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Laa diagrammaa suivants illuatrant la m*thoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ON GOLD-MINING AND ITS PROSPECTS IN NOVA SCOTIA, EMBODYING THE RESULTS OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS OF THE DISTRICTS OF WAVERLEY AND r SIIERBROOKE, FOR THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT, By henry YOULE HIND, M.A. A Fapef* read before the Society of Arts, May 25th, 1870; Warington W. Smyth, Esq., F.B,S., in the Chair. (RcprlnteJ for prratultniis dlstrltmtlnn from the Journal of the Society of Arts, May 27th, 1S70, by JiMEa Teitoaht, F.B.O.S., Mineralogist to Her Majesty, Professor of Mineralogy in King's College, iSsc., 143, Stran'J, W.C.) I. — Genxral Description or the Relations of the Gold-heahino Rocks. The area occupied hy the lower Silurian gold-bearing rocks of Nova Scotia has been variously estimated at from 6,000 to 7,000 square miles, t Sinco these estimates wore made, there has been described a series of gneissic rocks, supposed to bo the equivalents of the Cambrian and Laurcntian,! ''^'hich occupy at least one-half of the area hitherto assigned to tho lower Silurian. Those rocks ore not yet known to bo auriferous, although from the discovery of an auriferous band in tho lower Laurcn- tian, in Ontario, beneath tho groat iron deposits, ^ there is good reason for the expectation that an auriferous Bono will be found in tho Nova Scotian gneisses under- lying tho present gold-bearing series. I do not suppose that tho lower Silurian gold-bearing rocks of Nova Scotia cover a larger area than 3,000 square miles. Gold has been found also in tho upper Silurian, which may bo exposed over an area of from 500 to 800 square miles, so that the total known area of tho gold-bearing rocks of Silurian ago probably does not exceed 4,000 square miles. • The puper wa» illustrated t)y uprrlmeni kindly !ent hy Professor Tcnnant, consljtinir of a large nnnil)er nf roIcI vppciinons In the matrix from Nova Soolla, Cnnailu, llrltlsli Onlninlpla, Anslralln, the West Const of Soudi America, Nurlli Wales, CornHnll, Hpotia' 1, and other localities, also some crystals of gold llgnrod In Mawe'a "Travels In Hra7.1l." t The lolal area ot the gold regh.n may he rsllnialeil at about 1,000 S(|uaro nillex, and the pre (liilnied dlHliiels dn md yet riaili a twentieth part of this area. -Dawson, "Acadian (ieidngy," second on miles of AVindsiir, near the llasiii of MiniM (Bay of Fiindy). West of this Silurian valKy, tho gneissoid rocks occur in detached area, of greater or less 2 extent, to the Gut of Ciiuso. Tho most important at present of theso gnoissiu areas is situated in tho county of Guysborough. In the Silurian valley between Halifax and Windsor, tho gold districts of Liiwrcncetown, Montague, Waverloy, and lienfrew, arc situated on tho east side of tho valley ; Mount Uniatko and Ilaiititiond Plains on tho west side. Around thd giu'i.ssic nucleus in tho county of Guys- borough, tho districts of iShcrbrooko, Wine Harbour, Isaiic's Harbour, Country Harbour, and Cochrane's-hill, are synimetriciUy arranged. Tho other districts, such as Tangier, Musquodoboit, Oldham, and Fifteen-Mile Stream, bear also a ci rtaiu rebition to gneissic areas, but oniiugh is not known of this relation to admit of description. Tho Cambrian gntiss occurs about two and a-half miles to tho east of the worked lodi s at Waverly, and about tho same di.stancn cast from Goldenville at Sher- brool'o. At Mount TTniackf it is about tho same distance to tho west. Jlost of the known gold districts occur in close proximity to gneissic areas, but this armies from the circumstance that denudation has b(>en most active on tho more clcviited intersections of tho anticlinals, and has removed tlie Siliaian strata, thus exposing the under- lying gneiss. When comparatively low anticlinals iiitersect, there is no gneissic exposure. Two sits of main anticlinals intersect one another in Nova Scotia, one set having an easterly and westerly direction, the other at ncaily right angles, or a northerly and southerly course. At the intersections of these anti- clinals the trold districts are situated, and here, also, whiro deiiudiitiiin li.s removed the Silurian strata, the underlyini; giKisses are exiKisid, or have been brought to the surfaei' by the greit dislocations which accom- panied tlie last, or iiortti and south folding.* Till' districts of Waverley and Sherbrooko have l)cen carefully surveyed, and tluir geological structure worked out with I otisiiierable detail. I was engaged in this duty durii <; part of the autumn of 1808 and the summer of 181)9, for th(! Department of Mines, and tho maps which illustrate this paper are those which I prepared for the Department, and which, by permission of the Chief Commissioner, I have brought with mc. Waverley and Slierbrooke are types of all tho known gold districts in Nova Scotia. One (Waverley) occurs with several others in a Silurian valley lietween two great exposures of gneissic rocks, thii other (Sherbrooke) is one of many arranged round a island of gneiss. II. — OuiGiN or THE Gold. The rfsnlts of my surveys do not show any direct relation between the origin of the gold and the gneissic art'as. I consider that all the evidence liitherto ai cumu- lated in Nova Sy. This lode runs paralM to the 'i'uiler on the north side (d" the anticlinal, anrley, t to have taken place during tho north and south folding ; some of them arc reprcFcnted on tho plans and in the sections. v.— The AiT.UEiioi.s Lodes. As much misaiiprchcnsion might arise from tho broad statement that all the auril'eious loilt s in Nova Scotia arc sheds of quartz, generally t) acrablo from one side of a tilted anticlinal to the other side, in unbroken con- tinuity, it is necessary to state distinctly that, although tho sections exhibit this relation, jet it holds good only with reference to certain lodes whiih have been so trace d, and to gro\i) s e)f lodi s. This arises from tlie structure of the lodes. In many iiis'iuie'es they are not continuous for very long distances, that is to .siiy, they " thin out " and ''lake up apiin." In some instances the .same' lodes can be traeeel at the surface fur ninny hundred yarels, anel cve'U for niile-s, but it is safe to iissume that genirally, as stated in my rcpeirt on Wavcrley gold ilistrict, they resiiidile thin b ntiiiibiv slieeU of quartz, wheise edges overlap one' another, espeeiiiUy in bands e.f si ite'. In tiiiiking i ress-cuts at Peinu' ililaiiee below tho surfaee, loiles are I'rceiuently e'ut which do not iijipear in the' siiiface tieneliers, and in breiml bands eif slate', lodi's tbieken to the; brcaelth ed' 10 to 1:2 inebes, ami thin out to 11 lilin eif eiMiirtz. or elis'ipjiiar altoge>fliir in the spaeo of a few hunelri'd feet. Hut before thiy thin out alteigrther, another loile begins tei appear, se'paraleil from tin I'ust by a few iiuhes, me)re or le'ss, of slate e>r eiu'irlziti'. 