IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I l^|2^ |2.5 | £0 "^" ■■■ Ao 12.0 12.2 1.8 1.25 1.4 i^ — ^ 6" - ► i^. Vl

(meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — »> signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols y signifie "F4N". lire Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planchas, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour §tre reproduit en un seul ciichd, il est fiimd d partir de Tangle sup^rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. by errata led to 9nt jne pelure, apon d 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 I^tf*- G L ihi' s K^l T, I 1 F. !M) irrs UF MH. A. MU'iiKL a:;.. IMf. T. :-TKKi:V llPNT. ■<:■; THi: (J I. I u OF CANADA, TRANSMITTED i5V Sill W. E. iJXiAN ■I'! Till-: i! (I Mill A in, i; I'lMiiUlJSiO.lEI! OF l'llll\\\ LWDS, Fejiruajiv, 1;sGG. I'KINTKK i!V iliXTi:!;, KOSK ((), ^^AlJ.V ;-TI!Ki^T. y^; Kir, V "' ■, ■igE!°!iB^^gajgggeg i-atuiHiiJjj -»g»-~'»'';g'rag^^ .iitii-L' . i'Li:^' ".".ilL -.' Jt".! ' ■ji->!^ j ' -'*!,- .^-v:-; ,. .-i-.c ■'■.'\ '^'^V>X\i>' GO REPORTS Of MR. A. MICHEL ; 4d DR. T. STERRY HUNT, ON THE GOLD REGION OF CANADA, TRANSMITTED BY SIR W. E. LOGAN TO THE HONORABLE COMMISSIONER OF CROWN LANDS, February, 1866. posit of the Gil ■trials both abo' pf some, and tl Iind great numl to the richest •v ilespair altogetl J When we great extent of iposits, some of Guillaumo or J sonably suppos made, that the ias rich in gold 'ing may be ma aconfined to the lAndes of equa upon the flank Bious metal is R Ji; P O R T s ON THE GOLD REGION OF CANADA. REPORT BY MR. A. MICHEL. Montreal, IhI February, ISGG. SiH, — Sinco the publication of the General Report on the Geology of Canacla in 180.'}, n which you have indicated the principal facts made known in previous Reports of pro- gress, from 1848 up to that date, rej^^arding the Geological distribution of gold in Lower Janada, farther discoveries have contirmed your observations, and have brought numbers ;)f explorers to the (Jhaudiirc and St. Francis valleys. These later discoveries have been luo to individual efforts, and to the perseverance of a few of the inhabitants of these dis- ;ricts. Their researches, rewarded in many places by unlooked-for success, have placed his region among those in which the systematic working of the alluvial deposits and of he gold-bearing quartz veins (when separated Irom false hopes and oxtravagenccs), may jccomo a regular industry, having its chances of success and failure. The acquisition by American companies of a great part of the auriferous lands along the borders of the Rivers Chnudi6re, Famine, Pu Loup and their numerous tributaries, as W(!ll as the sale made by the Messrs. J)e L6ry to another company of the mining rights in the Beignioi^ of Vaudrcuil (Rcauce), might have been expected to liuve given an impulse luring the past year to the working for gold in this district, or if not, at least to proper explorations directed by skilful miners. Such, however, has not been ihe case; none of the companies, since their organization, have undertaken any important workings, nor even any serious exploration of their properties, while at the same time the country people have abandoned their search for alluvial gold, and the influx of strangers (who came there for the same purpose in great numbers in 18G4) entirely ceased in 1865. It is not to the still unsettled difficulties which in many cases exist as to the mining rights, nor yet to tlie high i prices demanded by proprietors for the privilege of working, that is to be attributed this abandonment of the alluvial gold deposits by tbe workers who were so numerous in 18(54. 'Tf [ am to believe reports, this discouragement may be in part attributed to the inactivity |of the large organized companies, but in part also to the speedy exhaustion of the rich de- I posit of the Gilbert River, where the successful workings were confined to a very small area, trials both above and below which were unremunerative. After the extravagant illusions 9f some, and the exaggerations of other and interested parties, a reaction was inevitable, md great numbers of those who unwisely compared the alluvial deposits of the Chaudioic '. ,0 the richest valleys of California and Australia, seem to-day, with as little judgment, to ■ lespair altogether of the future prospect of the alluvial gold deposits of Lower Canada. When wo consider that the existence of alluvial gold has been demonstrated over a great extent of territory in Eastern Canada, and at the same time take into account the do- posits, some of considerable richness which have been met with on the Rivers Chaudii>rc, Guillaumc or Dcs Plantes, Touffe des Pins or Gilbert, Famine and Da Loup, we may rea- sonably suppose, especially when we consider how limited have been the researches hitherto ;made, that there may exist in the alluvial deposits of the Chaudi^re basin other localities las rich in gold as any yet discovered, and perhaps c -en extended areas whose regular work- ling may be made profitable. The question moreover arises whether these rich deposits arc [confined to the beds of the streams, their shores and flats. It is well known that in the JAndea of equatorial America and in California alluvial gold has been wrought with success ^ipon the flanks of the mountains, and on elevated table-lands, while in Australia the pre- cious metal is as abundant in the dry valleys as in those of the present water-courses. A G vast iiolJ for exploration is now opon ia Lower Canudu, whcro up to the present time the suaroh ibr alluvial golJ has only been luudo by the ctl'ortH of indiviiiuals, uf sinuU local usho- ciations, or of native companies who hnvo employed but a limited capital. The result has been that these workers have been dinuoura^ed by the diflluulties and obHtacles which they rack with, and have only souf^ht ibr gold in places whern it was possible to obtain it with little expcn,se. Nevertheless the results of the trials mado in ISf)! and 1H52 on tho llivi^ic du Jjoup near