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Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont fi!m6s en commenpant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaTtra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, seion le cas: le symbols — ^signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film* A partir de I angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche 6 droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants iilustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 \ i Bi THE MINERAL RESOUKCES OV THK NEW DOMINION ESPECIALLY THOSE OF THE OTTAWA VALLEY. Being a Lkctuuk dkuvkkkd in- Ottawa, u.vdku thk PATnoxAOE of His Excellkxcy THK' G()VFR::oit Okxeral, hy H. Bkai-moxt Sjiam., S.C.L., March 219t 1868. OTTAWA: PlilNTED BY G. E. DESBARATS. 1868. ■|fe f .#■ '■i f? THE MINERAL KESOUPvCES OF THE NEW DOMINION It is a matter of satisfaclion to ooscrvo that tlioro is an increas_ ing earnestness manifested in the community for a diligent and systematic study of particular branches of science, and that in some of them, geology especially, we arc making considerable progress. Mere popular lectures on sucli sulijects, or a superfi- cial attention to them as matters of amusement, arc only useful when there is a stiongcr and fuller current beneath. It is remark- able in general society how comparatively rare it is to meet with people who have really made themselves masters of any particular subject ; but when tliey have, and can give reliable and valuable information, they become then in that department, an important authority, and worth listening to in society. And so in public life, in Parliament, — if instead of talking superficially and often foolishly on any or every question, a member is knov.'n to have made some one important question his ])articular study, he will bo listened to with respect and altention, because he can then really give some reliable and useful information. And so in every case, if besides general gossip, and passing remarks, people can bring into society on any .subject, accurate and sensible infor- mation, whether of literature, science, or trade, it is adding to tlu; general stock, and advancing the intelligence of all. Sometimes however, people get up facts or information in a dry mechanical way, and thus become tedious and disagreeable. In appearing before you to-night, my endeavours will be to avoid the example of such, and in dwelling upon the mineral resources of the Do- minion, not to thrust upon you a lecture on geology, with its stereotyped and hackneyed phrases, but \o direct your attention w to the sources of boniulloss wcaltli, in our hills and mountains, falling from their nnlive fastnesses for seicnee to unearth them ; though, to grasp which, it is necessary that some acquaintance with geological fads bo acquired, and Kept prominently in view. In an industrial country liKe this, the practical ability of any study is inviiriabiy thrown info the scale, and geology at first sight seems to the umltitude, unpractical. What money will it earn for me in lile? is the (pu^stion which first presents itself; for if the answer ])i\ none, a man has a right to rejoin, then let me take up some study, wliich will equally train and refresh my mind and yet be of pecuniary benefit to me. But to hiin who comes in contact with rude nature teeming with unsuspected wealth, of what incalculable advantage la it, to have a knowledge, if it be but of the rudiments of a science which will tell him the ]5roper1ies and therefore the value of the rocks and hills, and ibrmation of country lu; meets with, or resides in. Let us tak(* an example. Two individuals possessed of equal capital set out, let us suppose, to settle in a new region. The one ignorant of geology, fixes upon a locality chaiaclerised by the beauty of its scenery, and the fertility of its soil ; the other skilled in the science decides upon some rejected lotof bleak and barren aspect, ])ut rich beneath in mitierals, which his geological knowledge at once enabled him to detect. The former pays a high price for his land, and yearly toils over it, to reap, therefrom a rcnuincrative, harvest ; the hitter (jbtains the despised territory for a trifling sum , — in the course of a fv.w years by tapping its mineral wealth he secures a fbrtime, and eventually resells his purchase for a prin- cely amount. Such an instan(U', is by no means rare. Again the capitalist, the agent who cfiecls snlcs, the statistician, the tra- veller, the explorer, may all reap advantage from an acquaintance with this branch of study. Nature beckons alike the peer and the peasant to the perusal of her book spread out before them. Various theories have been propounded to account for the formation of mineral veins, but it has become now an established idea, that all such with perhaps the exception of bog iron, are traceable to an igneous origin, many of them probably owing their existence to some process of sublimation, arising from the fiery mass below. Vast j^eriods of eruptions could not have lUing calth prin- n the 10 tr fl- an CO id tho n tho have passed without ''Husions of hot water and sloani, and copious hot springs. The h aled waters and vaponrs oi llies(^, rising through the crystalline! rocks below, may have exerted an active agency in bringing up \hv ores, that are distributed in the various forma- tions of our earth. Some geologists have asserted that the whole of our glob(; was at one lime in a state of incandescence, and many ridiculous theories in this connection have prevailed at diflferent times ; one beting that the matter of wliich all the planets are composed, at one time constituted a portion of the sun, which by coming into collision with a comet, had sorne of its particules driven oft" like a stream of sparks from red hot irf)n on the anvil, and that each of these jets of melted matter formed itself into a planet, which being launched far out into the colder regions or space, cooled down, solidified, and became a globe. In such a theory as that, there are ample grounds for the idea of sublima- tion, — The various speculations however were not without their beneficial results, opening as they did a field of controversy and research, and leading to the exiimination of i"ic!s w.'iieh sciencf! is now revealing ; the child must often fall, before it can walk with the well-balanced s^tepof manhoo'!, and the theon^tical failures of the past, were but the lirst struggles of the infant intellect of our race, to attain that perfection which the Alii»iglity has willed can only be secured as the fruit of la!)our. The oldest formation of rocks on this continent, is