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Tous loa autres exempleires origlneux aont fllmta en commenpent per le premlAre pege qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la darnlAre pege qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboies sulvents apparaltra sur la dernlAre imege de cheque microfiche, selon le ces: le symbols -*> signifie "A 8UIVRE ', le symbols ▼ signifie "FIN". LAS certes, plahches. tableaux, etc., peuvent Atra filmte A des taux de reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atra reproduit en un seul clichA, 11 est f limA A pertir de I'engie supArieur geuche. de gauche A droita, et de heut en bes, en prenent le nombre d'Imegcs nAcesseire. Les diagrammes sulvents liiustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 *- A*' VJJ.J-l 11 Canada. GEOGRAPHICAL. AGRICULTURAL, !• AND MINERALOGICAL SKETCH. Published bij authority of the Bweau of Agriculture, ^ ' QUEBEC: PRINTED AT "LE CANADIBN" OFFICE, 21, Mountain Hill, Lower Town. -**-'- . 1865. -..--•> t i , i y. A '■. i r . *'.. • ../ ; ».' I ( 1 .' V. i'l l,'i ■'' 1 i c 'itf^:^^ I ' ^tf 'l^f^ff- . -^ :^'iu^ ( ■ CANADA. ■•"' -»*^ ♦ ^ ; «.* I A GEOGRAPHICAL, AGRICULTURAL, AND MINERALOGICAL SKETCH. «->h--i,K •i'.t:i ■ It is proposed in the following pages to give a short account of the physical geography and geo- logy of Canada, considered more especially with reference to its agricultural capabilities, and to the * nature of its difcrerit soils.— to this necessarily Hurf brief oiiliine will fie joined a notice of some of the more important natural productions of the country, chiefly those derived from the mineral kingdom. The consideration of its vegetable atad animal products, except so far as the questions of manures from the fisheries, and of peat from the bogs, are concerned, will be left to another pen. For more ample details on the various matters here touched upon, the reader is referred to the Reports of the Geological Survey of the province, and espe- cially to the large octavo volume published in i863, and entitled Geology of Canada ; to which the writer is indebted for most of the materials of the present sketch The great basin of the St. Lawrence, in which the province of Canada is situated, has an area of about 530,000 ^square "miles. Of this, including the gulf of ^{.Lawrence, the river, and the great lakes, to Lake Superior inclusive, about 130,000 square miles are covered with water, leaving for the dry land of this — 4 — basin an area of 400,000 square milesy of which about 70,000 belong |o the Uni^4 States. The re- maining 330,000 square miles constitute the pro- vince of Canada. With the exception of about 50,000 square miles belonging to Lower Canada, and extend- ing frojn the line of New Yorli to Gasp^, tho whole of this territory lies on the north side of the St. Lawrence and the great lakes. On either side of the valley of the lowjr St. Lawrence is a range of mountainous country. These ranges keep close to the shores for a considerable distance up the river; but about 100 miles below Quebec where \he river is fifteen miles wide, the southern range begins to leave the margin, and oppositje to Qiiebec is thirty miles distant. From this point it runs in a more •southwestern direction than the riyer valley, and opfK)site Montreal is met with about fifty miles to the southeast, where it enters Vermont, and is there known as the Green Moun- tain range, which forms the eastern limit of the valley of Lake Champlain. In Canada, this range, stretching from the parallel of 45o north latitude to tip Gulf, is known as the Notre-Dame Mountains, but to its northeastern portion, the name of thp Shicksliock Mountains is often given. The flank of the northern hills, known as the Laurentides, forms the north shore of the river and gulf, until within twenty miles of Quebec. It then recedes, and at the latter city is already about twenty miles distant from the St. Lawrence. At Montreal the base of the hills is thirty miles in the rear, and to the westward of this it stretches along the north side of the Ottawa River for about 100 miles, and then runs south^yard across both the Ottawa and the St Lawrence, crossing the latter riyer a little below Kingston, at the Thousand* — 5 — Islands, and entdring New-Yotk. Here the LaureA- tided spread out into an arda of about 10,000 scfuaro milds of high lands, known as the Adiroiidack country, and lying between the Laikes Ghampladn and Ontario. The narrow 'belt 6f hill-country which connects the Adirondacks with the Laurentides north of the Ottawa, divides the valley of the St. Lawrence proper from that of the great lakes, which is still bounded to the north by a continuation of the Laurentides: The base of these from near Kingston runs in a western direction, at some distance in the rear of Lake Ontario, until it reaches the southwest extremity of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron ; after which it skirts this lake, and Lake Superior, and runs northwestward into the Hudson Bay Terri- tory. This great northern hill-region consists of thei oldest known rock-formation of the globe, to wMch the name of the Laurentian system has been given, and occupies, with some small exceptions, the Whole^ of the province northward of the limits just assigned. Wd shall designate it as the Laurentian Region. Over a small poi^tion of this area, along- Lakes Huron ancf Superior, artd farther eastward on Lake Tdrtis- cattiing is another series of rocks, t6 