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\ .

MINERAL

Cnarioa Rqpb«

?ate::^ soi"^fiifOii.

2^1 Gt, l:!ii' St. Rrjbni II.
:M:o:sr.pxe.:

BRITISH NORTH AMERICA.

CHAELES ROBB,

Koasa neisuxB, mos^uai..

'IT,

EXTBACTED FBOl

EIQETT TEARS' PRO&BESS IN BttlTISI HORTI AIERICA."

►♦-♦-♦<

itiotttreal :

PRINTED BT JOHN LOVELL, ST. NICHOLAS STREET.

1863.

i ;•

MINERAL RESOURCES

j /■ //

BRITIBH NORTH AHERLCA.

A ssnoR or thb naturb, bxtent aiid talub or thb iibtalb asd othsb

VSBrUL lONEBALS rOUND IN CANADA, NOVA SCOTIA, NBW BRUNSWICK,
H AND BBITI8H COLUMBIA, WITH AN ACCOUNT Or THB ?B0GBB88

• or XININO INDU8TBT IN THESS PBOYINOBS.

''' BT OHABUES BOBB, IHNINe BNOINEBB, MONTBBAXb

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

Oanada is empbatioally an agricuhnTal country, and in
pre-eminently favored by nature in the excellence of its
soil, and the adaptation of its climate to the growth of wheat
and the other cereals, which must long continue as hereto-
fore to constitute its staple productions. Its natural resour-
ces, however, are by no means limited to the vegetable king-
dom ; and although, in the earlier stages of its history, the
products of its fields and forests naturally occupy the greatest
attention, and have received the fullest development, the
extent and importance of the mineral treasures with which
it abounds are now beginning to be duly recognized.

"With the exception of coal, and a few of the less import-
ant metals, Canada has been found to produce almost all
the known useful minerals ; while, with regard to most of
them, it may be safely asserted that she contains within her-
self a supply not only amply suf&cient for her domestic con-
sumption, but- for permanent, profitable and extensive
foreign commerce. These boundless source^} of wealth have
as yet been rendered available only to a very limited extent,
owing partly to the fact of their existence having been so

' 1 1

MIMBRAL RKSOURCaS OF BRITI8B aORTH AMBRIOA*

809

kve

|iit,

recently brought to lighty and partly to the Want of the
capital and skill requisite to develop them. As the resour-
ces of Canada are now rapidly becoming known to the rest
•of the world, and as it is gradually learning greater self-
reliance it may be reasonably expected that its mineral
productions are destined to assume their due rank in con-
tributing to the national wealth and prosperity. In relation
to this department of the contribution made by Canada to
the Grreat Exhibition of 1^51 at London, the following judg-
ment was pronounced by the jury ; " Of all the British colo-
nies, Canada is that whose exhibition is the most interesting
and complete, and one ma^ even say that it is superior, as
far as the mineral kingdom is concerned, to all countries that
have forwarded their productions to the Exhibition." This
judgment will doubtless be more than confirmed by the
results of the <i^rea% International Exhibition of 1862, to
which Canada has oontributed a collection of minerals far
in advancoxJf that'of 185L %

We have stated lAmt ooal does not 6o6ur in Canada, and
We fear it must bd regarded as a fully established fact^ at
least insregard to those parts of the country which have as
yet been -settled and explored; The rocks are throughout
of a lower geological horizon than the carboniferous ; and
although bituminous sdhists and shales abound, and thin
v^ns of a substance closely resembling coal occur in cer
tain parts oi* the country, these can not be regarded as of
much economic importance. Canada is, however, vfery
favorably aituatted in its proximity, at all points, to the car-
bonifiM'ous regions of the United States and Nova Scotia,
and in the facility of conveyance afforded by its vast lakes,
rivers and canals; and -moreover, it contains within itself
such ample supplies of wood, peat and mineral oil a)$ will go
far to compensate for the want of coal.

Many useful minerals yielded in abundance by Canada,
and whidb require peculiar chemical treatment to render

iilr -aiir"

810 IIINBRAL RK8OUR0E8 OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA.

tbem available in the arts, such as chromic iron, phosphate
of lime, petroleum, &c., are rendered comparatively value-
less from the fact, that in present circumstances, the crude
material has to be transported at great expense to distant
manufacturing centres. Such materials are peculiarly de-
serving of the attention of enterprising capitalists, as their
manufacture in the province would be attended with the
double advantage of rendering them available as a source of
national wealth as well as individual profit, and of giving
employment to an industrious and intelligent class of
population.

The knowledge we possess of the mineral wealth of Cana-
da, imperfect as it necessarily is, from the vast extent of
unexplored and partially explored territory, as well as from
the recent date at which public attention began to be di-
rected to the subject, is nevertheless sufficiently accurate to
admit of a certain classification and arrangement, and the
geographical distribution of the various useful minerals has
been ascertained with considerable accuracy. For much or
nearly all of this knowledge we are indebted to Sir Wil-
liam Logan, the Provincial Geologist, and his coadjutors,
who have devoted themselves assiduously, (under the liberal
patronage of the Provincial Government,) during nearly
twenty years to the investigation of the Geology of Cana-
da ; and whose labors have not only conferred incalculable
benefit on the country, but procured for themselves a world-
wide reputation. In order to illustrate our remarks upon
the mineral productions of Canada, we shall give a slight
sketch of the geological structure of the country as ascer-
tained by the provincial geologists.

OSOLOOIOAL STRUCTURB OF CANADA IN RELATION TO TLB USEFUL

MINERALS.

The oldest geological formation in Canada, styled by Sir
William Logan the Laurentian system, occupies all the

7 ■■ '

IIINKRAL RB8OCR0S8 OT BRITISH NORTH AMBRIOA. 811

Sir
le

northern and portions of the central divisions of the pro-
vince, extending over an area of about 150,000 square
miles, and composed of various hard rocks, such as gneiss
and white crystaline limestone ; the total thickness of this
formation in Canada is probably not less than 20,000 feet.
These rocks consist of highly altered strata, in which no
positive and unequivocal traces of organic life have been
as yet detected; and which have been beat, twisted and
tilted up at all angles, and in some places invaded by
masses of intrusive rock. Among the useful minerals
peculiarly characteristic of this formation, the ores of iron
are the most important, being found in interstratified layers
or beds in quantities which may be regarded as inexhausti-
ble and of exceedingly rich quality. Veins of lead and
copper also, cutting the stratification, occur in the formation,
especially at or near its junction with the next succeeding
system of rocks ; plumbago and mica abound, and phos-
phate of lime and sulphate of barytes are of frequent occur-
rence. The Laurentian limestones furnish marbles of very
excellent quality, together with a great variety of materials
applicable to ornamental purposes.

The Huronian system, the next in ascending order, is
wanting in the eastern and central parts of Canada, but at-
tains a great development on the northern shores of Lake
Huron and parts of Lake Superior; occupying a linear ex-
tent of about 400 miles, and consisting of slates, altered
sandstones, limestones and conglomerates, associated with
heavy masses and dykes of trap ; the total thickness is esti-
mated at about 18,000 feet. This system constitutes what
has been called the lower copper-bearing rocks of the lake
region ; the ore occurring sometimes disseminated among the
slates, but more frequently in quartz veins intersecting
them. These deposits of copper ore have formed, for many
years back, the object of mining operations ; and there can
be no doubt that this region contains metallic treasures

dl2

MMiBRAL RK80UR0BS O"* BRITISH NORTH AMBRIOA.

which will one day become the source of great wealth to
Canftda. In addition to coppw, silver and nickel occur
in this formation in quantities which promise to be of econ-
omic importance. Agates, jasper and other varieties of pre-
cious stones are of frequent occurrence, and the jasper con-
glomerate, which abounds in this region, affords a beautiful
material, which will be found applicable to many j)urpo8es
of decorative construction.

The upper copper-bearing rooks, including the well-
known rich deposits on the south shore of Lake Superior,
have recently been discovered to have their equivalents in
what has been denominated the Quebec Group, in the
eastern part of the province ; consisting of altered and highly
dislocated and disturbed limestone and sandstone strata,
belonging to the inferior part of the Lower Silurian system,
and extending in a belt varying from twenty to sixty miles
wide, 'from the borders of Lake Ohamplain eastward to
nearly the extreme point of Gasp6. This important region,
which occupies an area of over 15,000 square miles, is a
portion of the great metj^liferous formation of North Ameri-
ca, which includes the well-known mining regions of the
Appalachian chain from Canada to Tennessee, as well as
those of Missouri and the Lake Superior region. AltLough
this fact has but recently been recognized, many valuable
discoveries of copper and other metals have already been
made in the eastern townships of Canada, and at other points
comprised within the region specified. In addition to the
metals, it abounds in roofing slates of excellent quality,
besides many beautiful varieties of serpentine, marble, soap-
stone, whetstones, ochres, &c.

The central portion of the province, comprising the re-
gion bordering on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and ex
tending over an area of about 7,000 square miles, is under
laid by rocks of the Lower Silurian age, which are com*
paratively unaltM'ed, both as regards position and chemical

"WW*!

— ^

}

re-
ez
ier

liioal

UnriBAL MISOUROM or BRITISH MOMTH AMMUOA. 818

<»mpoflitioiL Th6y ate for the most part hidden under thick
depoeits of drift clay, and have hiUierto produced no im-
portant discoveries of the metals; but it is worthy of re-
mark that it is in limestone ro<^ of corresponding age and
condition that the extensive deposits of lead in Wisconsin
and lo'Ara occur. The limestones of this region, besides con-
tributing materially to its agricultural value, furnish excel-
lent building and paving materials ; and in many places beds
of hydraulic limestone are found, and a superior description
of lithographic stone maybe obtained in unlimited quantity.

The rocks of the western peninsula are of Upper Silurian
and Devonian age; and furnish, by their decomposition, the
materials for the rich and fertile soils by which this part of
the province is distinguished, and Tendered so invaluable
:lbr agricultural purposes. The moiit important mineral pro-
ducts of the rocks of this region an gypsum, hydraulic lime
.and petroleum.

The superficial depesitii, all ever the countiy, famish
abundant materials for the manufacture of bricks, tiles and
every description of coarse pottery.. Shellmarls occur in
many places, and constitute a valuable manure. Bog iron
ore is also found in great quantities,. and at several points
has been made available in the manu&cture of iron of an
excellent quality. Beds of ochre exist in many localities,
and considerable areas in the eastern part of the province
are covered by marshes yielding abundance of peat, which
must in time become most Valuable for fiieL

OATALOOCK OW USBFUL MINEBAU FOUKD IIT pAKADA.

It will be impossible, within the limits prescribed to us,
lo give more than a general and cursory acoount of the useful
minerals of Canada; and with respect to many of them we
must confine ourselves to a bare enumeration. As the basis
of our remarks, we shall adopt the classification given by
Sir William Logan ; reproducing, in an abridged £>nn, the

oil'

814 MnriBAL buoxtboib ov bbitibb north ambkioa.

index to the elaborate and valuable " Deacriptive Oatahgu&i
of the Ecmumio Minerals of Canada," prepared by him for
the Great Exhibitions of 1861 and 1862; and omitting aach
as are either common to most other countries, or of limited
application in the arts, together with such as appear to be
of rare occurrence in Canada. We shall then enter upon a
more particular account of such as are of special interest or
importance, giving such details as may serve to elucidate
their nature, mode of occurrence and value, and the extent
to which they have been developed.

lOTAUS AND THKIR ORBS.

Iron. Magnetic, specular, bog and titaniferous.

Zinc and Lead. Sulphurets, (blende and galena.)

Copper. Native, pyritous, variegated and vitreous sulphurets.

Nid:el and CobdU. Sulphurets.

Silver. Native, and associated with galena and copp'^r ore.

Gold. Native; in superficial deposits and in veins.

MXNXRALB APPUOABLX TO CBXMICAL MANUFAOTVRXS.

(^romium. In chromic iron ore, for forming chrom?.te of

potash, &C.
Manganese. In iron ore, and as earthy peroxide, for bleach-

ing and decolorizing agents.
Iron Pyrites. For manu£Miture of copperas and sulphur.

■■■■r' mNRRAL PAINTS.

Iron Ochres. All varieties of color; very abundant.
Sulphate of Baryta. "Ear manufacture of permanent white,

Steatite. Soapstone, used both as a paint and a refractory
stone.

ICATXRIALB APPLIOABLK TO THK ARTS.

Liffiographic Stone, Mica, Moulding Sand, FuUer's Earth.

linriRAL BKBOUftOIS or BRITISH NORTH AMIRIOA. 815

MATXRIAL8 APPLIOABll TO JXWXLRT.

AgaUSf Ja^jier, LabradorUe, Sunatone, Byacinth,, Oriental
Bvhiea^ Sapphires^ Amethysts^ JRibboned Oha% (for
oameos,) <7et.

MATIRIALS FOR OLA88 MAKING.

White Quarixose Sandatone^ PitcheUme^ Bcua^^ &o,

BKVRAOTORT IIATKRIALB.

Soapetonej Pipeatom^ Aabeatos^ Sandstone^ Plumbago^ Fire-clay.

' I ' MINBRAL MANURI8.

Phosphor of Lime^ Gypsum^ Shdlmarl

ORINDINO AND POUSHINa MATBRIAL.

MiUsionee, OrindetoneSf Whetstonse.

MATBRIAIS FOR COMMON AND DBCORATIVX OONSTaUOTION.

Granite, Sandstone, Limestone, Hydraulic Limestone, Boojing
Slates, Flagstones, Marbles, (in great variety of colors,)
Serpentines, Clays for brick and tile making and coarse
pottery,

OOMBUSTIBLB MATBRIALB.

Peat, Petroleum, and AsphaU,

In the notices which we shall proceed to give of the pro*
gress of development of the various minerals under their
respective heads, it is to be understood that the date to which
this account is brought up is the early part of the year IS^'!.

IRON 0RB8.

The iron ores of Canada, with the exception of the bog
ores, which are distributed over many parts of the province,
are chiefly found associated, as we before remarked, with the
Laurentian rocks, in which they occur in prodigious quan-
tities, and generally in beds lying conformably with the

^f^r^^m"^^

616

mNXRAL RBSOUROKS OT BRITISH NORTH AMERICA.

Stratification. Moat of thoM beds ate of yexy great extent
and thickness, and of excellent quality, yielding sixty to
seventy per cent of pure iron ; and although the want of
mineral fuel operates as a very serious obstacle to the de-
velopment oif this branch of indusLy, they have been par-
tially worked in a few places.