'J'his cannot be strietly ngarili-d as a e'on- tiniiation of the lodei which has "thinneil out," altliough • Tli« (ftilcl illntrlct nf Shcrlireieikp Is ultiiatctl nlmiit twplvo miles IVciiu the" miiiilli nf St. Mary's lllvrr, in Mie e'niiiily urCJiiyslji'reiUjjIi, It Is e'ljility niiU'H I'ast nf llallf.ix In nii air IIih'. t F"r u (li'si'i'liitUai of the ells ecul Ions at Wavi'ilcy jce rci«)rt on lliatillstrk't. PLAM OF PART OF T •HE WAVER L^ GOLD DISTRICT, The thick lines rcprcsoiit tiio worked portion of tho lode ; thu thin lima indie;., the. suiipo.srd outcrop under a deeper deposit of dnft in ()( tober, IHdfS. Tlio double bliick lines show tho continuation ol' tho lodes discovorud and worked since publication of tlic map up to January 7, 1870, mi u 1 hit 1 1 'W' ^ '' rop umlcr a discovorcd it also may thin out and be in part overlapped by another lodo in the strike, and in the place of the first ono which had disappeared. Some lodes of this descrip- tion appear to belong to the class of intercalated lodes, that is to say, they are sheets of q\iartz which have been formed at a later dtito than the enclosing rock, and were produced by the replacement, partieli^ by particle, of a of pre-existing bed of some other soluble material. In lodes of this class, which generally occur in slate, the slate itself is found to bo auriferous, an'l the whole mass is frequently worth crushing. Tho strong persistent contemporaneous lodes, such as the Tudor and North lodes at Waverley, generally occur in quartzite, or with quartzite on ono side and slate on the other. The intercalated lodes now frequently occur in slate, and are often a.ssociatod with thin lenticidar beds of slate and quartzite, which also "thin out" and " take up " again.* We have, then, in Nova Scotia, tho following descrip- tion of lodes, iill of which are moio or less worlced : — 1. The bedded lodes of the same ago as the quartzites, and slates with which thoy are interstatiticd. 2. The intercalated lodes of subsequent age. 3. The gash lodes (free claim, Renfrew). 4. Tho true veins. A few worked. !lIost of the gold is obtained from tho bedded and the intercalated lodes. The origin of the intercalated lodes is obscure, but the conditions required for thu formation of some of these appear to bo in great part satisfied, if wo suppose that they represent lines of minimum pressure during the folding, denudation, and faidt- ing of tho strata. Along such lines the flow of aqueous currents would bo determined, and particle bj- particle of soluble strata be removed and replaced by other minerals. This would also iiccount for the regular arrangement of crystals of arscTiical iron pyrites in slates and quartzites, in certain lines of direction, over widi! areas. According to this view, the formation of interca- lated lodes is continually going on, for tho pressure upon any given point, atany given deptli, is constantly chang- ing, owing to denudation and other causes constantly operating, although in no fonn perceptible to the senses.f Tho passage of a bed of quart/, from one plane to anotiher plane, on a short zig-zag cours(! (seen at Mount Uniaeke), may be referable to tliis class of inter- calated lodes. The same reasoning whicli is applicable to explain tho formation of intercalated ludes, may render ! it doubtful whether any bedded lode can strictly be re- garded as a lode altogc^ther of contemporaneous age with the enclosing rock. Tho statement tliat it is so may apply to certain portions of such a lode, and to the hens of tho lodo, but it is diUieult to conceive that during the infinity of changes of pressure which must have occurred in any given subterraneous area, aqueous currents may not have been successively determined towards every part, and caused a greater or less re])laeement of particles. Tnder the leim aqueous currents, it is scarcely necessary to say that ] allude more particularly to the water ab- sorbed by dill'erent strata imder ditlerent conditions of temperature and ]irefisure. A'l. — ^IixiNG Economies in Nova Scotia. I in-opose now to glanci^ biielly at tlu' condition of mining in Nova Scotia, and tbcn to I'liriiish some facts from olbcial reliiiiis, which will enable a correct appre- eialion of the ^olcl wealth of t!ic> Nova Scotian lodes to b(( foiiuul. From the most reliabb^ infonuation accessible, it appears that there are now some sevc'nty companies or association? engaged, actually or nominally, in gold- mining in Nova Scotia : — ^VIlcrn organise,. lEstinmted cost and.ic- j timl workiiif; capital. Montreal I 480,000 dols. Toronto | 210,000 „ Kingston 210,000 „ New York Boston St. .Tohn, N.B. Halifax, N.S. . , United States . , Ontario Nova Scotia ... Liverpool, Eng. London „ Private 2o0,000 500,000 ;jO,000 134,000 00,000 00,000 10,000 25,000 85,000 20,000 • 'I'hc iiilcrciihvtcl Imlos ni'c to lio (listlnuiil'licil from fPfrropiilml imlc-. ni'taiiyin;; li-.Maos pivilni nl by .i oiM'-li in llii' ^tral.^, lis en Ihc ri'uc> claim ;i'l lii'iiVcw pold ilistii.'l. (Sec ri'peit en Wiivcili'v.) t I'lir n ili.-cusslon el' Ibis sn'ijort soc " l!e|Kin nn llic (joUl blsti'icl of blicrhrookc," imw In llio iirc>s. Some of these are of a purely speculative character, some have ceased working, others are profitably carrjdng on the business.but, as shown in succeeding paragraphs, in a very unseientific and wasteful manner. A few are working with comparative economy, but no approach is made to tho admirable system which frequently obtains in Victoria, where that best of mining schools, experience, has taught miners to conduct gold mining with the same attention to detail as is thought absolutely essential to success in any other branch of industry. In very many cases, mismanagement has been the cause of the suspension of works, which, with ordinary care in tho hands of an experienced agent, would have proved successful. Local companies have been often formed in the follow- ing manner: — A prospector finds a lodo showing numerous specks of gold at tho surface. Three or four speculators join together and fom^ a company, purchasing the property for a nominal sum, and a considerable portion of so-called paid-up stock. They put the capital at 100,000 dollars (100,000 shares at one dollar a share). Tho shares are sobl at two cents and upwards. With tho money thus obtained, work is commenced, and if the quartz continues promising, enough capital is raised to erect a mill, and there is a prospect that the speculation may turn out profitably ; but if tho auriferous character of the quartz diminishes, the colhapse of the company becomes a mere question of time, for the shareholders almost invariably refuse; to submit to a call. The following tables show tho average yield of gold from quartz in Nova Scotia and in Victoria (Australia) ; — 1850 lo of Golil in ]'ictoria from the year 850 lo 18G8 imiiisiir'* YcMr. 1 Qmintlty ci uslicd. Total liroiluco. Avcraso yield I>er ton. 1 tons. cvvt'f. oz. ilwts. I)Z. ilwts Bi's. 1850 ,^i),034 47,524 14 1 4 8'4 lH(i0 80,504 10 81,005 2 18 22 1801 ,350,109 209,482 13 17 2 ISO'i 5(;7,i'ii8 ;U0,725 4 10 22 18G:i 5L'y,'J2(i 323.190 14 12 8-5 18(1) 843.515 10 433.981 IC. 10 6'9 l.S(;5 7i'5.i;ii 419,325 3 11 21-4 ISCCi 8(>1.4{'i8 i;i 459,895 7 10 16'2 1807 048,850 12 498,077 12 10 12'2 1808 880,228 IS 471,493 3 10 15-37 'J'..tal:) . 