which the nantto ' of theHuroniah system' is givfen. But as the country occupied by these rocks is geographically similar to ^ the Laurentian, it is for convenience here included? * With it. To the south of thi9 regieh the whole of Canada' West of Moiitreafl, with' the exception of the narro'W' belt of Laurentian cbuntry die'slcribisd a» runninj^ southward across the Ottawa and St. Lawreb.ce' Rivers, is very level. The sanaie is true to the east- ward' of Montreal: until we reach the Notre-Dlame ratigeof hills, alraady d^jcrilied as passing- southr ' ward into Veitn^nt, and in- its nol^th-eaistertt elxteit* — 6 — sion as bounding the lower St. Lawrence valley to the south. This valley may be regarded geographic ally as an extension of the great plains of western Canada and central New- York, with which it is connected through the valley of Lake Ghamplain. This level country to the south of the Laurentides in the two parts of the province is occupied by sim- ilar rock formations, and constitutes the Champaign REGION of Canada, the surface of which is scarcely broken, except by a few isolated hdlls in the vicinity of Montreal, and by occasional escarpments, ravines, and gravel ridges farther weptward. The next area to be distinguished consists of the Notre-Dame range on the south side of the St. Law- rence which forms the belt whose course has just been described, with an average breadth of from thirty to forty miles. To the south and east of this, is a district of undulating land, which extends to the boundaries of the province in that direction. These two districts may for convenience in farther descrip- tion be classed together, and they embrace the re- gion which is generally known as the Eastern Townships. By this term they are distinguished from the Seigniories, which bound them to the north and west. To the north-east however, along the Chaudiere River, some few seigniories are found within the geographical limits of this third region. The whole of the province is well watered with numerous large and small rivers, and in the moun- tainous districts there are great numbers of small lakes, more than 1,000, of which are represented on the maps. We have in the preceding descriptions divided the country into three distinct regions, and have next to consider the geological structure of these as re- lated to the K>oil and to agricultural capabilities. ' I • TIIE LAURENTIAN REGION. ti The great tract of country occupied by the Lau- rentian rocks has for its southern boundary the limits already assigned, and stretches northward to the boundary of the province, which is the height of land dividing the waters of the St. Lawrence basin from those of Hudson Bay. Its area is about 200,000 square miles, or six tenths of the whole land of the province. This region is composed exclusively of crystalline rocks, for the most part silicious, or gra- nite-like in character, consisting of quartzite, sye- nite, gneiss and other related rocks. These are broken up into ridges and mountain peaks, gene- rally rounded in outline and covered with vegeta- tion. The summits in the neighbourhood of Quebec are some of them from 2,000 to 2,500 feet in height, and in other parts attain 4,000 feet or more ; but. the general level of this region may be taken at about 1,600 feet above the sea, although it is much less in the narrow belt which crosses the province east of Kingston. Through the hard rocks of this region run numerous bands of crystalline limestone or marble, which from their softness give rise to val- leys, often with a fertile soil. The hill-sides are generally covered wdth little else than vegetable mould, which sustains a growth of small tu *i, giving them an aspect of luxuriant vegetation. But when lire has passed over these hills, the soil is in great part destroyed, and the rock is soon laid bare. In the valleys and lower parts of this region how-' ever, there are considerable areas of good land, having a deep soil, and bearing heavy timber. These are the great lumbering districts of the country, — 8 — from wliicli vast quantities of timber, chiefly pine, are annually exported, and constitute a great source of wealth to the province. These valleys are in most cases along the line of the bands of limestone, whoso ruinst contribute much to the fertility of the soil. Lines of settled country running many miles into the wilderness are found to follow these belts o| soft calcareous rock. i v v j ; ; • -„;' The settlements in tills regiau are along its south- ern bordeits^ the cultivation of cereals. It is probable that no great portion of this immense region wiU ever be colonized, but that it will remain for ages to come covered with forests. These, if husbanded witJidue care, will remain a perpetual source of timber for the^use of the country and for exportation ; besidte^^ afEbrdiag,, mth j^a'oper facilities for transportation, an abindant supply of fuel to the more thickly set- tled wi&laicts^ where the foresft^ have nearly disaj^ peared, and where from the severity of the long, winters, an abundant supply of fuel is of the ftrsti itecessity. There are otheu reasons why thia greml f(W?