At the Hull mine, situated about five miles above Ottawa
City, the bed is about 90 feet in thickness, containing be-
tween 60 and 70 per cent, of metallic iron, and is of vast
though unknown extent At the lowest estimate this de-
posit is calculated to contain not less than 250,000,000 tonrj

of iron.

The Crosby mine, situated on the Bideau canal, is on a
bed 200 feet thick, and its yield over the same extent of
ground would amount to double that above-mentioned ; a
quantity which, at the present rate of production, would
afford employment for the whole mining foroe s£ QiesA
Britain and the United States for a century.

In the township of Marmora, where iron works have
b'^n established and smelting done to a limited extent,
lie beds are in the aggregate about 150 feet in thickness,
and by the same method of computation may be estimated
to contain 100,000,000 tons ; and at two other known loca-
tions which have been partially opened up, the probable
contents may amount to 150,000,000 tons; thus making,
for the five localities specified, an aggregate of 1,000,000,-
000 tons. Yast quantities of iron ore have recently been
discovered in the neighborhood of Lake Nipie^ing, and it
is certain that as the whole region overlaid by the Lauren-
tian rocks becomes settled, many additional localities of the
matfflial will be discovered. It is thus evident that the
supply of iron ore in Canada may be regarded as practically
inexhaustible.

As vegards the quality of the on, and natural facilities
for working and transportation, these are unsurpassed by

MINBRAL RBSOUROBS OV BRITISH KORTH AMERICA

817

any country in the world. The ore consists chiefly, in the
localities referred to, of the magnetic oxide of iron, whi(jh
is the same species, and occurring in the &ame geological
formation, with those of Sweden and Norway, from which
the celebrated Swedish Iron is made. There is therefore
every reason to believe that if treated in a similar way, it
will produce an equally good material for the manufacture
of steel and the finer descriptions of iron work. The ore-beds
occurring immediately at the surface can be wrought with
comparatively little labor, and many of the most promising
are situated near the banks of navigable rivers and canals.

The extensive scale on which iron smelting works must
necessarily be conducted, and the large capital involved,
together with the want of mineral fuel and expense of
labor, have hitherto operated as obstructions to the develop-
ment of this branch of industry in Canada ; while the low
price of iron impcated from the mother country renders
it doubtful whether, in present circumstances, it would re-
pay the cost of manufacturing. It is, however, in the
highest degree satisfactory to know that this country pos-
sesses within itself such vast stores of a material indispensa-
ble to the comfort and progress of mankind, and which can
be made available when circumstances render its applica-
tion expedient or necessary.

It is a remarkable and somewhat anomalous fact, how-
ever, that in the British provinces in North America, iron
«melting and some other branches of industry, received a
larger share of attention half a century ago than they do at
the present day. This is probably to be accounted for from
the application of the modern system of division of labor,
which tends to rertrict the industry of countries, as well as
individuals, to those branches only which are supposed to
form their staple p-oductions, or to which nature and custom
are conceived to have best adapted them.

Several years ago iron works were established, imd smelt-

818 MINERAL RSSOUROES OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA.

ing carried on for some time, on the rich magnetic oxides
in the townships of Marmora and Madoc in the county of
Hastings ; the produce was a very superior quality of man-
ufactured iron; but owing chiefly to the want of roads, dis-
tance from markets, &c., they have been found unprofitable,
and abandoned in the meantime. We have no statistics of
the productipn of these works. Of late yeais a trade has
sprung up, to a limited extent, in the exportation of the
iron ores of Hull and Crosby to the smelting establishments
of Pittsburgh, Penn.; which can be done with profit when
taken as return freight by the vessels carrying the agricul-
tural products of the West down the St. Lawrence. The ore
is worth from $5 to $6 per ton at the furnaces, and can be
put on board at Kingston for $2.25. From the Hull mine
about 8,000 tons have been thus forwarded since 1855, and
frbm that of South Crosby, which is more conveniently
situated as regards proximity to the shipping port, the ex-
ports up to the year 1860 are stated at 6,000 tons.

Besides the magnetic oxides, specular iron ore abounds
in many localities in Canada, both in the Laurentian and
Lower Silurian groups of rocks, and red hematite or car-
bonate of iron is also of not unfrequent occurrence. About
fifty years ago, these descriptions of ores were mined for
smelting purposes in the neighborhood of Furnace Falls in
Landsdowne, but the works being found unprofitable at the
time, were abandoned. Bed hematite was formerly quar-
ried in the township of Brome, Canada East, of such
superior quality as to be found worthy of transportation a
distance of about 180 miles to be smelted. A great extent
of rich hematite has recently been discovered upon one
of the islands in Lake Nipissing.

Titaniferous iron ore is very abundant in Lower Canada,
chiefly in the Eastern townships and at Bay St Paul, but
it is doubtful whether it can be rendered available for
the manufacture of iron, owing to the presence of the

lONEBAL BESOT7BOB8 OF BBTIIBH KOBTH AlCESIOA. 819

titanium' which is difficult to separate, but which probably
may in the progress of the arts become itself a valuable
product. The deposit at Bay St. Paul, which is ninety
feet thick, and is traceable for about a mile, contains
48.60 of oxide of titanium.

The bog iron ores, which are found so extensively dif-
fused throughout Canada, have been in a few instances the
object of manufacturing industry. These ores occur in
patches from three to twenty-four inches thick, on the sur-
face, generally in the neighborhood of swampy lands, and
consist of hydrated oxide of iron combined with an acid de-
rived from vegetable decomposition ; their yield of metallic
iron is usually from forty to fifty per cent. The St. Maurice
forges at Tlu*ee Bivers, in Lower Canada, which have
been in operation for upwards of a century, employ ex-
clusively this description of ore, which is found in great
abundance in the immediate neighborhood ; and have pro-
duced largely both of cast and wrought iron of a very
superior quality. This establishment^ which at one time
employed fit>m 250 to 300 hands, is now discontinued ;
but the business is carried on vigorously at the Badnor
forges in Batiscan, where the ore and fuel are abundant
The chief manufacture here consists of cast-iron car-
wheels; and recently a rolling mill has been erected,
which produces railroad and other desct iptions of fine iron.
The quantity of ore annually used at these works is be-
tween 4,000 and 5,000 tons, producing about 2,000 tons of
pig iron ; and the number of workmen varies from 200 to
400.

In Upper Canada an iron smelting work, in which the
bog ores were employed, was erected and carried on for
sometime in the county of Korfolk, on the shore of Lake
Erie, but is now abandoned, and no statistics of the pro-
duction of this work have, so far as we are aware, been
preserved. The excellent quality of the iron produced
from the bog ores of Canada is remarkable, inasmuch as
these invariably contain a notable quantity of phosphorus,

820 ICNSBAL BESOUBOEH OF BBITISH NOBTH AMBBIOA.

which is generally, although, as it appears^, erroneoiislyi)
supposed to be highly preju4icial to the iron. *<

ZtKt) AI^ LfiAD.

Hitherto no available deposits of sine ore have beab
discovered in Canada, although this metal is known to
exist at many places, and may yet become of economi<$
importance. Blende, or the sulphuret of zinc, is found
associated witib copper in considerable proportion at Fointe
aux Mines, on Lake Superior, and it is also found witli
galena at several points in the eastern townships. Depoaits
of zinc ores must be large and favorably situated in order
to be worked with profit, and the sulphuret is not the
most valuable ore ; its occurrence in Canada, therefore, can
only be regarded as important in so far as it may load, as
in other countries, to tiie discovery of t^e more useful ore,
calamine.

The offers of the geological survey have reported the
occurrence of galena, in many localities in Canada.
The most important is that now known afi the Samsay
lead mine, in the county of Lanark, 0. W. Here the
rock intersected by the vein, which is of calc-spar, is an
arenaceous limestone, or dolomite, belonging to that di-
vision of the lower Silurian series known in ISew York
State and in Canada as the calciferous sand-rock Hining
operations have been prosecuted with some success, and
have established beyond a doubt the important facts,
that the ore exists in true veins, which may be depended
upon foi' persistence in depth, and that its quality is most
excellent, producing eighty per cent, of metallic lead. Up-
wards of thirty tons of ore of this produce have been ob-
tained, and smelting works have been erected to reduce
the ore ; but the enterprise has languished from want of
sufficient capital to carry on the work efficiently. It is
expected that in the course of the present season (1862),
these mines will be worked by a powerful company, and
with good prospects of success. At other locations in the

MmOBAL BBBOIIBOBB OF BIHUSH NORTH AMSBiaitk SSl^

same district of country^ as in the townships of Bedf(»rd
and LanBdowne, otbor veins have benii digeovered, hold*,
ing a nearly uniform course, and which appear to be con-
nected with the well-known lead lodes of Bossie, in St.
Lawrence count j^ New York. Trial shafts have been
sunk on many of these veins, and with, good pro^pteots of
a successful, result.

Galena is known to exist at several points in the
Quebec group of rocks, stretching from Lake ChMnplain
to Gaspi; but it is as yet uncertain whether it occurs at
any place in sufficient quantity to be remunerative. At
Indian Cove^ in Gasp^, a lead vein has been partially
explored, and has yielded about six tons of sixty pec cent»
ore.

Galena has also been found in occasional bunches in thd
KTiagara limestone rocks, skirting the head of Lake Onta-
rio, and various attempts have been made to explore and
work them ; but no vein of any considwable importance
has yet been discovered here. ■ ' ^

COPPER.

This valuable metal undoubtedly constitutes the most
important of the mineral treasures of Canada, and is des-
tined to occupy a prominent rank among the resources of
the country. The ores of copper are found to be dis-
tributed abundantly over large tracts of country in the
western and eastern extremities of the province, their
existence having been known in the former case for nearly
two centuries, while in the latter, notwithstanding its
being a much more populous and accessible region, it has
only been brought to light within the last few years. The
Laurciitian rocks have not hitherto been found to yield
any great deposits of copper ore, although veins of the
sulphurets have been traced in this formation which may
lead to more important discoveries.

Copper mining i/ry the lake region. In the western part
of the province the Huroniaa rocks, occupying the whole

822 lONSBAL BSBOUBOES OF BBITI8R NOBTH AMERIOA.

northern flank of Lake Huron, and parts of Lake Superior,
are traversed by nnmerons and powerfal cupriferous veins,
which have formed the object of mining enterprise for many
years. The attention of travellers was attracted to the rich
copper ores of this region as far back as the middle of the
seventeenth century ; and in 1770 a company was actu-
ally formed by some enterprising Englishmen to work
copper mines on the north shores of Lake Superior ; but
owing to the remoteness and inaccessible nature of the coun-
try, it was found impracticable to continue operations for any
lengthened period. In 1845, when the excitement conse-
quent upon the great discoveries of copper on the south
shore of Lake Superior was at its height, similar mining
schemes were instituted on the Canadian side, and com-
panies were formed in Montreal, Quebec, and various
other Canadian cities, who with praiseworthy zeal, though
questionable discretion, sent armies of explorers and
miners into the field, equipped in the most extravagant
style, and who certainly obtained abundance of ore, but
at a cost greatly above its value. The consequence of
these rash and imprudent proceedings was that most of
the companies speedily abandoned their operations, after
the irretrievable loss of large sums of money ; and with
those who have continued in the business till the present
time, the debts thus incurred have proved a severe drag
upon their subsequent more cautious proceedings. The
Montreal Mining Company have prosecuted their works
till this time, and with tolerable success, at the Bruce Mine,
located on the shores of Lake Huron, where a group of cop-
per-bearing quartz lodes are found intersecting greenntone
rocks. On a careful examination instituted by Sir Wm.
Logan, in 1818, it was found that about 3,000 square fathoms
of the lodes would contain six and a half per cent, of cop-
per. The average annual produce of this mine during the
fourteen years of its existence has been about 700 tons, of
18 to 20 per cent. The deepest working is 50 fathoms
from the surface ; the mine employs about 84 hands.

\ i

cop-

|gthe

^8, of

loms

MINEBAL BESOUBCES OF BBITISH NOBTH AMEBIOA. 323

About four years ago the Montreal Mining Company
leased one of their locations, the " "Wellington Mine," to
a private English company, who have worked it with great
vigor and success. "Die lodes here are apparently con-
tinuations of those found on the Bruce location, and are
extremely powerful and productive. The quantity of ore
obtained at this mine since 1857 is about 6,000 tons of
twenty per cent., and it is said to yield twenty-five per
cent, on the capital invested. The same company have
also recently opened on an adjoining location, which is
owned by the Huron Copper Bay Company, and have
discovered very valuable deposits ; this mine being reported
to have yielded dui-ing 1861 not less than 1,300 tons of
twenty per cent. ore. The number of men on the Wel-
lington and Copper Bay Mines is supposed to be about
266. All the ore raised by this company is sent to Britain.

Smelting works have been established in connection with
the Bruce Mines, the coal being supplied at a nominal
rate of freight by the vessels which are sent to carry the
produce of the south shore mines. These works have
not hitherto been brought into successful operation, but if
skilfully and economically conducted, they cannot fail to
be of great advantage to the mining interests of this
region. The aggregate produce of the three Lake Huroi;
copper mines for 1861 is about 3,000 tons, worth aboi-t
$250,000, a considerable addition to the exports of Lhe
country from one small port, but a mere fraction of what
might be done, should the government provide efficient
steam communication with the upper lakes.

The ores of the Lake Huron copper region are entirely
Bulphurets, yellow, variegated, and vitreous — no native
copper being found. This form of the metal is, however,
found in considerable quantity at Maimanse, Michipicoten
island, and various other points on the north shore of Lake
Superior ; and it is quite possible that these regions may
ultimately prove as favorable for the production of copper
as the far-famed " south shore."
21

334 MINSBAL IUE80UBOE8 OF BBinSH KOBTB AXBBICA.

!:!

Copper mining in Ccmada East. "We have already re-
marked that the rocks of the Lake Superior mining region
have their geological equivalents in the Quebec group in
Lower Canada, and accordingly we find them character-
ized by similar features as r^ards their metallic contents.
It is only within the last ten years that the existence of
copper ores has been recognized in the eastern part of the
province, and the discovery of their economic importance
is of still more recent date. So far as hitherto observed^
the deposits occur most abundantly, and in gi'eatest rich-
ness, in the highly altered and disturbed strata constituting
the mountainous and piqturesque region of the eastern
townships, extending from the province line, near the head
of Lake Champlain, in a north-easterly direction as far as
Quebec,, and occupying a breadth of forty-five or fifty
miles. TLey occur chiefly in beds subordinate to the
stratification of the chloritic and micaceous slates, and asso-
ciated dolomitic limestones of the metamo^hic lower Si-
lurian age, which are tilted to a high angle ; and the most
valuable de]X)dts aro found where these strata appear to
have been fissured or otherwise disturbed, and the openings
subsequently filled with ore. In some cases, also, veins
occur cutting the stratification at small smgles, and these
give promise of being perman^itly reliable mines. The
ores are generally of an unusually rich character, and are
found in such variety as, by theif mixtoroy to give ^eat fa-
cilities for smelting.

