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 Mi'- 
 
 IKON MINES 
 
 OF 
 
 NOYA SCOTIA. 
 
 TiiE LONDONDERRY 
 
 *'»*au 
 
 IRON MINES. 
 
 
 LONDON: 
 WILLIAH PENNT, 
 
 PRiWTER, LITHOGRAPHER, AND ENGRAVER, 
 97, LIROOLU'g.IKW VI£LI>8. 
 
 1857. 
 
 
 i 
 
 M. 
 
 *lv t 
 
 r 
 
 1'^ 
 
IRON MINES OF NOVA SCOTIA. 
 
 LONDONDERRY IRON MINES. 
 
 Until within a very recent period, we have been accus- 
 tomed to look to Sweden and Russia as tlie only favoured 
 sources of supply of the higher qualities of iron manufactured 
 with wood fuel, which are so essential to the production of 
 steel, and the success of many important branches of in- 
 dustry. From the evils of the late war, however, this advan- 
 tage has resulted, — that it has taught us that this indis- 
 pensable material can be supplied to any extent, and of the 
 very first quality, from our own colonies. The government au- 
 thorities, after long and careful investigation, have discovered 
 that the charcoal iron of Nova Scotia is the very best they 
 have been able to find, and have accordingly adopted it for 
 the purposes of the War Department. The most eminent 
 engineers have declared it to be admirably suited for ma- 
 chinery, and all uses where great strength with lightness of 
 material is wanted ; and for the higher qualities of steel, it 
 is admitted to be of unrivalled excellence. 
 
 The township of Londonderry (Nova Scotia), which is 
 situated upon the northern shore of the Basin of Mines, is 
 what is called a free grant, and as regards iron, is entirely 
 exempt from quit-rent or royalty of any kind. This 4;own- 
 ship, which has a frontage of twenty miles upon the waters 
 of the Bay of Fundy, embraces the southern flank of the 
 Cobequid Mountains, a range of highlands of moderate 
 elevation, which traverse this part of the country in the 
 direction of south-east and north-west. It is upon the slope 
 
 B 
 
 1 
 
s 
 
 of these hills, and at a distance of from five to six miles from 
 the shore of the bay, that the extensive deposits of iron 
 described in the following reports are found, and a reference 
 to the map of the country will show how very favourably 
 they are situate for manufacture and transport. The ores 
 of this district have been carefully examined and tested by 
 several eminent scientific and practical men, both in Eng- 
 land and America, who all concur in the opinion that they 
 are unrivalled in point of purity and richness of yield, and for 
 the excellence of the iron and steel which they produce. . 
 
 The most remarkable varieties are — First, the specular or 
 glance iron ore, which Dr. Ure says " is a pure peroxide of 
 iron, 100 parts containing 99 per cent, of the peroxide, and 
 consists therefore of very nearly 70 of metal, and 30 of 
 oxygen. When smelted, 100 parrs yield 75 of cast iron — 
 the increased weight above 70 being due to combined carbon. 
 Its specific gravity is 4.72.'* 
 
 Of this ore, Mr. Mushet says : — 
 
 " I am enabled to pronounce that no ore of equal excellence bas liitherto 
 been discovered in the United Kingdom, nor have I met with any that will 
 bear comparison with it from abroad ; and this has been confirmed to n)y mind 
 by a series of experiments, from which it has resulted that cast sti el of the 
 most perfect quality can be produced at once by simple fusion from this most 
 remarkable iron ore. Tlie results I attained placed this ore upon an equal 
 footing with the Wootzore of India ; and I, therefore, consider it a source from 
 which steel-iron and steel may be derived of a quality even surpassing the 
 produce of the Swedish Mines." 
 
 Second. — Micaceous Specular Iron Ore, 
 
 " This ore consists of soft unctuous masses of micaceous oxide of iron, 
 resembling black-lead in its appearance, and staining the fingers after the 
 manner of rich plumbago. It contains no tra<;e of sulphur, arsenic, or any 
 other earthy or metallic alloy which may prove injuiious to the quality of the 
 iron or steel mauufactured from it ; and its composition is as follows : — 
 
 Peroxide of iron 97*57 
 
 Moisture 2*43 
 
 100-00 parts. 
 
 " ITie produce, therefore, from the ore, »s taken from the mine is 68"29 per 
 cent, of pure iron." 
 
 Mr. Dawson, the eminent Geologist, says : — 
 
 "Tliis ore, as it occurs in masses and veins in the ankerite, is a pure 
 peroxide of iron, containing 69'3 per cent, of iron." 
 
 . Third. — The Magnetic Specular .- or, Ologisto Magnetic 
 
H' 
 
 Ore. — ^This is a pure peroxide, and contains 70 per cent, of 
 pure iron. 
 
 " For purpoHea of steel-iron and steel, tlie great object is to obtain a per- 
 fectly pure oxitle to operate upon, and the simple abstraction of the oxygen, 
 and a subsequent alloy of carlran, affords at once a perfect quality of steel. 
 Perfectly pure peroxide consists, in 100 parts, of iron 69 97 x oxygen 30*03 — ■ 
 or, in round numbers, of iron 70 x 30 oxygen. These ores approximate so 
 nearly to these proportions, that they stand unrivalled as steel-producing 
 minerals." 
 
 Fourth. — The red ore, of whicli there are several 
 varieties, — 
 
 " Is a splendid ore for the charcoal blast furnace, mild, fusible, and free 
 from all injurious alloy, more like a chemical preparation of an oxide than a 
 natural mineral production. It yields no less than 69^ per cent, of iron, and 
 that of a quality not easily surpassed. This is also a steel ore. Another 
 variety was found to contain 65 per cent, of iron." 
 
 Mr. Dawson says of this ore : — 
 
 "That it ia very abundant. It is of a deep red colour, exhibits in the 
 recent fracture an imperfect lamellar structure, and is easily scratched by the 
 nail, or crushed into powder. An average specimen was found to contain 
 97 ])er cent, of peroxide of iron. As an ore of iron, this substance ia little, if 
 at all, inferior to the specular ore." 
 