the Lauren- tian. The northern iceberg (Irift, scattered boulders over the > surface of a certain portion of the continent of America, at a time oi which history can give no record ; but the Laurentian rocks, although bearing evidcmee of having been submitted to igneous action, proclaim the existencf! of seas still more remote in time. They consist of hard rocks, which for the most part have been partly melted and reconsolidated — they are siratified, but mucli bent and twisted together, and their surface presents unmistake- able evidences of their havinof licen "reatly denuded or worn down by the long continued action of atmospheric and other causes, before any other system was deposited on them. In Canada they occupy the surface of nearly all the country lying on the North shores of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, crossing the latter at the mouth of the Madawaska, near Arnprior — extend- 6 iiii^ into the back territory between the Ottawa and Lake Huron, from wJiieh difstricl they are prolongt!d southwards into the United States, crossing the St. Lawrence, between Brockviile and King- ston. They constitute an irregnhir belt from one \o three or four hundred iiiiies in width, extending from Labrador to the country lying north of Lake Superior, a distance of more tiian 1,000 miles. It is in this formation of rocks, and those immediately overlying them, the Lower Silurian, that our mineral treasures are secreted, and then; is not llu; silglitest doubt, that as the Rocky Mountains and the Alleghauies have produced valuable minerals in great abundance, and gained a name for metalliferous productions, so our >Jorthern Laurentides when properly explored and known, will afford a revenue that will become one of the brightest jewels in the diadem of Canada, to shine with brighter lustre, long after the lumber trade rmd its accompaniments has become one of the memories of the past. The discoveries made in them so far, have been in iIk* first instance mostly accidental ; from following up w^hich discoveries, the results have be(!n most extraordinary. The shining particles found in sinking a hole in Madoc, led to the discoveries since mii :!e 1.7 Tudor, Lake and ICIzevir — the existence of galena or lead in Buckingham was brought to light by an ox sleigh from a coda; swamp fracturing a projecting piece of rock — and the deposits of ]>lumbago or graphite in Lochaber, worked and then abandoned 14 years ago by some Germans, but now in a most flourishing condition, were pointed out, so tradition asserts, by l\w Indians, who used that mineral as a pigment. And here I woidd state that to the N. E. andN. W. of this goodly city of Ottawa, within a few hours drive of the Parliament Build- ings, lies a portion of that Laurentian formation, in which many minerals of economic value abound — and it is to this section of the country, alter a few remarks on the Madoc region, that I wish most' especially to dwell this evening. There is a legend, though prol)ably it may be put down as a fable, that certain Spanish adventurers visited Canada at an early period, in search of gold, and that finding none, they named the country II Capa di Nada — the cape with nothing — that they were in search of — in it. Time however rolled steadily onwards ; and three centuries and a quj-rter after the discovery of Canada passed iuron, Qiiitcd King- or four ountry miles, •rlying croted, intains I great ons, so ;riown, jewels ig after of the 1 so far, lowing dinarv. ;, led to rir — the to light, g piece ehaber, ,ns, but adition hit. goodly Build- many tion of I wish n as a n early led the y were aad passed away, before the gold for which the early colonizers of some parts of Canada showed so great a thirst, was diseovorcd. In the meantime, however, many other meials had been found and worked to a greater or less extent. The forges of St. Maurice probably afford the first instance of the successful working of any metal in Canada. They were established by the French in 1737 ; at the conquest of the Province, the rights of tin; French King devolved on His Britannic Majesty, and these forges have been let to private parlies, who have worked them very successfully. The copper deposits of the Lake Superior region have long been known, but on the North or Canadian side, they have not been much worked. The Copper mines of the Eastern Townships have yielded of late years a vast amount of wealth to their pro- prietors. Silver deposits of surpassing richness are reported to have been recently discovered near Lake Superior, at more than one point, and probably before the present year passes away, they will have been thoroughly tested. Iron works have been started in several different places, an(l at one point on the Lower St. Lawrence, the iron sand is manufactured by means of peat — another economic material, of which as our forests begin to give out in the olJer settlements, we are just beginning to discover the uses and value, and which will probably in the course of time exercise as great ixn influence in our manufacturing centres, as coal has done in England. From Marmora large quanties of iron ore are exported, and the new iron works recently established in Hull, in our own immediate vicinity, are but the pioneer move- ments in developing a .source of wealth which has been slumber- ing for centuries in the bowels of the land, and which only awaited the enterprise of labour and capital to yield a rich return. A new process of separating copper ore from the rock, has recently been put into operation in England, and it will not be long before it is applied in Canada. By the old method of extraction, it was necessary to have ten per cent, of copper in the rock before it could be worked, and if there was only half that quantity, the difference had to be added. By the new method, rock bearing only two per cent., or perhaps less, can be worked without any addition of other copper. 