^st-regi not embrace this northeastern exteujsion; butasitbeloniss to them both geographically and geologically^ it may be conveniently included with them. tk The area whose limits are thus defined forms about one-tenth of the province. The hills of the Vang© which traverses it are composed, like those of the Laureutian region, of crystalline rocks; hat these- are softer than the greater part of the rocks on th/e north- shore, and yield by their wearing-down a mou abundant soil. Some of the hills in this range attain an elevation of 4,000 feet above the sea, and the principal lake» in tbe valley on the southeastern side, Memphremagog, Ayhner, and St. Francis, are from 750 to about 900 feet above the see^level. This region is well wooded, and when cleared is found in most parts tb have- an abundant soil, generally saudy and loamy in character, and well fitted for grazing, and for the^ cultivation of Indian corn and other grains. Great attention is now paid to the raising,^ o£ cattle, and the growing of wool, and within the la^t few years the best breeds of sheep have been sue- — 10 — cessfully introduced from England and from Ver- mont. Draining and improved methods of farming are in many parts practised, and the J^ricultural importance of the southern portions of this region is yearly increasing. The Eastern Townships moreover abound in metallic ores, marbles, slates, etc., which will be noticed in their place. in. THE CHAMPAIGN REGION. ' Z ^ ■ ' ■ if The limits of the great plains of Canada have al- ready been defined in describing those of the two proceeding regions. These plains, which may be cal- led the champaign region, occupy about three tenths of the province, and are, as we have seen, divided into two parts by a low and narrow isthmus of Lau- rentian country, which runs from the Ottawa to the Adirondacks of New-York. To the eastward of this division, the present region includes the country between that river and the St. Lawrence, and all be- tween the Laiirentides on the north and the Notre- Dame hills on the southeast; while to the west- ward it embraces the whole of the province south of Uhe Laurentian region, including the great area lying between the Lakes Ontario, Brie and Huron, gene- raP.y known as the southwestern peninsula of Canada*' The whole of this region from east to west is essen- tially a vast plain, with a sufficient slop^ to allow of easy drainage. Ihe distance frbm Quebec to the west end of Lake Superior is about 1,200 miles, yet this lake is only COO feet above the sea-level, while Lake Erie is 565 feet, and Lake Ontario 232 feet a bove the sea. The land on the banks of the St. Law- rence and its lakes, either near the margin, or not — 11-- ,.::;.f very far removed, generally rises to a height of from fifty to one hundred and fifty feet, and from tht»' level very gradually ascends to the base of the hills which bound the region. Unlike the two regions already described, these great plains are underlaid by beds of unaltered Silu- rian and Devonian rocks, consisting of sandstones, limestones, and shales. These are but little disturbed, and are generally nearly horizontal ; but over by fan the greater part of the region they are overlaid byi beds of clay, occasionally interstratified with or over- laid by sand and gravel. These superficial striata, which are in some parts several hundred feet in thickness, are throughout the eastern division, in great ) part of marine origin, and date from a time when this champaign region was covered by the waters of < the ocean ; while throughout the western division ' the clays are more probably of fresh-water origin. It results from the distribution of these superficial^, post-tertiary strata, that the soil over the greater part; of the region consists of strong and heavy clays, which in the newly cleared portions are overlaid by a considerable thickness of vegetable mould. In the eastern division, a line drawn from Quebec to Ottawa, y and two others from these points, converging; at the outlet of Lake CSiamplain, will enclose a triangular a area of about 9000 square miles, which is very nearly^ that occupied by the marine clays. These are over-a laid, chiefly around the borders of this space, by more ' sandy deposits, wliich are well seen near Three Ri- vers, and about Sorel. They form a warm but light soil,which yields good crops when well manured, but is not of lasting fertility. The greater part of this area however is covered by a tenacious blue clay/ often more or less calcareous, and of great depth, which constitutes a strong and rich soil bearing in — 12 — I! aVutidifiCd cinips 6i all kinds, but particularly i&if^ ed for wheat, and was in former tinies notod for its great foi^ility. These clay lands of Lo\«'er-Ganada, have been for a long time under cultivation, and by repeated cropping wi<^ wheat, without fallow, rota- tion, deep plowing, or manure, are now in a gireM many cases unproductire, and are looked upon as worn out or exhausted. A scientific system of oul- tuve which should make use of de^p or sub-soil pto^ughiing, a proper dotation of crops, and a judicious application of manures, would however soon restore these lands to their original fertility. The few trials ^.ich within the last few years have been made in the vicinity of Montreal, and elsewhere, have sufficed to* show that an enlightened system of tilia^, with sub-siHl draining, is eminently successful in rest6ririg| thMSse lands, which offer at their present prices good inducements to billed farmers. Besides grain and gce&ti crops, these soils are Well fitted for the cultUi^ of t(^acco, which is grown to some extent in the vici- nity of Montreal. Notwithstanding the length df th(^ Wflntier season in Canada, the gifeat heat and ligfht of the summer, and the clearness of the atv&ogpiii'eFe enaMe