 Dr. Ure examined a variety of this ore, which he says is — 
 
 " Analogous to the fine kidney ore of Cumberland — specific gravity 3 "93 — 
 100 parts of it consist of — 
 
 Peroxide of iron 85*8 
 
 Silica 8-2 
 
 Moisture 6 
 
 1000 " 
 
 Another, which he calls, — 
 
 " An ochery friable iron ore— specific gravity 2 '95. This is 
 brown mineral : 100 parts of it consist of — 
 
 Peroxide of iron 84*4 
 
 Silica 8- 
 
 Moisture 7'6 
 
 100-0' 
 
 ■rumbly red 
 
 [agnetic 
 
 Dr. Ure says of these ores that — 
 
 " They are excellent, being pure, rich in metal, and easily smelted, and that 
 charcoal iron made from them will rival the best marks of Swedish iron." 
 
 Mr. Dawson says — 
 
 " AtJiiente.— This substance is a ferruginous variety of limestone, which is 
 present in great abundance in nearly all parts of the deposit. It has a large- 
 grained crystaliue structure, and reddish and yellowish colours, and usually 
 
4 
 
 containn cryBtnls and nests of specular ore. The red variety is coloured by 
 peruxidu uf iron, and usually contains more of that sulstance in the atate of 
 specular ore, than the yellow. 
 
 " In the iron mines of Styria, where ankerite is found in considerable 
 
 auantity, it is highly prized, both as an ore and as a flux, and there can be no 
 oubt that in Hmelting the iron, it will be found a very valuable auxiliary. 
 "The white ankerite contains in some parts a large \)ropoTi\on o( apavry-iron, 
 containing 73 "2 per cent, of carbonate of iron. This is nearly as good as the 
 red ore, and very much increases the value of the ankerite in the parts which 
 contain it." 
 
 Besides the foregoing, which may all be classed as primary 
 ores, there are large deposits and veins of hematites, besides 
 carbonates and hydrates. Extensive beds of red and yellow 
 ochre, of excellent quality, are also found in many places 
 along the line. 
 
 With respect to the extent of these remarkable deposits 
 and the quantity of ore. Dr. Gesner, the author of a work 
 upon the " Geology " and " Tlifi Industrial Kesources of 
 Nova Scotia,'* says : — 
 
 " I caused a deep trench to be dug at right angles to the deposit or vein, 
 and to a depth sufficient to reach the compact and undecompo«ed masses of 
 the ore. The section thus made across the bed or vein was twenty feet in 
 length, but the trench did not reach either of the sides of tlie ore, and there- 
 fore its thickness still remains unknown. I am of opinion that the depth is 
 far too great ever to be ascertained. I followed the ore to the distance of 
 three-quarters of a mile, but the length of the ore bed, like its deptli, is 
 unknown. From these facts it may be observed that the ore itself is perfectly 
 inexhaustible, and its situation most favourable for mining." 
 
 Mr, Dawson, in his Report, observes as follows : — 
 
 " In conclusion, I may remark, in reference to the deposit above shortly 
 described, that from consideration of the abundance and purity of the ores 
 contained in it, their association with the mineral so valuable in their reduction 
 las ankerite, their accessible situation, the facility with which they can be 
 extracted, and the abundance of fuel procurable in their vicinity, as well as 
 the circumstance that carboniferous deposits exist both to the north and south 
 of the range of hills in which they are contained, it is impossible to entertain a 
 doubt that the iron ores of Londonderry are of very great economical and 
 commercial value," 
 
 Mr. Cunard, the chief agent and representative in Nova 
 Scotia of the General ISIining Association, whose opinion is 
 entitled to great weighty at a public meeting, held at Halifax 
 in 1847, said,^- 
 
 ** That he had visited the mineral deposits with scientific men, and had no 
 doubt himself that they were highly valuable. All that was wanted was 
 capital to turn these resources to profitable account. With regard to the 
 sliipping place, it could be seen from the site of the mines. There was a 
 singular combination of coal, iron, and lime. If he had tliese mines in his 
 possession, he was satisfied Le could do something with tfaem which would bo 
 
i» 
 
 beneficial to himself nnd to the country. The oro was indood very rich, and 
 the quantity, he believed, illimital ." v 
 
 He also stated, — 
 
 " That if this valuable deposit of minerals had been reserved in the original 
 grants of the Crown, and conveyed to the General Mining Association, they 
 would have had an establishment at Londonderry by this time worth jCI 00,000. 
 
 A quantity of the ores from the Acadian Mines, having 
 been imported into England, was smelted with charcoal at 
 the furnace belonging to Messrs. Harrison, Ainslie, and Co., 
 at Backbarrow, in North Lancashire. They are the only 
 parties in the United Kingdom who reduce iron from the 
 ores by means of charcoal fuel j and Mr. Thomas Roper, the 
 intelligent and experienced managing partner of that estab- 
 lishment, thus expresses himself : — 
 
 " I am now so satisfied of the perfectly easy fusibility of your ores, and the 
 excellent quality of the pig iron produced therefrom, that I feel every confi- 
 dence in your complete success. The great strength of your iron, accom- 
 panied as it is by the most perfect duolibility, will not foil to place it high in 
 the iron market. 
 
 Again, in a subsequent letter, he says : — 
 
 " I feel fully convinced of the immense value of your property, and perfectly 
 certain that with ordinary good management it is capable of making princely 
 returns for judicious outlay. The ores are so easily managed, fuse and work so 
 kindly in the furnace, and the produced metal is so universal in its applica- 
 bility for superior purposes, that you are now in a position, by commencing 
 the manufacture of pig iron and refining with charcoal, to step at once to a 
 high place in the iron market of the world. I mention these two processes 
 only, because these you can carry on cheaper than they can be done anywhere 
 else under the sun, or I am much mistaken ; and because they do not involve 
 either expensive outlay in plant or machinery, nor any great amount of tkiUed 
 labour." 
 
 W. Fairbairn, Esq., F.R.S., the eminent engineer, insti- 
 tuted a number of experiments upon the iron and steel 
 produced from the Acadian ores, and expressed the highest 
 opinion of their quality and value, and thus concludes an 
 able and extensive report, read before the Philosophical 
 Society of Manchester. 
 
 "The iron made from these (Acadian) ores has already been tried for almost 
 every purpose for which charcoal iron is used, and the results have been 
 uniformly successful ; for tin plate, wire, hore-nails, gun-barrels, and so forth, 
 it is highly prized ; whilst the steel has been acknowledged to compare favour- 
 ably with the best Swedish. The immense deposits of ores, and the unbounded 
 supply of wood for charcoal, seem to justify the expectation that in future 
 years Great Britain will derive her principal supply of steel and charcoal iron 
 from this quarter." 
 
G 
 
 i I 
 
 REPORT OF CHARLES T. JACKSON, M.D. 
 