its Junction with tho (Uiaudi6ro, as well as those obtained by Dr. James Douglas uo the Ilivors i)cs Plantes and (iilbert aro such as would authorise tho trials upon a largo scale. These would require, it is true, preparatory labo s of considerable extent and cost, which would however permit tho excavation and washing of a previously determined area of alluvion often of considerable extent. Up to tho present time no single mining enterprise on an important scale has been undertaken in this region, nor has any one attempted to put in practioo tho economieal and powerful modes of working by hy- draulic processes, one of which has been so clearly described and so judiciously recom- mended in the llcport of tho (leological Survey Ibr 1863, page 74-. In offering these general considerations as preliminary to tho details which I iiavo to place before you relative to the present condition of things in the auriferous region which you charged me to examine, I am animated by the same spirit of moderation which inspired certain articles published by me on this subject in 1864,* and T am desirous of warning the public, to a certain extent, against the fascination which tho working of gold mines exercises upon many imaginations. But inasmuch as 1 owe lo you a clear and preoiso statement of the impressions left upon my mind by tho study of tho region, tho facts already established, and the results obtained, I do not hcsituto to say that tho various causes which have prevented tho general exploration of the region by the searchers after alluvial gold are very much to bo regretted. All the probabilities appear to mo to bo in fuvor of the existence and consequently of the ultimate dl.scovery of other deposits as rich as those of the Gilbert, and I do not doubt that the distribution of gold in the alluvion of cortain localities will evontaally be found sufficiently abundant to authorise regular and methodical workings, which, if conducted with intelligence, activity and economy, will yield satisfactory results. This favorable judgment of the auriferous alluvions of the basin of tho Ohaudifsre will not seem strange to you, since some years since you concluded from the facts then established, that "/Ac quant ili/ of ijold in. the valley of (he Chaudiirc is such as would he remunerative, to skilled labor, and should encuurai/c the outlai/ of capital, (^llcport fbr 186i), page 712.) The search alter alluvial gold has been abandoned during tho past year, while the discovery and the prospective working of veins of auriferous quartz now engage tho atten- tion of those interested in the Chuudicro region. The greatest quantity of alluvial gold and tho largest mas.scs of the metal, both at the rich deposit on the Gilbert, and in tho (Miaudiero at the point known as tho Devil's llapids, have been found below and not far removed from veins of quartz, which traverse the rivers in these places. On tho other hand, above these quartz veins, that is to say in ascending the current of tho rivers, but little gold has been met with, and that generally in small particles. This will appear from tho result of my own examinations on the Gilbert, of which an account is given further on ; and tho information which 1 have received from the gold-soekers at the Devil's llapids, when; consideralilo quaiitii,ifs of tlio pvoeious metal have been found within tho last few yeans, leaves no doubt in my mind as to the correctness of this assertion. Tho facts would tlius seem to favor the view that these alluvial deposits have boeu enriched by the (juarf;; veins in their vicinity ; but an examination of tho gold from these localities leads to an opi)osite conclusion. This gold in fact, whether in large or small grains, is generally s(> sii.ooth, .so much rounded and worn by friction, that it appears to havo come from some >listance; and if some few masses of gold still imbedded in quartz, aro met with in these alluvions, thc^e arc but rare exceptions. If the auriferous gravels owed their metallic iniureguation to the destruction of the quartz veins on the spot, we should expect to find tlio gold angular, and with its ganguo adhering. As it is, tho condition of the gold shows it to havo been, lor tho greater part at least, detached, rounded and ground by the erosive action of currents of water. ^V^e must therefore ascribe the origin of the gold at the Gil- bert, not to the quartz veins of the vicinity, but to other sources farther removed. In indicati that in thu (!hn Huarl:. reins ?»>] rooont usHuys, ii , tho veins of am Ih not possible I ) risons of these • therelbro been i I expressed relut by very superlli t as their industi i in many of the ! nctiori, and ini j eiianical and at i presonco of app rity, of thickne the mining of ii of uncertainty, have hitherto 1 unsafe to dedm the distributioi vein have neve tho quartz, pro I bility of obtain is all that can 1 Canada can ne\ doubtless, a coi nothing is moi j region whore t serious workin| i would diminisl as to the aurifo Oold alluvloiiB. already shown page 71.) T are generally c repose, as you rocks, consistii itcs and sorpei ably overlaid Uuvions. Th tones, all mor Ipper Siluriai tratificat'.on, t Many of i dluvions of L( lover visited. xamined, wit nd Altai Moi ocks, as in Sc nd serpentine laving " its j he vicinity of la the in clative to the *In Le Canaditn at Quebec, and in IJEcho du Cabinet de Lecture at Montreal. I'.Hcnt timo tho oiiiill local uHHo- Tlio rcHult has •ImtaolcH which bio to obtain it (1 lH52on the )taiuo(l by Dr. loriflo tho triaKs uf conflidcrablo of a previously t tiino noHinglc oil, nor has any iV( rkinj^ by hy- icioualy rccoiu- vhich I have to iH region which which inspired 3 of warning tho ol" gold niines lear and preeine :gion, tho iUcts various causes rs after alluvial bo in favor of as rich us tliosu ivion of cortaiii and methodical icld satisfactory f the Chaudi6re n tho facts then uch as would he I. (^lleport for year, while the igagc tho attcii- of alluvial gold ort, and iu tho ow and not far On tho other tho