During the last two years (1860 amd 1861), much activ-
ity has prevailed in prosecuting the search for valuable
minerals in the region in question, chiefly by individual
enterprise or by small companies. Surface explorations
have been made over a very large tract of country, and ia
several instances actual mining opwations have been com-
menced, and the results so far have proved highly encour^^
aging. Deposits of the sulphurets of copper, more or lesS'
promising, have been found to exist on upwajrds of 160
distinct lots, in various towni^ps. Oft nine or ten loca>

unnvnAL BUOVBOKS or SRiinStt Hotna MUmaoA, 326

tions^ at great distances apart, trial shafts have b^n eunk
to a considerable depth, and in as many instances large
sums have been expended in co ^«^ning and tfenchidg ; and
in almost all cases the deposits^ wheil traced in depth,
have been found to improve in all the qualities requisite
for permanent and profitable mining. All that seems
wanting iii order to establish the character of this promis*
ing mining region is the expdnditare, at various well se-
lected points, of a moderate capital judiciously ^nd eco-
nomically applied^ These mines are very well oitueited as
regards transportation of the ores to mar>et, the whole
district being traversed by railways, and at no point very
distant from water conveyance*

The only copper mines in Lowe:^ Oafiada ^hich have as
yet produced much ore for the market are) the Acton and
Harvey Hill mines^ At Acton, in Bagot county, the ore,
which is associated with a doloniitie limestone, in cotise-
quence apparently of complicated dislocations of the strata,
occurs at the surfisK^ in a scricfs of bunches of exceeding
richness. Which have now for th6 most part been extracted
by open quarrying ; bu^ on tracing this ore in depth, the
bunches appear to ha conMected with regular veitis which
afford promise of being permanently productive, although
by a different and more satisfactory mode of working. In
the absence of full official returns, it may be safely esti-
mated that the Aeton mine has, up to the close of the year
1861j produced not less than 6,000 tons of ore, averaging
seventeen, per cent produce, and Worth about $400,000, at
a cost probably about one-sixth of that sum.* This mine
gave employment in 1861 to between 500 and 600 hands ;
and although its character as a good mine for permanent

* Since writing the above, it has been ascertained that the total value of
or6 obtained ait the Actott Mine, within thr^ years after it was opened, was
$490,000. " It is believed that the history of mining in ilmerica affords no
pairftllel t6 tlM In the tetujoritf of cias«8 where copper mines have proved
ultimaftely profitable, it is only after' the consumption of much time and the
investment of a lairge ainotint of capital that any rdtuma have been realized."
—Dr. Jackaon^s Seport on the Acton Mint, 1862.

826 MINERAL BSSOUB0B8 OF BBITISH NOBTH AMBBIOA.

and profitable working has been seriously injured by an
injudicious system of development, it is certain that the
ore is still very far from being exhausted.

At the Harvey Hill mine in Leeds (the property of the
English and Canadian Mining Co.), the works have been
prosecuted during the past three years with much skill and
vigor, in opposition to many and formidable difficulties,
which seem at length likely to be crowned with merited suc-
cess. The ore, which consists of the pyritous, variegated, and
vitreous varieties, here occui« both in rich bunches in a series
of quartz courses of considerable though limited extent,
cutting the stratification at small angles, and in a more
diffused state in beds or bands coinciding therewith ; and is
attacked and extracted by regular and systematic under-
ground operations. The principal adit, when complete,
will cut all the courses at a depth of thirty-seven fathoms
from the summit of the hill, and will be 250 fathoms in
length. In order to save expense in transportation to
market, the ore is concentrated by dressing to thirty-five
per cent, or upwards. In opening up this mine, from
$80,000 to $100,000 have already been expended, and
during the past year it has produced about 130 tons of
thirty-five per cent, ore, worth about $18,000, and the to-
tal produce from the commencement may be estimated at
about $60,000.^ The number of men employed is about
sixty ; the produce of this mine is all sent to England.
An experiment is now in process of trial at the Harvey
Hill mine for concentrating the poorer ores from the beds,
&c., by Henderson's patent process, which, if successful,
as there is every probability it will be, will add greatly to
the value of this, as well as all other copper mining prop-
erty in Canada.

The Ascot Mine, near Sherbrooke, opened in the fall of

* From a return made bj Mr. Williams, at the close of the year 1862, we
find that the total quantity of ore shipped to England was 322 tons of 35 per
cent, besides about 2000 tons of poorer ore averaging 3^ per cent, then on
the ground.

MINEBAL BESOITBCBS OF BBTTI8H NORTH A1CXBI04. 827

1861, has in five months produced about 100 tons of eight
or nine per cent, ore, with very little cost for working.
This mine has been opened on a twist in the stratification
of the chloritic and slaty limestone of the country, which
appears to have folded the copper-bearing bed upon itself,
giving three courses of ore in the breadth of eighty feet.
The ore-bearing bed, which is at ene place about eight feet
thick, carries the yellow sulphuret of copper disseminated
throughout the mass, and is simply broken up and barrelled
for market without any special dressing. The total depth
reached is about seven fathoms, and the beds seem to in-
crease in richness as they are traced in depth. The rock
is mined with unusual .facility; the ore has hitherto been
sent chiefly to the Boston smelting works, where it is much
prized for its valuable fluxing qualities.

At other mining locations in the townships of Sutton,
Melbourne, Durham, "Wickham, and Upton, and in the
Seignory of Lotbiniere, some progress has been made in
the extraction of ore, the total value of which may be esti-
mated at $8,000 ; but these operations must be regarded
as only preliminary, this branch of industry being as yet
quite in its infancy ; and it is a highly gratifying feature
in these mines, that the ore incidentally obtained in test-
ing them frequently 8u£Sices to defray the expense.

As regards the comparative advantages of mining in
Canada and in England, we have to remark, that although
at present the expenses both of labor and transportation
are considerably greater in Canada, these evils may be ex-
pected to cure themselves as soon as mining becomes an
" institution" among us — the first by the immigration of
Cornish hands, and the latter by the erection of smelting
furnaces, or other means of concentrating the ores, at or near
the mines, or at the nearest coal country in British North
America, — ^Nova Scotia, — ^which must in time occupy the
same position with regard to the mining region of Lower
Canada that South Wales holds with respect to Cornwall.
As an ample set-off to these present disadvantages, we may

838 UIMlt^Mj BVaOUHOJH of BSmSH NOBTH AMSRIOA.

mention the greatly superior ricbnesg of the ores in Canada,
their greater proximity to the surface, dispensing with
much oostly machinery for pumping, &c., and abundance
of wood for timbering and for fuel.

The mining adventurers in some instances purchase
the land with the minerals, but in general the mode of
tenure is by lease of the minerals only for a considerable
term of years, with payment of a poyalty. The extraor-
dinary success of the Acton Mines, and the excitement
consequent upon the novelty of the discoveries, at first
rendered the proprietors exorbitant in their demands — a
per-centage of one-tenth of the gross proceeds, and in
some instances a bonu» besides, being required before
granting a letise. As, however, it became apparent that
the Acton deposits were altogether of an exceptional char-
acter, and that the risk and expense of proving locations
and of underground working will not admit of any such
terms, there is a general disposition on the part of the
proprietors to encourage mining adventurers as well as
benefit themtielves by exacting only moderate royalties.

It is the duty of government also, and of all public
companies interested in. these lands, to foster and encour-
age this new branch of industry by assisting in the con-
struction of roads, by low tarififa on railways, and by all
other means in their power.

NIOKBI. ANJ> COBALT,

Kickel has been found in several localities in Canada,
in rocks of the Laurentian, Huronian, and Lower Silu-
rian ages, but it is as yet doubtful if it exist at any one
place in quantities which would be remunerative in work-
ing. The most remarkable instance of its occurrence is in
the island of Michipicoten in Lake Superior, where it
exists in the forms of the arseniurets and silicates of nickel,
associated with copper, silver, and traces of cobalt, and
yielding trom seventeen to thirty-seven per cent, of nickel.
It Is reported that considerable quantities of this ore were

VIKBBAL BBBOUIOU OF BBTTISH VOVTH JMBBWi. 8S9'

^rown into the lake Bfter being stamped and washed
for the native gilver, Che workmea being ignorant of its
Tahio. This metal has aIbo been found iu considerable
abundance at the Wallaoe Kine, on Ldte Huron, as
an arsenical sulpbnret, associated with iron pyrites; the
ore here yields thirteen per cent, of niekel, with a little
cobalt.

At Brompton Lake, in the Eastern township, nickel has
been tbund in the form of MiUeriie^ or needle-nickel,
«xhibitiBg beautiful slender elongated prisms, associated
ndth oalc-spar and chrome garnets — specimens of the rook
yielding to analysis as much as one per cent of nickel,
which, according to the modern systems of separating,
might pay for working. Traces of cobalt are found in
many places in Canada, but not in suflicient quantity to
be of ni«3h economic importaaee; at one locality, how-
«rer, in £lizabethtown, near Brockville, a great bed of
cobalti&rous pyrites occurs; the ore yielding to assays one-
half per cent of cobalt, which, according to the modem
systems of working, would yield a profitable result The
firesence of nickel and eobalt has been recognized in rocks
in Canada, which m the neighboring State of New York,
and in similar conditions, have yielded these valuable
tnetais in considerable abondanca.

■

SILVER.

Native silver is found with the native copper in Michl-
picoten, St. Ignace, and Spar Islands, in Lake Superior;
also at the latter location it is found as a salphuret, asso-
ciated with sulphurets of iron, copper, lead, and zinc, in
« thick vein of eale-spar, barytes, and quarts. An assay
of a earnple of severtd hundred pounds of the vein yielded
about four per cent, of silver, with traces of gold.

Most of the galena found in Canada is exceedingly
poor in gilver, but specimens from Maimanse, and other
points on Lake Superior, have yielded thirty ounces to the
ton of metallic lead, and other ores from the Ohaudiere,

830 HINBBAL BESOUBOES OF BBITISH NOBTH AMEBIOA.

and from a vein near Sherbrooke, in Lower Canada, con-
tain respectively twenty-five ounces and sixty ounces of
silver per ton of lead. In all these cases, however, so far
as yet ascertained, t^ 3 galena is diffused through such
masses of rock as to make it questionable if it would pay
to separate the silver.

OOLD.

Discoveries of gold have been made at several localities,
and :n fair quantity in Eastern Canada ; chiefly in the val-
leys of the rivers Chaudiere and Du Loup, and their tribu-
taries, and on the St. Francis, all in the eastern townships.
In all cases it has been obtained by a laborious process of
washing or streamrwork^ the material subjected to this pro-
cess consisting of drift clay and gravel, the debris of the
rocks on which thoy repose. These rocks consist of clay,
slates, and interstratlfied gray sandstones, associated with
conglomerates, serpentine, and various ores of iron ; and it
seems probable that the gold-producing regions will hp-^e
the same geographical limits as those we have assigned to
the Quebec group of rocks. The precious metal has not
hitherto been found in any considerable quantity in the
quartz veins which traverse these regions, but it has been
proved that these veins do produce it, and there can bo
little doubt that the gold found in the drift has been derived
from quartz veins, probably situated not far distant. The
largest nuggets found vary from one-half to six ounces.

The work of gold-washing in the drift has been prose-
cuted to a limited extent, during the last twelve years, by
various companies and individuals, and with fair success.
In 1851, the Canada Gold Mining Company commenced
a trial of the drift along the Riviere du Loup, near its junc-
tion -^ith the Chaudiere ; their operations extended over
three years, the greatest part of the gold being obtained
in the bed of the river, and, allowing for the large amount
of unprofitable preliminary labor, the results are suffi-
ciently encouraging.

MINERAL BESOUB0E8 OF BBITISH NOSTH AMEBIOA. 331

The follo^ng are the returns for the years 1851 and
1852, as given by Sir William Logan :

Year. Area washad. Gold collected. Yalne. WagM. Pnflt.

IS51 I acre. 2,107 dwts., 11 gra. $1,826.46 $1,644.33 $182.13
1862 i " 2,880 " 19 " 2,496.69 1,888.36 608.34

Total, 1 acre. 4,987 dwts., 30 grs. $4,323.15 $3,632.68 $690.47

Sir William states that daring the time of his observa-
tions the deposit yielded about double wages. Since this
company discontinued their operations, no regular attempts
have been made to turn the auriferous drift to profitable
account, excepting on a very small scale by the French Ca-
nadian habitants, who occasionally bring to Quebec nug-
gets of considerable size as the fruits of their labors.
There seems little doubt, however, that, were the field laid
open to foreign enterprise, and the improved modern sys-
tems of separating the precious metal systematically pros-
ecuted, the gold fields of Canada would attract much
attention. Probably the government does not deem it
politic to encourage a description of industry which has, if
unduly excited, somewhat of a demoralizing eiOfect upon
the populati(m.

CHROMid IRON.

This mineral, which is highly prized for the manufac-
ture of the chromates of potash and lead, and for the pro-
duction of many beautiful red, yellow, and green colors, is
found in considerable quantities in the eastern townships
of Canada, chiefly in Bolton, Melbourne, and Ham, and
in the Shickshock Mountains in Gasp6. It is usually found
associated with beds of serpentine, in which the ore occurs in
masses or nodules, sometimes about 1,000 pounds weight,
but usually of much smaller dimensions. In the township
of Ham the bed has been partially worked, and has pro-
duced about ten tons of the ore, containing forty-five per
cent, of oxide of chromium, from seven square fathoms of
the bed. Besides the localities specified, chromic iron is
found in many other places in Canada, but generally not

832 imnsBAL bbsoubces of BBrnsH nobts amxbioa.

in sufficient aggregation to be profitably workable. The
value of this mineral in England is stated to be about one
dollar per unit per ton, which would afford an ample profit
upon its exportation, and a very handsome return to parties
who would undertake to invest capital in the preparation
of the oxide from the raw material, in the province itself.

The following remarks on the method of manufacturing
bichromate of potash in !N'orway, by Mr. Thomas Macfar-
lane, of Acton, will be found interesting ;

" The ore, in fine powder, is ignited in a reverberatory
furnace, with about thirty per cent, of calcined potash and
little or no saltpetre. The resulting mixture yields, on
lixiviation with water, a solution of neutral chromate of
potash, which separates as a granular salt on evaporation.
It is redissolved, and the solution treated with a certain
quantity of sulphuric acid, when crystallized bichromate
of potash is obtained; one hundred parts of ore yield
about thirty-seven of bichiiomate, equal to twenty percent,
of chromic oxide.