 Slate AMttijcv't Office, 32, Somertet-tlreet, 
 Jioston, 10th Oct., 1855. 
 
 During the past month, in company witli my friend, John 
 L. Hayes, Esq., of Washington, D.C., I made an examina- 
 tion of the iron mines situated in Londonderry, on the / 
 southern slope of the Codequid Mountains, in Nova Scotia, 
 about five miles north of the tide waters of the Basin of. 
 Mines at the head of the Bay of Fundy. 
 
 The great fact to be exhibited is the abundance of iron 
 ores, and I think the developments which have been made 
 since this district was originally explored by Messrs. Hayes 
 and DaM'son, have demonstrated the opinions of those gentle- 2- 
 men to be correct, " that this region contains an adequate 
 supply of excellent ores of iron, fully sufficient to support 
 many smelting furnaces, and enough to require extensive 
 tracts of woodland for the supply of charcoal fuel." 
 
 The ores consist of red oxide of iron, carbonates of the 
 oxide of iron, ankerite (or a mixture of carbonates of iron, 
 lime, magnesia, and peroxide of iron), amorphous or compact 
 liematites, and geodes of botryoidal hematites, known to the 3 
 miners as kidney iron ores. There is also a considerable 
 proportion of micaceous specular iron ore mixed most curi- 
 ously with the ankerite, and appears to have been sublimed 
 into all the cracks and crevices of the veins. 
 
 According to the surveys made by Mr. James Carswell, 
 the trend of the iron ore deposits, as shown by numerous 
 pits sunk upon it, is nearly N.E. and S.W., the principal 
 vein being a singular mixture of fine red oxide of iron and 
 ankerite with specular iron ore. A level, six feet wide, has 
 been driven in on this vein, and is wholly in the iron ore, no 
 wall rocks being anywhere exposed. By other pits the width Ij^ 
 of the vein is ascertained to be at least 26 feet. Botryoidal 
 and reniform masses of hematite are frequently met with in 
 these pits ; and small streaks and bunches of black oxide of 
 manganese were observed in the compact hematite. A shaft 
 has been sunk on this lode to the depth of 28 feet, and the 
 
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 ore Ims been finind to be richer and more compaet as it 
 descends. Tlie liill is 170 feet high, and it is, therefore, easy 
 to drive levels on the vein from the hill side, which will 
 effect ready drainage of the mines. 
 
 After examining the extent of the ores on this hill, which 
 appears to be filled with them, we went to Cook's Brook, and 
 there saw some very large masses of pure specular iron ore, 
 one of which would weigh more than 500 pounds ; and from 
 appearances of ore in so many places, we have no doubt of 
 the existence of a vein of the specular iron ore in the rocks 
 of this brook. 
 
 We next examined Totten Hill, where an enormous bed of 
 red oxide of iron, brown hematite and specular iron ore 
 exists, and is exposed by a trench for the distance of twenty 
 yards in a course S. 20 deg. W. 
 
 We were entirely satisfied of the existence of an abundance 
 of iron ores, and next turned our attention to the forests j to 
 ascertain how far they could be depended on for a supply of 
 wood for making charcoal. We estimated that the forests 
 would yield from fifty to sixty cords of wood per acre, and 
 as the reserves are very extensive, the supply of fuel is very 
 ample. The forest trees are mostly of hard wood, such as 
 yellow birch, maple, beech, ash, &c. Charcoal can be made 
 at a cost of not more than five dollars per 100 bushels, and 
 possibly in well managed kilns for four dollars. 
 
 There are so many and such extensive deposits of iron 
 ores in these hills, as to justify the erection of furuaces at 
 several points. The ores make the very best kinds of iron 
 for the manufacture of the finest cast steel, there being about 
 two per cent, of oxide of manganese in the average ores. 
 The cast iron is grey or Avhite, according to the burthen of 
 the furnace, and the grey iron is remarkable for its great 
 strength, softness, and toughness. It is very suitable for the 
 casting of ordnance, and will be found of unrivalled strength. 
 The steel-makers have already discovered the great value of 
 this iron for making steel, and pay for it the highest prices. 
 
 The American models will be the best to copy in erecting 
 furnaces in which charcoal is to be used for fuel, since the 
 
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 i 
 
 p* 
 
 .f:V 
 
 
8 
 
 furnace masters in the United States have had much expe- 
 rience in smelting iron by means of charcoal. 
 
 Charles T. Jackson, M.D., 
 
 Assayer to the State of Maasachuutts, Ac. 
 
 LONDONDEBTIY IRON ORES. 
 
 DR. JACKSON'S ASSAY. 
 
 Slate Assayer'a Office, 32, Somerset-street, 
 Boston, 6th Oct., 1855. 
 
 Average sample from all the veins now worked. 
 
 This sample was made up with care by mi^^ing equal 
 quantities of each of the ores and pulverizing the whole, 
 and then quartering the mass of powder in the usual way of 
 sampling. This ore thus drawn represents the whole produce 
 of the mines which supply the Acadian furnaces. 
 
 It yielded : — 
 
 Peroxide of iron 74 8 
 
 Oxide of manganese 2*2 
 
 Silica * 2"2 
 
 Insoluble specular tilanif ore . . , 1 'S 
 
 Calcareous matter and water of comp 19*0 by 
 
 1000 
 
 This mixture contains 52 xVo per cent, of metallic iron, 
 and 1 tin) per cent, of uianganesium, the exact proportion re- 
 quired to convert the iron into the finest kind of steel, while 
 it is not enough to render the cast-iron brittle and crystalline. 
 
 It is quite interesting to find that thorough scientific 
 investigations justify the high reputation which the Acadian 
 iron has won among the steel-manufacturers of England. 
 
 Charles T. Jackson, M.D., 
 
 Assayer to tfie State of Massachxisetts, 
 Geologist and Chemist. 
 
9 
 
 I 
 
 ft: 
 
 REPORT OF JOHN L. HAYES, ESQ. 
 
 In the year 1849 I first explored the iron mines of Lon- 
 donderry, in the province of Nova Scotia, in company with 
 Mr. Dawson ; and I have within a few weeks revisited them, 
 along with Dr. Jaclcson, of Massachusetts. 
 
 During the period of my first visit the whole district was 
 covered with a dense forest, and no regular mining operations 
 had then been undertaken ; but the nature of the formation 
 and the appearances of ore along the whole line, satisfied 
 me that the mineral was very abundant. In the mean time 
 the wood has been cleared away in various places, and the 
 veins and deposits of ore have been opened up to an extent 
 to prove beyond all doubt that they are practically inex- 
 haustible. 
 