rivers, but vill appear from ven further on ; Devil's llapidn, lin tho last lew rho facts would 1 by the <|uart;'. ies leads to an is generally 8(t imo from some t with in these their metallic expect to find the gold shows by the erosive ;oldat the Gil- 110 ved. \i\ intlicntiug in your Report of I'rof^re.ia for IHCdJ, (page 7:5!),) ft.iiong other veins, that in the (JhaudiiNro at St. Francis, you say that " it is firoljahfc that this tnul similar i/i((irt:i veitiH inn;/ hi: icioni/fU with pro/it." TiuMlihJovory of other veins, and tho results of reoont iwsays, increase this probability ; but it is not tho less true that all that relates to tho veins of auriferous (|uartz in this region is still a subject for investigation, and that it is not possible to form any certain opinions, cither from local circumstances, or by compa- risons of these veins with those already known and wrought in ->' v regions. I have thereforo be(!n surprised to hear in tho Clmudidre district, bold a, id contidont opinion.s expressed relative to deposits of quartz which arc as yet known only by their outcrops, (tr by very superficial openings, and whose attitude and extension below tho surface, as well as their industrial value are as yet wholly unknown. The openings wiiich have been madi! in many of tile outcrops have suilicod to establish tho existc ice of veins and their di reotiori, and moreover to extract portions of gangue, in which the assays, sometimes me ehanieal and at other times chemical, have shown in some of the specimens assayed, the presence of appreciable quantities of gold. IJut the conditions of regularity or irregula- rity, of thickness, and olmean richness in gold ; in a word, all the conditions which render the mining of a deposit of auriferous quartz profitable or unprofitable, must remain matters of uncertainty, until they can bo settled by workings more extended and more serious than h.ive hitherto been made. As to tho mean richness of tho quartz in gold, it would be unsafe to deduce a eouQdon^ opinion from tho results ovon of numerous assays, so long as the distribution of the gold in the quartz is irregular. Multiplied a.ssays from the same vein have nevertheless their importance, since they establish tho auriferous character of tho quartz, prove its constancy, and conse(iuently assure tho possibility if not tho probi;- bilily of obtaining satisfactory results in working on tho largo scale. 'This iu my opinion is all that can be determined by assays. Tho real value of tho gold deposits of jjower Canada can never be known until a uumbor of thorn are actively wrought. This involves, duubtlosH, a considerable risk for those who aro tho first to embark in the enterprise, for i nothing is more uncertain than the working of auriferous quartz veins, especially in a I region where there aro no proeedents to guide. Novcrtheless it is much to be desired that 'i serious working trials of tho gold-bearing voins in Lower Canada should be made; the risks would diminish with oxperienco, and besides it should bo Baid that the facts already known as to the auriferous character of sovoral quartz veins iu this rogiou aro far from discouraging. I Oold alluvions. Ar,LUVIAL GOLD. Chaudiire Valley. — Tho auriferous alluvions of Lower Canada cover an extended region, and wo find that in 1852, tho Geological Commission had lalready shown their extension over more than 10,000 square miles, (lleport of 1852, Ipago 71.) Tho gravels, through which tho gold is very irregularly distributed, jarc generally covered by a layer of vegetable earth, and often by a bed of clay. They Ireposc, as you have indicated in your Ileports, in part upon motamorphio Lower Silurian jrocks, consisting of schists, generally talcose, micaceous or ohloritie, associated with dior- lites and serpentines. But to the southward, these Lower Silurian strata aro unconform- lably overlaid by others of Upper Silurian age, which aro also covered by gold-bearing alluvions. These upper rocks consist of argillaceous schists, with sandstones and lime- stones, all more or less altered. The rocks of these two formations, but especially of the Upper Silurian, are traversed by numerous veins of quartz running in the direction of tho stratification, or between N.K. and E. Many of the gold seekers in this region, imagine an analogy between the auriferous Idluvions of Lower Canada and those of California and Australia, countries which I have Vever visited. If I were to compare the gold deposits of Lower Canada which I have examined, with those of any other country, it would be with Siberia. There, in tho Ural ind Altai Mountains, the auriferous sands are rarely found reposing on granitic or syenitic focks, as in South America, but almost always on schistose rocks in the vicinity of dioi''cci xnd serpentines, which has led tho llussian mining engineers to consider the gold is iiaving " its principal source in tho ferruginous quartz of the metamorphio schists, and i:: ^he vicinity of the serpentines and diorites." In the instructions with which you favored me, I was directed to determine the facts l^telative to the distribution of gold in the gravels and clay, to study the quartz veins, and also to give an account of the gold nuninp; operations of the last two or three years. 