People seeking for Gold in North Carolina

Illustration of gold miners in North Carolina from an 1849 children's book. The author says,

If we proceed to the hilly country, along the banks of the Yadkin river, we shall meet with people, in various places, hunting for gold. This is found in small grains, mixed with sand, and sometimes in lumps of considerable size. Some persons have gone from New England to dig for gold in this state. I suppose they hope to get suddenly rich; but they had better stay at home; for where one man becomes wealthy by digging for gold, a thousand get rich by staying at home, and quietly cultivating their farms.