 The matrix or bed of the ore is an extensive band or dyke 
 of ferruginous limestone, to which Mr. Dawson has given the 
 name of ankerite. This formation extends in length from 
 eight to ten miles in a nearly straight line through the pro- 
 perty, and in some places, the ore-bearing rocks are said to 
 be nearly a mile in width. In this calcareous band occur 
 numerous beds and deposits of rich specular, magnetic, and 
 red ores ; and the ankerite itself may be regarded as an orCj 
 since it contains from twenty to fifty per cent, of iron. In 
 the Styrian and Corinthian mines this mineral is used both 
 as an ore and as a flux ; and it is from it that the celebrated 
 steel of those districts is mainly produced. — 
 
 The most eastern point to which I extended my exploration 
 on this, as on the former occasion, was what is called the 
 " Peter Totten Lot," where a trench was dug across a bed of 
 compact red ore, to a width of eighteen feet withoi t reaching 
 the walls. This deposit we traced to a distance of a quarter 
 of a mile through the forest ; and as it lies along a sloping 
 hill it can be very easily mined and drained. 
 
 Pursuing the same course westwardly to the "Barnhill 
 Lot," we saw exposed an extensive bed of ankerite, with 
 numerous veins and strings of specular ore. The ankerite 
 
 Q 
 
10 
 
 / 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 /^ 
 
 here contains much sparry iron, and appears suflTiciently ricli 
 for the blast-furnace by itself. 
 
 Further west, on the " David Totten Lot," we found the ore 
 very largely developed. The deposit was laid bare by a 
 trench which I measured to the width of fifty-three feet, and 
 the whole mass was a red oxide with a large intermixture of 
 specular ore. The ankerite is here of great extent ; and at a 
 distance of 350 feet from the trench south-easterly, the red ore 
 is again exposed. North-westwardly from the main digging, 
 100 feet, another bed of the red ore, ten feet in width, is 
 found in contact with the ankerite. This hill, having a con- 
 siderable elevation above the bed of the Pine Brook, which 
 divides it from the Barn Hill Lot, can be easily mined, and 
 will furnish an immense supply of ore. 
 
 Continuing the same course westwardly, the ore shows 
 itself in large beds and deposits throughout the whole of 
 that part of the property which formerly belonged to John 
 Ross, Esq. Several openings have been made along the line, 
 and the ore extracted has proved to be very rich and pure. 
 In consequence of the great denudation of the hills in this 
 locality, v .:; ore beds are exposed in many places, and furnish 
 abundant evidence of the vast quantities of mineral they 
 contain. The Folly River cuts through the strata in this 
 neighbourhood ; and in the valley which it forms there are 
 convenient sites for works. 
 
 West of the Folly River the same formation extends, and 
 various trial pits have been sunk to prove the continuity of 
 the ore, which everywhere presents the same appearances. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of the great Village River, regular 
 mining operations have been commenced by the Acadian 
 Iron Company, and the results have more than verified the 
 predictions which I made duiing my first explorations. To 
 use the language of the miner who accompanied us, " it was 
 a mountain of ore." 
 
 The charcoal i^'hich I saw in use at the Acadian Iron 
 Works was of excellent quality ; but I adhere to the opinion 
 formerly expressed, that great advantages would be gained by 
 carbonizing the wood in kihis or ovens^ The wood is admi- 
 
11 
 
 Iron 
 Hnion 
 ed by 
 
 dmi- 
 
 . rably adapted for cliarcual^ and I think that two cords, on 
 the average, will yield 100 bushels. The forest-lands attached 
 to the mines will furnish from fifty to seventy cords to the 
 acre, and with proper care the wood will be reproduced every 
 twenty years. Viewing all the advantages of the Londonderry 
 district, I am bound to say that I know of no locality where 
 charcoal iron can be anything like so cheaply produced. 
 
 I have no doubt that iron of the first quality for purity 
 and strength, and which will demand the highest prices in 
 the market, can be made from these ores. If Mr. Mushet's 
 opinion, based upon his own experiments, that these ores will 
 I// furnish steel-iron equal to the best Swedish marks, should 
 prove correct, these ores possess a rare value; for of the 
 many charcoal iron establishments in the United States, I 
 know but one which furnishes iron suitable for making the 
 first quality of steel. 
 
 Notwithstanding the vast extent of the forests in the rear 
 of the mineral deposits, I am of opinion that it will be more 
 difficult to provide fuel than mineral. The distribution of 
 the ore along a line of several miles will allow of furnaces 
 being erected at different places commanding the mines and 
 the forests; but even so the difficulty of transportation 
 beyond certain distances will limit the production of iron in 
 the immediate district. It is, however, only five or six miles 
 to the shore of the bay; and here almost any number of 
 furnaces might be supplied with wood and charcoal from the 
 well-wooded regions surrounding the basin of mines. The 
 transportation of ore would now be but a trifling expense in 
 winter ; and the cost of constructing a railway would be no 
 great affair. The great rise of tide would furnish water- 
 power for all purposes, except driving the furnaces, for which 
 I strongly recommend the employment of steam power. 
 
 J. L. Hayes, 
 
 RepfeseiUalive of the Iron Mannfadwen 
 Washington, D. C. of New England. 
 
 Nov. 9, 1855. 
 
 •i"- 
 
TO 
 
 REPORT 0\^ E. WADHAM, ESQ., C.E., 
 
 Mininy Agent to his Grace the Duke of Buccleugh, 
 
 Having in the Report, which I have handed in to the 
 Directors of the Acadian Iron Company, stated the result of 
 my survey of that part of the mineral property in the town- 
 y ship of Londonderry purchased by that Company, I propose 
 now to refer to the remaining portion of that district, which 
 is estimated to contain from 10,000 to 12,000 acres„ 
 
 I may here observe that in all my explorations I was 
 accompanied by Mr. Donald Urquhart, who has assisted at 
 ^ all former surveys, and whose intimate acquaintance with the 
 property greatly facilitated my operations. 
 
 I visited in his company all the places mentioned by 
 Mr. Hayes, Dr. Jackson, Mr. Dawson, Dr. Gesner, and 
 3 others in their reports, and verified their statements by 
 actual measurements and surface diggings. 
 