" The manufacture suffers from expensive cartage of
fuel, and high prices of potash, which is chiefly imported
from Kussia. In Canada, at South Ham, Bolton, and Mel-
bourne, the ores are much richer and more extensive; in
the first named place, containing forty-three per cent, of
chromic oxide. In Canada, around the mines of the east-
ern townships, the settler destroys acres of timber, the
softer parts of which he might bum into charcoal, and
manufacture tons of potash, which the chrome miner
might buy, and use to manufacture his ore into chromate
of potash, at a highly profitable rate. I am not aware of
any district where greater advantages exist. May they
soon be appreciated and taken advantage of as they de-
serve."

IROIT OCHRES.

Very extensive beds of hydrated peroxide of iron, con-
stituting the ochres of commerce, are distributed in many
parts of Canada, and chiefly in association with the bog

UnrHBAT. BBBOUBOES OF BSITXSH NOBTH AMEBIOA. 833

iron ores, which are, in point of fact, nearly of the same
origin and composition, only differing in the condition in
which their elements are combined. In many places
these substances are actually found in process of forma-
tion, the iron being visibly precipitated from springs hold-
ing it in solution.

Some of the ochre beds of Canada have been partially
worked, and supply an excellent material, of a great va-
riety of shades of color. The principal locality where
the manufacture of this description of paints has been
carried on is at Pointe du Lac, on the north shore of the
St. Lawrence, near Three Rivers, in Lower Canada, where
the deposit occupies an area of about 400 acres, with an
average thickness of eighteen inches ; but the enterprise
appears for the present to be abandoned. It was prepared
for the market at very little cost, and the works were ca-
pable of producing twelve barrels per day, worth five dol-
lars per barrel. Sir "Wm. Logan remarks in his Report,
in regard to the exhibition of Canadian minerals at Lon-
don, in 1851 : " I was informed by one of the principal
manufacturers of paints in London, that the iron ochres
from Canada were of the best usual description, and equal
to those now imported from France. The French ochres
imported into X4ondon in the crude state, and prepared
there on a large scale, can be sold to a profit at £3 ($15)
per ton ; and the superiority of the English manufacturers
over the French is sjich, that the latter, preparing the ma-
terial at home and exporting it to London, cannot ob-
tain a profit unless they can sell the commodity at £6 per
ton. The charges of freight may render it difficult to
transport the Canadian ochre across the Atlantic at a
profit, but the abundance of the material in the country
should surely render it unnecessary that any should be im-
ported into this or the neighboring colonies."

SULPHATE OF BARYTES.

This mineral, otherwise called heavy-spar, and which is
much used in the manufacture of a white paint, and for

884 imnsBAL besoubobs of bbttish nobth amebioa.

adulterating white lead, occurs abundantly at Baryta
Island, in Lake Superior ; and also in the townships of
Bedford, Bastard, Lansdowne, and McNab ; it forms, in
conjunction with calc-spar, the gangue of many of the
metallic veins, chiefly those of galena. At one place in
the township of Bastard, as d«3scribed by Mr. Murray,
assistant provincial geologist, these minerals constitute a
vein traceable for a quarter of a mile in length, with a
breadth of twenty-eight inches, consisting in some places al-
most entirely of pure crystallized sulphate of barytes, yield-
ing about ten tons per fathom. The value of the crude mate-
rial is said to be $8 to $10 per ton to the manufacturer,
while the manufactured article is worth $30 per ton.

STEATITB OR SOAPSTONB.

This mineral, which is composed of silica and magnesia,
possesses many valuable and useful properties. It is soft
and unctuous to the touch, capable of being worked into
any required shape by common carpenters' tools, and is
little affected by exposure to intense heat or stiong acids.
In Canada it is used occasionally as a refractory stone,
and is found in beds of twenty and thirty feet thick re-
spectively, in the townships of Sutton and Bolton, associ-
ated with serpentine and dolomite. It also exists in the
townships of Leeds and Stanstead, where it is ground and

employed as a paint. ■ ' - -

■■",'■•,...■■■<•'

LITHOGRAPHIO STONB.

A species of limestone belonging to the period of the
lower Silurian formation, and occurring in the township
of Marmora, in the vicinity of the iron-works already men-
tioned, is found to be exceedingly well adapted to the pur-
poses of lithography, and attracted much attention and
commendation at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851,
although hitherto no attempt has been made to quarry it
for use. The bed from which this valuable material is do-
rived is of great lineal extent and about two feet in thick-

KINBBAL BB80UB0BS OF BBITIBH NOBTH AMERICA. 835

ness, and is distingnished for its perfect homogeneity, close-
noss and compactness of texture, and other excellent
qualities for the purpose referred to. Another locality of
this material, in the upper Silurian rocks, has recently
been discovered in Oanada West, near WalJkerton, Brant
county, where not less than fifteen beds of limestone, ad-
mirably adapted for this purpose, occur in a thickness of
nine feet. Good lithographic stone is said to be worth
about seven cents per pound. ■ • j -: i, , ?>

This remarkable mineral is found in great abundance
and of extreme purity in some parts of Canada, and has
been to a limited extent applied to economic purposes.
" The cleavable character of mica," says Sir "William Lo-
gan, " its transparency, its elasticity and refractory nature,
render it valuable for several purposes, the more impor-
tant of which relate to it as a substitute for glass for ships'
windows, and in some countries for house windows, for
stove fronts, and such like applications. For the latter
purpose it is greatly used in Korth America. The price
at which plates of five by seven inches sell in Montreal is
about a dollar the pound." Sir William further states
that the Canadian mica attivcted so much notice at the
French Exposition in 1855, as to induce inquiries by an
artist in Paris, who stated that he could use about 12,000
lbs. annually. He could afford to pay the following prices
for square plates of it, accordii% to size :

From 3f indiea to 6| inoheB $34.00 per 100 lbs.
«• 5| II i^l II 40.00 "
M iji II II II 48_ij5 M

" 9| " " »• 63.6t "

In Grenville, on the Ottawa Biver, where the mineral
is found in great quantity, but in patches imbedded in
massive pyroxenic rock in contact widi abed of crystalline
limestone, crystals of mica have been obtained giving sheets
measuring twenty-four by fourteen inches. At another

!■■!

386 «™iBni.T. BWOITBOBB OF BBrn»H IfOBTEB AMEBIOA.

loealifty in the township of North Bnrgeft, seaor the Kidewa
Oanaly the mineral h found in regolar veins, or ratiior bandsy
mnning parallel with each other at no great distance apart,
some of which aare as mueh as four f^ in width, and can
be trapced for seventy-five yards in lengths These deposits
have yielded good plates, which when dressed measure
twenty by thirty inches; the average size, however,
varies ffom three to ten inches squaoFe^ of which great
quantities can be obtained in this locality^

At present the demand for mica is rather limited, but
there can be no doubt that a material possessing such re-
markable and valuable properties must, in the progress of
the arts, and when its abundant supply is established, find
many economic applications.

In addition to the uses mentioned above, it has recently
been much employed in photographic manipnlationsy and
for the manufacture of stable and other lanterns ; and
large flakes are eagerly sought aft^ by optical instrument
makers, for dials for ships* compasses. A flake one inch
thick can be divided into the astonishing number of 2,000
sheets.

Recently a new field has been opened up, by a patent
process for the application of nuca, previously colored or
metallized, to the decorating of churches, rooms, abops,
and other ornamental and useM purposes. The mica
from its unalterable nature, ]^eserves the gilding, silver-
ing, or coloring from deterioration^ and from its transpa-
rency the articles so treated will preserve all their bril-
liancy. The value of mica depends upon the size of the
sheets and their tttoketpnx^^- ^^ ^^ Loltd'oa market, to
which Canada has' supplied about two tons, of the total net
value of £450 sterling, the Canadian micat' is not so much
eSteeraied asi thatt fromr Galcotts, whicii «on^ttaftndB> from
two shillings sixpence to fear shillings per lb., while the €a^
nadian will rarely exceed two sfaillinigB. The location in
North Burgess, mentioned above, has mipphed the only imo»
hitherto exported from OtHMida, so far as we torn awwm^

:«,

UmtmJkL BBSOUBOBB OF BBITISH NOBTK Alf,KBK)A. S&1

PLUMBAGO, OR ORAPHrPBr.

The eryBtalline limestones of the Lanrentian system,
and some of the lower members of the Silurian system,
ore marked by the oecurrence of this mineral in many
cases, diffftised in small scales and flakes ; but sometimes
in sufficient aggregation to be economically available. The
chief locality whwe it seems to occur in WOTkable quan-
tities, is in the townships borderii^ the north bank of the
Ottawa river, below Ottawa City. A bed of tolerably pore
graphite has been parti&Uy worked in the township of
Grenville; it has been.traeed at intervals for a distance of
about three miles, and shows on the surface a thickness of
ten inches ; but the puorer portions of the band appear to
form lenticular masses, which eannolt be- depended upon
for continuous working,, and, consequently^ may not be
found profitable in mining. This, so far as hitherto as>
certained^ seems to be the character of the deposits of
graphite g^iera^y throu^omt Canada. At the present
time it is essential to the commercial value of this ntate-
rial^ that it should be almost free from gritty or stony par-
ticles ;, but economical methods of purifying it will doubt-^
less be applied at an early day, and will secure a regular
market for the Canadisin plumbago, some of which is found
in a state of great purity, and is worth from eighty to
one Iiumdred dollars per ton. The chief applications of
this material are for the manufacture of crucibles for brass-
founders, for glazing gunpowder, blacking stoves, <&c., and
for diminishing friction in heavy machinery. Processes
have recently been patented in England^ by Messrs.
Brockedon amd Brodie, for the purification of ordinary
pliimbsgOy so as to render it fit for the manufacture of
black-lead pencils. These have been ascertained to be
successfully applicable to the Canadian article, and will
thus render the mining of this valuable min^al, on an ex-
tensive Bcaley well worthy of lU^tention. We are not aware

838 lONEBAL BJEBOUBOES OT BBTIIBH NOBfIS AlCEBIOA.

that any considerable quantity of plumbago has yet been
produced in Canada.

lONBRAL MANURES.--PHOSPHATB 01* LIME.— aTPSUK—

SHELL-MABL.

Apatite or Phosphate of lAme. — This mineral, the con-
stituent elements of which form the base of animal bones,
is found in great abundance in the Laurentian rocks of
Oanada ; and although not hitherto brought into very gen-
eral use as an artificial manure, is plentifully distributed by
the hand of nature from the debris of the rocks among the
soils, contributing no doubt very materially to their fertil-
ity and valuoi Its occurrence in rocks of such primitive geo-
logical age, points to the existence of animal life at a period
vastly earlier than the received geological theories admit.

The mineral phosphate of lime has for some years back
attracted considerable attention, both in England and the
United States, as a substitute for guano and bone-dust.
So important is the substance deemed, that the British
government sent commissioners to Estremadura in Spain,
where the mineral is found, for the purpose of arranging
for its importation into England ; but the result was that
it did not appear to exist in sufficient quantity ; so that the
only mineral phosphate now used by the agriculturists in
England is obtained from the crag on the coast of Suffolk.
This, however, is very impure, containing much carbonate
of lime and other earthy matters ; while the mineral phos-
phate found in Canada is nearly in a pure, and much of
it in a crystallized state. Although it has not yet been
mined to any considerable extent, sufficient has been as-
certained with r^ard to its mode of occurrence to render
it certain that it can be obtained in very great quantities,
and it may be hoped that it will supersede the use of
bones, of which probably not less than £400,000 or £500,-
000 worth are annually imported into England. Besides
the use of bone-dust for agricultural purposes, several
thousand tons of it are annnally used in England for the

lONEBAL BESOUBOKS OV BBITISH NOBTH iLMSBIOA. 889

manufacture of china ware, at a cost of from seven pounds
to ten pounds per ton. Probably the mineral phosphate
might be successfully applied as a substitute for this pur-
pose also. As a manure it has been actually applied to
the land with great success ; but a good and cheap method
of decomposing it, previous to applying it to the soil, is
still a desideratum. The usual mode of applying it as a
manure, is to grind the mineral to powder, and treat with
coarse sulphuric acid ; about two-thirds of the phosphate
is thus at once liberated, and enters into combination with
the soil, while the remaining third will act upon the
ground the ensuing year, by becoming soluble by natural
agencies. .v:;:'';'^^-- r;,v

This mineral is found very extensively distributed
among the Laurentian rocks, both in detached nodules
and in crystals ; but the most important locality of its oc-
currence hitherto discovered is in the township of South
Burgess, where it forms a massive bed of unknown though
evidently very great dimensions, which has been quarried
to a small extent. Another deposit in the adjoining town-
ship of £lmsley, but which, from the direction of the beds,
seems to be in the same band, has also been worked a little,
and apparently foims an irregular bed in the Laurentian
limestone. This bed has been traced upwards of a mile,
and seems to be about ten feet wide, of which three feet
are nearly pure crystalline apatite, containing about ninety
per cent, of phosphate of lime, the remainder being mixed
with the limestone rock, in which, however, the phosphate
greatly predominates. The deposit in South Burgess has
the great advantage of being very easily quarried, and of
being situated immediately upon one of the reaches of the
Kideau canal. The mineral is stated to be worth from
twenty to thirty dollars per ton in England, the value of
course varying according to the percentage of phosphoric
acid. When we consider the bearing of the phosphate of
lime upon the animal and vegetable economy, we must
regard the discovery of this substance in such abundance,
22

■1

840 lONSIUL tJUOWKm of BBrnSH KCWTH iLMXRIOA.

and lo easil J aooeesible, as one of the most valuable of the
sonroes of wealth which haa been added to the oountry
during the last few years.

Oyptum. — ^In regard to this valuable material, the fol-
lowing extracts from a lecture delivered by Professor Hind
of Toronto, in 1857, are pertinent and exhaustive : " The
Tast areas occupied by the rooks yielding gypsum in
Western Canada have for many years been regarded as
sources of great nati(«ial wealth. Our gypsiferous rocks
extend fh>m the Niagara to the Saugeen, a distance of 150
miles, and have a breadth varying from five to fifteen and
even twenty miles. Gypsum has been quarried in the
townships of Dumfries, Brantford, Oneida, Cayuga, and
others in the valley of the Grand River; it will probably
be found in great abundance in the valley of the Saugeen
whffli that fertile tract of country becomes better knov/n.