8 '1! Activily in gold inininp; us all persons know, is at present chiefly directed to the INfadoe re«^ion. Our Ontario gold fields differ in chara(!ter from those of many other eonntrics, in the ab- sence of alluvial washings. The gold has to be obtained by ac- tual mining. In every gold pr<)du(;ing country it must come to this at last, but in Madoc the work had tu be commenced in that manner at the firsi. An individual min<^r wilii his shovel and .his pan could do nothing. Associated capital is necessary for the development of our gold fields. Blasting and crushing the rock form the only permanent ])asis of mining in any country. The washings of soil and the deposits in river beds soon give out everywhere. In all countries celebrated for their production of gold, quartz mining is now the main and almost the only relianctr. And MOW for a few words as to the geological features of Madoc, which I will endeavour as much as possible to divest of dryness. The village of Eldorado lies on the contorted and up- turned edges of rocks of the Lower Silurian age, — in fact in a much disturbed, metamorphic insular silurian basin, almost cir- cumscribed, if not wholly surrounded by the rocky strata oflhi^ Laurentides. It is asserted by Mr. White who has spent much time and research in that section of country, that these Lower Silurian strata, tilted upon edge by volcanic ag(!ncy, highly crystalline in t(.'xture, anu very much changed in character by metamorphic actioU; extend 1000 squan; miles or over. To ascer- tain !he locality when; the most reliable and unquestionable mineral bearing character of such changed strata is to be found, it will be neeessa'-y to trace out the anticlinal axis of its winding mineral bearing upheavals, i. e., the lines of force which brought u]) the basal rocky strata from original to present condition, and to determine by investigation to which or to how many of these variable strata, do the metallic minerals occurring in that basin belong. That they will be found following and closely identifying themselves with certain characteristic strata, there can be no doubt, and it would be contrary to all precedent, if such were not found to be the case. It is therefore of the utmost importance in a labour saving and monetary point of view, to have that question satisfactorily determined, as well as to have the correct position of the ant iclinals that brought up the lower auriferous and other •-■ 9 »S metallic bearing strata, iU'finod and Itjitl down on a reliable i2foo- logical chart of that district. ^I believe the name under wnich an anticlinal is known among mineral, is " a swaddle back.") I cannoj forbear in this place drawing the attention of the Government to an early settlement of thesi; important matters, as their determination nmsl sooner or later take place, and it is hardly fair to throw Xhv. whoh; onus on the miner l)y actual mechanical and manual labour, to say nothing of the ha/ardoiis expenditure of large sums of money by private individuals, while we have an efficient geological stall" in the employ of Govern- ment. Were a few of llujir olfieers to hv ordered on the ground in eavly spring, they could by simultaneous action in a short time procure data enough for the compilation of such a map as is now needed, and delineate thereon such inlormiition as would be of incalculable benefit to the miner^as well as to those seeking in- vestment there, and thus save from disappointuKMit, many who ventured to embark in mining enterprise; without exp'-rience or the best avallabl(! scientilie direction and advice. When we recollect that it is not mort; tiian a yewr and a half ago, since; the Eldorado mines were; discovered, and that a year ago scarcely any buildings existed there, the present aspect of the place shows what a change th(^ dev(;loj)U)ent of mineinl resources brings in its train. There amidst tiic everlasting hills, the wild woods, an expanse of boulders and stones, have Hocked hundreds from various quarters of the globe. Men who have travelled over Australia, men from California, Mexico, ('ariboo, Nevada. The beaver has started from his lair ; the moose hears them afar off — the wolf slinks into denser swamps, and the old wilderness stands aghast. Everything is new — the roads new — the houses new — the scene itself is new. The houses are more like a military camp, some two, more one story high, souk; rough, unplancd — all devoid of paint. The village consist of an ctpial comple- ment of taverns, boarding houses, stores, an ' smithies, the chief business of which last consists in sharpening the miners picks. The air resounds with words about gold, lodes, assays, quartZ: — quartz — quartz. In this locality the familiar words of Hood : " Stitch, stitcli, stitcli, in povorty hunger and dirt " And still with a voico of dolorous pitcli, " She sung the song of tlic shirt/' 10 havo been ably parodied into tlie following, '• Pick, Pick, Mast and jiick, from mora till night, " Witli cagoi eyes, for golden ore, craving more, " The miner goes pick, pick, 'vith all his might." The only reliable lest of the richness of a vein is to crush enough rock to establish by assays its richness per ton ; this has been done by the crushing or stamping mills now in operation, and the rock from tiie well known Richardson mine has yielded an average of «^138 to the ton. This is a prodigious yield — there is probably no mine in Australia no\v yielding at this rate. The Eldorado mine which joins the Rivhardson yielded an assay of $53.88 per Ton. From such results as this at a commencement, the mind ciin scarcely retdize the immense wealth to be obtained when the ^vorks go into full operation, for when a prolific lode such as that ■of the Richaruson mine is struck, it is surprising, judging from the •experience of other covmtries, to what an extent it is capable of being developed. From the Annual report of the State Mineralo- gist of Nevada for 18G6. we llnd that one of ihe mines in that State named the Gould and Curry mine, yielded during six years, an average of over ^2,000,000 a year, obtained from a rock yielding for the year an average of $59.02 to the ton. The Savage mine from $44. 11 yielded $1,805,800. The Crown Point from $38.15 yielded $1,313,357. The Empire, from $24.69 yielded ■$486,778. These averages show that from a rock as rich as the Eldorado, to say nothing of the Richardson mine, immense results may ne obtained. It v>'ould be impossible to estimate the effects •on the prosperity of the Dominion, if our gold fields should realize ihe favourable prognostications of those who best understand the matter from tlieir long ;'C([uainiance with gold mining elsewhere. Inhere is no doubt that the early development and exceptional wealth of Csdifornia are due to her gold mines, and that the rica products of ar;riculture which she now sends forth, are but a natural setiuence to that development. But for her minus, that fine State would have been little better than a wilderness to-day. Her gold enabled her to maintain alone among the States, unless it be Nevada, a gold basis for the currency. The wonderful prosperity and attractiveness of Australia, are traceable to the same source. There a poi)ulation equal to one third that of Ontario and Quebec have been able to raise nearly five times as much revenue as we 11 have. Anstrallfi lias for years robbed us of the