended through ore bodies.

Mr. Burns is a native of Madison county, Missouri, where he was born on May 24th, 1858. Scotch-Irish is his unquestionable origin, touching both paternal and maternal descent.

He lived upon his father's farm, where he began his industrious life as a farmer boy. He distinctly remembers hearing, in his childhood, the returned Californians tell of gold discoveries far beyond the Rocky Mountains. Sacramento " was a name as familiar to him then as that of Denver now. He used to say to himself, when a dreaming, scheming boy: "Some day I will go to Sacramento." For several years he worked in one of the lead and zinc smelters of Missouri. There he caught his first insight into the mysteries wrought by the assayer's fire. On March 11th, 1880, Mr. Burns came to Georgetown, Colorado. His heart beat high; he had courage and he was determined; poor, but not dependent; so proud that hospitality extended by friends as entertainment was courteously declined. He must work; must work his own way now in this new, wonderful west.

He first obtained permanent employment at the Freeland smelters under Capt. George G. Vivian. This was of great advantage to him-one step further towards acquiring a practical education as metallurgist, mine discoverer, a mine owner.

While thus engaged he invested his entire earnings in a prospect, misnamed "Honest Abe." That was a mistake-a total loss. Then he engaged in teaming. His fine outfit of horses and wagons enabled him to do quite a remunerative business, hauling timber, wood, ore--anything.

But the old likings returned. Disposing of his teams, he wandered over to the lofty range where the then unpromising Lamartine lay. He secured work in its shafts as a miner at about one dollar and fifty cents a day. This brought Mr. Burns in business contact with W. S. Comer, then operating under the lease above mentioned. The true metal in Burns enabled him to find at last the metal in the Lamartine. His work, at so much per day, was attended with careful observation of the output. He learned every day to believe more and more in the Lamartine.

Is this the secret of the final discovery of its great wealth? Is it detracting from the credit of any of his business associates to say that it was the pluck and persistency, as well as the investment of his all in the enterprise, his unwavering faith in ultimate success, that, influencing others, carried him on to the fortunes the members of the firm of F. G. Burns & Co. now enjoy?

Within three months he was a rich

man, and yet young. "What were your sensations," I asked Mr. Burns, 66 when you saw that at last you had a bonanza payer?"

His reply was characteristic of this miner's well-known integrity: "Well, I was not bothered mentally any more about being able to pay my men."

Wealth had come to this, the oldest son of his still living parents, in just seven years after he reached the Rocky Mountains. His thoughts first turned to the old homestead in Missouri. Was it love for the scenes of his childhood that induced Mr. Burns to buy immediately three farms adjoining the one upon which he first heard of Sacramento and afterwards of Colorado?

Many encomiums have been passed upon the conduct of Mr. Burns since his success, such as: "It did not hurt Burns to succeed." "He works just as hard as ever; he didn't get purseproud." This is not strange or inexplicable to those who know him best. He works to day as if constrained to do so by inherited traits from revered ancestors-industry and frugality.

In the continued exercise of these characteristics, with his present opportunities, his acquisition of a still larger fortune is confidently anticipated by his many warm and wellwishing friends.

JOHN DONNEL ARMSTRONG, who, as a member of the firm of F. G. Burns & Co., was one of the lessees of the Lamartine mine, is of Scotch lineage. His father, David H. Armstrong, Esq., yet living, is a native of Pennsylvania, but a Scotchman by descent from a family that can trace its origin to a remote time in the history of that land of heroes and martyrs. His mother was a Melville, a name suggesting Norman blood. He was born August 16th, 1852, in Louisville, Kentucky. Four years afterwards the father removed his family to Washington, Iowa. His occupation was that of plastering, which this son learned and pursued until 1874, when poor health, caused by rheumatism, induced a trip to the Rocky Mountains. He arrived in Idaho Springs, September, 1874. He followed his trade for a while, but soon caught the mining fever. His first lease-it was upon the Grant lode—was a serious loss. The Red Elephant mine came next-another loss. Then a short surcease from mining.

The next adventure was as a lessee in the Lamartine, when success came in the rush of mineral wealth, a fortune within fifteen months.

Sloan Lee, a prospector near Leadville, who now lies buried in the

cemetery of that city, expressed his feelings, upon discovering a fortune, in these words, so expressive of the thoughts of many others:

"Well, I opened that lead,
And supplied all the need

Of my home and my family; paid every claim;
And could look once again

In the faces of men,

And not be ashamed at the sound of my name."