vegietation to make very rapid progres». The mineral resources of this champaign region of Eastern Canada are chiefiy confined to sto^^ for^ buiUing, pavkigr, lime ai^d cement, sto^e' f(k glass^ miidng^ and peat. Large peat^bogs are very noime^f TH0SPHATE or LIME. ^ Among the most important discoveries of modem sclenUHc agriculture is that of the value of phos- phates as a manure. The beneficial effects of ground jbones, and of Peruvian guano, of which last about 3QO,000 tons are annually brought to Great Britain, are in a great measure due to the phosphates which tlpiese manures yield to the soil ; ^uid within a fdw years, the use of a soluble phosphate, or superphos- phate of lime as an application to the soil, has been so much extended, that its manufacture has become o -.17- a very important industry in Great Britain, Franco, Germany, and the United States, and has within the last few years been successfully attempted at Mon- treal. The phosphates employed for this purpose are bones, certain kinds of guano, and coprolites, the latter a fossil form of phosphate of lime abun- dant in itome parts of England and France. But tho supplies of these materials being limited, and the sources in many cases remote, attention has been turned to the deposits of crystalline mineral phos- phate of lime ^called by mineralogi. ts aj tite.) This substance is i'ound to some extent in Noivvfiy and in Spain, and the investigations of the Geological Sur- vey have shown that it exists in abundance among the Laurentian rocks of Canada, forming veins, which have been met with in several places along the Ottawa, and more abundantly near Perth, upon Ihe line of the Rideau Canal. Here, over an area of many square miles, phosphate of lime has been found in a great number of localities, several of which promise to yield abundant supplies 5f this mineral. The attention of speculators has been turn- ed to these deposits, which are in a locality favorable for working, and for exportation, and during the last year a New York company has expended a large sum of money in opening several veins of the phos- phate, with a view to extended mining operations. This mineral phosphate is richer than the coprolited 80 much used in England, and contains from thirty- five to forty per cent of phosphoric acid. The work- ing of these deposits is however undertaken solely with a view to exportation. In order to convert this mineral into superphosphate there is required a large quantity of sulphuric acid, a material which is Bot manufactured in the country, and can only be imported at a very Considerable expense. As yet, the 2 — 18 — -value of the superphosphate as a manure is but little known in this country. Small quantities of it are however now manufacturorl at Montreal from bones, and the farmers of the country are beginning to learn its importance. It m to«be hoped that more enlightened notions of agriculture will soon so much increase the demand for this article as to warrant the establishment of a sulphuric-acid manufactory, and the conversion into superphosphate for domestic use of a large portion of the mineral phosphates to be obtained in the province. lis employment will be one of the most efficient means of restoring the apparently exhausted wheat lands of Lower Canada. FISH MANURE. A most important and hitherto neglected source of valuable manure is to be found in the great llsheiies of Ihe Gulf of St.-Lawrence. The use of fish for a in clous resource both for exportation and for the en- riching of our own soils. PEAT. The Eastern division of the champaign region of Canada abounds in peat bogs, which are generally distributed, and cover an area approximately esti- mated at from 120 to 150 square miles. In addition to thio the islaud of AaticCoti contains a Btlll greater area. In many of these bogs on the main-land the peat attains a depth of ten to twenty feet, aUd even more, and, especially in their deeper parts, is often so compact as to sink in water when dried ; while it is at the Bame time very pure, yielding from four to six per cent of ash. No systematic attempts have hitherto been made to turn this material to use : but within the last few months proper arrangements have been made by an English capitalist to compress, with the aid of proper machinery, the peat of an ex- tensive bog in Bulstrode, on the line of the Artha* baska Railway. — ^The success of this experiment will be a matter of very great importance for Canada. The wanton destruction of the forest in the older settled regions has made fire-wood scarce in a coun- try whose climate renders an abundant supply of fuel indispensable, and which contains no" coal- mines within its limits. 