 So much has already been published in regard to the ores, 
 and their position, that it may be sufficient for me to say 
 that, from all I saw and all I know of analogous formations, 
 I am quite satisfied that the ores are, at least, as abundant 
 / along the whole line of deposit as they are in the particular 
 locality in which they are now being worked ; and that equal 
 areas will produce equal quantities, although in some places 
 the difficulty and expense of mining may be increased. 
 
 Over a very considerable extent of the district now under 
 consideration, there has been great denudation of the hills, 
 and in many places veins and deposits are largely exposed on 
 the surface. This is particularly the case at what are called 
 ^'"the Totter and "Barnhill" lots, and also throughout the 
 greater part of the extensive tract whicli formerly belonged 
 to Mr. Ross. At these localities, therefore, mining opera- 
 tions will be comparatively inexpensive, and there can be no 
 doubt that the ores are very abundant. 
 
 The mineral range, as it is called, occupies the rear division 
 of the township of Londonderry, and extends from the Cum- 
 berland road to the line of Onslow township, a distance 
 
$ 
 
 i 
 
 13 
 
 of from 8 to 10 miles. This tract, for practical operations, 
 may be conveniently divided into thr*>e sections, each of 
 which, in my opinion, is capable of supplying an establish- 
 / ment sufficient for the production of from 10,000 to 12,000 
 ^ tons of iron annually. Of an ample supply of ore I have no 
 doubt whatever, and the only difficulty will be in providing 
 adequate fuel. The forest, however, marches along the whole 
 extent with the line of mineral deposits, and is equally 
 extensive in the Eastern as in the Western district. 
 
 Of the three divisions into which I propose to divide the 
 property, the Western, called the Acadian Mines, and em- 
 
 / bracing about 4,000 acres, is the field of the operations of 
 the Acadian Iron Company, and forms the principal subject 
 of my previous report. 
 
 The next, or Central division, which embraces what is 
 called the Ross property, contains, with the adjoining forest 
 land, about 6,000 acres by estimation, and is watered by the 
 two branches of the Folly River, which, after forming a 
 <P junction, are precipitated over a perpendicular fall of 60 or 
 70 feet. On a level tract of interval land below this " fall," 
 there is a convenient site for works, and the ores and fuel 
 would be brought to the furnaces from both sides of the 
 river. 
 
 The Ross property, which constitutes about one-half of the 
 Central division, is the part in which the mineral was first 
 discovered, and has generally been considered as the choicest 
 ^ portion of the mineral field. I understand that the value 
 fixed upon this part by the first explorers was jS60,000 Nova 
 Scotia currency, equal to j£48,000 sterling. 
 
 The Eastern division embraces all the remaining part of 
 the property up to the line of Onslow township, and contains, 
 with the annexed forest lands, about 5,000 acres. This tract 
 |/^ is watered by the Deburt River and the Pine Brook, but the 
 latter, which is most central, presents the best site for the 
 works, and the greatest facilities for the supply of ore 
 and fuel. 
 
 Although I indicate these situations for sites for works, I 
 do not wish it to be understood that I recommend the 
 
14 
 
 /£ 
 
 !^ 
 
 employment of the "water-power" of these streams to drive 
 the "furnaces" On the contrary, I have seen no " water- 
 power " in Nova Scotia that could with safety be relied on 
 for such a purpose ; and as I mentioned in my report to the 
 Directors of the Acadian Iron Company, " steam " must be 
 Ji the motive power for all essential operations. Great advan- 
 tage will, nevertheless, result from placing the works in the 
 valleys formed by these streams, and for many subordinate 
 purposes, such as driving the smith's and other shops, clean- 
 ing ores, sawing timber, &c. &c., the " water-power " will be 
 found both useful and valuable. ^ 
 
 The advantages of . distributing the establishments along 
 the line of the mineral deposits, instead of concentrating 
 them at any one point, are too obvious to require mention. 
 The sites which I have indicated appear to me to be the most 
 favourable with reference to the supplies both of mineral and 
 fuel, as well the transportation of the iron when manu- 
 factured. There are two good lines of road from the mines 
 which bring the Central and Eastern Divisions within six or 
 seven miles of ship navigation on the Bay of Fundy. The 
 gradual slope towards the shore renders the land carriage 
 very easy, and when the traffic shall justify the expense 
 tramways and railways may be constructed at a very mode- 
 rate cost. 
 
 Assuming that six or eight blast furnaces should be put 
 in operation at each of the above places, I believe that an 
 annual production of from 30,000 to 40,000 tons might be 
 relied on ; but to continue this for a long period of years 
 J^ will require a degree of care and management of the wood- 
 lands not usually practised in Nova Scotia ; and some of the 
 methods mentioned in my report to the Acadian Company 
 must be adopted to render the forest reproductive. 
 
 There is a vast extent of fine forest in the rear of the 
 mineral range, but beyond a certain distance the cost of 
 carriage would be a bar; and I cannot see that for a per- 
 manency, the quantity of iron above mentioned could be 
 materially exceeded by furnaces dependent upon fuel from 
 the rear country. But as I believe the supply of ore will be 
 
15 
 
 found to be greatly in excess of the fuel wherewith to reduce 
 it, the make of iron might be extended ad libitum by erecting 
 furnaces on the shore, for the supply of which wood and 
 charcoal could be waterborne from the country on both sides 
 I /^ of the bay. Bituminous coal, too, might be obtained from 
 the provinces, and it is not improbable that, owing to the 
 purity and richness of the ore, a sale might be found for 
 them in the " United States;" and a counter-traffic of 
 anthracite coal would render the township of Londonderry 
 the seat of a great iron manufacture at no distant period. 
 
 The value of these properties depend so much upon the 
 scale of working, that it is difficult to form any estimate 
 without knowing beforehand the amount of capital intended 
 to be employed. In the district in which I am now engaged 
 (Furness, North Lancashire), and which greatly resembles 
 the Londonderry mineral field, although by no means of so 
 _ great an extent, the annual shipment of ore has increased 
 '^ within the last five years from 100,000 tons to 400,000 tons, 
 and is still increasing rapidly ; and should an export trade 
 be hereafter established for the Londonderry ore, I could 
 not name for ore of such purity and richness a less sum (as 
 royalty) than Is. 6d, per ton ; and if the mines were worked 
 to the extent of their capabilities, the value of this mineral 
 range would far exceed anything that has as yet been con- 
 templated. 
 