Out of the shafts of this mine came the ore that enables Mr. Armstrong to build the beautiful house that is almost finished in Denver, a home for the wife and children for whom he labored and endured so long. And yet Mr. Armstrong had been reasonably successful in all his undertakings, other than mining. As J. D. Armstrong & Co., his store at Freeland enabled him to provide comfortably for his family, but it was the Lamartine that enriched and empowered him to build this pleasant

residence.

Mr. Armstrong is now interested, with others, in the Ben Harrison mine, situated upon the same mountain and adjoining the Lamartine. It promises to be a bonanza also. From a visit, I am enabled to say that its situation and relative position is greatly in its favor. The Croesus,

also next to the Lamartine, and the Belle Creole and Queen lodes are also good properties.

June 9th, 1879, Mr. Armstrong married Miss Cora M. Calvert, of Denver, a descendant of the Calverts of Baltimore, the old cavalier family. Their son, Charles Donnel, and their daughter, Kate M., complete their home circle.

Mr. Armstrong is a director of the Anstee Dry Press Brick Company; has made investments in ranches in

the State of Washington, in Denver realty, and in other ways is using his capital. With this he has a disposition to do good to others according to his means.

It is pleasant to think of the help. that has come from these hills in Colorado to many a determined, deserving man, indeed, to all who lift up the eye to them in the right spirit, accompanied by right motives and patient, persevering toil.

HENRY DUDLEY TEETOR.

WE left Algiers early Tuesday morning, at half past four. We ordered our coffee and rolls, but there was no milk for the coffee, which here is so strong and black that it is impossible for me to drink it without milk. Will told the waiter, "Why, the goat is at the door, why don't you go and milk her?" He ran quickly and in a few moments brought us some goat's milk, fresh and foaming. That is the way all the milk is supplied here, the goats being driven. from door to door as ordered by those wanting a supply, thus assuring a pure article. We ride in a northeasterly direction around the waters of the beautiful blue bay for some distance, passing many splendid villas dotted here and there on the hill

sides overlooking the bay and Algiers in the disiance-it is a beautiful view, as the sun rises in the east and casts its morning glow upon it. We pass many historical spots; one is pointed out where about one thousand French soldiers repulsed six thousand Arabs in 1839. The French have done much to improve Algeria, but much more may be done. France has stopped the civil wars of the Arabs which were continually occuring among the Arab chiefs, and has given Algeria a good railroad from Oran to Tunis, the whole length of Algeria, besides building other roads from the Mediterranean Sea inland, and is fast developing the country. They have built villages to receive the families from Alsace and Lorraine after the

Germans took possession of those provinces, but judging from the villages we passed through, they have not, as a general thing, been a success, and only one seems to flourish.

We soon pass through mountains and deep canons or gorges, running through tunnels and winding along the narrow river where a roadway has been cut out of the rocks on one side of the river and the railroad on the other. The scene is one of continual picturesque beauty; numerous cascades come rushing down the mountains which must be beautiful when there is sufficient water to fill the streams, but now they are only seen in the deep gorges where the water runs throughout the hot season.

The Kabyle villages on the top of the mountain and on the sides, with their brush wigwams surrounded by brush fences to keep off the animals, look African and uncivilized as anything we have ever seen. Terrible tragedies are related in regard to the destruction and murder of these French colonists by the Arabs and Kabyle tribes in the last revolt in 1871, showing how brutal these tribes can be. We get an excellent breakfast near a village where lions are occasionally seen, but we did not see any, or any other dangerous wild animals. We pass through great mountains, bare of vegetation, and exclaim "Mountains! mountains! with lofty rugged peaks," and on one of the highest peaks we imagine we see snow. The country now is like a

desert waste, everything is dry and parched. The Arabs are cutting their wheat and barley with a sickle out in the hot sun with nothing on but a cloth about their waists and a small turban on their heads. They seem to like the sun, and lie about on the bare rocks and on the sunny side of a bare building. The thermometer must be about 125 degrees. We pass herds of camels, sheep and goats feeding on the fertile plain. Our tickets lead us to Setif; nothing can be seen of the old Roman ruins; it has the appearance of a French town, with the French soldiers in every direction. There is a great market held here where the Kabyles from the mountains, the Arabs from the plains, and even the Saharans meet to exchange their products.

We are glad to get to Constantine at midnight, after a ride over the hot plains since 5 o'clock in the morning, without any serious discomfort, having had the apartments in the cars to ourselves, to lie down and sleep or to lounge about. In the morning our Arab takes us about the city. It is very ancient and has a remarkable situation for a fortress, being located on a high, level plain of rock, and it would be interesting to examine Romon history in regard to it. It is surrounded by deep ravines like the canons of Colorado, and as we walk about viewing the situation, it seems as though it would be impossible to take such a natural fortress, but it has been the scene of many a Roman