best class of English emigrants, men of means, energy, and education. No doubt the milder climate had something to do with it, but the chances of making a considerable fortune in a reasonable time, has been the strongest motive. To turn the tide of emigration liitherwards, by circulating in the Mother Country reliable state- ments of our gold fields, is the duty of our Government ; no such state of lawlessness as prevailed at one time in the Australian diggings is to i)c encountered here, and wlion fact.' and figures arc fully brought home to the overstocked cities of England, a flow of emigration to our sliores may be looked for, diat will far surpass any thing that our agricultural inducements could ever offer. Labour, wood, wages and provisions are all far cheaper at M^-doc ihan at the California mines, or in Nevada or even in Cariboo. The crushing mill erected by the owners of the Richardson Jiiine is a structure of stone three stories high, situated at the bottom of the hill on which the mine is sunk. It is said to be able at its utmost capacity to criish 50 tons of stone ore in a day. Suppose each ton to yield $50 of gold, W(^ see a profit of $2500 per day, — if the ))roduCt were but half that, the profits would even then be enormous. As soon as the rock has been (;rushed into v ])ractical men, to extend froju Hrockville to the northern shores of Huron, comprising the highlands in rear of Kingston, Cobourg, Lindsay, Lake Simcoe and the Georgian Bay. Time only can unfold its hidden wealth. The mineral which will next engross our attention, and which must soon assume its rank next to tjold amongst our economic minerals, from the constantly increasing d(.'maiid for it, is plum- bago, black lead or graphite, by which last name we will call it. The general ideas associatcid with tho use of this article in the public mind, are its powers of imparting a lustre to our stoves and fire places, and its being used as the material which furnishes the writing property of our pencils: hence the name grapliite, from the Greek word ixrap/io^ I write. But it is applied to immerous other purposes, and the manufacture of pencils has now become almost t!ie least important of its various applications. It is used largely to counteract friction in llu; movement of the heaviest as well as the most delictate machinery. Experience has proved that where the ordinary oils and unguents have been insufficient to prevent heating froui the motion of shafting or oilier machinery, the addition of powdered graphite will infallibly accomplish the object. Few musicians are aware now much they are indebted to plumbago for the smooth <'lasticity of touch of their piano-fortes, the friction in an important part of the action being overcome by Its use. Mixed with oil as a black paint, it exerts an extraordi- nary preservative influence on both woods and metals. Iron ves- sels in the United States navy, after being covered with this paint, have sailed round the world without any corrosion of the iron by the salt water, while w ood covered with it becomes nearly as durable as iron. onto and erecting (•rushing, tn ; some any more :1 the true e want oC ated with us metals lie to the ti rear ol' Georgian nd which economic , is plum- 'ill call it. cle in the stoves and •nitjhesthe lite, from immerous w become It is used eaviest as IS proved fUcientto lachinery, nplish the indebted mo-fortes, jvcome by extraordi- Iron ves- this paint, le iron by nearly as 13 In foundries grapiiilo dust is now used in very large quantities, for facing the inside of the moulds before casting, and as a conse- quence the work comes out beautifully smooth and bright, instead of requiring the former chipping and scraping. One manufticturer of car wheels estimaies his saving from this use of graphite nX fifty cents per wheel. But the most important of all its uses is the manufacture of crucibles and molting pots, and small furnaces for assayers and chemists. The Royal arsenals' and dockyards where very large steel castings have to bo made, — the grr^at railway and other workshops, brass and copper foundries, all must use crucibles, and of the largest size. For their manufaclure the graphite is ground to a fine powder, and mixed with a portion of clay, which gives plasticity to the mass, and allows it to be moulded. A remarkable property of these crucibles is, that they may be taken at a v»'hite heat pUmged into cold water, and inmicdiately heated again, without cracking or undergoing any change ; and although the blow of a hammer in the hand of a child would break them to pieces, they yet withstand a degree of he:it so fierce that gold and silver can be melted in them like snow. The Bat- tersca Crucible Company, of London, the largest manufactory of the kind in the world, whose consumption of graphite last year reached the enormous amount of 8,000 tons, have just completed additional works, doubll.ig their productive power. In the United States, in addition to the large establishments of the kind pre- viously at work, several new ones have been opened during the last twelve months. Hitherto the material for these uses has been obtained from Bavaria and other parts of Germany, and from Ceylon, while the finer varieties for pencils ;ire in great part procured from Russia, and from the Borrowdale mine in Cumberland, England, which last has been worked for more than 100 years, and is now nearly exhausted. The graphite from that mine owes its value rather to its peculiar state of aggregation than to its purity, since it often • ontains more foreign matter than some of the crystalline Ceylon ore, of much less price. From Ceylon, in the year, 18G1 (since; which date I am unable to get the statistics) no less than 26,000 tons were exported «o Europe and the L'niled States. The mines 14 ;' : ' 1 H of that island lioWiPvcr arc in the hands of a few wealthy exten- sive landholders or nabobs, who for the purpose of maintaining its priee would nc^ver allow more to be shipped than the exigeneien of trade actually required in each year, and the supply moreover could only be obtained through resident agents maintained then" for its purchase by the firms consuming it : added to this, in most cases the masses of ore have to be brought in bags on the backs of bullocks from the mountain sides in the interior of the island to the port of shipment. Comj)eiition, liowcver, induced by the use of Canadian graphite, equal if not superior to that from Ceylon, will probably create a revohition in the mining matters of that island, which will have to furnish larger supplies for shipment, by the extension of their works, or else to withdraw from the