^ Gypsum, or sulphate of Ume.> is used in the arts for
numerous purposes. It is employed by potters for pro-
curing moulds with its calcined powder, moistened with a
proper quantity of water. The finer kinds are selected
for the manufacture of the alabaster ornaments so much
admired. When properly calcined, and ground to a fine
powder. It is largely employed for stucco-work, statues, and
statuettes; when mixed with glue or gelatine, colored
stuccoes of great hardness and beauty are made from it.
It is admirably adapted for taking casts of objects, and is
frequently employed for that purpose. When mixed with
alum, borax, or potash, a variety of materials greatly prized
in the plastic arts are produced. The subject is one of
general interest, and the vast deposits of gypsum in Canada
will no doubt become considerable sources of wealth when
the proper time arrives.

" For agricultural purposes the value of gypsum is too
well known to require much notice here ; a growing ap-
preciation' of its worth is shown in the yearly increasing
demand, and it is now found for sale in large quantities in
most Canadian towns< It is a fact ascertained by the ex*

imntRAL SBsorxon or bbituh hobtb aiobioa. 841

perience of very many yean in France and Germany, and
more recently in America, that gypsum, when jndicioasly
applied, sometimes doables and even trebles the quantity
of certain plants usually grown on a given area. A study
of the mode and time of applying it, and of the plants
most benefited by it, ought not to be lost sight of in Can-
ada, where it so largely abounds. The value of the exports
from Oanada of ground plaster and hydraulic lime shows
a steady and important increase. In 1853 it was £1,340 ;
in 1954, £2,017 ; and in 1865, £19,112."

Sir William Logan remarks : '' All the gypsum mines
at present worked in Oanada occur on the Grand Biver,
in a distance of thirty-five miles, extending from Oayuga
to Paris. All the mines appear to be confined to one
stratigraphical position in the formation, which is probably
about the middle. The mineral occurs in lenticular
masses, varying in horizontal diameter from a few yards
to a quarter of a mile, with a thickness of from three to
seven feet The layer of gypsum appears to be in general
both overlaid and underlaid by beds of dolomite, much of
which is fit for the purpose of hydraulic cement, and the
gypsum itself is sometimes interstratified with thin beds
of dolomite. In some parts there appear to be two work'
able ranges of gypsum, one a fSw feet above the other.
But this probably is only to be considered as a thickening
of the gypsiferons band with an iuterstratiflcation of a
larger mass of dolomite."

The business of mining gypsum in Canada, and of pre-
paring it for the market, has been in existence for the last
fourteen or fifteen years. The following is the amount
raised annually from the quarries on the Grand Biver,
according to Sir Wm. Logan's returns :

Tons.

T. Mutindale, Oneida, 3,500

J. Donaldson, " 1,500

A. Taylor, York / 3,000

Thompson A Wrif^t, Paris 4,000

J. Brown, OaTuga, 2,000

14,000

* »
842 KOTMBAL BX80T7BSK8 OF BBmSH KOBTH AMEBIOA.

The greater part of this gypsum is employed for agrical-
tnral purposes, and the prices at which it is sold are as
follows: —

" ' Per Ton.

PlMter, unground. $2.00

" ground for agricultural purposes 3.60—4.00

•• " itnooo, raw 6.60 — 7.00

** u a calcined. 16.00

Much of the produce of these mines is sent to be ground
and prepared for market by Mr. Brown of Thorold, on the
Welland Canal, who has for the last fifteen years manu-
factured on an average 1,000 tons annually.

Shell J^arl. Y ast deposits of recent shell marl and cal-
careous tufa are found in various localities, and in all parts
of Oanada, too numerous to be here specified. Wherever
they occur the land is characterized by a luxuriant vege-
tation, and dense growth of hard-wood timber, indicating
their extraordinary fertilizing properties on the soil. The
deposits of shell marl extend in some instances, as in the
township of Sheffield, county of Addington, 0. W., about
400 acres, with a thickness over the greater portion of at least
ten feet. One of the deposits of calcareous tufa is supposed
to extend over more tiian 1,000 acres, with an average
thickness of five feet.

HTDBAUUO CEMENT.— BOOFDrO SLATES.

At several points, and in various geological formations in
Canada, silicious dolomites occur, which, when carefully
calcined and ground, are found to furnish a very superior
description of water-lime or cement, which rapidly hardens
under, and permanently resists the action of water ; this
invaluable property being due to their contaiaing a definite
proportion of silicious and magnesian salts associated with
the lime. The principal localities where limestones hold-
ing the proper a^ixture of the m^ateriels named have been
discovered are at Paris, Cayuga, Thorold, Kingston, and
Loughborough in Canada West, and at Kepean or Hull,
Quebec, and the Magdalen Elver in Gasp6, Canada

UmSMAL BUOUBOEB OF BBITISH NOBTH AlCBBIOA. 348

East In Bome of these localities the beds have been
worked; those of Hull and Thorold are of excellent qual-
ity and are highly esteemed. During the construction of
various railway and other public works within the last ten
years, the quantity of cement manufactured by Mr. Brown
of Thorold averaged S0,000 bushels annually, but at present
the quantity does not exceed one-tenth of that amount.
The present price of the cement is from twenty to twenty-
five cents per bushel of sixty pounds. The average annual
value of cement ground at the Thorold mills, for the last
eighteen years, varies from $3,000 to $6,000.

Roofing Slates. — *' Slate is a material daily becoming
more valuable, on account of the vast variety of useful
purposes to which it is applied. One of its most import-
ant characteristics is its strength ; it is computed to be
about four times as strong as ordinary stone, and slabs
eight feet long and upwards can be safely used of a thick-
ness not exceeding half an inch. It is a non-absorbent of
moisture, and is thus adapted as an admirable lining for
wells and for roofing houses. The economical importance
of slates has attracted attention to their distribution in
Lower Canada, and already large quarries are worked which
furnish slate of a superior quality." — Professor JSind's
Zecture.

Sir William Logan makes the following valuable re-
marks on the numerous useful applications of slate : " Not
only is it applied as a covering for houses, but it is employed
as walls for cisterns to hold water, slabs of fifteen feet by
eight being sometimes used for this purpose ; in smaller
dimensions it is used for wine-coolers, dairy dressers,
kitchen and hall flooring, tables, chimney mantels, and
a multitude of other purposes where surface is required.
In its application as tables and chimney-pieces, it is capa-
ble of receiving a high degree of decoration : the tables,
after being dressed to the smoothest possible surface, are
embellished with gilding, or with paintings in colors resist-
ing fire, showing landscapes or imitations of stone ; and a

344 MmKBJLL BBSOUBOES 09 BBITIBH NOBTH AMEBIOA.

Bilicions varnish being applied, the stone is subjected to a
heat which melts the varnish into an enamel, and produces
a brilliant result. Chimney-pieces in the same way are
enamelled over the natural color of the stone, or over a
fancy color given to it. When the color is black, it is
difficult to distinguish the slate from a brilliantly polished
and valuable black marble, while the cost is comparatively
small. The great number of purposes to which good
slate is applicable render the rock of great economic import-
ance and well worthy of research." To the many advan-
tages above enumerated,, attending the use of this material,
may be added the extraordinary facility with which it can
be worked into any required shape.

The best slate quarry hitherto found in Canada is Mr.
Benjamin Walton's, in the township of Melbourne, C. E. ;
the band of slate is one-third of a mile wide, and overlies
serpentine rock ; thus marking its geological position to
be in the Quebec group of the lower Silurian system, and
probably equivalent to that of the far-famed Welsh slate
rocks. Mr. Walton commenced preliminary operations in
1860, and has produced slates for the market since the
spring of 1861. In opening up the quarry an expendi-
ture of about $30,000 is safd to have been incurred, and
during last year the value of slate sold has been about
$8,000.

These slates are held in high repute for their excellent
quality; and it is confidently anticipated that, when in
full operation, this quarry will find an abundant market
for its produce, not only in Canada, but in the western
cities of the Union. The following table, given by Sir
Wm. Logan in his Catalogue of Economic Materials for
1862, exhibits, first, the sizes of the slates in inches ; sec-
ond, the number of such slates in a square (of one hundred
square feet); and, third, the price per square at which
Mr. W alton supplies his slates, placed on the railroad cars
on the Quebec and Eichmond branch of the Grand Trunk
Eailway, which is within one and a half mile of the quarry.

A . ,

laNBSAL BBSOUBOn OF BBtniH HOKTH AMSBIOA. 345

SftoL Vumbff. PriMk

BitA Stebtr. MMk

94x16.... 86.... $4.00

16x10.... 222.... $3. TS

24x14.... 98.... 4,00

16x9... .246.... 3.15 '

24x12.... 114.... 400

16K8....27T.... 3.70

22x12.... 126.... 4.00

14* 10.... 262.... 3.00

22x11.,.. 138.... 4.00

14 X 9 291 3.00

20x12.... 141.... 4.00

14«8....32t.... 3.00

20x11.... 164.... 4.00

14x7.... 374.... 2.78

20x10 169 400

12x3.... 400.... 2.75

18x11. ...175.... 400

12 X 7.... 467.... 2.60 ,

18x10 192 400

13 k 6.... 633..... 2.28

18x9....il3.... 400

Oauada aoonnds in materialfl of tBe best qualily appli-
cable to common and decorative construction, guoh as
clay for bricks, etc., bnilding stones of every description,
flags, marbles, porphyry,, and many stones applicable to
jewelry — also grindstones, and whetstones of a very su-
perior description ; but want of space compels us to omit
all special notice of these products.

\ .

PEAT.

We must not omit mention, however, of a substance
which is found here, perhaps more largely distributed and
of a better quality than in any other country in the world ;
and which is probably destined at no distant date to be-
come of great economic importance. We refer to peat.

This description of fuel is found to form an excel-
lent substitute for coal in many countries where the latter
invaluable substance does not occur ; and fo** the manu-
facture of the best kinds of iron, for which the Oanadian
ores are especially adapted, peat would be found peculi-
arly applicable. Various contrivances for compressing
peat have recently been patented, and introduced into Eng-
land and France ; and if this can be economically effected
in Canada, there will be a very large field open for the
employment of this department of national industry. As
the country becomes more thickly settled, wood will rap-

Z4.Q lONEBAL BE80I7BOE8 07 BBTIISH NOBTH AMBBIOA.

idlj disappear, and in this exigency the peat bogs of Can-
ada will afford an inexhaustible supply of fuel, second in
value only to beds of mineral coal.

Peat occurs in great abundance in many parts of the
province ; in the Island of Anticosti, in the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, there is an area of not less than 160 square miles,
occupied by a peat bog ; the thickness of peat varying
from three to ten feet where observed. This is the largest
peat field in Canada, and the general quality of the mate-
rial is excellent. Including this deposit. Lower Canada
contains probably not less than 1,000 square miles of this
Valuable material, and in many places the thickness is
much greater than that mentioned above. Canadian peat
. is found, on a careful comparison, to contain less mineral
matter than that usually found in Europe. An attempt
was made, some eight or ten years ago, to introduce this
material into Montreal as a fuel, but not being prosecuted
with sufficient energy and perseverance, it fell to the
ground. There can be no doubt, however, that at no dis-
tant date, and especially in that large and flourishing city,
where the material is very abundant in the immediate
neighborhood, sufficient inducements will be offered for
the prosecution of this branch of industry.

PETROLEUM.

This very remarkable mineral product lias for the last
two or three years attracted a large share of public atten-
tion in Canada, where its existence in such abundance as
to afford promise of a great and permanent traffic has been
fully recognized. Never, perhaps, has there been an in-
stance of an extensive trade so rapidly developed as in the
case of the rock oil business in Canada.

The locality in which the oil springs have for the most
part been discovered and worked in Canada is the town-
ship of Enniskillen, county of Plympton, in the western
peninsula ; and the geological position is the summit of
the upper Silurian, or base of the Devonian systems of lime*

MINEBAL KESOTTBOBS OF BBTTISH NOBTH AlfEBIOA. 847

Btone rocks, being a lower horizon than that of the oil
wells of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The petroleum owes its
origin, in all probability, to the slow subterranean decom-
position and bituminization of organic matter, both ani-
mal and vegetable, but chiefly the latter, which have been
deposited with the other materials of which the rocks are
composed. The resulting fluid and gaseous matters, float-
ing on the surface of the water which permeates the strata,
accumulate chiefly along the summit of a flat anticlinal
axis, which traverses the western peninsula of Canada,
penetrating the fissures or cracks in the rocks. The oil re-
veals itself at the surface, either by hydrostatic pressure
or by the elastic force of the vapor, where the superficial
clays are penetrated, either by natural or artificial means.
The fact of the existence of petroleum springs in "West-
em Canada is by no means a new discovery, although it is
only very recently that they have been ascertained to be
of much economic importance. At several pointy along
the banks of the river Thames and Bear Creek in the west-
em peninsula, the oil has been long known to exude at
the surface, and float along the water ; and was used in
the neighborhood as a remedy for cuts and cutaneous dis-
eases in horses. In the south part of the township of En-
niskillen two patches on the surface of the ground, of an
acre or more in extent, are found to be covered to a con-
siderable depth with a viscid mineral tar or asphaltum,
which has resulted from the oxidation and drying up of
in-r;ngs beneath. It is the existence of these superficial
o'< ; J9^' s that first attracted attention to the substance as a
sou i of illuminating oil ; and it was speedily discovered
that, on penetrating below the asphalt into the underlying
clay, great quantities of the oil could be obtained in the
fluid state, and consequently much nearer the condition
required in the manufacture. The flrst adventurer in this
field was Mr. "W". M. Williams, of Hamilton, who com-
menced operations in 1857, and to whom alone is due the
merit of developing this branch of industry in Canada, as

848 MDTEBAL BBSOITBOES OF BBTITSa KOKTH AMEBIOA.

well as of pointing out the road to success in the same di-
rection in the United States. The capital which Mr. Wil-
liams and his associates have embarked in the works is
about $50)000 ; the oil obtained at their wells is conveyed
in barrels to Hamilton, a distance of upwards of 100 miles,
and there refined for the market. Behneries are now,
however, in operation to a considerable extent in the oil
region itself, there being not less than six establishments
of the kind in Enniskillen, and about an equal number in
other parts of the province. The refining process consists
in rectifying by repeated distillations, deodorizing by treat-
ing with acidti, and subsequent washing in alkalies.