5,Sll,iir,0 it :'.,340.201 8 11 12-37 » " The UoUl I'iclils of AiistMlla." Ry R, Drougli Smyth, F.O,S. iilu/ciHCnf s/ioiriiiy tl v inii)ib:r uf I'Uis uf Qit'irt:. criisinil, the yield of Gold, and the averaijc i/ic/d per ton, in the I'rovincc of Xova tScoliii, duriny tlie ijcurs 18G2 to 18G9 inclusive. Year. Quartz crualied. Yield of goM. Yield \KT ton. tons. oz. (IwtS. 1,'1'S. Of. d«(s. (,'rs. 1862 6,727 6,799 1 u o 1863 17,001 13,973 14 17 16 12 1864* 15,316 14,526 18 5 19 1865 23,835 24,725 22 22 1 21 1866 30,963 24,125 13 18 15 14 1867 30,673 27,534 4 14 17 23 1868 31,242 20,518 10 14 13 3 1869 35,424 17,690 2 8 (1 10 2 Totals . . 191,181 149,894 7 2 15 16 In Victoria, tho yield of gold from 5,811,669 5% tons of quartz crushed during a period of ten yours (1859 to 1868J has averaged lldwts. 12'37 grains.f In Nova Scotia, tho yield from 191,181 tons of quartz has averaged 16 dwts. 16 grs. Tho excess of tho average in Nova Scotia over that of Victoria amounts to more than 4 dwts. per ton. Notwithstanding this largo average in favour of Nova Scotian qutirtz, yet tho mining interests aro depressed, while those of Victoria aro buoyant. Tho cause of this apparent anomaly is readily explained. In Nova Scotia, wo aro passing through that utago of blundering incompetency which has already visited Australia and California, and from which those coiintrios have emerged with wonderful strength and aptitude for tho circumstances in which they are placed. The economy displayed in tho management of tho mine, and in the manipulation of the quartz now com- mon in Australia and California, is utterly unknown in Nova Scotia. It will appear almost incredible that the tailings alone in many mining districts contain, on an average, us much gold as tho material crushed, with a profit at some of the mines at Ballarat. Numerous and reliable assays show that, in Nova Scotia, from 25 to 35 per cent, of the gold escapes in tho tailings, and is lost. The arsenical pyrites, which abound in some dis- tricts, is frequently rich in gold, but no attempts are made to separate it, or oven store the pyrites. The following table shows the result of assays of pure arsenical pyrites from different lodes at Sherbrooke]. : — Yielding P-'ld liur ton. , oz. dwt. gr. Pyrites and galena from Boul- 1 < 1 , r derLotj; '^ '■ ^^ „ ,, „ Coburg Co. I 1 12 16 „ Kingston and Sherbrooke 1 ' , .„ ^. Company / „ Canada Company 1 45 „ Wentworth Company) „ jj. „ (Ferguson Lode) . . . . i „ Meridian Company (Sears 1 , ,,, ,,, Lode) ) ., average of concentrated \ ,, , „ tailings ) Assay of pure pyrites from the j Provincial Company, at J 1 1 Wino Harbour ....'. ) 8 16 Yielding idlvor jicr ton. oz. dwt. gr. 8 19 10 (i 10 16 5 14 8 9 • Nine months. t " The Gold Fields of Victoria. X Mr. Klrkpatrlok. liy U. Hroiigh Smyth, I'.Ci.S, From careful assays of numerous parcels of tailings in Nova Scotia, as they came from tho mill, and selected indiscriminately, tho average quantity of gold contained was found to exceed 4 dwts. per ton. In many in.stanccs tho assay gave a very much larger yield. These tailings lie around the mills in every direction, or aro allow(>d to run into tho nearest stream ; in no instance Icnown to mo aro they concentrated, even to save the pyrites, or are any really valuable appliances used to save tho free gold they contain, which has escaped from tho stamping boxe.s on th(' amalgamating tables. At one mine, near I5allarat, 7,453 tons of quartz yielded no more than 2 dwt. li>A grains per ton, yet the company paid in dividcmls .i'J.lUl lOs. The quartz was iisily obtained, and at small cost, but the manipulation was very economically conductt^d. At thi Black Hill mine, Ballarat, tho total quantity of quartz crushed, up to 1868, was 190,118 tons, yielding 22.801 oz. 15 dwts. 13 grains, tho average yield being 2 dwts. 9'7 grains per ton.* A year ago, attention having betii called to the escaped gold in the tailings at one of tho mills at Waverley, portion.s were re-crushed and passed over the amal- gamating tables; and in the official returns for ISOO we find the following statements: — 288 tons of waste I'roiii dump gave 32 oz. 5 dwts. 11 grains; 63 tons of waste from dump gave 13 oz. 12 dwt. 16 grains. From this experiment some idea maj' be formed of tho amount of gold allowed to escape in the tailings from upwards of 190,000 tons of quartz, the cpiantity already crushed in Nova Scotia.t VII. — MiNixfi Economies at Waveuley. Tho mine which I shall select, as an illustratifJii of gold-mining at Waverley, is the one where part of Tudor lode is worked. Tho following extracts from my ofliciiil report in 1868, compared with what is now being done in 1870, will all'ord a fair example of the improvement of which Nova Scotia mining is susceptible ; — Tho will at this mine is driven by water ; it has sixteen stumps ; amalgamation takes placo in the battery and on tables ; no blankets aro used, or concentrating appar.itus of any kind to save the pyrites of free gold which have escaped amalgamation; the i^ilings flow info tho stream and aro lost. In the year 1865,6,972 tons of quartz were crushed and treated in the manner described. The yield of gold amounted to 8,727 ounces, or 1 oz. 6 dwts. 12 grains per ton. The total cost of getting tlie gold, up to the close of 1866, averaged 12 dwts. (12 dollars) a ton. In 1867, tho works were carried on with greater economy, and the lode, at a depth of 300 feet, averaged 15 inches in thickness, and yielded (not including tho tailings) 8 dwts. a ton, and was worlced with a small profit. When the average yield fell to 7 dwts, a ton, the works wen^ stopped, on account of not paying expenses. This was tho con- dition of tho mine dui-ing my visit in the autumn of 1868. Tho following aro abstracts from my report on t'lis district; — " The skill which m kos a difterence of one penny - weight jier ton freqticntly determines the fate of a valu- able mining property. In the ease of thi^ fine water- power mill at Waverley, seven pennyweights to the fun is stated not to pay expenses ; (ight pennyweights would leave a small profit ; and nini' pennyweights, it is .said, would secure a profit of forty dollars a day. Operations are now suspended, because the (piartz 'is said to yield only 7 dwts. ]ier ton, aeeuniing to the pre- sent system of working. Subse(|ueully, it will be shown that there is every probability that' tho (piartz now contains upwards of 10 dwts. "to the ton, although it yields only 7 dwts., and that by system and machinery, and consequent reduction of expenses, it might be made ' Mr. Broupli Smyth. t Soe also tallies sliowing rcliirnv iVoni sherlirnnlvo district fur reuiarkij on gold In the tailing-. f tailings (1 sulected contained ■ instiincos 80 tailings allowed to known to pyrites, or vv Iho free 3 blamiiing rtz yioldeil 10 company ■was ciNily lation was quantity of IS, yielding Id being 2 tho escaped Waverley, the ainal- :oi' 1809 wc ■waste from IS of waste From this amount of upwards of crushed in ILEY. astration of irt of Tudor my oflicial bing done in mvcment of The mill at 'en stamps ; I on tables ; •atus of any lave escaped streiim and quartz were . The yield '.. dwts. 12 I' gold, up to liars) a ton. ier economy, d lo inches .ings)8dwts. When the •ere stopped, ras tho con- I