 Confining the calculation, however, merely to the pro- 
 . y spective make of iron by furnaces on the spot, I will assume 
 ' the make of each district at 10,000 tons of pig iron yearly. 
 This will require 25,000 tons of ore, which, at 1*. 6d. per 
 ton, will give £1,875, equal at twenty years' purchase to 
 i837,500; and as I believe each district to possess equal 
 capabilities, this will give a total value of £113,500 for the 
 whole property, so far as ore is concerned ; but to this has 
 to be added the not inconsiderable item of wood, as well as 
 the actual surface, much of which is very superior soil. 
 
 In order to work these mines to the extent above suggested, 
 I think a working capital of £100,000 will be required. 
 This would probably be sufficient to produce 30,000 tons of 
 
 r- 
 
 H 
 
 
16 
 
 pig iron yearly, and as it can be delivered at market nnder 
 £5 per ton, and sold for more than £7 per ton, the profits 
 will be certain and large ; and I have therefore no hesitation 
 in saying, as I have already asserted to the Directors of the 
 Acadian Charcoal Iron Company, that, under skilful and 
 prudent management, this property is capable of yielding 
 very great returns, upon the capital to be invested in its 
 development. 
 
 {Signed) Edward Wadham, C. & M.E. 
 
 Ulverstone, Lancashire, 
 January, 1857. 
 
 NotE. — ^The extraordinary rise of tide in the Bay of Fundy (from forty to 
 sixty feet), will give unlimited water power for works to be established on the 
 shore. For hammering, driving rolls, and all operations that can be inter- 
 mitted, this species of motive power may be advantageously used ; but for 
 blowing the furnaces steam will be indispensable. 
 
 Tire cost of making pig iron at the Acadian Iron Works, Londonderry, 
 according to the manager's report, does not exceed £3. 5s. per ton ; and as 
 the timber ships from the Bay of Fundy take it as ballast, or at a nominal 
 freight, the whole cost of transportation to England, including insurance and 
 commission, is under 20s. per ton. This iron is now selling readily at £8. I5s. 
 per ton. 
 
 Mr. G. G. Palmer, the Managing Partner of extensive Iron 
 Works in Pennsylvania, speaking of these mines, says : — 
 
 " From the examination I made of these mines some few years since, I came 
 to the conclusion that they possess all the elements for making charcoal iron 
 cheaper than any other place I have met with ; and of the quality of the iron 
 there needs no surmise, since its superiority has been so fully proved." 
 
 Dr. J. G. Percival, of Connecticut, U. S., the eminent 
 Geologist, says, — 
 
 "From the examination I have made, there appears to me satisfactory 
 evidence of a very great supply of ore. Besides the richer qualities of ores, 
 suitable for the Catalan works, there is a very great quantity of ore blended 
 with the ankerite, which might be worked to great advantage in a blast 
 furnace. The yellow ochre, aside from its value as a paint, might also be used 
 as an ore. The more ferruginous varieties of the ankerite (those verging to- 
 wards the spathic ore) may also be employed in the blast furnace ; and besides 
 its value as a flux, might be used, I believe, with advantage as an hydraulic 
 lime, so that a very large portion of the entire contents of the ore-bearing ranges 
 may be turned to profit ; and when it is considered that the mineral ranges may 
 average 250 yards wide, on an extent of at least eight or ten miles, it is difficult 
 
17 
 
 to conceive the reRources which, by proper management, tliey may furnish. 
 From all I observed I could not but form a very high estimate of the value of this 
 property, considered in itself, without reference to the inexhaustible supply 
 of the best and most appropriate fuel in its vicinity ; and to the great facilities 
 of conveyance by its nearness and easy access to navigation, and the expected 
 passage of the railroad across the centre of the rant^e. I need not furtliur 
 observe that nil these circumstances will add very much to its value." 
 
 The manager of the Acadian Company in Nova Scotia, 
 under date of the 20th February, 1857, writes : — 
 
 ** We have everything well organized and working most satisfactorily at the 
 Acadian Works. We have made iron there at not exceeding >816, say 
 £S. 3s. dd. sterling ; and on a long blatit I am sure we should not exceed that-> 
 say ,£3. 5». per ton."* 
 
 Speaking of raining operations, he says : — 
 
 "We have now on the hill 22 men and boys under Williams as head 
 miner. Instead of the old system of surface-working, he has sunk deeper and 
 struck regular veins, yielding pure and splendid ore. There are now three 
 regular workings just on the brow of the hill. The uppermost, when first 
 opened, showed a bunch about 12 feet wide, and sinking on this, a regular 
 vein was discovered between clearly defined walls. This vein has been 
 opened to an extent of 60 feet, and is worked in stopes. Precisely 28 feet 
 north of this vein a parallel and exactly similar vein has been struck and 
 opened to an extent of 52 feet, with exactly the same results. Out of a small 
 space, little, if anything, more than 20x 11 yards, Williams informs me that 
 450 to 500 tons have been extracted. Further down the hill Smith and 
 M'Kenzie have two separate pits, from which they ivre supplying ore by 
 contract at 7s. currency (equal ha. id. sterling) per ton, they sinking their own 
 pits, and are making capital wages. Further down again Eagles has sunk 
 and reached just such a vein as one of Williams's, from which he is putting out 
 splendid ore. My opinion is, that within the band of ores, when regular 
 workings are carried on, numerous veins will be found in juxtaposition, giving 
 in a small compass any required amount of ore. Below Eagles' pit, again, we 
 come to the main level which has now struck into ore, and from which, by 
 cross cuttings, we can catch the veins running east and west. With reference, 
 therefore, to the supply of ore, we have arrived at proofe vastly superior to any 
 we have ever had before of the existence of quantity ; and, shortly, we shall be 
 able to extract it at more reasonable rates." 
 
 if 
 
 •fn- 
 
 
 Since the greater part of the foregoing reports were 
 written, the Acadian Iron Works have been erected, and the 
 result of actual working has proved that the abundance and 
 purity of the ores, quality of the iron and steel, and facilities 
 for manufacturing, have not been overstated. 
 
 The strength of the Acadian iron was found to exceed any 
 
 * In a memorial presented to the congress of the United States in 1850 by 
 the iron manufacturers of New England praying for increased protection, it 
 is stated, that the cost of making charcoal iron in that country, on the average 
 of 18 furnaces, was %Zi ' 49 per ton, more than twice the cost of the Acadian 
 iron. 
 
1 1 
 
 i : 
 
 18 
 
 results obtained by Mr. Fairbaini and Mr. Eaton Hodgkinson, 
 in their experiments undertaken at the instance of Govern- 
 ment to test the relative strength of a great variety of irons. 
 Messrs. Salt and Co., the well-known surgical instrument 
 makers, of Birmingham, write : — 
 
 " Our foreman says the steel works admirably, and we are of opinion that it 
 is of very superior quality, from the finish and polish of the instruments." 
 