market altogether. The graphite from Passau in Bavaria, which is used extensi- vely in the manufacture of crucibles, contains only from 35 to 42 per cent of pure carbon (a poor contrast with that obtained in Canada as will be shewn presently) the residue being of the com- position of clay. Argillaceous matters, thougli they reduce its value, are not prejudicial ; but th(! presence of carbonate of lime is very objectionable, inasmuch as the lime forms a fusible com- pound with the intermixed clay, when the crucibles are exposed to a strong heat. The United States have during the last few years taken fair rank in the production of this mineral, but here, in the very heart of our own Dominion, within a few miles of this the capital of our country, and close to the waters of the Ottawa River, have been discovered unlimited veins of graphite, pro- nounced by the most competent judges to be equal if not superior lo any yet oHbred for sale. The large dealers in New York, Boston and Jersey city, where the largest crucible works on thir continent are situated, all unite in pronouncing it equal in all points to the best that passes through their hands. From assays made in England 95 per cent of pure carbon has been obtained and pronounced fully equal to the best Ceylon ore. Before entering however on a description of thi; localities where It is obtained, and the modes of working it, some account of the mineral itself is necessary. This mineral is occasionally met with in most of the stratified i hy extcn- aining its xigenciof* moreovtrr ned ther<" this, in in bags interior of r, induced that from ar matters pplies for wilhdraw ;d extcnsi- a 35 to 42 blained in »f the corn- reduce its lie of lime sible com- e exposed last few but here, les of this ic Ottawa Dhite, pro- it superior ew York, rks on the ual in all om assays 1 obtained ties where 3unt of the I stratified 15 rocks of the Laurentian system, not only in the limestones, but in gneiss, quartzitc, and other formations. It is moreover met with in the iron ore of tin; series, as in lirdl, though not in suf- ficient quantities to ofi'er any obstacle to the smelting of the latter. It is however in the limestone formation that we find graphite disseminated, sometimes so finely developed as to give a blaish grey tint to certain bands marking the stratification, and at other times appearing in thin detached films or ilakes. It is this disseminated form which Sir Wm. Logan says in tlie Report of the Geological survey of 1866, will be found most available, as the veins hitherto found, thongh affording a very pure material, appear too limited or irregular to be relied upon. But the greatest thickness of any vein alluded to by him is only 12 inches, while most that he speaks of vary from 3 to 7. The Canadian Graphite Company have exported to Glasgow some of the mineral from one of their mines, just as it came from the shaft, and it received the highest encomium there, being pronounced equal to the Ceylon oio, yielding 93 to 95 per cent of pure carbon. It stands to reason therefore that the ore which can be quarried and exported in the slate in wliich it occurs, without going through any process, mast yield a larger profit to the miner, than that which has to go through a crushing and cleansing process at the stamping mill before being placed upon the market. Crystalline Graphite is one of the most frequent minerals of the Laurentian veins, in which it occurs under a vari(;ty of aspects, sometimes as large hexagonal plates, — in scales between mica crystals, or else forming solid masses in the vein. These masses when pure are generally made of broad thick plat(!s, the edges of which are at right angles to the sides of th(^ vein. Sometimes these veins exhibit on a fractured surface; a peculiar finely waved aspect, due to a structure consisting of fine narrow fibres, arranged at right angles to the layers ; it is these which present the fibrous or columnar aspect when broken across. This appearance is not unlike certain waved maple woods, and is due to the fact that the fibres of the successive layers are not quite parallel with each other. Portions of specimens of graphite, sent from Canada to th«; London Exhibition in 1862 were carefully analyzed by a French chemist and physicist Mr. Cloez. These after being calcined to. Hill ? 16 expel any traces of moisture, where burned in a current of dry ■oxygen, and yielded a result of 98^ per cent pure carbon. The presence of graphite in veins, implies its separation from solution at an elevated temj)erature. Pauli in his experiments, found that when hydrate of soda, mixed with cyanide of sodium was heated with nitrate of soda to incipient redness, the carbon of the cyanide separated from the liquid mass in the form of graphite. Jacquelaine, another celebrated chemist, obtained by de(;omposing sidj)hurct of carbon in contact with copper, an amorphous graphite, and he suggests that native graphite may have originated from the distillation into the fissures of rocks, of volatile hydrocarbons, which have there, by a decomposition similar to that which takes place in contact witii the walls of coal gas-retorts, given rise to a deposit of carbon that has assumed the form of graphite. Brodic again by dissolving graphitic iron in strong acid, obtained a lamellar graphite identical in physical character with that met with in nature. It is now generally conceded by geologists that it has been formed by the alteration of coal and similar carbonaceous matters at"'a temperature below redness, while its subsequent translation into the veins, and its deposition in a crystalline form have been effected undor conditions which though imperfectly understood, probably included aqueous solution at a high temperature. Dana in his address on American geological history, delivered before the American Association for the Advancement of Science, says that the fires from the Appalachian chain converted by slow de- grees, and without any sudden violence, in ages long gone by, the carboniferous strata they came in contact widi into a hard siliceous anthracite, and in some localities even into graphite, previous to the deposition of the carboniferous beds of Nova Scotia and the North East. In the valley of the Ottawa, graphite is found in the townships of Grenville, Lochaber, Buckingham, Templeton, the Seigniory of Petite Nation, and in the township of Burgess, south of the Ottawa River. It occurs in a disseminated form through die Laurentian limestone in the rear of Kingston, and on Gold Lake, in the town- ship of Loughborough ; but the section of country where this mi- neral is being principally worked is in