13 at the time (the Ist October last,) the favorable season for explorations was already f, advanced, so that while occupying myself more or less with the whole districi V^auJreail. I was compelled to restrict my special examinations to the seigniory of Yaii dreuil (Beauce), where up to the presont time, the greatest activity in tl, search for alluvial gold has prevailed, and where the largest quantities of the precioi, metal have been found. In this seigniory also, the quartz veins already opened oflFerc greater facilities for study than elsewhere in the region. Chaudiftro. Alluvial gold has been profitably sought for in the Chaudi^ro Rivft itself, at its junction with several rapid tributary streams. But it is at t]« Devil's llapids. place called tl. Devil's Rapids, where the Chaudi6re makes a sharp ^urn am runs west-south-west, that gold has been most abundantly found in the cavities, fissures an. cracks of the clay-slates, which often form the bed, both of this river and its tributaric and are here seen running in the direction just mentioned, forming parallel ridges whic tiro uncovered in low water ; at which times the country people are enabled to break up an search these slaty rocks to the depth of several feet. The fissures of these rooks are fiUc with a clayey gravel, in rrhich the gold is met with, and I have seen the metal to the vain of several dollars extracted from between the layers of the slate. In one of these bands c slate, which the country people call veins, the gold is tarnished by a black earthy coatin of oxyd of manganese. This deposit of alluvial gold occupies a distance of about a mile t the river's bed, and is situated below the gold-bearing quartz vein which yo Gold vein. have described in your Report for 1853-56, page 870, and which is mor known in the locality as the O'Farrell vein ; it has now been broken awa down to the level of the slates. I was assured that the alluvial gold is found in greatc abundanc; and in larger pieces in its vicinity. I observed at the Devil's Rapids an excavation on the right bank, and about twent feet distant from and below the Kennebec road. Here on lot 53 of range 1, north-east, gallery was opened, having the slate rock for its floor, and continued for about 200 feet i a hard alluvial conglomerate cemented by clay. According to the information given me the whole amount of gold obtained in this working was only about $150. Gold has also been found in many places in the bed of the Chaudi^re at low water and I do not doubt that companies willing to incur the necessary expenses might work witi profit certain portions of this river between the rapids just named and its junction with tin Du Loup. Riviere Guillaume or Des Plantes. — The river known by these tw auillaumo River, names is bounded from the upper to the lower fall by high banks, and froa its junction with the Chaudidre to the greater fall, more than a mile frool the high road, its course is successively over surpentine, diorite and chrystalino schist* The bed of this rapid stream, which is filled with boulders and pebbles of various dimen sions, has been advantageously wrought for gold by the country people, and Dr. Jamc Douglas also undertook some years since a regular working above and near the little fal This was howevci' aban ned after having yielded from §2,500 to $3,000 in gold. Men than two years since, in tue month of October, 1863, I spent several days in the examina i\\jn of this stream. The washing of pans of gravel from its bed generally yielded grain of gold, with the black sand which ordinarily accompanies it in this region. I know that company of five habitants, by laboring for twenty days during the months of July aoi August last, at a point on this stream a little above the former working of Dr. Douglas obtained between eight and nine ounces of gold from the gravel accumulated in the re-en tering angles and cracks of the diorite. At the same time another company working some- what higher up on the stream got little or nothing. At this latter place, it is true, tl auriferous gravel was found resting not on the bed-rock but on the bluish clay, and so fa as has been observed in Lower Canada the alluvions overlying the clay are generally pooi The gravels between the lower fall and the Chaudiere, have not been examined on aoooud of a mill to which the working would be prejudicial. I Touffe-des-Pms or Gilbert River. — Up to the present time this river hi Gilbert River, been the scene of the most important workings, and has yielded the largi amount of gold ; I therefore made it the subject of a special examination ascending the coarse of this stream, which is a torrent at certain seaGons, but easily examined du remains of w furnished co doncd but fo working Inst tinued, notw get of gold cession St. C numerous ex In entci which has ^ posit, I coi .11 on the right bank about t twelve fact, i were met wit with pebbles thickness of this gravel, g tracted from forty fathomi for the seign partly in the plorations, w tained. I iiu a company oi twenty-five fi Both m several amon upon lot 16, tions from w found to be tion then in feet by tweh bank. The 1. Three fee lowish clay ^ bluish clay. Before branch comi gros, upon t as I was ass I alike in the and in impo The case is i found onlyh are similav t explorations the existenc by another s pay the exp The ri( «rable sue "e now cocsidt concession in a rcctan^J its breadth fe«t on eitl 2 >r three years. Bii ionfl was already f, th the \7h0le distric he seigniory of Vai jatest activity in tl ities of the precioi, ready opened offerc ^he Chaudi6ro Kivej ms. But it is at fH ikes a sharp turn au' cavities, fissures an* and its tributaricj parallel ridges whio ibled to break up an these rocks are fillc [ic metal to the valu one of these bands c black earthy coatin ice of about a mile t uartz vein which yo! , and which is mor w been broken awa is found in greato ak, and about twentl ■ango 1, north-eaat, for about 200 feet i aformation given mc 50. audi^re at low water inses might work witi Jts junction with tlu known by these tw bigh banks, and fron are than a mile froc I chrystaline schisb ?s of various dimei| ople, and Dr. Jame id near the little fal ,000 in gold. Mor lays in the examina erally yielded grain Dgion. I know that months of July ani :ing of Dr. Douglas mulated in the re-en mpany working somc' place, it is true, tb uish clay, and so f^ lay are generally pooil examined on aooouni ent time this river h« IS yielded the larges ecial examination. li 1 seasons, but eaeil examined during the dry >,cathrr of summer, we find upon lot 75 of range 1 north-cas % tlio remains of workingo undertaken sixteen years since by Dr. James Doujrlasi, which then furnished considerable quantities of gold, and would not, I am assured, have been ibaii- doned but for the want of skilful management. A company of miners took up tlii;i old working last summer, but their explorations, conducted without energy, were not lonj;' con- tinued, notwithstanding certain satisfactory results, among which may be mentioned a nu;;- get of gold of six ounces weight. In following the cour-^n of tlio stream acrrss tlic con- cession St. Charles, 1 observed on both banks and in the l>od of llio stream the traces of numerous explorations. Tn entering the concession De L^ry, we approach the rich deposit of alluvial gold which has ' "U recently wrought. As it was important to determine the limits of this do- posit, I CO .ueneed my explorations on lot 14 of this concession. 