 Messrs. Rodgers and Sons, of Sheffield, cutlers to her 
 Majesty, say, " We have now tried your steel for a great 
 variety of purposes, and find it uniformly good.'* 
 
 Large quantities of cutlery and specimens of various 
 articles manufactured from Nova Scotia iron and steel were 
 exhibited at the Great Industrial Exhibition of 1851, and 
 were highly reeommended by the jury in their report, and a 
 first class medal awarded. 
 
 Messrs. W. Jessop and Sons, Hutchinson, Wilkinson, 
 Butcher, and Turton and Sons, of Sheffield, who have used 
 considerable quantities of the Acadian iron for steel purposes, 
 and almost all the principal steelrmakers in Great Britain, 
 concur in giving it a high character. In no one instance 
 has there been an unfavourable opinion expressed. 
 
 Colefwd, 29/A July, 1854. 
 
 As I have, from fi^rst to last, inaou&ctured qome hundred tons of cast steel 
 from Acadian bar iron, pig iron, and some of the iron .ore, I am able to speak 
 decidedly as to its merits. The steel has invariably been pronounced />■«< rate, 
 .^nd the Acadian ^roa is for this purpose qujte equal to the best marks of 
 Swedish iron. For shear steel the Acadian iron ia not equal to the Swedish ; 
 1>ut this is only in consequence of insufficient care having been bestowed upon 
 the manipulations of the bar iron department. A little care and experience 
 ^ill remedy all this. 
 
 R. F. MUSHBT. 
 
 The following is the result of experiments made for the 
 purpose of testing thp strength of the Acadian iron, and its 
 fitness for casting heavy gnus :-r- 
 
 Tensile strain in lbs. i-^ 
 
 38,000"] 
 
 40,400 > per square inch. 
 
 41,600j 
 
 The greatest strength obtained in any other iron hitherto 
 used by Government, as stated by the Secretary for the 
 
19 
 
 War Department in the debate on the Ordnance estimates, 
 did not exceed 27,000 lbs. per square inch, and only averaged 
 22,000 lbs. 
 
 Recent trials made at Woolwich, have demonstrated the 
 extraordinary strength of the Acadian bar iron. A bolt 
 was made of the same size as the link of a chain-cable, 
 calculated to bear a strain of seven tons. This bore a strain 
 of forty tons before breaking. Bolts of the very best iron 
 that was brought in competition broke at seventeen tons. 
 
 if 
 
 $■ 
 
 'I 
 
 ON THE MANUFACTURE OF STEEL DIRECT FROM 
 THE ORE AND PIG IRON. 
 
 The ores of this district possess in an eminent degree tlie 
 steely propensity {propension acieuse), and large quantities 
 of cast steel of the highest quality have been made direct 
 from the ore, as well as from the pig iron. The ores may, 
 in fact, be regarded as ores of steel, and peculiarly adapted 
 to the summary processes which are now attracting so much 
 attention. The greater part of the expense of making steel 
 by the ordinary methods is incurred in the conversion of 
 the pig iron into malleable iron, and in rolling and hammer- 
 ing the bars to the requisite dimensions. It is confidently 
 believed that, with these pure ores, all this expense may be 
 avoided; and the following letter from a practical man of 
 great experience explains some of the processes so successfully 
 employed upon tlie Continent. 
 
 Sir, — The manufacture of steel directs from the ore has 
 long been practised in this country, but it is only within 
 these last few years, since the method of puddling it with pit 
 coal has been discovered, that it has been carried to its 
 present extent. The method of making blister and cast- steel 
 in England is too well known to need remark; but the 
 manner in which steel is made here is so very different, and 
 I think not generally known in England, that perhaps a few 
 observations may be acceptable. The quality and magnitude 
 of the samples from Essen and Bochum, exhibited at London 
 
 
20 
 
 find Paris, is a proof of the soundness of tlie principle on 
 which steel is hero made; the extension and flonrisliing of 
 the different establishments show that, in a mercantile point, 
 they are highly profitable. 
 
 Pig steel is made from the white carbonate of iron ore, 
 either alone, or mixed with brown hematite or clay iron ore, 
 which are smelted with charcoal in a peculiarly formed blast- 
 furnace, the tuyers of which are so arranged that the metal 
 produced is quite white and crystalline, and breaks with large 
 silvery facets, some the whole depth of the pig. This pig 
 steel is then, either alone or mixed with suitable charcoal 
 pig iron, according to the quality of the steel required, 
 puddled in an expressly constructed furnace, with a cast-iron 
 bottom ; when it is sufficiently decarbonized, it is formed into 
 balls, and drawn under the hammer and rolls into rough 
 bars, which are again Avoided and rolled into bars, and sold 
 as puddled steel j this is well suited for all the purposes for 
 which in England blister steel is used. 
 
 This puddled steel is treated by the east-steelmakers as 
 blister steel, who, by using different mixtures, make almost 
 every quality of cast steel. From the statistical tables (just 
 issued) of the production of metals in the Rhenish chief 
 mining districts, it appears that the quantity of pig steel 
 made in blast-furnaces in this district in the year 1856 was 
 7,500 tons ; but what more particularly deserves the attention 
 of my countrymen is that the make of rough bar steel has 
 increased in one year sixty-five per cent., or from 3,800 tons, 
 the make of 1855, to 5,800 tons, the make of 1856. With this 
 fact, is it not time that this new method be introduced into 
 England? Although I fear that the pig steel from here would 
 come too high in England, as the average price last year in 
 Sicgcn was about £10. 10*. per ton, in consequence of the 
 price of charcoal being M. 6*. per 100 bushels ; yet, if the 
 information I have obtained be correct, either the East-India 
 Iron Corapuny or the Acadian Iron Company could produce 
 steel from their ores at a far cheaper rate than it is made in 
 Prussia, where, in addition to the high price of charcoal, the 
 ore at some furnaces costs nearly 18#. per ton. Some exten- 
 
 all 
 any 
 
21 
 
 sivo trials are, I bear, at present being made in England to 
 produce steel direct from pig iron by melting it witb a mix- 
 ture of iron ore, manganese, and bar iron ; but wbctbcr tbe 
 steel produced can compete in quality witli tbat made at 
 
 Essen and Bocbura remains to be proved. 
 