1:^1 -20- dnc of tho chief difflcultios in tho cxtonsivo work- ing of poat, arises from tho obstinacy with which it retains a groat amount of water. A largo propor- tion of this must bo removed by spontaneous drying, a process to which the summer climate of Canada is peculiarly favourable. According to Dr. B. H. Paul's late inquiries, it appears, that tho heat-producing power of good peat is about ono half that of tho weight of coal. It is claimed that by proper treat- ment peat can be brought to the same density as coal itself ; and Dr. Paul concludes that where such peat can be furnished at four shillings sterling the ton, it may advantageously replace coal at ten shil- lings, as a fuel for generating steam, burning bricks, etc. The price of coal in our markets is more than twice this, and it remains to bo seen whethet properly dried and compressed peat can be produced at two fifths the market price of coal ; in which case it may replace it with advantage on our inlnnd steamers and railways, as well as for household use. Ii is said to have lately been employed with succesij as a fuel for the locomotives on the New York Central Rail- way, and it is ./ell kno^vn that peat is now largely employed for smelting iron in some parts of Gar- many. Viewed in the light of the foregoing conside- rations it call scarcely be doubted that the extensiva deposits of peat which Canada contains are destined soon to become very important resources for the province. BUILDING MATERIALS. Among the materials of first importance to a country are those required for the purposes of build- ing. Of these, besides the wood of the forests, may bo mentioned clay for bricks, lime for mortar and cements, granites, sandstones, limestones, marbles, ' — 21 — and roofing-slates. Tho principal sourros of those materials in Canada may bo briefly noticed. BRICK CLAY. Brick clay is mot with abundantly in almost every part of tho groat champaign region of Canada, where there aro few towns of any size in tho vicinity of which bricks are not manufactured. That they are not more generally used for building is due to the fact that quarries of excellent and easily wrought stone are common tliroughout the province. Through the western division of the champaign country, and in tho westernmost parts of the eastern division, as near Brockville, there is found a clay which yields white, yellowish or cream-colored bricks, which are much esteemed for building, and are carried to Montreal and Quebec. This clay is in many parts overlaid by another, which gives red bricks. From eight to ten million are yearly made at Toronto, of which perhaps one half are white bricks. Theee are sold at the kilns at from $5.50 to $0,00 the thousand, (twenty-two to twenty-four shillings sterling,) while the red bricks are worth from $3.00 to $4.00. At Mon- treal there are several brick makei-s, of which the two principal ones manufacture together about 12,000,000 of red bricks, the ordinary price of which is about $5.00 the thousand. Many of these clays are fit for coarse pottery and for tiles for agricultural draining, both of which are manufactured at numerous places throughout the province; while at Quebec glazed earthenware pipes are extensively made for street and house drains. ■ mm} ^fH-' — 22 — I m LIME. Limestone fitter for burning is found in great abundance in most parts of the champaign region, as will be seen when we come to speak of building stones. The use of lime as a fertilizer for many soils is well know:n, and for this purpose the greater part of the limes in the province, on account of their' freedom from magnesia, are well fitted. About 270,000 bushels of lime are annually burned at Mon- treal, where its price is about seventeen cents (eight pence half-penny sterling) the bushel. Limestone is less abundantly distributed in the mountainous districts of Canada, where however geological research has shown its presence in very many loca- lities, eq^ecially in the Laurentian country, where bands of limestone have been already mentioned d& marking the course of numerous fertile valleys. Limestones are also found in many parts of the Eastern Townships. The property of forming a mortar which will harden ,under water, which belongs to hydraulic cements and water-limes, is possessed by the lime yielded by many limestones in the country, as at Quebec, at Hull on the Ottawa, at Thorold near Nia- gara, and at various other places in the western peninsula. Materials from these sources have been used in the construction of the extensive hydraulic works ol the province. BUILDING STONES. m ; i The abundance of good building stones in Canada is so great that it is easier to say where they are not found than to indicate their various localities. Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston are built of a grey limestone, which is quarried in their imme- — 23 — diate vicinity, and abounds in a great many interme- diate localities, from which materials have been obtained for the canals and other public works. The stone required for the great Victoria Bridge at Mon- treal was in a large part procured from Pointe Claire, a few miles above the city. Limestones and dolomites iof superior qualities for building purposes are met within a great many places in the region to the west of Lake Ontario ; which also yields in numei'ous lo- calities a superior sandstone, of which University College, Toronto, and many other of the public buildings of that city and of Hamilton are con- structed. Good sandstones for building purposes are also met with among other places at several points on the Ottawa, at Sillery near Quebec, and in the more eastern parts of the provmce. In the Eastern Townships, to the east of the Notre- Dame range, there are great quantities of granite of a superior quality for building purposes, .and in many parts of the Laurentian region, granite, sye • nite, and syenitic-gneiss rocks abound, both red and gray in colour. Some of these materials are equal to the granites of Cornwall and of Aberdeen, and would yield materials for building and for decoration of greatbeauty and durability; but as they are both more costly to work than the abundant limestones and sandstones, and generally more remote from th& great centres of consumption, they are as yet