autumn of port on t'lis ono pennj - of a valu- line water- ghts to the mnyweights veights, it is lars a day. (luartz is • to the pre- ill be shown quartz now although it maehiiierv, s>ht be made IvO dWtriut for to give an equivalent to 10 dwts. to tho ton. Tho samo observation applies in othor forms to all tho other pro- perties in the district. " At ft depth of 330 feet on the Tudor lode, the \ ield was 7 dwts. per ton, and tho mineral not paying expenses, the work was stopjied. It has been shown that it is probable that one-third of the gold was lost in the tailings, which were allowed to escape from the e(jpi)(>r plates in front of tho nattevy directly into the liver. This ■would give a total average of gold in the quartz of 10 dwts. 12 gr., of wlueh 7 dwts. was saved, and 3 dwts. 12 grs. lost. As.stnning that 7i> i)'r cent, of the gold in the tailings could bo recovered by the usual processes, .at a cost of one-fourth, this would have a profit on tho tailings of 1 ilwt. Hi.] grs., and swell the total yield to dwts. lo grains i)er ton. A round budille, with a bed 18 feet in diameter, and whoso axis revolves at the rato of 3 or 1 revolutions per minute, will work up from 35 to 10 tons of tailings in 24 hours. A rotating huddle will do tho same amount , of work in much less time, and may conse(iuentl)' be made of smaller diameter. ISy the substitution of proper machinery, much nianual labour in milling j could bo saved. Ten men were employed during 21 ' hours in breaking and feeding 3-) tons of ([uartz ; why shoulil not this work be done by l men feeding a ' breaker' with hopper, and moved by the surplus water- power 'f Each of tho stone-breaking machines at tho J?ort Philip Company's mines break 8 tons of ([uartz per lioiir, at a cost, mcludiiig wear and tear, of aliout lOd. per ton. One of these machines would break 3.3 tons of quartz in 4i hours, at a cost of ab(jut o dels, by water- power, the estimate lOd. (stg.) a ton being based on steam power, llenee, with a 'breaker' and 'hoppe'r,' instead of manual labour, a saving of at least 3 dols. a day might be eft'ected, and the risk of gold being stolen ; during this part of the treatment reduced to a miiiiuunu, by which it is not improbable a still greater saving j might bo effected. "I have selected as an illustration of mining economics at Waverley the method of treating the ([uartz at the cheapest mill, namely, one driven by ami)le water-power. All tho otlier mills in operation are driven by steam- power, amalgamation takes jilaec in the battery and on tables ; but no cifort is made to eoneentrate the tailings. As long as qmirtz continues to yield tlu; unusual avcr.ige of 1 oz. to 1 oz. and 10 dwt. to tho ton, the economical treatment of the tailings is not a matter of vital import- ance, but when the average diminislus to 9, 8, and even 7 dwts. per ton, it becom<'S one on which, otlier things being equal, tho continuance of active operations depends, provided that those operations are necessarily limited to ono or two leads."* Let these statements of facts in 18G8 be contrasted with tho following in !Marcli, 1870. My authority is one of tho mine-owners at Waverley, to whom I applied for information respecting the progress of his works, in February of the present year. The mill an'^ mine are tho same as referred to in the preceding pa- .graphs: — " I work at present four shafts on the south side, on tribute, which leaves my men with a yield of 3 dwts. per ton on average, from 1 dol. to 1 dol. uO e. clear wages for every -working diiy, and to mo something over 00 cents per ton. The dilferenco Let ween 1 dol. and 1 dol. oO c. wages depends entirely upon the greater or smaller ability and industry of the mincis, by which they will raise larger or smaller quantities of quartz per day, which, w'ith such a small yield as 3 dwts. per ton is all important. " My arrangement with the miners is. that they get for their labour and the expenses, except crushing and hauling, all tho gold, and pay me for crushing and haul- ing 1 dol. 2 j c. per ton. • Report on tho Wnvcrley gold Olstrict, 180;'. '' The lode is from twelve to eighteen inches thick, and three men raise, on an average, from fifty to sixty odd tons of quartz per month. That the lode works extra- ordinarily easy is a matter of course ; deducting tho crushing and hauling, there remains not much more for tho raising of the quartz than a little over 1 dol. 00 c. per ton. ''In proof of my own profit of at least 50 cents per tun, you will find the following calculations : — I crush with eight stampers, in twenty-four hours, at least 13 tons on till' average, an I for this woik I employ two very experienced feeders, who have, at tho samo time, charge of the mill, and two breakers. Of the feeders, one receives 1 dol. 10 c, and the other, I dol. 3oe. a day; and of the hi kers, one Idol. 2.Jc., and the other, a boy, 1 dollar \ui day, that is altogether o dollars. 'J'liis makes, with 13 tons, 38 dels, o c. per ton. The whole expenses of wear and tear (in the main part stampers' shoes) and loss of quicksilver, are uniler no eireumstances higher than l.Jc. per ton, which woidd bring tho crush- ing expenses up to o3 dols. 5 e. per ton. Tho hauling costs 20e. per ton, and tliis shows that I make at least oOc. per ton clear. '• I think this is the first instaiiei! that a lode of this thickness has ever been worked with a profit, at a yield of 3 dwts. "tiuite different is it with the South Tudor lode, which works very hard, a great deal harder than cvir the north dip worked. The two reasons of this are, first, that the .south dip is so very iiiueh ilalt'T than the north dip, and, second, hat tho small band of soft slate (goudgo) which was nearly everywhero (with somo interruptions) on the' north dip, is nearly entirelj- wanting on the soutli dij), whii h makes tho stripping of the lodo a by far mor ■ dillieult task. Nevertheless, I work tho hide as clie.ip as 1 ever worked the north dij) in tho ehe.ipest time; but the men had to work harder to make a living by it than they ever worked before. If it was not for the great s arcity of work, they scarcely woidd enihire it long, particularly in this humid winter, where half th( ir time is lost by water-pailing (hoisting water in buckets). " I pay 10 dollars for sinking and 40 cents for stopping, the men to find everything, which brings up the cost, crushing and hauling included, to about 9 dollars per ton. 1 am puttin:r up now a gin, and commence to sink down one shaft in advance of the others, preparatory to dispensing with all sinking except in the ono shaft, whi( h will always be the deepest point, and from which the lode is stopped out Oiist and west, in the form of terraces. I have no doubt that this arr.angenient will bring down the expenses to 8 dollars per ton, everything included. How long I shall bo able to work without a pump I cannot say, but Lake Major Company has -worked without it down to 300 fiet, though I have at present by far more water than there was in this part of tho north dip. " Jly experience on the north dip has convinced me that, as long as the formation remains the .same, the mining expenses do not increase, down to at least 300 feet, and I am sure a good deal further, except in exi'cnscs of the pump. AV'hcre there is a pump, a horse gin will raise from two shafts all the quartz that can bo mined. Just as well from 300 feet depth as from 100 feet. I ilo not save the pyrites yet, because I have not yet put up a (.ierman huddle." The .systini of mining grnerally adopted in Xova Scotia greatly increases tlu' exi)enses of raising the quartz. On the plan, pagi' (ilo, the positions an; marked of tho shafts oil part of tlie Tudor and north lodes. The north lead and the Tudor lude are, on an average, 00 feet apart at th( ir outcrops, their ilips being nearly the same. The number of shafts sunk by different com- panies on Ihe.'