1 here made an ojteniiig on the right side of the stream, at a distance oi' about six yards from low water, and on a bank about two yards above its level. The excavation was rectangular in form, eight by twelve foot, and was carried to the bedrock, a depth of seven feet. Three <'.i.<.tiiict layers were met with in this opening ; first a foot of sandy vegetable soil, second a yellowish ^and with pebbles, and third a clayey gravel containing gold, the latter layers having each a thickness of three feet. The washing, by means of a rocker, of one hundred cubic loot of this gravel, g/ive only seventeen grains weight of gold, the greater part -^f v.'hieh wa.' ex- tracted from the fissures of the sandstone which formed the bed. On the same lot, about forty fathoms further up the stream, the company which has purchased the mining rights for the seigniory of Vaudrcuil, undertook, in July aud August hst, certain explorations, partly in the bed of the stream and partly on the right bank. The expense* of these ex- plorations, which employed six workmen, were $300 and but two ounces of :^old were ob- tained. I hiivc these details from the agent of thi? company, who assured n e that he saw a company of four miners extract three ounces of gold in a week, from an excavation not twenty-five feet to the right of the spot where he had wrought with so little success. Both sidos of the stream on lot fifteen are full of excavation?, and T wa^ assured tL".t eevcral among them had given profitable results The two branche.s of th^ Gilbert meet upon lot 16, Ti'hieh, like the preceding, is marked all over its surface by pits and exciva- tions I'roui which the auriferous gravel has been extracted. 'I'lie distribution of gold was found to be very irregular, and the gravel generally poor. 1 saw upon this lot an excava- tion then in progress by the Reciprocity Company. It was a rectangular pit, twenty-tive feet by twelve, opposite the junction of the two branches of the stream, and on the right bank. The sides of the excavation offered the following section in descending order: — 1. Three feet of sandy vegetable soil ; 2. Three feet of sandy gravel; o. Two feet of yel- lowish clay without boulders; 4. Two or three i'ect of yellowish clay with bo ildors ; 5. A bluish clay. Ttiis excavation was, I believe, abandoned a few days after my visit. Before following the tJilbert across the lots rich in gold, I resolved to examine the branch coming from the north-east.. It crosses the two concessions, De LC'ry and Chausse- gros, upon the hits 16, and has been wrought with success on the first-named concession, as I was a.ssurod, and as seems to be attested by the numerous workings which I obsorved alike in the bed of the river ana on the two sides. Thcic working;? dim! '-< d in number and in importance in approaching the concession Chaussegros. where not; ^1 ihemare seen. The case is sinilar on lot 17 of the concession of iSt. Custave, where exploring pits arc found only hero and there. The beds observed i 1 many of l\v: excavations in this vicinity are similai" to (hose which 1 shall have to describe firther on in giving au account of my explorations on the other branch of the Gilbert above the rich lots ; but I may here notice the existence of a very thin layer of sandy gravel resting upon the blue clay, and covered by another str itura of clay. 1 was informed that this thin layer contained gold enough to pay the expenies of the excavations, and had been Ic'ewed as far us possible. The rich jlluvions of the Gilbert, which were w.'ought in 1S')8 and 18l)4 with consid- •rable success f although the results were exaggerated by the spirit of speculation), are now cocsidereil to be exhausted. They were found on the lots 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20, of the concession De Liry. To form a notion of this area, we may regard the deposi as enclosed in a rectangle, having for its length the breadth of the four lots just mentioied, and tor its breadth a n.easure of 180 feet, including the width of the river iind adistaice of eighty feet on either side. Let us farther imagine this area divided like a oheua-board into 8 10 squarcH, oaoh of which is occupied by a workin'''. Many of these squares liavc been wrought with profit, and some iiave given results of exceptional richness, while the yield in the adjacent &quarcs has been much less, many not having paid the expenses of excava- tion. Wc thus obtain, :it the same time, a notion both of the ivreguluiity of the working and tlie irregulur distribution of the gold over the area. When in October 18G3 I visited the Gilbert River for the first time, I found upon tlio lots 18, li), and 20, from 100 to 120 gold miners, divided into companiefs of from four to ten. Their workings consisted of a series of open excavations ten or fifteen feet deep, and of dimensions varying according to the jumber of workers. These open pits were sunk side by isidc, without method or regularity. While it is certain that largo quantities of gitid wore extracted from these excavations, it is equally certain that a great quantity has been lost and left beiiind. The walls, often of considerable thickness, which separated the different pits, constitute in themticlves a considerable volume of alluvion as yet un- touched ; and ifwc