scar- cely made use of. MARBLES. , The rocks of Canada afford a great variety of mar- bles. Some of the limestones of the Laurentian region afford a good white marble for building pur- poses and for tombstones, as at the Calumet, Por- tage du Fort, and Fitzroy Harbour ; from which last 24 — I ;i place marble has been obtained for the new Parlia- ment Buildings at Ottawa. Similar whit.e marbloi are also found in Beverley, Elzevir, and Marnora. Those marbles are seldom very fine grained, .but from the township of Barrie, marbles of a very flue texture, both white, and colored and variegated have been obtained, through from the remoteness of thev locality they have not yet been wrought. A bluish- grey veined marble, which like the preceeding is from the Laurentian region, is' quarried near Arn- prior on the Ottawa, and another at Grenville of mingled green and white, containing serpentine, and resembling the Gonnemara marble of Ireland. Simi- lar marbles abound in many other parts of the Lau- rentian country, but little has as yet been done to bring these and the other marbles of the country into use. The hills of the Eastern Townships afford many marbles of considerable beauty, as at St. Joseph and at Duds>yell, the former red veined with white. At the latter place are beds of a cream colour and of grey, veined and mottled with yellow, and some- times vs^ith black. The serpentines of the Eastern Townships are also many of them of considerable beauty, being generally dark green, often veined with lighter green and white, and resembling in some cases the famous verd antique^ or some of the serpentines of Corsica and Cornwall. None of these materials, which abound in Melbourne, Orford, St. Joseph, and many other parts of this region, have as yet been cut, except for the purpose of exhibition ; although the same serpentines are extensively quar- ried in the neighbouring state of Vermont, and are highly esteemed. Many of the secondary limestones of the cham" paign country of Eastern Canada are susceptible of —.25 — a ^Qod polish, and present pleasing varieties o£ color. Good naarbles, red, black, and various sha4ea of brown and grey, often agreeably variegated, ina^' be obtained from them in a great many places in the vicinity of Monti'eal, but are as yet scarcely known, although well suited for internal decoration. . Stones well fitted for flagging and paving are found in places too numerous to mention, throughout the province, but brick, and from its cheapness wood, is still to a great extent used for pavements in our towns. Paving-stbnes are liowever brought from the state of New- York and even from Scot- land, while materials probably in no way inferior are to be met with in many paj^ts of the country. , •I ROOFING-SLATES. Slates for the roofing of houses have until recently been very little used in Canada, but extensive quar- ries in no way inferior to the best Welsh slates have within the last few years been Opened in the Eastern Townships, on the line of the Grand Trunk Railway. Plates of great size and of excellent quality are here readily obtained. Similar slates are found in several other parts of the same region, and good roofing-slates have also been obtained on the north shore of lake Superor. ^ IRON ORES. :s. The ores of iron are found in very large quan- tities in the Laurentian rocks of Canada at several localities on the Ottawa, along the Rideau Canal, and in the vicinity of Marmora. These deposits are of the magnetic species, and less frequently, of red hematite, both of which are very rich ores, con- taining about 70 per cent, of metal. They are similar to those which yield the fine iron of Sweden, and — 26 — I i to those which are mined on the shores of Lake Champlain in New York. The absence of mineral coal in Canada would render it necessary to use wood-charcoal for the smelting, of these ores, unless as before suggested, peat be employed for the pur- pose. The price of labor in most parts of the country so augments the cost of charcoal that the iron smel- ter here finds it difficult to compete with foi'eign iron, and to this cause is to be attributed the fact that the ores of Canada are not more extensively worked. The state of Michigan possesses on the southern shore of Lake Superior great deposits of red hematite ore, not unlike those of Canada, and within the last few years has exported large quan- tities of this ore to the vicinity of the coal mines of western Pennsylvania, where it is smelted. The value of the iron ore thus shipped is said to be at present about $2,000,000 annually, and the amount is increasing. A similar ore has lately been found in Canada, on the north shore of Lake Superior, and is about being mined by an American company for exportation to the United States. It has been at- tempted to send the rich ores from the Lauren tian regioA of Canada to the American market, and it is probable that the plan may be successful, especially as some of these deposits are very advantageously placed for transportation by water. Extensive beds of good iron ore Occur in the Eas- tern Townships. They are iron-slates, consisting in a large part of red hematite, and although less rich than the ores already mentioned, might under favo- rable conditions be smelted with advantage, as has already been the case to a limited extent, the ore having been taken to Vermont. At various localities in the champaign region of Canada considerable quantities of bog-iron ore are ,. ■ • . - 27 - found. Near io Three Rivers this ore was smelted for* more than a century, and although the ancient fur- naces are new abandoned, others have been esta- blished near by at Batiscan, known as the Radnor forges. The fuel here used is charcoal, and the metal produced is highly esteemed not only for castings but for the manufacture of wrought iron. i* COPPER. !