the townsiiips of Bucking- 17 ; of dry on from riments, ■ sodium carbon form of lined by Dper, an lite may rocks, of iposition Is of coal imed the ic iron in physical has been IS matters an^lation lave been ider stood, re. Dana d before nee, says slow de- ne by, the siliceous LOUS to the the North townships igiuory of le Ottawa .aurcntian the town- e this mi- ' Buckin^- i ham, Lochaber, and Templeton. — During the past year the atten- tion of explorers has been given for the most part to the ridges of land lying between the river Blanche in Templeton, and the River du Lievrc in Buckingham. It is only three years since the mines in the latter were opened under the present system of working, but there are already two crushing mills in full operation, and several Ahers in the course of preparation. The facility of obtain- ing water power for the machinery, and the short distance the pre- pared article has to be conveyed to navigable water, greatly en- hances the value of the deposits in these townships. For the benefit of those who have never seen a crushing mill at work, I will endeavour to describe the operation. A powerful head of water by the construction of a dam being first of all obtained as the motive power, huge s(|uare blocks of iron each weighing several hundred weight, called stamp-heads, are allowed to fall alternately upon the crude ore previously bro- ken into pieces, which they by repeated blows crush fine in water. The matter thus obtained is then conveyed into the buddies, which are circular vats or shallow tubs in which four cross bars, each furnished with a strong brush nearly but not quite touching the bottom, rotate, giving a circular motion to the whole of tha contents, which are of the consistency of thin mud ; by this motion the graphite and the minerals associated with it are separated from one another according to their specific gravity, and deposited in rings around the centre of the buddle. The graphite being the lightest of the minerals gradually reaches the outer ring, while the heavier stony matter remains in the centre, From assays made of the matter collecting in the centre, wiiere ♦bu heaviest particles concentrate, gold to the value of ^4.38 per ton has been obtained, and it is not improbable that the greater the depth from which the ore is dug, tlie larger the yield of gold will prove. When proper steps have been taken to separate and collect this, the precious metal will go a great way towards paying the worki]ig expenses of the mill, and thus enhance materially the value of its products. The graphite being thus cleaned, is then dried on a furnace or kiln, and subjected to other processes, one of which is not made public, and the mineral is ultimately collected in fine scales or grains in a condition of great puriry. It is then barrelled up and 2 18 111: il. > ii! 'in !il^ I i II lii is ready for shipincnl. The price obtained for llie nialcrial in England when manufactured is stated to be about f,130 per ton of 2000lbs, while in the U. S. it is said to sell !$200 and over in American cvu'rency. The price of course varies according to quality. I will now give a slight description of the mines of the Canadian Graphite Coni])any, represented by the Messrs. Pennock of this City, the development of which is due to their indefatigable exertions. Having visited them a number of times during last autumn, and carefully noted everything connected with them at the various stages of the work, I am able to speak from personal observation. This Company in the summer of 18GG, selected 1250 acres of land in the 7th, 8th and Olh ranges of the town.ship of Buckingham, on the ridge extending between the Blanclie and du Lievre Rivers. Of course the^ whole of this is not inineral producing, but regard was ])aid \o the obtainuig of timber and a mill privilege on th.e spot 1o avoid the increased cost cartage to any distance would entail. Upwards of ed, it will probably be found that gold and silver are to be met with in liuckingham andTempleton in nearly as great abundance as in Madoc. Anoth'^r company, the Canada Plumbago Comj)any, repre- sented by Mr. S. T. Pearee, have a crushing mill erected at the outlet of Donaldson's Lake, in Buckingham, which when in full operation is capable of turning out 3 tons per day of prepared graphite. Great benefits arising from the money expended on these various mines have accrued to the farmers in their vicinity who are enabled to dispose of all their surplus produce, hay, oats, butter, potatoes, meat, &c., without the loss of time attendant on taking them to mnr' et ; and the ordinary commodities of life have been greatly enhanced in price in consequence. Labour has risen proportionately, and the lum- ber firms of the locality who have hitherto dictated their own terms to the men engaged by them, have been compelled in many cases to advance their wages, and offer greater inducements to their employees, than formerly. An influx of miners will proba- o * 20 bly set in as frosh mines are opened, and the woodland ranges and barren ridges, where only the sound of the axe has broken the existing solitude, will be alive with the ringing of picks, and the merry voice of the miner, as he unearths the hidden treasures of the hills. Another Company the Lochaber Plumbago Company, have a crushing mill in operation on the River Blanche, in Lochaber, capable of turning out two tons ol the prepared mineral per day. The Central Canada Mining Company, of which Mr. Currier is the Provisional President, own in Templeton 1,500 acres of land, where they are about commencing extensive operation'^ with every expeclation of great success. It is a Joint Stock Com- pany of which Messrs. W. Wade of Ottawa and others are members. Gold-bearing quartz exists in this range, which has yielded an assay at the hands of Professor Hayes of Boston, of $18.55 per ton. It is not my intention to dwell upon our iron works and mines, which are so well known, especially those of Hull and Marmora, further than to say that there is no reason why when, properly conducted, the same success should not attend the manufacture of iron as has attended it in other countries where similar condi- tions exist. In Sweden and in Norway as in Canada, the ores are generally magnetic, the fuel charcoal, the motive power water, the means of transport and communication imperfect ; labour is certainly cheaper, but the ores are less rich (33 per cent being the average in Norway, while here it is estimated by Sir Wm. Logan, at 69 per cent.) The same conditions as to ore, fuel, &c., obtain in New York State, where the smelting of iron ores seems to be very successful, and