Sir William Logai. vtlmates that "within an area of
about four square mi^c i the first three ranges of the
township of Enniskillen, lere were supposed to be in
August, 1861, about seventy wells yielding more or less oil.
Of these forty were surface wells, that is, wells sunk from
forty to sixty feet through the drift clay and gravel to the
rock beneath. Some of these latter, which had yielded
but little oil, gave abundant supplies by boring into the
rock. The oil-bearing fissures or veins in; adjacent wells
were met with at depths varying from 36 to 100 and cvenr
160 feet from the surface of the rock." Since the date to
which Sir William refers many other wells have been sunk,
and there are now several hundreds in the township, many
of which, however, do not yield oil'.. In some cases, by pene-
trating to depths exceeding 200' feet from the surface,
what are called " flowing wells " have been obtained, and
these, from their extraordinary yield of oil, and from the
circumstance that it is procured without pumping, for the
present eclipse in importance all the rest ; but experience
in other regions has proved that these valuable qualities
do not continue to exist for any very lengthened period at
any one well. Some of the flowing wells, of which there
are altogether twelve up to the present time, are said to have
yielded at the rate of about 2,000 forty-gallon barrels in
twenty-four hours. The petroleum from these deep wells

lONEKAL BBSOTTB0B8 OF BBITIBH NOBTH AHEBIOA. 349

is lighter, more fluid, and better adapted for the manufacture
of illuminating oil than that from the surface wells.

The total yield of theEnniskillen oil region, till the com-
mencement of 1862, is probably about 500,000 gallons, but
this quantity by no means represents the capacity of the
wells ; as, from the diflSculty of communication during a
great part of the year, the scarcity of bvrels, or other ves-
sels to receive the oil, and, above all, the want of a regular
market for the produce, they have never been worked to
their full capacity. At present much activity prevails
among speculators in this interesting commodity, and there
is a prospect of very large exports being made of the crude
oil to England, and even to the United States, as the Cana-
dian petroleum is reputed to possess superior qualities for
refining purposes to that found in Pennsylvania and Ohio,
which is said to be too light, and to contain too much vol-
atile and explosive naphtha. So long as the flowing wells
continue their extraordinary yield, the price of the oil at
the wells is almost nominal ; yet such is the cost of handling
and transportation, that it is worth one shilling per gallon,
or from £15 to £18 sterling per ton, in England, including
packages.

The loss in refining, where illuminating oil only is pro-
duced, is considerable, and in these circumstances it will
obviously be of advantage, so long as fuel can be obtained
at a sufficiently cheap rate, to refine the oil in Canada and
export it in that state. The refuse or heavier products
of the distillation, however, contain highly useful ingre-
dients, such as benzine, and many valuable coloring matters,
which in present circumstances can be turned to much
better account in England ; and thus it will probably be
found that the exportation of the crude oil will ultimately
form the staple business in this commodity. At present
rates, the cost of delivering one ton of crude oil in London
or Liverpool will not exceed £9 or £10 sterling, which
will leave a considerable margin for profit. There seems
little reason to doubt that an immense traffic in this article

850 MINERAL BBSOT7BOE8 OF BBITISH NOBTH AHEBIOA.

will spring up between the two countries ; already abont
6,000 barrels have been exported from Enniskillen to Eng-
land during the present season ; and from 40 to 50 teams
are daily employed in hauling from the wells to the rail-
way station. Although it is impossible to predict with
any degree of certainty how long the supply may continue
at any one point, yet, from the facts that wells sunk quite
near to each other have evidently an independent source,
and that there is a very large area of country underlaid
by the oil-bearing veins, it is probable that the resources
of the country in this respect will not speedily be ex-
hausted.

MINERAL RESOURCES OF M)VA SCOTIA, NEW
BRUNSWICK, AND NEWFOUNDLAND.

In Nova Scotia the most important minerals of economic
importance hitherto discovered and wrought, are coal,
gypsum, iron, and gold. We must be content with a very
slight sketch of the history and statistics of these products.
For the facts adduced we are indebted mainly to Dr.
Dawson's valuable work on " Acadian Geology."

■■'' ■■'"''"'■^'■'■'"-^'"'*^" COAL. ^ :- - -. . ;

The coal-fields of Nova Scotia have been long known to
be of vast extent and value, and have been worked more
or less since the first settlement of the colony by the
British ; when the imperial government, in making their
grants of land, reserved for the crown all mineral rights,
and subsequently leased them to a company of capitalists
styled the General Mining Association, by whom the coal
has been for the most part mined and exported. The most
important are the Albion mines in the county of Pictou,
in the northern part of the province, where two seams of
excellent coal occur, of the enormous aggregate thickness
of thirty-seven and twenty-two feet respectively ; although

? !-

4^^'

' ' .* '

,.. /

lONBBAL BE80TJB0E8 OF BBTnSH NORTH AKEBIOA. 351

of this total thickness only ahout twenty-four and twelve
feet can he said to he good coal. The mam seam has been
very extensively worked, and its outcrop has been traced
for several miles ; hut it is remarkable that it preserves its
character as a seam of good coal only for a very limited
distance on either side of the main shaft. The coal hith-
erto exported has been obtained almost exclusively from
the upper part of this seam, the workings being from
twelve to nine feet deep, and the lowest shaft sunk to a
depth of about 400 feet. Although the coal rapidly dete-
riorates in quality in all directions from the main shaft,
its thickness, together with that of the underlying deep
eeam^ is so great that there is no prospect of their being
Bpeedily exhausted ; and long ere this occurs, there is little
room to doubt that other good seams will be discovered in
the same district.

The quantity of coal raised at these mines in 1851 was
about sixty thousand chaldrons, and subsequently this
yield has been still further- increased. It is chiefly ex-
ported to the United States, and is admirably adapted and
extensively used in making gaSj as well as for general
purposes. These mines afford employment to a popula-
tion of 2,000, and their produce is conveyed by a railway
worked by locomotives to the harbor of South Pictou, a
distance of six miles.

The following is an abstract of returns of coal raised,
sold, and exported at Fictou in the year ending 31st De-
cember, 1858 :

Large OoaL SUokGoaL
Total quantity raised a&d Bold in tons. 100,607i 14,344^ . .

Of this there was —

Sold for home consumption 9,212^ 4,619^

Exported to the United States 89,217 6,396

Exported to the neighboring Colonies.. ...... 2,178 3,419*

Kext in importance to the Pictou coal mines are those
of Sydney, at the north-eastern extremity of Cape Breton.
Here the productive coal measures covnr an area of 250

852 inNBBAL BE8OUB0B8 OF BBITIgH NOKIH AlfSBIOA*

square miles, and the aggregate thickneos of the coal seama
amounts to thirty-seven ieet, of which, however, only
twenty feet are of good quality, or workable thickness.
The mines are worked here, as in the preceding instance,
by the General Mining Association, who raise annually
from the Sydney main seam 80,000 tons of coal, which is
conveyed by railway to the bar at North Sydney for ship*
ment About 30,000 tons are annually consumed in Nova
Scotia, the remainder being exported to the Urlted States.
The quantity of coal annually raised in the county of Oape
Breton, and almost entirely at Sydney, is stated in the
census of 1851 at 53,000 chaldrons.

In Cumberland county, on the confines of New Bmna-
wick, occurs the celebrated " South Joggins Section" of the
carboniferous system of rocks, which forms such an attract-
ive object to geologists, and has thrown so much light on
the theory of the coal formation, and all matters relating
thereto. Here, from the relative conditions of dip and
coast line, we find extending over a distance of about ten
miles, an exposure of not less than 14,000 feet in vertical
thickness, of successive rock formations, comprising the
whole of the carboniferous series, and including more than
seventy distinct seams of coaL Of these, however, only one
seam is of sufficient thickness to work, consisting of two
beds, three feet six inches and one foot six inches thick,
respectively, with a day parting between, varying firom
one foot to a few inches. It is a free-burning bituminouB
coal of fair quality. The quantity of coal shipped in 1851,
was only 2,400 duJdrons ; it was exported principally to
St. John^s, New Brunswick. Other seams of good coal, of
much greater thickness, have been discovered in this car-
boniferous district, but at too gresct distance from navigable
waters to be profitably mined, until the general progress
of the country admits oi the constmction of railways or
other sources of demand tixr the materiaL

The total quantity of coals raised in Nova Scotia in 1851,
according to the census returns^ was 115,000 cihaldioDS ; in

lONKRAL BBSOUBOSB OF BBITIgH SOBTH AMBSIOA, 853

1856, 120,668 chaldrons, valued at £86,027, were exported,
while iu the first nine months of 1857, the shipments were
valued at £90,315, which are the latest oflicitd returns we
possess. These figures show a rapid and extensively in-
creasing trade.

There can be little doubt that the coal of Nova Scotia
is sufficient to supply the whole steam navy of Britain for
many centuries to come, and also to meet amply the de-
mands of the other North American colonies bordering on
the Atlantic, which possess within themselves no coal-fields
of any importance.

GYPSUM.

(.-■.• .....

This useful mineral occurs in very great abundance,
associated with the carboniferous rocks of Nova Sco-
tia, and is mined to a considerable extent at several
points, but chiefly in the districts of Hants and Colchester.
The gypsum of Nova Scotia occurs in various forms and
conditions; sometimes as an hydrite, or hard pktster,
which is not at present applied to any useful purpose,
being too hard to be profitably ground for agricultural
purposes, though very well adapted as a substitute for
marble. Sometimes the conunon gypsum is found in beds
and masses, and sometimes in veins cutting the soft marly
sandstones of the carboniferous series ; in the latter case
' he gypsum is generally of a fibrous structure. The prin-
cipal point where this mineral is quarried for economic
purposes, is on the banks of the river Shubenacadie, in
Hants, where immense masses of pure gypsum rise boldly
from Uie banks, occasionally to the height of one hundred
feet, presenting an inexhaustible supply of the mineral.
It is also largely quarried at "Windsor, Newport, "Walton,
and several other places. In 1851, the quantity exported
amounted to about 80,000 tons, the value of which at the
port of shipment would be about $40,000, the greater part
being exported to the United States for agricultural pur-
poses. It is at present only quarried in places accesaible

854 MmEBAL BB80UB0B8 OF BBITIBH KOBTH AMEBIOA.

to shipping, and its small valne per ton indicates the fa-
cility with which it can be obtained, in a country where
wages are high.

At other parts of the province, as in Cape Breton, very
large deposits of the mineral are found, but not at present
worked.

IBON.

A very extensive and remarkable deposit of iron ore,
which promises to be of much economic value, occurs, as-
sociated with the metamorphic upper Silurian rocks of
the Cobequid hills, in the county of Londonderry. This
deposit attracted attention as early as the time when the
land on which it occurs was granted by the crown, and it
had been brought into notice at various times subsequently.
Since 1845 the extent and economical capabilities of this
deposit have been discussed by several writers, and it has
been opened, and smelting furnaces put in operation by an
association of capitalists, under the title of the *' Acadia
Mine." This enterprise has recently been taken up by a
powerful English company.

This vein occurs near the junction of the carboniferous
and metamorphic series, and runs nearly, although not al-
together, with the stratification of the rocks, which are
tilted into a vertical position. It contains a great variety
of different ores of iron, as magnetic, specular, hematite,
<&c., as well as other minerals ; it is in one place not less
than 120 feet in thickness, and has been traced for a dis-
tance of sevehlniles. " The deposit," says Dr. Dawson,
" is evidently wedge-shaped, being largest and richest on
the surface of the highest ridges. It contains, however,
an immense quantity of valuable ores of iron, though its
irregular character opposes many difficulties to the miner.
Difficulties have also been found in smelting the ore to
advantage ; but these are often incident to the first trials
of new deposits, to which the methods applicable to others,
of which the workmen have had previous experience, do
not f^ply. It is to be hoped, however, that these prelimi-

HINBBAL BES0UR0E8 OF BBTTIBH NOBTH AMEBIGA. 356

nary hinderances have been overcome, and that the mine
will Boon become highly profitable to the proprietors."
The following general estimate of the value of the deposit
is quoted from an elaborate report made in 1849, by Dr.
J. L. Hayes, of Massachusetts, which is further interesting,
as furnishing a statement of the comparative value of iron
ores at different places :

" From the descriptions above given, it is evidei^t that
although the unlimited extent of the ore at a particular
point can only be determined by working the deposits,
yet an immense field is open for exploration and working.
Although it is probable that an abundant supply of ore
will be found upon the mountain last described, at a price
not exceeding $2 per ton of iron ; if this should not be
the case, an ample supply can be furnished from the
other localities at an expense which, including raising and
hauling, could not exceed $4 to the ton of iron. I would
advise the opening of the veins at different points upon
the line, to determine the cheapest point for mining, and
the ores which can be used most advantageously. If this
is done, the price of the ore cannot be fairly set down at
the sum for which it can be obtained at the nearest locality,
but at an average of the prices of the ores from different
localities, delivered at the point selected for the furnace.
This may be estimated at $3 to the ton of iron.

" The value of this locality with respect to ore may be
judged of by comparing it with establishments in the
United States. In Berkshire Co., Mass., at some estab-
lishments which have been successfully conducted, the
price of the ore is between five and six dollars to the ton
of iron. In Orange Co., N. T., ore yielding between forty
and fifty per cent, costs between four and five dollars to
the ton of iron. At one locality in Kew York State the
ore costs ten dollars to the ton of iron ; at some establish-
ments on Lake Champlain, ore costmg one dollar per ton
at the mine is carried twelve miles to the furnace. The
ore at the Baltimore furnaces costs over seven dollars to
23

856 uBtmrnAs* smovsoM (mvamw i^oktii AmmoK

til* ton of iron ; tbi» it also abont the average ooat of the
ore at the furoaoes in Feonnylvania. £»tiw«tipg the coat
of the ore even at four doUara to the ton of iron, there will'
be an advantage ovev the aiverage American localities.

^ The ooet of ores at »ome of the Swedish and Russian
fonnacea it atill greater. I^ certain parta of the Ural
Mountains the minerals are carried by land to the forestay
a distance of fron^ forty to ^gUty miles. Some of the
forges of Sweden are supplied with minerals l^m Prefl*
bui^h and Dannemora, which aire transported by land car-^
riage, the hikee, and the sea, to di«ta»cea ei;ce^ng 370
miles.

^ I have no donbt that iron of the first qnality for purity
and straigth, and which will conunand the highest prices
in the market^ can be made fi^m these ores. If Mn.
MnshetVopinion, based on his own eo^periments, that tbesQ
ores will furnish steel-iron equal to the best Swedish brands,
should prove correct, these 9re& possess a rare value ; foi:
of the many charcoal iron establishments in the United
States, I know but one whioh fornishes iron suitable for
making the first quality of steel" .