add to this the gold which was certainly lest by imperfect washings, it is safe to suppose, that a regular and raethoiic re-working of the deposit, including both the portions of undisturbed gravel and the reluso of the previous washings, would be pro- Jifabie to whoever would undertake the operation. The Reciprocity Company in fact planned a work of this kind, and made costly prepa, .itions. At a second visit to this place, which I made in May 1865, the construction by them of a wooden flume, 1,800 feet long, tour feet wide, and three deep, was already far advanced. It was supported on trestles of great .strength, at distances of three feet, with a surrounding frame-work. The object of of this construction was to carry away from a higher point the waters of the stream, thus liiaving its channel dry, and, at the same time to afford water for washing the alluvions. Although of a .lufhcient strength and capacity for the ordinary volume of water, this structure appeared to mo, when I examined it, to bo unfit to resist the floods which occa- sionally bring rocks and uprooted trees down the channels of those ordinarily quiet streams. I remarked this to my fellow-traveller at the time, and the event soon justified my fears, — for in the mouth of July last the dam across the river and a portion of the canal itself were carried away by a flood following a violent storm. Having repaired this damage, and expended for the canal and for some buildings a sum estimated at from §12,000 to !?i5,000, the Reciprocity Company, I am informed, made an open cutting in the dricd-up bed of the stream from lot 10 to lot 18, and extracted thence about $?,500 in gold. 1 must here call attention lo a fact which is not without importance for the future of gold mining in Lower Canada, uamtly, the subterranean work- ing of the alluvions during the winter season. This was attempted in the winter of 1SG-1-G5 by about thirty miners divided into companies of from four to six. By the aid of jtils and galleries they were able to carry on their search for gold throughout tho winter, and to extract and wash a large quantity of gravel, in which the gold was so abundant as to richly repay tiioir energy and perseverance. Among others was a mass of gold weighing a little over a pound. When I visited the Gilbert in May last, these sub- terranean workings were still going on, and I was able to examine them. The pits, fifteen in number, and all on lot IS, were opened on the left bank, at distances of from fifty to one hundred feet from the stream, and sunk to the bed-rock, a depth of from twenty to twtnity five feet. They were connected by galleries, one of which, draining the whole of flu; works, carried the waters into a pit, from whence they were raised by pumps and car- ried into the river. The auriferous materials Mere washed in rockers, generall'-i at the bot- tom of each pit. Some gold was found in tho gravel which covered the slates and sand- stones, but the greater part was extracted from the fissures in these rocks. The hsl me was true in most of the rich workings on this river, and particularly on lots 19 and 20, where, of two layers of urface, a small mass of i^old differing entirely in form and in size from that generally found in I ho region. A large and deep excavation at this place, and the working of a large amount of the material^9 extracted, gave no more gold like that first found, but only a few rare and fine particles. The exceptional fact of the presenceof this mass of gold at the surface, which 1 mention without comment, can have no bearing on the value of the alluvions whicii I have examined in this township. Although richer than those of the Magog llivor, I am persuaded that they cannot be wrought with profit. I found nevertheless an appreciable quantity of fine and scaly ,:;old in the gravel from a large nuuilor of excavations on the lots already mentioned. The auriferous gravel here reposes upon a yellowish clay which holds boulders and great masses of rock, and is so thick, and at »he same time so hard and difficult of excavat'itn, that I did not think it worth while to carry the excavation to its base. I was informed that pits thirty feet deep had been sunk here without finding tho bottom of the clay. In one case, however, in the vicinity of L :L:e St. Francis, on lot 3 of range A, I sank to the clay-slato bed-rock without finding a trace of gold, even vi its crevices. The washing of about one hundred cubic feet of these clays, extracted from diflercnt excavations, did not furnish me a single particle of gold; so that these bculder-clays would seem to be Sterile clnys. equally sterile with the similar clays of the Chaudi6re and tho Magog. They however contain like these grains of pyrites and black sand, but I have remarked in all of these sterile clays the great fineness of the grains of the latter. I was assured that in a pit on lot 2 of range A, some particles of gold which seemed whitened with mercury were obtained. You have already noticed a aimilar fact in the Chaudi6re valley. A water-course, which I may designate as the Lambton River, rises from a marsh to the south-east of the village, crosses the road from Sherbrooke to Vaudreuil at about a mile from the church, passing through lots 13, 12, 11, 10, U, 8 and 7, of range A, and lot 11 of range 3, before falling into Lake St. Francis. Having learned while at Lambton that gold has been found in several places, and in appreciable quantities, in this stream, 1 determined to examine it. Two excavations were therefore made on lot 8 of range A, of Lai ibton, about one hundred and fifty feet ai^art, and in the bed of the stream, and con- tinued the one into the left and tho other into the right bank. I here found gold dis- seminated throughout a layer of gravel resting upon a decomposing slate, which was s') tender as to be readily removed with the shovel, to a depth of from one to two feet. Tho gold seemed to ire to be more abundant on either side than in tho bed of the stream, and its quauiify was sach