^e leads, within a mean distance of 2,000 feet, is of, having a mean depth of 200 feet. This is equivalent to a shaft to every supcrlieial area of 47 feet square. 8 On nroa 156,* for example, there are four ehnfts on the Tudor lode, find throo shafts on the north lead, tho breadth of tho arua heins; 150 fort. On area 102, there arc three shafts on tho Tudor, and three on tho north lode, thn same on arms 104 and 102. On tho property of one company there are eight shafts on the north lead, in tho spare of 450 i'<'('t, anil nine shafts on tho Tudor lodo within tho sumo distance. The lodes being but 00 feet apart, two main shaft.s, with suitable lioisting and pumping machinery, and cross galleries, would have been ample, and the saving in labour and time would have greatly reduced tho cost of mining the quartz. A remarkable instance of want of foresight, in a most important department of mining economics, is presented in tho construction of one of the largest steam crushing mills at Wavorley, and this is but a fiiir illustration of inattention to important details, which are common in tho Nova Scotian mining districts. The site selected for this mill is so low that the tailing.*!, as thej- leave tho mill, are now required to bo hoisted by a revolving wheel, furnished with buckets, to a sluice, where they have an opportunity of escaping over the accumulated heaps near thi! mill, but without an)' attempt at concentration, or .saving any of the gold which they undoubtedly contiin. Tliis is equivalent to employing power, machinery and labour, to get rid of 1 dwt. lOi grains of gold per ton. A budJle, to concentrate the tailings and save the gold, could have been constructed at far less cost than the jirosent ingenious contrivance to hoist tho tailings out of the way. The reasons why failure and collapse, in place of con- tinued prosperity, hn.s characterised some mining pro- perties in Wavcrlev, and indeed throughout Nova Scotia, r have already oflicially stated to bo as foUowsf : — 1 . Tho absorption of all returns to pay large dividends. 2. The small size of some of tho properties. 3. Insufficient working capital at the outset. 4. A uniform neglect in preserving record.s and plans in di'tail of the works. 5. Inadequate machinery and appliances to save gold. (i. The want of labour-saving machinery. 7. Ignorance respecting mining operations, tho " gold- streak," or "chimneys," or'' pipes," or zone of auriferous qtiartz. 8. General neglect of the contract and tribute sy.- tein. t). And, as a necessary result of tho foregoing, tho frequent incompeteneyof somcof tho so-called managers. VIII. — MiN'ixf; Statistics. The following tables have been kindly supplied by th(; Commissioners of Mines at Halifax, and thiy have all the seal of the ofliee attached to them. A planco at tliesc tables will show that tho gold yield from quart;: of some of th' Nova Scotian districts is in excess of the averagi; of g' . l-miuing countries generally. Tables are also given of thu yield of certain mines in each district, from wliich some idc'.is may be formed of tho productiveiifss of thn quartz, and of tho extent to which the returns nn'ght be increased if tho same economy in mining, .^kill in mani- pulation, and eagerness to adopt improvements existed in Nova Seotia which are now commo.n in Australia and California. The decrease in the general annual average at Sherbrooke is due to tho cessation of tho process of culling the quartz, which was to a largo extent eonmion in the inl'aney of mining in Nova Scotia. At the presc'ut time, not only in the quirtz of the lode crushcil, but also some inches of the adjoining slate, and at Mu.sqiio- dolioit, and Isaacs Harbour, broad bands, from 14 to 2U feet of mixed slate and quartz, nro crushed with returns shown in tables. • A mining area in Nova Scotia is 150 foot on tlie lo,U', Ijy 250 at viij'lit angles fi it. Tlio orlu-inal coui-so nt'area linos is pstatilisliod liy tho Onvoinuient District Snrreyor Vide report on tlic Wavorley Gulil District. SiiEKBiiooKE Gold Disthict. Slatciiictil of Quartz crushed, and Gold obfaintd from the ,%erhrool;e Gold District, during ihe yearn 1863 to 1869 inclusire, together with the average and maximum yield of Gold per Ion, os shown by the Qnarttrhj Meturm rendered lite Depart htent of Mines, Year. Quartz raised. Gold obtained. Average yield. Maximum yield. 1863 3,454 '■ 3,304 14 12 12 1804* 1,909 : 2,011 6 22 , , 20 1865 2,037 i 3,137 9 5 , , 8 3 1860 2,084 1 5,157 14 17 1 22 16 6 16 1807 5.809 8,522 8 11 1 9 8 11 13 5 3mos.do. 2,370 i 2,708 8 18 1 9 19 5 1808 8,8S0 7,070 5 10 12 15 180!) 11,500 t 5,516 11 16 9 15 6 9 13 Total.. 39,249 138,058 1 14 10 19 9 20 • Nino months to Septembor 30, In 1862 there was obtained 2,023 outices (as near as couM bo ascertained). fitatemchl of I ahntir performed on areas 650, 651, 652, 680, 081, 082, blocJ; 3, Sherbrooke District, the property of the WeUinyton Gold Mining Company, during the years 1803 to 1869 inclusive, and results. Days. Date. Quartz crushed. YlcMofQold. tons. cwts. oz. dwts. grs. 1,800 1803. Doc. 31.. 149 10 222 15 2 500 1864 Jilav. 31 . . 32 16 95 10 22 300 ,Tune 30.. 40 4 71 5 6 780 Sept. 30.. 10 1 39 12 2 006 Dec. 31.. 13 27 10 12 459 1805 Mar. 31.. 18 19 13 11 16 710 .lune 30.. 109 107 17 19 737 Sept. 30., 107 428 15 1.297 Dee. 31.. 285 18 700 15 2 1,400 1800 Mar. 31 , . 219 10 298 12 1,211 .Tune 30.. 409 14 991 6 3 700 Sept. 30.. 389 871 18 22 1,050 Doc. 31 , . 266 18 804 4 16 3,000 1807. :\rar. 31.. 400 940 3,001 .Tunc 30.. 4()5 034 2,800 Sept. 30,. 335 10 314 14 2,000 Dee. 31.. 312 10 507 3.000 1808. 3Iar. 31.. 590 10 1,001 18 4,000 .Tune 30.. 550 16 450 11 10 3,510 Sept. 30.. 814 12 044 5 3,500 Dec. 31.. 448 12 515 11 10 4,000 1869. Blar. 31.. 082 000 12 4,000 June 30 . . 1,059 791 .3 5 3,244 Sept. 30.. 731 10 281 2 18 3,800 Doe. 31.. 500 17 000 17 53,301 1 8,984 12 12,215 13 7 Table s obtai Coun 1866. 1807. 1868. 1869. Totii Table . oft and 1863. 1864. 1805. 1866 aximum yield. 3 6 16 13 5 15 9 13 of Gold. dwts. Ri's. 15 2 10 22 5 5 12 2 10 12 11 16 17 19 15 15 2 12 fi 3 18 22 4 16 14 18 G 11 10 11 10 12 3 5 2 18 17 Re.VFIIEW DlSTlUCT. Tab/e a/ioioiiiy the date, tons of Quartz crus/ied, and Gold obtuiiicd from the Uphir Mine, in lienj'rew JJistrict, County of Uauts, 1866. 1867. 1868. 