 J. Player. 
 
 Bero. Oladdach, 
 Rhenish Prussia, March 6. 
 
 The ores of Styria and Corintbia, so famous for steel, are 
 analagous to the ankerite and spathic ore, Mrhicb abound in 
 all the Londonderry district; and, as charcoal is so cheap, 
 the methods used in those countries may be very advan- 
 tageously employed. The processes of Mr. R. Mushet, 
 and others, which aim at the more economical and speedy 
 conversion of pig iron into steel, have been applied to the 
 Acadian iron with the greatest success. In fact, the native 
 steely propensity of the ores pervades every form of the 
 produce; and, whether the steel has been made from ore, 
 pig iron, or bar iron, the results have been certain, uniform, 
 and satisfactory. 
 
 Mr. Hayes, a very competent authority, says, that if these 
 ores are capable of producing steel of first-rate quality they 
 possess a rare value, for of all the charcoal iron establish- 
 ments in the United States, he knows but one which furnishes 
 iron suitable for making the first qualities of steel. Neither 
 in any other part of North America are any such ores known 
 to exist; and it therefore follows, according to our present 
 knowledge, that Nova Scotia will, from its geographical 
 position, command the whole of that vast continent as a 
 market for her superior iron and steel. The circumstances 
 above mentioned also prove that these essential materials 
 can be furnished to Great Britain from this, the nearest of 
 all her Transatlantic Colonies^ on better terms than from 
 any foreign country. 
 
 . 
 
 i 
 
 15 ! 
 I ■■■' 
 
 lli 
 
 
 •I'i 
 
22 
 
 PROM JOHN L. HAYES, ESQ. 
 
 Washington, Oct. 15th, 1856. 
 
 Dear Sir, — It will be some considerable time before I 
 shall be able to complete my reports of the survey of your 
 properties in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, lately made 
 in company with Dr. Jackson. I may tell you, however, in 
 advance, that this second visit has greatly strengthened my 
 previous favourable impressions. It is difficult to estimate 
 the value of properties of such great extent, and capable of 
 being worked on so large a scale ; but I feel that I am not 
 above the mark when I name one million five hundred 
 thousand dollars for the value of the three localities ex- 
 plored — viz. the Londonderry Mines, the Victoria Mines, 
 and the Albert Quarries. 
 
 The advanced season of the year obliged us to postpone 
 the survey of your other properties in the provinces, which, 
 
 from all I have learned, must be very valuable. 
 
 Truly yours, 
 
 John L, Hayes. 
 To C. D. Archibald, Esq. 
 
 FROM C. T. JACKSON, ESQ. 
 
 State AMoyer's Office, Boston, U. S, 
 , . Nov, QUi, 1855. 
 
 Dear Sir, — Having examined the Acadian and Victoria 
 Mines, in Nova Scotia, belonging to you, I concur with my 
 associate, John L. Hayes, Esq., in his estimate of their very 
 great value ; and am of opinion that when wrought to the 
 extent of their capabilities, they cannot fail to yield interest 
 on a million dollars j for the extent of your iron ore beds 
 is so great as to render them, in a practical point of view, 
 inexhaustible. 
 
 From the improvements which are likely to take place 
 in the means of transportation to tide water, great facilities 
 will be aflforded for the exportation of these iron ores, which 
 may be brought to the United States and carried to England, 
 
28 
 
 31 
 
 i, 1855. 
 
 )efore I 
 of your 
 ly made 
 rever, in 
 sned my 
 estimate 
 tpable of 
 [ am not 
 hundred 
 ities ex- 
 L MineSj 
 
 postpone 
 s, which, 
 
 Hayes. 
 
 ston, U. 8. 
 
 i Victoria 
 r with my 
 their very 
 rht to the 
 Id interest 
 , ore beds 
 it of view, 
 
 take place 
 it facilities 
 >re8, which 
 England, 
 
 according to the demand that may arise in the two countries. 
 Lumber sliips going to England will be glad to take the ore 
 at small freight, since it will serve for ballast. 
 
 Respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 C. T. Jackson, 
 
 State Attayer of Maasachtuetts, d:c. 
 
 The Londonderry Mines, so called, occupy the third and 
 rear division of the township of Londonderry; and, com- 
 mencing on the east, extend from the line of Onslow Town- 
 ship, westward, a distance of six or seven miles. This tract, 
 which contains upwards of 10,000 acres, may be conveniently 
 divided into two sections, each of which presents favourable 
 sites for works, and commands abundant mineral and forest 
 resources. 
 
 The line of the mineral deposits, with the accompanying 
 ore-bearing formation, is shown on the map ; and the several 
 streams which cut through the strata afford great facilities 
 for mining and draining. 
 
 The distance to the shore of the Bay, from the principal 
 mineral deposits, is about six miles, with a downward slope 
 favourable for transport and the construction of railroads 
 or tramways. During the winter months the snow renders 
 transportation easy and inexpensive by the ordinary roads of 
 the country. 
 
 The greater part of the mineral district above mentioned 
 is covered with a heavy growth of hard wood ; and the whole 
 rear country for many miles is one unbroken forest, reserved 
 for the purposes of iron manufacture. It is estimated that 
 these wood- lands will yield from 50 to 60 cords of wood 
 to the acre; and that two cords will make 100 bushels of 
 charcoal, which is proved to be sufficient to produce one ton 
 of pig iron from these ores. The wood, with proper care 
 and management, will be reproduced every twenty years. 
 
 The whole country on both sides of the Basin of mines, 
 
 I ''^ 
 
24 
 
 and the headwaters of the Bay of Fundy is, for the most 
 part, occupied by the native forests, which ape capable of 
 furnishing abundant supplies of wood and charcoal for 
 furnaces and works to be erected on the shore, where the 
 great rise of tide affords unlimited water-power. 
 
 Great numbers of vessels are engaged in carrying timber, 
 gypsum, cord wood, and other bulky materials from the Bay 
 of Fundy to the United States j and, as they now return in 
 ballast, anthracite coal, which is free of duty, could be 
 delivered at these works at a very cheap rate.* The timber 
 ships from St. John's, Windsor, Parrsborough, and other 
 parts in the Bay, gladly convey the iron to England as 
 ballast, or at nominal freight. 
 
 * Bituminous coal of excellent quality exists on both sides of the Bay of 
 fundy, and the mines are extensively worked. 
 
 f' 
 
 WICLIAH PKMNY, PRINTJCR, 67, LINCOLN'S'INN FIKLOS. 
 
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