* Veins of copper ore occur in various places in the Laurentian region, and some of them are now being opened, with what success remains to be seen. On the northeastern shore of Lake Huron, in the Hu- ronian rocks, extensive veins of rich copper ores have been mined for several years, and in some instances with great profit, as at the Wellington Mine. The ores of copper are widely disseminated in the Eastern Townships, for the most part in the form of irregular beds and interstratified masse,s. — ^The Acton mine was one of these, which in three years yielded ores equal to about 1000 tons of copper, but is now exhausted. Numerous other attempts have been made to work copper ores in this region, and several millions of dollars have already been invested, chiefly by New-York and Boston capitalists, in the purchase • of mining lands in this region ; but the workings hitherto have not generally proved remunerative, although from the wide diffusion of the metal in the rocks of the district, and from the great richness of the Acton deposite, there is reason to expect that some of these mines may become sources of profit. The most extensive mining operations as yet under- taken in the Eastern Townships, are at Harvey's Hill in Leeds. Several localities in the vicinity of Sher- brooke now give promise of profitable mining. The mines of native copper on the south side of — 28 — r h V ii : l'.'. i Lake Superior are well known, and from ikese the Btate of Michigan now exports, it is said, about $7,000,000 of copper annually, while the produce is increasing. The north or Canadian side exhibit similar rocks, containing in many places deposits of native copper like those of the south side. But al- though these have been known for the last twenty years, ever since indeed the first opening of the mines on the southern shore, almost nothing has been done to develope them. From the identity^ of the formations, and from the abundance with which the metal appears to be distributed in this part of the Canadian territory, it can scarcely be doubted that a skillful outlay of capital will yet develope on this northern shore a mining region second only to that of northern Michigan. LEAD ORE. .4 Lead ore occurs in many places in the Laurentianv region in the form of veins, which also appear in the eastern division of the champaign region, south of the Ottawa. Some of these veins may perhaps be wrought with advantage. Lead ore has also been met with in several localities on the shore of Gaspd, where mining operations have lately been under* taken. Small quantities of the ore have also been found in the Eastern Townships, and on Lake 9upe^ rior ; in both of these regions the lead is often riclT' in silver. ^ (! GOLD. .1 This precious metal has been shown to exist over a large extent of the Eastern Townships, from near the line of Vermont, in which state gold has been met with in a great many places, as far northeast- ward as Quebec, and it may not improbably be — 29— ' ^ • found farther eastward to Gasp^, along the moun- tainous belt which stretches to the extremity of the province. It is from the breaking down of the rocks of thiB Notre-Dame range that hare been derived the sands, clays, and gravel which make the soil of this belt of hills, and of the region to the east and south of them. Gold has been found in several in- stances in these rocks, but the attempts hitherto made to work it, have been by washing the superfi- cial sand and gravel. These trials have in some parts been successful, and the region is now attracting skilled labour and capital, which may probably meet with profitable returns. Among the other minerals of Canada whi^h are capable of being turned to use, we may mention tome few of the more important. IRON PYRITES. ; ; ; Iron Pyrites is found abundantly both in the Lau- rentian region and in the Eastern Townships, and is a material of value for the manufacture of dopperas, and as a source of sulphur for the fabrication of sul- phuric acid, or oil of vitriol. This substance is one of great importance to the manufacturing industry of a country, for it forms the starting point in the ordinary processes for the production of chlorine, bleaching powder, and soda-ash. Of these the latter is the indispensable material for the manufacture of soap and of glass. Sulphuric acid is moreover largely consumed for making superphosphate of lime, and for ^e refining of petroleum, two processes having a special interest for the province of Canada, in which the manufacture of sulphuric acid has not yet been attempted. ■n*i ■?. «0 ^'. -Mj- — 30- CHROMIUIf. ili >(;<)'! li 1 m §: w. 11 Chromium in the form of chromic iron ore is ano- ther subatance which is found in considerable quan- tities in several parts of the Eastern Townships, and is valuable as the only source of chromate of potash, which has now an extensive use in the arts for the manufacture of several pigments, and in various processes of dyeing and calico-printing. ^, TITANIUM. ' UiO, 4 Titanium, which has within a few years attracted the attention of iron manufacturers for its supposed beneficial influence upon iron, and has