that tho gravel might be wrouglit with profit if the auriferous area were more extended. The superior limit appeared, however, to be the lot D, which, like 8, was traversed by veins of quartz; explorations on tho lots 10, 11 and 12 gave but insignificant quantities of gold. The precious metal in this vicinity is generally so rough and angular, and even ^epdritig ip foriq, as to suggest th£»t it has not be^fl t>roi»^h^ fi^gm p great distpoo. Lake (?t. Francis. (lenoral roiigidsrationa. I fere, as else tiiiuous, but The proporti regular, the from each oi to result fro neighboring so capricious! i/eek's work unprofitable I met with in i Loup, and it From these c in the hope o the search fo In view nature, and neglect and ( bearing quai writers, that really profital of gold-bearit when propcrl same is true Australia. J employment mining, and It would, I were to bo t'onilitions of i luvial working 8kili of the Thus, for ex and less cost Hydraulic methods. ing, and dii which is ma vtiy for 18( ha' South ,. ^ America. V tro water could deposit to b rocks havin stratum is li break up ai sluices arrai ; the head of the preciou South Ame Theh to work dei 15 38 e supposed to be )lo, yet all work- atificd alluvion a lad previously 'noath the layer of pyrites and^a uartz and slate, )g ou the slates, veruud the workmen have to take care lest they should be buried iu tho ruins. Tho ma- terials thus disaggregated fall into a canal constructed like "n enormaus sluice and called a ilnnie. J{y ♦his meajia tiie poorest gravels, in which tho presence of gold would hardly be suspected, are washed with prollt." Hiniilir statements are made by Mr. W P. Blake, and cited in your report of 1S(»:]. According to him two men, by thin hydraulic method, can do in a week the work which Would occupy ten laborers for thirty-live days iu the ordinary inethods of working. I am ol' opinion that largo i.reas of tho auriferous rcgioD of Lower Canada are situated at levels whith would allow of tho advantageous applica- tion of hydraulic methods It is therefori; ]in))>al)lo, as you have already said, " that be- fore long tho deposits of gold-bearing earth whieli are so widely spread over Lower Cau- ada will be made oconomieally available." (Ilcport for 18()l>, page T-tf).) QUARTZ VBIN.S. Quarts veins. The old rock formations upon which the goli-beaving alluvions of Lower Canada repose, contain numerous veins or band.'-, of quartz, which run ordi- narily in the direction of tho strat tieatioi, north-cast oiid south-west. Although these veins, with their encasing rocks, present iiumerou.- outcrops, hey are concealed from view aver large areas by a covciing, vari iblo iu thickness, of veqeablo soil or other superiicial deposits, ibO that trenches or (ixcavafious become necessary if ,ve wou'id folUw their course. As already observed, it is especially in tho slates and sandst )ncs of the Upper Silurian series that tiicso veins have been observed in the f;reate,st numbers. It is uot yet certain whether the attitude of these ma.-'scs of quartz is iliat of intercalated beds or whether they cut the .surrounding strata. This question can only bo satisfiotorily dotcrmined after ex- tensive working.s, without which moreover it is impussible to arrive at any correct idea of the interior .structure and composition of llieso vein.^. Their thickness and their aspect are very variable. The quartz how ner is generally white, although sometimes colored by fxyd of iron, apparently due to the deejmposition (d some foreign mineral, which has giv n to tho mass a cavernous or carious structure. Home of these veins seem almost free from forei;»n minerals, Avbile others, as you liavc indicated, contain metallic sulphurets, such as cubic pyrites, arsouieal pyrites, blende, argentiferous galena, and .sometimes native gold. It ippears also from the analysis published by tlio (icological Survey that the pyrites and blende are sometimes auritt,i'ous. The Reports ol the Survey have shown tlio presence of u.itivc gold both in the veins belonging to tho crystalline schists of tho Lov/er Silu-i»u near Shcrbrooko, in Leeds, and iu St. Sylvester in tho seigniory of St. (Jiles, and u tliosu traversing the Upper Silurian rocks in tho seigniory of Aubcrt Galliin (S't. Goorvo),* and in thatof Vau- dreuil at tho Devil's liapids in the Cha-idi6re. While thus establishing the presence of gold in tho veins of both the upper and lower formations, both of which might have contributed to the aurif >rous alluvions, tho Reports of the Survey express the opinion that tho greater part at leiist; of tin; alluvinl gold of Canada ia derived from the Lower Silurian rocks. 1 may mention in suppoit of the i'acts just cited, several specimens containing visible grains ot native gold in vi.rtous cjppor e;uracted from a quartz vein which crosses tho. tw J coiicessions known as " 'I'hc Handkerchief,'' in the seigniory ol St. G'le,-i, one of the localities to which you have already re- ferred, l.iit iiiiK'niueh as visible gold has ulso boon found iu the veins of the Upper Silu- rian rocks, and as the largest specimens of goid in the ganguc yet found in Canada are from the vein :tt the Devil's Rapids, 1 am led to believe that it is desirable to explore carefully ail this part of the auriferous regiou in the hope of favorable discoveries. * Esquisse Qiologique du Canada, page 63. Gold in (;uartz. St. QWes. VanUrouU. rat [ there rcn.ai traversed in a also observed laving a dire to indicate th but as alrei^d^ does not bclo Althoiig niory of Vcuc the frontie: ; bert Gallioii, outcrops of (( be seen in th Oliva, the A' may here n )t examined in '. clay-slates, iti lilready dcS'T forTS59, pig The toiv the right br u — for I obst r as on the si a lowed, and ii outcrops of q ships region, tho ? ceed to statj sent you sp i Vau(lr<\ runniug N.^^ had been sut the clay-slat i wo'k of smn peared to twenty or tv assay of a p while anoth assay, by cr mens gave What concession 1 by twenty, only visible or eighteen earthly mat of the exca twelve inch this quartz, Mr. Colvin of this veit pit Was sun that I couI( • This a Dr. finnt. 