In the diatciot of Picton and the neighborhood of the
Albion Mines^ already described, there occurs an immense
bed of iron ore^ which, from its situation and concomitant
advantages, must eventUAlly beeom^ oi' ffrnti. eqqnomiQ^
importance*

Since the excitement with r^^d to the wonderfiil gold
discoveries in California and Australia arose, reports have
firom time to tinve obtained circulation of similar discoverie^i
in Nova Scotia, where the vook formations of the southr
east Atluitio coast bear a ranaitkable resemblance to thoee
of the auriforous regions in^ the eonntries named. Until . a
very recent period, howev», these rumors have invariably
been found to be devoid oS. adequate foundatitm in factk
In 1855> Dr. Dawson, in his ^Acadian) Geology," i^ressed

^iwp»w«^"ffa

I ,

ifnrwiT. BIMU1CB8 or bbrue vostb AMWitni 867

the opinion, founded on giological eonAidavaUons, that
gold would probably b« found in that reigiony but his r»-
marlu would lead to the inference that it might not prove
to be of much economio importanee. In ld&7) Hr. John
Campbell, a gentlenum of conaiderable Boientific attaiur
ments, obtained gold by washing the sand of the beach
near Hali&x harbor. This was Uie first actual discoTery
en record of gold being found in Nova Scotia, and since
that time Mr. Campbell has devoted himself assiduously
to the development of this branch of her natural resoturces.

In the year 1860, some important discoveries of the pre-
cious metal were made in the valley and toward the headr
waters of the Tangier Biver, about forty miles north-^ast
of Halifax, which created an inunense excitement for a
tinobe, and tempted many to leave their ordinary avocations
to search for gold, which, howeves, was not found in suffip
cient quantities to reward the labor, and consequently the
excitement speedily subsided.

In the month of March, 1861, fresh discoveries of conr
siderably larger quantities were made near the mouth of
the same river; and since that time there has been » steady
increase ia the number, and also in the confidence, of the
adventurers engaged in this pursuit, as well ae ia the as*
.certained extent of the goldrproduoing country, which may
now be regarded ae comprising aa area of 6,000 or 7,000
square miles^ being the mitire r^on occupied by the
metamorphio lower Silurian rocks of the Atlantic coast,
the corresponding geological position to that in which it
is found in most other countries. The description we
have already given of these rockfr as they occur in Canada,
will apply to the same formations in Nova Scotia.

The most recent and authentic ii^ormation hitherto ob-
tained in regard to the Nova Scotia gold fields, is con-
tained in aai article 'contributed by Dr. Dawson to the
'* Canadian Naturalist," for December, 1861 ; and in an
elaborate report by Messrs^ Poole and CampbeU (1862),
who were Bpeoially appointed by the proTimnal govern-

358 MINERAL BE80UB0ES OF BBITISH NOBTH AMEBIOA.

ment to investigate the matter. From these documents
we shall condense the most important particulars relative
to this interesting subject. In this {)rovince, although the
general conditions in which the gold occurs are doubtless
the same as in other auriferous regions, it is remarkable
that it is found chiefly in the quartz veins traversing the
rocks, rather than in the superficial clays constituting the
debris of these rocks. "With the exception of one locality,
" The Ovens," near Lunenburg, seventy miles west from
Halifax, where- a considerable quantity has been obtained
in the sand of the beach, formed by the action of the
waves upon the rocky cliffs, placer washings and surface
diggings have not proved xcmunerative in Nova Scotia.
On the other hand, the quartz veins, on which the Cali-
fomian and Australian digger is accustomed to look * with
suspicion, are here remarkably productive ; an instance is
upon record where one and a half ton of quartz has pro-
duced seventy-two ounces of gold, valued at $1,296. The
veins have been traced continuously for a distance, in
one case, of two and a half miles, and found to pay well
throughout Ihis whole extent. In many instances the
veins are exposed at the surface, and, where concealed by
drift clay, its thickness is very inconsiderable, rarely ex-
ceeding six or eight feet. In mining in the veins them- '
selves, their richness appears to increase with the depth ;
and there is much to encourage the hope that deep mining
will prove the most successful to the adventurer, as well
as the most permanent and reliable source of wealth to
the province.

The most important gold fields in Nova Scotia hitherto
discovered occur in the district of country eastwards from
Halifax to Gape Ganso, a distance of 130 miles, with an
average breadth of about twenty miles. "Within this area,
Mr. Gampbell has recognized the existence of five bands or
lines of elevation, running nearly parallel with each other
and with the general coawt line, and exhibiting at some
places arched or folded strata of dark-colored clay-slate,

MmESAL BESOUBOES OF BBITISH NOBTH AMEBIOA. 859

traversed by quartz veins, of thickness varying from one
to nine or ten inches, fullowing the planes of bedding in
the strike, but frequently cutting the strata in the direction
of the dip, sometimes in wavy or zigzag lines. There are
also larger veins, from one to three feet in thickness, but
the thin veins first referred to are invariably the richest in
gold. The metal occurs, for the moat part, disseminated
in irregular grains and masses in the quartz : it is found
most abundantly at and near the walls of the veins, and is
usually associated with iron pyrites and mispickel^ or
arsenical pyrites. The largest nugget yet found is said to
be valued at $300,

It is impossible to state, with any degree of accuracy,
what amount of gold has been hitherto obtained in Nova
Scotia, as, in almost every instance, the claims have been
worked by private individuals, who are generally unable
or disinclined to give the requisite information. Even if
ascertained, this would afford no criterion of the value of
the gold fields, as the search has hitherto been prosecuted
only in the rudest manner. At one claim at Tangier $2,400
are said to have been realized in a very short time ; $1,300
from another, and $480 from a third, while many have
yielded little or nothing. A statement we have recently
seen gives the daily yield as 100 cmces, valued at $18 per
ounce. The Nova Scotia gold is of remarkable purity. The
principal localities where mining has hitherto been carried
on are Tangier, Wine Cove, Laurencetown, Sherbrooke,
Isaac Harbor, and Lunenburg. With the exception of
Lunenburg, the district of country westward of Halifax
has not as yet produced much gold.

The provincial government have surveyed and divided
the principal gold fields into claims of tw nty feet by fifty
feet, and exact an annual license fee, or rent, of $20 for
each claim. It is to be hoped that a more liberal policy
will prevail, and greater encouragement be extended to the
adventuiers, as the claimp are much too small, and the
rent too high, where the risks of mining are^BO great.

f'l

860 MuiitiiAx scmjukujeb out Bsmss stobtb nocnoJL

"In one importaT*t respect," says Br. Gesner, "t"he
Nova Soptian gold fields possess a very great advantage
over those of Australia, Oaliforaia, or British Columbia :
namely, that the rocks containing the gold in the greatest
abundance are near the Atlantic coast; and intersect a
numbef of the smaller rivers and harbors, whereby facili-
ties are afforded to supply the requirements of mining.
It is not at all probable that l3ie richest gold deposits in
Kova Scotia have yet been discovered ; but there is enough
known to satisfy the* most sceptical Ihat the province con-
tains an ample amount of tlie precious metal to warrant
the most extensive operations, and the, employment of ma-
chinery for ite mining and purification."

IfEW BBUNSWICK.

The province of New Brunswick has not hitherto at-
tained much consequence as a mining region, although a
very great part of its area is underlaid by the coal-measures ;
and many of the metals and other aseful minerals are
known to exist within its l)ounds»

The coal formation of New Brunswick occtipies an area
which is somewhat triangular in outline. Its base rests on
the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and extends from Bathnrst on
the north to the Nova Scotia frontier on the east. Its
apex is at the Oromocto Lake ; and its north-western mar-
gin runs from thence to Bathurst, while on the south-east
it approaches the Bay of Fundy.

It is worthy of remark, that only the south and south-
east sides of the great New Brunswick carboniferous basin
have yet been explored.

Within this area the only point at which coal mining
operation! on an extensive scale have been carried on, is

I ,;

xarsKLL iisaatrBOM of BSnus voatm AMxmek. 9^1

ft the Grand JjA:e in Qneenfe Ooimty, beftwecin little Biver
iv&d Ooal Creek, at the head of the lake. Hete mining
leasea, eovering a space of about forty-five sqtiare miled,
were granted by the ero-wm in 1849 ; this area beiag sup-
posed to cover aU the avaikble eoal gredOid ia tius lo-
■Oftlity*

Hie number Of distinct beds of coal is nneertain ^ the
average thickness of tiiose which are woi^ced, is about
twenty inches; the depth of thd coal below the surface
•ridom exceeds f<N*ty feet. The ^«al$ty is exeeUOnt, being
kard^ rather lustrous, giving out m'ttoh heat in burning,
«ad lasting longer tiiaa noost Other coaL The amount
bronght to market in 1864, was abont 3,000 ofaaldrons,
but the imnes are ca'pal»le^ with ]^oper laanagMment^ of
producing at least double this amount We u« not AWaxe
whether these mines are now in operadofu

We have now to refer to a vety reinarkable mineral de-
posit, allied to eoal, which has been discovered in this
province, and somewhat extensively developed, and has
Assumed much econoniie importance as a souiree ^i ilki-
minating oils and gas.

We refer to the Albert coal. This remarkable mineral,
whieh appears to partake of the distinctive oharacteristics
<0f coal, asphalt, and jet, without belonging to either class,
occurs in the county of Hillsboroug near the southeast-
ern boundary of the province, in an irregnla'- vein varying
from one to thirteen feet in thickness^ someti> es cutting
«nd sometimes coinciding with the strata throug^h which
it passes, and whieh has been mined to an extent of several
hundred feet on the length of the vein,.* We are not
aware of the amount or value of the material extracted ;
it has been used chiefly in the manufacture of iUuminating
oil, of which it yields, by distillation^ a very high percent-

* The material is one of the most beautiful of all oarboaiferous products
It is jttt black, brilliant, and lustroui^ witli a conchoidal fracture, and is ex>
ttomely brittle. Its compositio<i is : cshOmmi ()ax«d at tednsM), $104 ; voIaiSle,
61,74 { aiht 2.^2^ eqtul to 100. Coke^ S8.S6. Sp^tiMa fpmrlty, I.IS.

VlfK.

862 HIKEBAL BES0UB0E8 OF BBTIISH NOBTH AMEBIOA.

age, and of the very best quality ; but since the discovery
of the extraordinary petroleum wells of Pennsylvania' and
Western Canada, nu other source (so long as it lasts) can at
all compete with this for the purpose named.

The metalliferous rocks of the Appalachian chain trav-
erse the northern part of the provmce, and may be ex-
pected, when the country becomes settled and explored, to
yield the same results as in Canada, ^ova Scotia, and the
'£astem States of the Union. Already gold, lead, and
copper have been found in these rocks in New Brune*
wick, and the deposits of iron ore are rich and extensive.
The principal locality of copper is at and near the village
of Bathurst, on the Bay Ghaleur. Here rocks of the car-
boniferous system, or perhaps even higher in the geological
horizon, and occupying the region bordering on the coast
for a distance of five or six miles back, are found resting
on the " primitive slate formation," probably of lower Si-
lurian age. About seventeen years ago, a deposit of very
rich copper ore was discovered in the bank of the river
Nepisiguit, about one and a half miles from Bathurst, where
mining operations were commenced, and about twenty-four
tons of very rich vitreous copper ore, said to contain a
considerable proportion of i^lver, were taken out ; but the
deposits not being sufficiently regular to pay mining ex-
penses, the enterprise was abandoned.

Subsequent observations on the nature of these deposits,
and of the enclqsing rocks, leading to the belief that they
were secondary products, derived from the debris of the
older rocks lying farther inland, search was instituted in
these rocks, which resulted in the discovery of some im-
portant copper lodes on the Tattagouche ri% <>r, seven miles
from Bathurst, which are now being developed by an
American company. The lodes are said to be highly
promising, being of great thickness, and having all the
usual accompaniments of good copper veins; but the
works having been temporarily suspended, we are unable
to learn the results. Very considerable sums of money

MINEBAL BE80UB0ES OF BBITISH NOBTH AMERICA. 863

have already been expended in mining in this locality.
One remarkable peculiarity in the mineralogical character
of tliis region is the occurrence of great veins of manganese
ore in the neighborhood of the copper lodes, though in a
rock of a different color.

A considerable deposit of copper pyrites has been dis-
covered near Woodstock, Carleton county, about sixty
miles north-west from Fredericton, in a true vein which
has been traced for upwards of 2,000 feet on the strike,
and traversing talcose and felspathic slates of the same
geological age with those of the Tattagouche river. Min-
ing operations were instituted here in 1858, to the extent
of sinking trial shafts and costeeuings, which have proved
the deposit to be of considerable importance and value.
We are not aware whether this mine is still worked, or
to what extent it has proved commercially profitable.
The Tattagouche and Woodstock mines are situated at
a distance of about 130 miles apart, on a broad band of the
formation; and the fact of such apparently valuable de-
posits being found at the extreme points of such an ex-
tensive area, the intermediate parts of which are as yet
entirely unexplored, points to this as a highly promising
field for mining .enterprise.

Besides the metals above named in !N'ew Brunswick,
deposits of plumbago and gypsum, and salt springs of a
high degree of saturation, are found in many parts of the
province.

NEWFOUNDLAND.

The geological structure and mineral resources of the
island of Newfoundland were examined and reported on in
1849, by Mr. Jukes, who gave it as the general result of
his investigations, that the island is not favorably situated
for useful minerals.

The coal formation occurs on a small portion of the

■ I

■II

864 manssua, msotTBOBS or Burnsa wmitm AidnioA.

west side of die island, but the beds of coal do sot appear
to be of any considerable thickness; althfongb it is qnite
possible that more important seams may be ibnad) should
the district erer be thought worthy of a thcMroi^ exami-
nation. Gypsum is very plentiful on the iskbd. Coppvr
Was worked i& Newfoundland upwards cf a century agoy
to a slight extent, and in 1845 attempts were made to re-
vive the work« The oq>per rtma wwe feund in the "lower
slate formation" probably the eqnivaleiift& ef the Quebec
group in Canada), in Shoal Bay, sou<^ of Peck Harbor,
at tiie eastern extremity of ike island. Owing to the un-
productive cftMl«cter of the work, howevvr, k was speedily
abandoned.
[| A very rmiuaJcable lode of iron pyrites, oontaining also
teucfti coppcHT ore, was discovered during the year 1861,
about one mile inlaaid fix>m Little Bay, on the north-
east coast of Newll(Hindland, and a company has been
formed for working t^is and another similar deposit on
Trump Islands A grant of these claims has been obtMuedj
fi^m the colonial government, iSree from royalty during
the first five years. Vigorous operations were commenced,
during August of that year, by Mr. F. A^ Gisborne, min-
ing engineer, who turned the course of two rivers, at the
jimction oi which the lode came to the surfaca l^e lode
was thus uncovered for a leng<^ of 200 feet, showing a
l^ickness varying fix>m twoity to forty feet of solid ore.
The true course of the lode appears to be six or eight de-
grees north of east, and sc^Uh of west; the northern
country being a soft serpentine, and the southern killas,
or slate ; the north wall, so far as proved, goes down verti-
cally. After various trial pits had been sunk (all of which
proved a rapid increase in t^e richness of the vein ior cop-
per, within a short distance from the surface), a stope was
commenced, forty-two feet in length and eight feet wide,
along the north wall ; from this %tofm a cargo of IftO tons
was obtained, and shipped to Swansea. The ore is found
in compact horizontal beda, ot floors, averaging twenty

mxnB&ilL BBBOmBDBSI OfF MtrmS HOJtlll AXKEIOA. 865

inches in thickness ; iai4 at ten feet from the sni'foee, wonld
average eight per cent, for copper, and forty per cent, for
sulphur : the surfkoe ore yielding only from one to two per
cent, of copper, this rapid increase in richness is truly re-
markable. A shaft is now being sunk in the lode, and
willyield about twenty-flve tons of ore per cubic fathom,
a result rsrdy surpassed in any mine.