1869, Oato. St>pt. 30. Dec. 31. Miircli31. Juno 30. Supt. 30. Dec. 31. Mareh31. Jur.o 30 . Supt. 30. Dec. 31. March 31. Juno 30. Sept. 30. Dec. 31. Total i 18,432 15 tuns cwt. oz. ihvts. Brs 077 1,000 10 1,208 2,142 4 1,305 1,885 15 1,603 1,074 1,056 1,587 5 946 16 907 704 .571 10 1,317 730 3 1.385 706 15 2,029 1,046 10 1,562 724 18 1,285 612 10 850 302 1,915 571 10 10 14,468 10 10 Waveuley Disthict. Table showing the quantity of Quartz crushed, and amount of Gold obtained from the German Mines on the Tudor and North Lodes, Waverley District, County of Halifax. Date. Days' labour. tons. iwt ozs. dwts. crs. 1863. Dec. 31.. 3,370 381 15 161 7 9 I) I) • • 338 47 9 33 18 12 1864. Mar. 31.. 1,300 212 10 125 10 14 i» »» . ■ 3,083 263 134 5 14 Juno 30.. 1,700 162 15 132 8 3 )) » • • 4,800 331 224 12 17 i> I) ■ • 2,550 40 (1 30 Supt. 30.. 5,100 759 704 11 3 » » • • 2,300 294 (1 317 12 )) 1) • • 4,700 306 210 15 3 Doc. 31.. 5,000 757 t) 008 5 5 » (I • • 2,000 263 316 5 16 » )) • • 4,900 278 228 15 12 1865. Mar. 31.. 2,500 274 c 375 15 10 » )( • • 1,800 218 (J 491 3 >> j» . . 5,000 7'.)5 811 10 Juno 30. . 1,400 305 829 11 J) » . • 4,100 1,049 1,253 2 2 >i )> . . 2,000 357 OHO 18 1 Supt. 30 . . 1,700 443 772 19 7 >j 11 • . 2,300 390 517 4 )> t> . . 4,000 1,362 1,220 12 21 Dec. 31.. 1,100 365 432 18 )) i> • • 1,300 250 225 3 >> ji • • 3,000 1,011 1,263 2 12 1866. Mar. 31.. 1,400 350 188 3 )i () . ■ 500 70 23 6 )> 11 • • 3,000 1,210 009 1 June 30 . . 6,080 1,600 995 » » • • 2,000 245 141 18 Sept. 30.. 2,300 293 235 9 16 )) )) < • 6,415 1,406 023 Dec. 31.. 1.800 248 172 15 » ».. 3,000 833 310 Total 96,890 17,655 9 15,098 15 18 Stoumont Disthict (Isaacs Haiibouk). Table showing the quantity of Quartz crushed, and amount of Gold obtained from areas 12 and 13, and other mines on the Muli/reen lode, titormont district, Guysborough Gounty. Date. Daj tons. oz. (hvls. ft". Ui'inarks. 1863. Jan. 30 4o« 20 120 Sept. 301 780 65 119 Area No. 1 2.* Dec. 31 750 67 126 150ft. on lodo. 1864. Mar. 30 700 , , 250 ft. across. Jan. 30; 1,026 100 368 22 Sept. 30 050 Doc. 31! 720 90 210 6 4 1865. Mar. 3l! 900 42 95 18 Jan. 30! 80 13 17 3 10 Total ....! 6,074 437 1,050 8 18 1863. Juno 30 416 22 145 Sept. 30 208 48 228 AroaNo.l3.* 1864. Mar. 31 ! 600 , , , , June 30: 650 64 260 12 10 Sept. 30! 350 42 97 7 18 Dec. 31; 127 , , , , 1865. April Ij 52 8 1 13 6 Total ....j 2,403 184 722 13 10 Other mines on shoot {see Report for 1868). Date. 1804 1805 Days, tons. 69 635 oz. iyiU, grs. 183 3 11 924 8 12 • These areas were mined In 1862, but there was no regular system of returu until May, 18(i3, MusaUODOBOIT. Table showing the quantity of (}uartz crushed, qnd amount of Gold obtained at the Bushing Mine, at the Musqttodo- boit " Jenney" district, in the county of Halifax. Date. 1869. April , May June July IJ August. . . »» September October . November December tons. 66 110 158 10 156 190 6 102 04 124 7 Total April ... Juno , July September November Total .. August , . September October . , Total .. 1,017 10 34 14 7 7 72 22 23 52 97 ozs. dwts. 37 10 46 8 63 10 19 46 51 9 32 20 35 12 15 grs. 368 18 8 10 28 5 7 17 1 18 1 15 48 71 31 17 28 10 131 7 Remarks, Area 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. Largo lode, about 20 ft. in thickness, com- posed of quartz and slate ; about half quartz. Hyde lode ; area 22 1 and 231; about 5 in. thickness. Drunbrack lode ; 15 in. ; area 327. 10 Hvde's Mine on Areas 221, 222, 223, 224. 1869. tons. oz. ilivts. grs. Ootobor .... 92 112 11 November . . 137 126 13 December . . 79 CO 19 8 1870. January .... 90 93 1 Total .... 398 422 11 21 DISCUSSION. The Chairman, in lavitintf diseiission, said ho dosireil to point out thiit the ji.ipcr (lividtd tho subject of gold- mining into two iiniiortiint iwints, ono being tlin qm stion us to the oerurrence of the gold, for it must be Ivnuwn first whether there wii.s a Hullicient qui; itity of gold in the district to m:dce it worth while for cotupnnies to sub, scribe capital, and expend money in a series of operations- carried on for many years ; and the second ([uesti(m referred to the method of, and economy in, extracting thD gold. On the former ([uestion he should have snme- to 8 ly himsilf ; and with regard to the Litter, Professor Him', had g(me pretty fully into it, pointing out nine distinct causes of fiiluro which bad come under liis own notice. If any gentleman present had bad any experience in works of this kind it would b(> desirable that they should give additi(mal information or confirmation of Mr. Hind's statements, particularly with regard to tho strati- fication of auriferous quartz in Nova ,Seotia. Mr. Robinson said ho might venture to make one or two remarks on the method of mining adopteil in Nova iScotia, having recently visited that country, and being ae(iuainted wilh the jirogress of operations there. AVith reference to the tln'on tical part of the question, he might refer those interested in it to a pajier which was ri ad before the tireological Sociity, a short time previously, bj- Professor Hind, giving a very elaborate account of the structure of thi; )uovincc. Having visited AVaverlev with that gentleman, be could confirm g. nerally what was stated with resin'ct to the im])erfeet arrangements inade for mining; in fail, it was not so much mining as tinkering or siu'faci' worl:. as was shown by tlio fact that for a lodc> 1,.')00 feet in length .Jl shafts were sunk to extract ([uartz. As to tho arrangi ments of the •rata also, ho quil(! agreed with what had bi en stated, .'nd in ono district with which he bad most to do, Lawrenee-town, the strati was jinved to be ii byneV. ." 'old. In fact, after worlcing tlierc^ for six mon.,'. ., ;;:• vi-nlt showe' that the form of the l.nlc was im ue'irly v vv-fiblo exactly what was |ii'cdicted in tin; lir t. 3 , e /' f itioii of the di.striet. With regard to ' %'ave'ley, tho lodn there was lost by reason of a fiult, iiw •■ ' i I .*'i' visited the jdace with Prcjfssor Hind, in laOfa, i* 'Jut' ■-..■u '.vas of great importance, iiiasmiich as ' v-i jli- settlcmi nt was at a standstill tor want of em- jjic mcnt. f^ubsi quently to his inV( stigation it was again diseovi red, and oprr.itions were doubtless now in full swing again. One of the districts, not specially alluded to in the paper, .M iiitaguo, was very remaikable for the very large yiild which h el lueii I ''ind from the commenceinrut, the returns (d' thi' Cliiei ,. dd I'ommis- sioncr showing that, lor a s.a'its of years, tin re had been a yield of 1 oz. !> dwis. j)er ton, which was the highest on record. The tailings tlu ve bid al.-.o ber^n assayed, when it ajipeared that 13 dwts. per ton wc being thrown away. 'I'liose ac(piainti il w ith gold mining knew lb il in a w(dl managecl mine, with good mill-jiower and propi'r machinery, the cost of getting did iKit exceed I dwts. to o dwts., so that wllen fliey found that 13 dwtH. were absolut<'ly wasted, in addition to the 1| oz, olitniin d, it was ahund intly evident that the impoitanee of Nov i Scotia, as a gold-lield, coald Iciidly lie ovi r-estimaled. Oldham was another jiart \sting in tho province, and was in I no neighbmirhood of Wavorley. there wero found in tho foot sol,> of the lod,. masses of arsenical pyrites about the size of twofists joined together, at very short intervals, and this really amounted to a considerable portion ol tho lod<-, which was onlv two inches thick ; but the persons working that mine "were so ignorant of anything liKo the ass:.ving of ores, that they wero actually storing it, iind proi)osing to send it over to Swansea, paying heavy freight to have it smelted there. It was very probablo that this pyrites would give from £80 to .