if care be taken to employ the same skill, — with due care and judgment, and the same apparatus and processes which are there applied with perhaps slight modifications, iron could doubtless be as successfully made in Canada as in New York. The protective duty in the latter country is to a great extent balanced by the higher prices paid for labour and fuel. The New York Journal of Commerce in calling attention to the vast number of iron deposits known to exist in Canada, says, under the heading of an article on the Moisie iron, that there is every probability of a heavy rivalry between the two countries in the manufacture of this 21 ranges broken ^ks, and reasures have a :)chaber, per day. Currier acres of ieratJon« ck Com- lers are iich has iston, of I mines, [armora, properly ufacture r condi- the ores 3r water, abour is )eing the . Logan, ., obtain ms to be '. skill,— )rocesses ons, iron in New at extent rhe New t number heading )ility of a re of this metal, not only because of the remarkably excellent quality of the Canadian metal but on account of the low prices of labour and material employed here in its production, and the writer further exemplifies its quality from a test made by tl:e superintendent of the West Point foundry, who report(!d a square inch of the M()isi(! iron resisting 20,000 lbs. more .])r(;ssure than thai from the most popular works in the U. S. lie considers it worth from 70 to 75 dollars in gold per ton at Quebec, and the duty on importation to the States 1 c(;nt per ton specie. The same iron he says has been manufactured into beautiful specimens of steel, iinparalleled there by Messrs. Sweet, Barnes & Co., of Syracuse, and further states it is the highest grade of iron in Ihc rnorkct. I will now pass on to one or two other minerals which s(?em to have been almost neglected, and yet which are met with abun- dantly in the Laurentian Strata, and might be worked with avan- tageous results. The first of these is tlio usually (les|)ised iron pyrites, scientifically known as bisulphuret of iron. It is not uncommon to hear the remark passed on a specimen of rock in which may be seen patches or veins of a brassy, yellow coloured mineral, " it is only pyrites — throw it-away." But I hope, by shewing the uses to which it might be applied, to give some idea of its real value. From statistics of the alkali manufacture in Great Britain, we learn that the consumption of pyrites in the several alkali works, reached in 1862, 264,000 tons. In order to give some idea of the great importance of this mine- ral and its products, in a manufacturing point of view^, let me first state, that sulphuric acid, which is manufactured mainly from pyrites, is the agent used in the manufacture of soda from common '. salt; from this is obtained hydrochloric acid, used in the manu- facture of bleaching powder, and chloride; of lime. Soap, glass, and many other chemical products are dependent on the soda thus obtained. In one manufactory, in Lancashire, 3110 tons of sulphuric acid are used weekly for the decomposition of salt, and 700 tons for other purposes, making a weekly total of 3810 tons, most of which is made out of pyrites. The process of making the acid is very simple ; — the pyrites is first calcined in furnaces of a peculiar construction, by which means the whole of the sulphur contained is expelled, and then conducted at once to 22 Iradcii cIkuiiIkts «'nn)loye(l In tiio lubrication of the acid. The value* ol' pyritos in Eni^Hand is said In !)<' )^10 per Ion, and the supply is ohiaiiu'd cliiclly I'roni IJcIf^iiuii, Sj)ain and Ireland. It is \\W) rniployfHl in another iui|)ortant inannlactory, viz: ('oppcras, ts.xtcn.sivcly usod in dyciiij.;'. For lialC a c-oiitury the American market has been su|)pli(!(l by copperas rnainilac- tru'Cfl IVorn !i bed of pyrites in Slall'ord, Vermont. Its production is still more simple) than that of sulphuric acid. The' pyrites is brolcen into small pieces, sometimes but not necessarily previously baked, and j)lac(!d in h(V»|)s beneath sheds with water-tight floors. It is then from lime to time moistened with water, which favours the oxydation ol' the mass. After some lime it heats, cnmibies, and is converted into a solul)le sulphate of iron, which is dissolved out by water, and from the iloor led into boilers in which it is evaporated to such a point that by cooling, crystals of sulphate of iron, b(;lt(!r k'KJwn as (Copperas, aie depo?*ited. From its pecu- liarity of thus spontaneously heating when in heaps, it has obtained its name pyrites, from the greek word ;;Mr fire. The time will (HMue sooner or later when our incretising industry will warrant the eslal)lishment of large chemical works in the Dominion, and then the long neglected and despised pyrites will become avail- able. I would add that large quantities of sulphuric acid are now us(!d in refining coal oil and petroleum. The pyrites of the Laurontian rocks, i. c, gneiss and limestone, has frequently been found to contain small portions of nickel, and cobalt, which metals might be profitably extracted from the residue left after its calcination in the manufacture of sulphuric acid. Cobalt ore is rare, ;uid much sought after, its price being about 1)3 per pound in England. An estimate of the expense of extracting cobalt from pyrites and the marginal profit resulting from it is shown by Sir VVm. Logan to bo as follows : — Expense of excavation, calcining, freight, &c., $11 per ton. That amount, as ascertained by analysis of pyrites taken from near Brockville yielded at the rate of 8 lbs. cobalt — worth $21 — leaving a clear profit of !|10, without taking into consideration the sulphuric acid t)btainable during the process. Within the last eighteen months a rich deposit of another valu- able mineral has been discovered within four miles of the village 23 IV acid. The Ion, and the Ireland, iiraotory, vi/: li' a (01 It my ras inamd'ac- Its prodnrtion riu? pyrilos is ily previously LM'-tii^iit /loor.s. kvliieh favours Its, crumbles, •h is dissolved in which it is of sul{)hato of rotn its pccu- l ha.s obtained riie time will will warrant )ominion, and beeomo avail- mric acid are uid limestone, )ns of nickel, icted from the i of sulphuric its price being Lhe expense of rofit resulting vs : — Expense That amount, :>ar Brockville 'aving a clear sulphuric acid another valu- of the village of liuckiiigliaiii, vi/., galena or lead, associated w idi .