BRITISH COLUMBIA, AND TANOOUVER
, ISLAND.

Thu present has been, perhaps, more prolific than any
preceding generation in wonderful discoveries in the arts
and sciences, and especially in those means and appli-
ances which tend to promote intercourse between distant
parts of the world. A striking illustration of this remark
is afforded by the late extraordinary and unprecedented
discoveries of gold in California and Australia, which
httve done more in a few years for the settlement and civili-
zation of these remote regions, than might otherwise have
been effected in as many centuries. Still more recently
another region, yet more remote from the beaten paths
of nations, has been discovered to abound in the precious
metal; by whose potent influence British Columbia is
rapidly becoming Hnked to the brotherhood of civilized
nations.

Vancouver Island, on the western shores of the Pacific
ocean, has been long regarded in England, notwithstanding
its great distance, as a promising field for settlement and
colonization, on acconnt of the fwrtility of its soil, the se-
curity of its harbors, the excellence of its climate, and the
reported abundance of coal on the isltmd. These circum-
stances, together with its admirable adaptation generally,
M » depot Ibr tiie naval forces on the Pacific, early at-
tracted the attention of the Britii^ govMnmeet, and di»-

866 MINEBAL BESOUBOES OF BBITIBH NOBTH AKSBIOA.

posed them to afford eyery encouragement to emigration ;
but it was not till the year 1856,* when the goveruor of
the island reported to the imperial government the fact,
that gold had been found in considerable quantities within
the British territory on the Upper Columbia, that any
considerable emigration took place. From that date to the
present, the ascertained area and reputed richness of the
British Columbian gold fields have steadily and rapidly
increased ; and the influx of adventurers into Victoria, the
capital of Vancouver Island, and the nearest port for the
gold fields, has augmented in proportion.

The auriferous region of British Columbia comprises a
vast, though unknown, area on the western slopes of the
Kocky Mountains. Hitherto the discoveries have been
chiefly confined to the left bank of the Frazer river, and
its numerous affluents from the east, and x) the head
waters of the Columbia river ; the aggregate linear extent
of which may be computed at 1,000 miles. The country
is broken up into mountains and ravines ; there is really
no level ground, except the tops of the mountains, which,
curiously enough, are all flat and leveL The ravines are
characterized universally by what the miners call " bench-
es," or terraces running along their sides. These benches
are all auriferous as far as they have been tested. The
geological formations and conditions are precisely similar
to the gold-bearing region of California, of which in fact
this forms only the northern extension ; and it is worthy
of note, that gold mining has proved more successful in
California the further north it has been prosecuted. The
rocks consist of what (for want of a more precise designa-
tion) is now called the primary slate formation — ^probably,
as in other auriferous regions, the metamorphic lower Silu-
rian — ^thrown up and pierced by masses, veins, and dikes
of quartz, granite, porphyry, and other so-called igneous
rocks ; the debris from which, together with their precious

* The earliest reported discovery of gold in British C6luiabi% however,
was in 1850, and again in 1863.

I .-.

\ ',

lilMEBAL BBSOUBOES OF BBITISH KOBTH AMEBIOA. 867

metalliferouB contents, form vast accumulations of sand,
gravel and clay, extending from the base of the mountains
to the banks of the rivers, which, as we have before stated,
constitute for the present the field of labor for the miners.
There is, however, reason to believe that ample scope will
be found for their exertions at a distance from the princi-
, pal rivers.

As a general rule, the gold is found in smaller particles
and less in quantity nearer the mouths of the rivers, and
both size and quantity increase as we ascend them. At
the celebrated Cariboo district of the Frazer river, a lump
of pure gold, weighing seven pounds, is said to have been
obtained, and all the gold there is coarse. It will be
readily inferred from what we have said, that the adven-
turers confine their attention entirely to placer digging, and
washing, and this method of working will doubtless, for
many years, be that universally adopted ; but there can be
little doubt that the auriferous veins which have supplied
these washings will ultimately be discovered,^ and will
afford inexhaustible supplies of the precious metal for gen-
erations to come. The principal difficulties to be con-
tended with at present are, the want of roads or means of
conveyance into the interior of the country ; the difficulty of
obtaining provisions, tools, and other materials ; the fresh-
ets on the rivers, &c. ; to which may be added, the hostility
of the native tribes of Indians, who, though at present ap-
parently friendly, are treacherous and capricious.

In Yancouver Island, although gold has been found and
actually worked in a few places, it has not hitherto been
obtained in paying quantities. There is every reason to
believe, however, that important gold fields may yet be
discovered on the island. Bich copper ore has also been
found, but hitherto it is undeveloped.

Although here, as in all other gold-producing regions,
wonderful instances of good fortune occur, and are noised

* A rich auriferous vein was diseorered in 1852, in Mitchell Harbor, Queen
Charlotte's Island.

( /

■( I

' • t

368 VOfJS&AL USBOmtOXB OF BBiriSU KQBXS AMKBTflA.

abroad, there are eq^uallj lamentflble, and, we fear, much
more numerou» cases of failure, or at least of very mod-
erate success. We do not therefore think it neoesaar/ to
chronicle, as is the fashion with newspaper paragraphists,
any great strikeif but shall confine ourselves to a statement,
&om authentic sources, of the quantity of gold actually
obtained, and the number of hands employed, during the
yean 1858 and 1859, from which we. aball be enabled to
deduce their average earnings.

" In 1858," says Mr. Despard Pemberton, the snrveyoi!
general of Vancouver Island, in a recent work containing
much valuable information on this subject,* '' the greatest
monthly shipment of gold from British Oolumbia was
$235,000, and tho least was about $6,000 ; and the total
product of the gold mines for that year was estimated at
$1,494,311 (Vide Gasettey Ai^rii 19th,.1859). From data
before me, I believe the amount mined in 1859 to have
been about $2,000,000 ; but, to be moderate, assume the
product of the two years at $3,000,000 ; the number of
miners actually at work at any time in the country cannot
have exceeded 3,000, as the mining licenses showlGas^iej
June 9th, 1859, estimates them at 2,000), which giv€» tha
miners' average earnings at £100 sterling." Mr. Pember-
ton probably somewhat underrates the prospects of success,
but his " facta and figures " render it sufficiently obvioua
that, taking into account the ag^egate results, adven-
turers will not be justified in forming very sanguine ex?
pectations.t Mr. Pemberton adds : "In Califowia the
average earnings are about half as much,, hut the countiy
is open and accessible; wad therefore the means of living
and creature comforts much more plentiful, which leads
the miner to preter it far to British Ckdumbia,. ootwithr
standing the higher pay in the latter."

* " FlKrts and Ilgares relating to Britiati Ckdumbi* and' Yanoooyer Uland."
LoBdoQ, 1860.

f It diould be remarked that the miners can only work four months in the
year.

M,H8BBA.T. KSSOUBCES OF B«n'I»B VOVm AMKSODJL 869

Assummg, as we have every reason to believoi that Hv.
Pemberton's statiBtics are correct up to the time he wiiote,
the la»t two years seem to have greatly unproved the pros>-
pectB of the gold miner in British Columbia, for we find
a statement, apparently upon reliable authority, of the
yield of 1861, and nuipber of men employed^ wMch gives
a much higher average : —

79 miMN took out an aggregate of . . . . . .$9t6,680 ,

400 dittos claim owners, took out 600,000

1,021 ditto, at $7 a-day, in 107 iajB 764,729

Total yield, nearly all ttom Cariboo . .$2,291,400
1,600 miners who worked in other
y plaoes for 180 days at $10

per diem $2,700,000

2,000 ditto, at $6 ...., 1,800,000

i" .i i ■■ . ■ 4,000,000

6,000 mlnerB— gross yield for 1861 $6,791,409

Giving an average of $1,358 or about ^272 sterling a year.

COAL.

The consumption of coals by steamboats on the Pacific
is enormous, perhaps not less than 200,000 tons a year.
It is, therefore, an object of much importance to secure a
supply at the nearest point. The coal formations come to
the surface towards the coast of British Columbia, and
have attracted some attention ; but the principal source of
mintral fuel on the Pacific coast ia undoubtedly Van-
couver Islandf Outcrops of coal occur at several points
along the eastern coast of the island, and attempts have
been made at various times, by tiie Hudson's B^ Company,
who have, until very recently, held possession of it, to turn
these discoveries to profitable account. The earliest rec-
ord we can find of such works is in 1849, at Beaver Har-
bor, at the north-east extremity of the island; but this
locality was soon abandoned as hopeless. Further search
has, however, been rewarded by the discovery of extensive
seams of workable coal at Naniarao, about sixty miles
north of Victoria, in latitude 4^" 15', longitude 123° i5'.

870 lOlfffiftAL BE80X7BOX8 OV BBITISH NOBTH AMEBIOA.

We Bubjoin the following detailed account of mining op-
erations here, abridged from a paper by Col. Orant, read
before the Geographical Society of London, in 1857.

"The coal at Naniamo was first discovered by Mr.
Joseph McKay, in 1850, who was directed to it by the
Indians of the neighborhood. The same seam was dis-
covered on Newcastle Island, and several other small
islands in the channel, and the Indians soon got out two
hundred tons. A pit was commenced by ten regular
miners, on the 17th of September, and a shaft sunk to a
depth of fifty feet, being through twelve feet of alluvium,
eight feet of sandstone, and thirty feet of shale ; the situa-
tion of the pit is at the north-west extremity of Naniamo
harbor. Here they struck another seam of from six to
seven feet in thickness, lying on conglomerate ; they are
now regularly working this seam in several parallel gal-
leries, extending to a considerable distance already under-
ground. The seam hero runs nearly level, although with
sufScient dip to insure good drainage. The greatest quan-
tity of coal that has been raised from it was at the rate of
120 tons per week, with eight regular miners. The other
seam has been discovered outcropping at another place, at
a considerable distance from the working already de-
scribed, and an adit level is being driven upon it. Work
has been done at four different places, three on the upper
seam, which is of an average thickness of six feet, and one
as above described, on the lower seam, about the b% ..^ ,
thickness and of precisely similar quality, situated fifty
feet lower than the first. The pit is situated within a few
yards of the water side, and vessels dra\7ing si^:teen feet
can anchor close to it ; notwithstanding its proximity
to the water, very little pumping is required. It is the
opinion of the head miner that coal may be found any-
where within a circumference of two miles from Kaniamo,
at a depth of fifty or sixty feet below the surface. Alto-
gether, there are few places where coal can be worked so
easily, and exported so conveniently as from Naniamo.''

lONSBAL BB8OUB0B8 OF BBITISB NOBTH AMEBIOA, 87l

As the Hudson's Bay Gompany have recently snrren-
dered their territorial rights, it has been decided to sell the
coal mines, which have accordingly been acquired by a
powerful English company, who will doubtless work them
to their full capacity. Altogether about 6,000 tons of coal
have been exported from Naniamo up to the present date,
of which one-half may be said to have been worked and
loaded by Indians, and the rest by regular mixiers. It is
chiefly used by the British steamers, those of the Hudson
Bay Gompany, and by the stear^iers plying between Vic-
toria and Frazer river ; and is worth from four to six dol-
lars per ton at the pit mouth. The coal is of excellent
quality, very like that from the "West Biding of Yorkshire ;
the chief objection to it is that it burns too quickly, and
leaves behind a good deal of slag, which makes it difficult
to keep the furnaces clear ; it is, however, very strong,
rich coal, and of high heating power.

Mr. "William Downie, who was sent by the governor of
Vancouver Island to explore the region in the north of
British. Columbia, along the coast to Fort Simpson, and
back into the interior, as far as Stuart Lake, reports, under
date October, 1859, that he considers this the best looking
mineral country in British Columbia ; in some places gold
was discovered; rich veins of excellent plumbago were
found, and an extensive coal country occurs, where seams,
varying in thickness from three to thirty-five feet, were
. xposed in the banks of the rivers. Notwithstanding its
excellent soil and climate, however, and its mineral riches,
it is to be feared that unless the government assists in its
develop aent, thib region must long remain in its primitive
condition.

THE NORTH-WEST TEERITOEY.

Quite recently gold has been discovered on British ter-
ritory on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains,
toward the head-waters of the Saskatchewan and Peace
24

^; \*"

872 MmERAL BESOUBOSS OF BBmSH NORTH AMIBIOA.

■ ■■:

■ ;■:■

rivers, and expeditions have been fitted ont and are now
engaged in proving the prodnctiveness of this vast and
unknown region. Should the gold be found in any con-
siderable quantity, this will be a great stride towurd the
attainment of an object :. hich has long been deemed of
vast importance for the intercourse and civilization of tLd
world; namely, the openiiig up, on the northern hemi-
sphere, of a practicable loute between the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans. The magnificent lake and river system
of Canada affords uninterrupted water communicntior for
nearly half the distance, and Lake Winnepeg and the river
Saskatchewan, together with the rivers flowing into the
Pacific, form a great part of the rest ; leaving only the dis-
trict lying between Lake Superior and Eed River, and tlie
pass of the Bocky Mountains, to be overcome by land
transport. The country traversed by the Saskatchewan is
said to be remarkably fertile and to enjoy an excellent
climate, while coal and other useful minerals abound.

Were it for no oth st object, the openiiig up of this region
would be of inestimable importance, as the most direct
route firom England and Canada to British Columbia and
Yancouver Island, in preference to a long, dangerous, and
expensive voyage by sea. There can bo no doubt that the
existence of a supply of coal in British territory on the
shores of the Pacific, and in the valley of the Saskatchewan,
will exercise a powerful infiuence, in combination with the
gold discoveries in British Columbia, in furthering com-
munication between the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts &long
the route we have designated.

BMfatice of ^^''