£120 per ton, at any rate if tho statements made wero anything iiko correct, as it was in appearance exceedingly rich. \V itli regard to the e.jst of mining, the Nova Scotian methods rv limited; but, on the other hand, it must be remembered that unless sufficient capital were subscribed to carry on operati.ms, for a long time it wouia not j.ay to erect good machinery and pumping gear, whidi would have to be abandoned in ease of meeting with b.irren iiround. It was tho case in all metalliferous mines, that a large jtropoiticm of barren ground lia( lo be opened, and unle.-,s th( ro were pb^nty ot capital, a person might be ruined at once by setting up exp««ivc loichinerv. The fact was not a single mine in >ova Seotia ba'd been started with anything like what w-ould be consider, d in England a sufficient capital, i hat the lodes w, re in some 'v'n-[>^ exceedingly auriterous might be gathered fnau this fa( t:-he had hims.df been down neiu'ly 200 fVet, working a lode o( only iour ^^cnc^^ which was worked a length of about 300 e HW feet, which had neee.ssarilv reipiired the taking a\va\ of a large part of Ib.i adjoining rock, but, never- tbeli'ss, the work had been suecvogress was made. Their wiis an inspector of mines in Nova Scotia, who was well ([ualificd to yive evi rj' ini'onnation, but he did not appnlRiid it ean>e within his department to tell jk r.suns when tliey were sp( nding their moni'V fooli.-)bly. The Chairman said ttia!, as an did ilabbli v in ^all mines in vari(nis ]iaits, lie cnuM nut hilp ftclinf;- much interested in tlie Ji ipi^r, iullowiiii;- up as it did the accounts whicli liad bn n re.dvul tiom other siuiiccs, with re-^ard to a colony su near to tln' .'seaboanl. mid which ajipciired to ofl'er so many in luceiuents t ) tlu' c.ipitalists t(j embark in mining enterprise. There was nothing- so pleas int as gold mining, if ymi could only g( t a sullicimt yidd. for there was no tnjublo whatever in dispo.sing cif the pioiluct, as was sometimes the e ise with l.ir'^e (jiianlitit s of bulky produce. Hut on the other band tliere w( re ctrtain dis- advantages, ainoiigst the prill' ijial of wliieh were the great nnceltainty and tl.i' i^reat ]roiieiuss to aeeiiliiit .amcmgst thi; veins which proiluced the )^oM. On this part of the s\ibj( ct he could nut h( Ip saying' that, iiHliough Mr. Hind had appeared to make gend liis stateim ut as to the slruct\lr(^ of this part of Xuva Scotia, lie could not help being still a little sceptical as to the I'let veins. At ju'esent, tin refore, li(3 could not Inlp saying ho Ihounht there was a good ileal mure to be made out. He had on former oce isions visited certain localities, fhoiijfh not in Nova Seoti i win le it was said that minerals oceiirred regularly tin 'Uf;hout a stratillid mass, but he had usu allv found such a statement to be the result of ile||( ieiit oiiservatioii. Ill a cei'tain iMirt of the Htratilied-looking nuir-s there hiul been a dissemina- tion of nuncriil nuitter, but very froqucntly this apparently stratified mass was nothing else but a mass of stratified material, ground and rubbed together, and existing between two walls resembling those of a regular vein ; or again, that the mineral matter had been most decidedly intercalated at a period long subsequent to the original formation of the beds. He could not help thinking, in spite of all the excellent accounts which had been brought forward, that this would prove to be the real explanation of the occurrence of the gold in a great part of these Nova Scotia deposits. With regard to the second part of the question, it appeared quite clear that there was, throughout a great part of this district, a sufhciently large proportion of gold extending throughout those quartzose deposits, whether beds or veins, to pay well for mining enterprise, and the question might therefore be asked why had it not succeeded better r For a number of years, COO or 800 men had been engaged in this work, but only a few mines had been successful, and therefore they were much indebted to Professor Hind for the valuable statistics ho had brought forward, because the question seemed to be — Given that this was really a gold-containing district, was it not possible, instead of these GOO or 800 men, to ciii)iloy CUdO or 8,000, or even more, in raising gold, to the advantage of all parties concerned f Undoubtedly it ought to bo so, for thi^re was no doubt that hero there was a gold-field such as was seldom to be met with ; anil if the proportion biid down from the statistics fur- nished by lh(> Commissioner of Minos were to bo de- pended upon, there ought to be machinery and appliances broufibt to bei'.r upon these mines such as would ensure a Very handsome return, to capital invested in under- takings irten'lcd to last over a long series of years. This was 1. ally a ])oint of almost imperial importance, for it apiiearid that, up to the present time, the resources of the country had bei n develop(^d to a pitifully small extent ; and no doubt that this was because the under- takings had been conducted liy jiersons unprovided with money, or with that intelligent guidance which it might bo presumed they would havo had if the matter had been taken in lumd by persons better luoviiled w ith money, without a good supply of wiiich nothing could be successfully (arried on. Ho could not help remembering, when mention was made of the larg,' ([ii iiitilies of ore which had been stamped or criishidin order to extract the geld, that it was not above two-thircis of the ciuaiitity which one single tin mine in Cornwall was in the habit of stamping per annum by means of its ( llieieiit machinery, worked by stciim or water-])owi r, for the juirposo of extracting a small moilii'iim of tin ore, and that showed that the work had not been undertaken upon .■-ui h a scale as to render any •iW-.d suciess iirobable. Aaaiu, he noticed that from the large ([iiantilii s of ore raii'cd in diflennt places, tie proportion ofuold was from 1 o/. to I oz. 4 dwt.,oreven 1 o/. lii dwl '. pi r ton, and that in the Waverli y district it WIS found that a )iroporlion of 7 dwts. jier ton would not yield a ) lulit. On tin other band, in travelling thriiunh the 'J'vrol into Italy, a few mih s (rom Inns- priick, tiiere was to be found a mine at lleinzenberg, at /ell ii\ the /illeithal, woikul I'^r gold only, a mine woiked ti) a laui h urealer ileplh than any in Nova Scoti.a (will re the richi rnialei id would produce ]» rh ips 10 dwts. I tolhe ton). but wheie tlie propurtieli of i;old present in the hulk of the ore was nut more than about 2 dwts. ]ierton. It would have hem very iiiti lestiny; if tin re had been any gentleman present, conversant with the jirintical details of the jiroccss by which gold was extracted, to have lirard a few words n]>iii the actual contriv- ances cmiiloyed in this case, but it would be almost ton iiiii to the ipnstion bri iinht