•oilplmlc of barytes. It.s discovery was (Mitirely accidental, and tliongli the veins have only been uncoviTcd for a short distance, suflicicnt idea has been gained of thi'ir richnei^s to warrant extensive opera- tions. Sulphate of barytcs, familiarly known as \\hile lead, is extensively employed in iIk; Jirts as a jjainl, both by itself and for mixing with other pigments as an adidteralion, for which purpovse it is fitted by its great weight. It enters into the comjjosition of the cheaper kinds of white lead j)aint, to the extent sometimes of 75 or 80 per cent, l-'or this purj)ose the native sulphate; of barytes lis crushed, and if necessary boiled with diluted sulphuric acid to remove any metallic oxide which may discolour it, after which it is ground to a fine powder. A much fin(;r article than that |(jl)taincd by simply grinding the mineral, is ])repared from the f sulphate by igniting it with charcoal, and then oi)taining a j)rcci- ipitatc by tlu; use of sulphuric acid. This is called permanent white, and is used as a water colour, and in the manufacture of paper hangings, for giving a peculiar glossy surface. The (H)n- sumption of the ground suljjhatc of barytes is very considerable, as much as two tons per week being used in Soulh Lancashire ; I about 4,000 tons are sold annually in the U. S., partly inijjorted from Europe, and partly obtained Irom })arts of theirown lerritorv. The ajipearanee it presents in its native state is an opatpie white, which can hr. easily cut or scrajjed, not unlike hard putty. The veins discovered e* liuckingham are from G to 14 inches wide, several of them containing strings or i)ands of galena, or lead ore. Tiie locality in Aviiieh the iliscovery has been xnndc is very favour- able fen* working, being on the summit of a blnlf (u- steep l)ank isurmounling a small creek, thus afibrding natural facilities for draining oft" the water from the workings. The propm-ty on which |t!]c discovery has been made has passed into the hands of a ■(Quebec firm, but the works are tcmjjorarily susj>endcd ; it is to 'be hoped however that operations will be resumed in the Spring, as there is every indication of rich returns, and it has been fisciMtained in addition that the lead is argentiferous, or impreg- nated with silver. 1 have been unable to obtain any statistics relative to the assays made from this locality, the company main- taining a remarkable reticence on the subject. 24 'lira till A company has been formed in Polerborongli to develop the galena veins oi" the township of Galway, distant twelve ^niies from Bobcaygcon. On ihe west half of lot 20, Concession A. there are several veins of galena and sulphate of barytes, witli a cross vein of iron running N. E. and S. W. and at a distance of 30 feet from that a vein of zinc. The excavations made so far Jiave been hrougli slate. At the extremity of one of the tunnels there is, iu miner's parlance, a blow up or chimney containing molten lead, incrusted with what is supposed to be antimony. The galena is believed to hold a large amount of silver. Amongst the other economic minerals of the Ottawa valley, may be cursorily mentioned Steaiite or Soapstone, used for lining furnaces, and when ground to a powder and mixed with oil, con- stituting the so-called fire-proof paint. Kaolin, or porcelain clay, is met with in a few localities, and feldspar which enters largely ."iito the composition of porcelain, is found in considerable quan- tities in granitic veins among the Laurentian rocks, and in some places of suflicient purity to be available for the use of potters. Specimens of sandstone from Vaudreuil at the London Exhibition, attracted the attention of English glass manufacturers, who import a similar material from the United States, and who made •enquiries as to the price at which the sandstone could be furnished in Engiland, though without as yet leading to any direct results- To establish a trade in or.r minerals with England —and there is no reason why it should not be extended to other manufact^iring countries cf Europe, — it is necessary that their adaptability, cost, ^md above all the richness of the deposits of most of them, should be prominently brought before those countries, and every informa- tion circulated respecting them. I would respectfully call the uttentiou of the Emigration Department 'o the circulation abroad of woriis on the resources of our Dominion, especially in mining and manufacturing districts — for attention is now being given to items of interests from Canada, and the apailiy which heretofore t!xisted in regard to Canadi^^.n affairs, has now in England given way to a desire for accurate data. Time was (and not so many years ago either) when about as little v as known in the midland ortage there, for many miles above them. Time will be when the whole country around this our capital will be systematically mined, and it is fervently lobe desired that the proposed Ottawa Ship C;i li from Lake Huron become a matter of f;^ct, and not of theory. Passing as it would thrnugh a country whose geological formation is always the cradle of mineral wealth, it is almost impossible to foresee the vast influx of population which would be attracted there. Success to the brawny arms and stout hearts of those who will become the pioneers of that route ; may they reap the profits which must accrue from the treasures of the rocks ; let our Government aflord them every facility in its power, and let us one and all bid them in their work — God speed. I would iUin allude to and dwell on the gold fields of N. S. and her vast, coal fields, so soon to form a stronger link in the chain of our Unionisu], than any legislation, but time will not permit. In conclusion I would say that I have no interest in any mine or land ; nor am I in any way pei-uniarily interested in minir^g matters. I simply speak for the country — for the hard-working miner, and for those whose faith in these hidden resources of our Country has induced them to embark in these enterprises. God in his infinite goodness has filled the bowels of our land with hidden glories and precious things, as he has clothed the riper fields with beauty and precious food. The material of this univeise bv which we are surrounded is full of the evidences of the 28 Creator ; they crowd upon us from every side— wherever we turn our eyes, there we read them. They are inscribed on the blue dome of Heaven, and on the gorgeous clond turrets of the western sky-on the rocky cliffs which record the memories of Ion- buried ages, and on the green sods which cover the last new made -rave. The materials with which the Eternal writes his name,1ind the style of his handiwork are evermore the same ; whether in the golden characters of the mine, or the metallic lustre of the hills, science recognizes its Author's hand, and admires with reverence his matchless autograph. wmmmmmmmmmmmm