moreover been proposed for several other uses in the arts, is found in Canada in great and apparently inexhaust- ible quantities, as ilmenite or titanic iron ore, both in the Laurentian region and in the Eastern Town- ships. Among other materials may bo mentioned oris of nickel and cobalt, molybdenum, and carbonatn of magnesia, all of which find their applications in a country where chemical manufactures are pursued. OCHRES. " to Ochres for paints, of great purity, and of various shades of colour are abundant in several parts of Canada, and are extensively wrought for the New- York market In like manner sulphate of barytes, which is largely used in the preparation of pigments, is found in considerable quantities in several parts of the province. I? Quartz of the purity required for glass-making is abundant in the form of white sandstone in several parts of the province, and is employed in a large I ~3t~ glass-factory now in successful operation near Vau- dreuil, a few miles west of Montreal. The various refractory materials required for the construction of furnaces, and for smelting metals are not wanting in Canada. In many parts of the Laurentian region plumbago or black lead is found of a superior quality for the manufacture of cru- cibles. SOAPSTONB. Soapstone which is used not only as a lining for furnaces, but in the United States for the construc- tion of stoves for domestic purposes, abounds in the Eastern Townships ; while sandstone for the hearths of furnaces, fire- clay, and moulding-sand are found in many parts of the province. MICA. 4 Mica, which now finds so many applications in the arts, exists in the Laurentian region of Canada in abundance, and of an excellent quality. Thin sheets of the mineral of very large sizes are obtained, and it is already an article of export. As materials for millstones, varieties of granite, \nd. of hard quartzite rocks are made use of in va- rious parts of the province ; and in Grenville on the Ottawa a variety of silex precisely resembling the French buhrstone is found. Grijidstones are made in many parts of western Canada from a sandstone well fitted for the purpose, while whetstones and honestones, some of them of superior quality, are found in a great many parts of the country. Superior stones for the purpose of lithography have been found in several localities in western Canada ; but although trials have shown them to be of an excellent quality, they have not yet been brought into use. V- ,.[;'' ■';;" -3« — Among materials for ornamental purposes may tte mentioned agates, jaspers, labrador feldspar, and por- phyries. In Orenville and in Chatham are found in great abundance porphyries of fine texture, suscepti- ble of a high polish, and of various colors, rivalling in beauty tho porphyries of the old world. PETROLEUM. springs of petroleum or mineral oil occur in seve- ral localities in the southwestern part of Canada ; and from numerous wells sunk in Knniskillen, near hake St. Clair, several millions of gallons were ob- tained in 1861-2. Since that time however the supply •f oil from the wells has greatly diminished.. In other localities in this region, as at Both well, the existence of natural springs yielding a little petro- leum has led to the sinking of wells, which are yield- ing moderate supplies of oil. The part of the country here underlaid by the oil-bearing rock is very large, and it is not improbable that from some portions of it considerable quantities of petroleum may yet be- obtained. At the other extremity of the province, in 6asp#, na- tural springs yielding small amounts of petroleum are found over a considerable area, and wells are being sunk in the hopes of obtaining it in available quan- tities. The oil in this region occurs in Upper Silurian rocks, while in southwestern Canada it belongs to the Lower Devonian limestones. These are supposed to be the source of the wonderfully productive wells of western Pennsylvania and the adjacent regions ; the estimated value of whose produce of petroleum for the current year is stated at not less than 175,- 000,000. Although the geological conditions have there been more favorable to the preservation and accumulation of the oil than in Canada, it is pro- bable from the results lately obtained in BothweHy, — 33 — that wells in this region may bo made to yield satis- factory returns. The narrow limits assigned to the writer of this essay, which ho has prepared at tho request of tho MmistorofAgriculture, have permitted nothing moro than a notice of some of the more important mineral resources of the province ; and the reader who may be desirous of farther information upon these sub- jocts, and also of more detailed chemical descriptions- and analyses of the soils of the country, is referred to the work already indicated as the source of the- information here given, viz the Geology of Canada., T. STERRY HUNT. '1 .;»*:' > -V- ^v,i>a i,.t... Vj,'b,J),,;?lH*?¥ ' ^/:M *■ • ■'^' -■■■-f, ■■■ \ k 11 ... -i, — » ^1 .;. *H". CONTENTS. Vac OlOORAPIItCAt DcscRiriioN Lacremtian Rkoion.— Soil, Olinmto, Foroats Baitern Townships.— Soil, Climate, Agriculture. Champaion Rkoion Bfutcrn bivision: Soil, Agriculturp, ... Load Ores , Gold ::.... Iron Pyrites Chromium Titanium Ochres .: .' Quartz for iSluss-making : Plumbago Soapstone ::: Millstones : Lithographic Stone..: ..:. ' Porphyries, &c ^.. Petroleum.;.....!....: 4 7 i) \(i 11 12 13 15 Iti 16 18 19 20 21 22 22 23 24 25 2i 25 27 28 28 29 30 30 30 30 31 31 31 31 32 32 i