Ibrwaidin the ]iapcr, the jirineipal olijeet of whiili Was to show, llrst, that gold existed in larue quint il ies in Nova Seolia ; and. secondly, that it ad'orilcd a llel 1 for the advantageous employment of capital from abroad. In spite of the nine causes of failure which had beci\ nnntioiud. it was evident that many of them would disappour the moment that large ^m. MtV^:^ ^^ f^l^ Ift capitalists were prepared to go into the matter, because if large companies were formed in England, they would of course employ agents familiar with the machinery and appliances requisite for successful mining, who would open workings upon a very dififeront scale from anything which had yet been attempted. One point he might venture particularly to call attention to. A great deal of attention was given apparently, as had been well pointed out by Mr. RobiriRon, to the sinking of a great number of shafts. But ; one familiar with mining operations must know, thiu -linking so many shafts in one lode, was like opening so many different mines at once, and exposed the company to such expense that it was extremely unlikely it could succeed. Again, it appeared that these shaftings and levels wore mere little holes, as compared with what wore called shafts in many old-established raining districts. They had been open for eight or nine years, but yet they still measured the depth only by 100 or 120 feet, or in some cases as much as 200 feet. In this country however, mines were accustomed to go by fathoms, or yards at least, and they would think very little of the depth of a shaft of 200 feet, when it came to be reduced to fathoms. Then, again, there was the question of opening the ground horizontally by drifts. It was very well known Oiat even in copper, lead, or tin veins in this country it w&a useless to exceed any great depth, until by perseverance, continued over several years, a large quantity of ground had been opened, for the purpose of passing through the different lodes, and discovaring what were called pipes, shoots, or by various names in different localities. Until a work of this sort had been fairly accomplished, nobody could say that a mine, whether tin, silver, lead, or still less so in the case of gold, was worth working or not. He hoped the information which had been so well put toge- ther in the paper would lead to the establishment of a better state of things than had yet been the case in the colony, and, in conclusion, begged to propose a hearty vote of thanks to Professor Hind for the paper which he had read. The vote of thanks was passed unanimously. At KING'S COLLEGE, London, Lectures on Mineralogy are given on Wednesday and Friday Mornings, from Nine to Ten o' clock, from October to Christmas, to which the public arc admitted on paying the College Fees, The Course commences with a description of the Physical and Chemical characters of Minerals in general. The principal simple Minerals are next separately considered, and the readiest mode of distinguishing them described. The course of instruction includes a minute description of all the substances entering into the composition of Rocks, and of those minerals which arc also used in the Arts ; illustrated by an extensive collection of characteristic specimens, and diagrams of the principal crystalline forms, &c. The Students are accompanied by the Professor to the Museum of Economic Geology, the British Museum, and other public institutions, and also on cxcuwions into the country. Mr. TENNANT, F.R.G.S., gives instruction in Mineralogy and Geology at his residence, No. 149, Strand, London, W.C. He can supply elementary Collections at 2, 5, 10, 20, 60, to 100 guineas each, and every requisite to assist those commencing tlio study of these interesting branches of Science, a knowledge of which affords so much pleasure to the traveller in all parts of the world. A collection for Five Guineas, to illustrate the recent works on Geology, by Ansted, Bucklaud, Lyell, Mantell, Murchison, Page, I'hillips, and others, contains 2U0 specimens, in a plain Mahogany Cabinet, witn five trays, comprising the following specimens, viz. : — MiNEiiALS which arc either the components of Rocks, or occasionally embedded in them : — Quartz, Agate, Chalcedonj', Ji>sper, Garnet, Zeolite, Hornblende, Augite, Asbestus, Felspar, Mica, Talc, Tourmaline, Calcite, Fluor, Selenite, IJaryta, Strontia, Salt, Sulphur, Plumbago, Bitumen, &c. Native Metals, or Metai.i.ueuois Minehai.s ; these are found in masses or beds, in veins, and occasionally in the beds of rivers. Specimens of the following Metallic Ores are put in the Cabinet ; — Iron, Manganese, Lead, Tin, Zinc, Copper, Antimony, Silver, Gold, Platina, &c'. Rocks : Granite, Gneiss, Mica-slate, Clay-slate, Porphyry, Serpentine, Sandstones, Limestones, Basalt, Lavas, &c. Pal-i;ozoic Fossils, from the Lli'ndoilo, Wcnlock, Ludlow, Devonian, and Carboniferous Rocks. Secondauy Fosnilm, from the Lias, Oolite, Wcaldcn, and Cretaceous Groups. Teutiaky Fossils, from the Plastic-clay, London-day, ("rag, &:c. In the more oxjicnHive collections somc^ of the KpctiiiRns are rare, and all more select. TO GEOLOtJISTS.—Mu. Tenxant, 11!). Strand, L,onilon, AV.C, has for sale two handsome Cabinets, moiisuring !) feet !! inchi .s loiitr, 2 f(('t I inches wiilo, and I! I'ect 10 inches high ; each containing 45 drawcis, with a Glass Case on the top of rneh t'aliinct, 4 feet 11 iiieli(>s high, and lo inches from back to front. One Cabinet is fillt d with 2,(i00 Minerals, the other \vitl\ ;i,4()0 Fossils. The Collection consists (if six tlioiisaml HpeeiiiKns, niai\y very select. The first Gold Nugget received from Australia, which was exliibiled in llie l';.\lii).iti..n of lH.»i, is in the Collection ; it cost XU", and contains about 8 ounces of gold ; also a line series of l)iani(Jiuls, illustrating cryst;illine form and colour. The speeiinens havo been used to illustrate the Lectures on Mineralogy and Geology at King's College, London, and at i\w Royal Military Academy, AVoohvich. Price tliiti' thousand guineas. Any person wishinu: to bei (uuo jiiactieally aeiiuainti d with the interesting and important study of Mineralogy and Geology will (iml this a good ojiportunity to ohtnin an iiistuK tive and valuable Jluseum. SorwiTii's (ii;oi,o(;i(Ai, Jlonris in Wood. Sold in case, bound and b tiered to rcsanble u large folio volume. Twelve niodels, 4 in. lies sipiare, X'.). MOHKL of the 111 si ()(1L!) NTCUiET recdvdl from Australia in l.s'il. The original is in the possession of J. Tr.N- ANT, Miiii'niloKistto Her JfaicHfy, and contains alioiit Eight Ounces of Gold. Price of the Model, 3r. Gd,, with glaHS-top]M d box to bold it, Is, (Id.,— toK( tin r, .J». Mdel of ilio " ]i'rlcni„r" 6^W .Vm/y. /, being the lirgcst brought to Fiigland from Australia: it contnincJ gold ■ ) the value of t.'S.;)7(). Price of the Mo.lel, t;i lis. A gill Model can be hid. jiriee 2h. (Id., (jf the (leld Nugg(t found, A)iril, IHlil). at Kibbman, Sutherland. Tho original contains Two Ounces of Gold, and is in ttie iiosscssion of the Hulie of Sutheiland. JA'/IES TENNANT, Minernlogist t? Hor Majesty, 149, Strand, W.C. LONDON! W. TU«l•^l,B, I'RINTBW, tUllSITOU-ISIlUtBT, CUANCEUY-LANB.