17 IlSf)'). Ilesaya: |n tho placers the the bankfl of thr [vented, and there iter under a yery ae, great hillii lown with a crash ruina. Tho ina- sluico ao'i called ;old would hardly Mr. W P. Blake, lydraulic method, -live dayH in the auriferous region [iitagcoua applica- ly said, " that be- ovor Lower Cau- lUuvions of Lower which run ordi- Although these »nccaled from view )r other superficial biUw their course, e Upper Silurian ; is uot yet certain ils or whether they tcrmined after ez- !uiy correct idea of and their aspect sometimes colored uineral, which has s Bcem almost free etallic sulphurets, 1 sometimes native Survey that the 1 both in the veins )ko, in Leeds, and 10 Upper Silurian ind in thatof Vau- thus establishing ns, both of which Survey express the derived from the several specimens rom a quartz vein Ikerchief," iu tho have already re- f the Upper Silii- ud in Cuuada are lirable to explore liscoveries. VunarouU. The lols 48, 49 A, 50 A, 50 B, 51 A, 51 Ji, f)2 A, 53, and 64, in tho range 1, n^rth-eust of the scignio-y of Vuudrouil, woro particihuly cxaiiunod. [ there rcn.arkcd numerous ridges of cluy-siato and sandstone riisiiig alio'o tlio wull and traversed in \arious directions by nmall veins of (luurtz. Veins ot" tho sanis mineral were also observed running in (ho general direction of N.K., and also in little eroHstourscs having a direction K.S.K. Supcrliciul excavations on lots 41) A, 50 A, lud 50 B, socia to indicate the exiHenco of an extended niass of quartz intoroalatod in tin I'orm of a bed; but as alrciidy remarked, only extended explorations can show wliethor a si.nilur eharacter does not belong to many of the quartz musses of this regimi. Although the veins which are now attracting mo.st attention are th:)«e in the seig- niory of Vtudrcuil, numbers of similar quartz veins are found a'l the wiiy soutliwn.rd tu the frontio: ; nnd many have been discovered iu the sci^norics of Aubin-iJeli.slo and An bert Gallioir, and in the townships of Jersey, Marlow, liiiiicre aad Metger uotto. Hjveral outcrops of ((uartz appear along the Kennebec road ; and at low water muoy of thoin can be seen in 1 ho bods of the Famine, Du Loan and their tributary streans, such ua tlio Oliva, the .•lotgermette. and others already r-ientioned in spcaki ig of the I'luvial go'd. \ may here n )ticc especially tho quartz veins which wore, at the time of my vinit, being examined in Lini^re, very near the frontier. The encasing rocks here, as jlscwherc, were clay-slates, md sandstones more or less calcireons. Tliose rcckM and (heir vjn.s are already desTibod in your report for 18Go, pages 4.']1)-I:j7, and more in detail in the lloport for TS59, pigesf^O-52. The townships and seigniories which are the subject of tho preceding remarks, arc on the right bfuk of the Ciiaudi^rc, but the veins for the most part appear to 3ross the river, — for I obs< rved many outcrops of them on tho road from St. Jof;epU to St. Ueorge, as well as on the si ores and iu the bed of tho Chaudiero. Several of these have already been fol- lowed, and ircovercd on the left bank, especially iuYaudreuil and Aubert-Gallioa. Other outcrops of q-iartz are seen on the road from Vaudreuil to Lake St. Francis, in the town- ships (f Triog, Forsyth, Aylmer and Lambton, whoro I observed srvcial n 'ar the lake. I regret not t ) be able to givo you a detailed description of the quartz veins in thi:i latter region, the .exploration of which was provcutcd by the earlj' snows; but I shall uow pro- ceed to statj the observations which 1 was abio to make upon tho veins of which T have sent you sp icimeus. Vaudnuli, — Upon lot SiJ of range 1 north-east of this seigniory is a vein of quartz runniijg N.^*(.E., with a south-eastern dip. On this vein, at the time of my visit, a pit had been sunk, five feet by twelve, to a depth of sixteen feet, showing a distance between the clay-slato walls of twelve feet. The mass was not homogeneous, but composed of a net- work of small veins of quartz impregnated with oxyd of iron, and separated by what ap- peared to b3 portions of the wall-rock. I was afterwards informed that at a depth of twenty or t\ircnty-fivc feet these veins united into a single small one. It is said that au assay of a portion of this (juartz sent to Boston gave at tlie rate of §87 of gold to tho ton, while another assay on the spot, by a Mr. Colvin, gave §100 to the ton. A mechanical assay, by cr jshing and washing twenty jmunds of tho quartz, of which 1 .«end you speci- mens gave iflc five very small particles of gold. (No. 1.*) What t ppears to be a powerful vein of quartz runs north ea^t through lot 21 of tho concession St. Charles, with a very slight dip to the south-east. An excavation seven feet by twenty, had here been sunk to a depth of eighteen leet, and tho adjacent clay-slato was only visible on the south-east side of the vein, who.se thickness here is at least seveui'^-.n or eighteen feet. It is divided by joints into ii regular mas.scs separated by ochreous ami earthly matter, but seems more compact at the bottom. I remarked near the north side of the excavation, a vein of brown decayed material, having a thickness of from four to twelve inches, and running parrallel with the quartz vein. It was said that a portion of this quartz, as.sayed at Toronto, gave $186 of gold to the ton, and that another a.«s.iy by Mr, C'blvin gave $54 ; the certified assay by Dr. A. A. Hayes of Boston, gave lor tho quartz of this vein $77.56 in gold and $2.55 of silver to the ton. After my visit in October, tho pit was sunk to thirty feet ; but on my return in January, the working was su.spended, so that I could not examine the bottom. The specimens sent were taken in October. (No. 2.) * This and the following numbers in parenthesis refer to the agsays in the following Rop Dr. fiunt. 8 18 On lot (52 orranjj;fi 1, north-east, there in uu outcrop ot'a vein of ({iinrtz, from which n f.!W (iiihic foot hiivo boon rdiuoved by a very HUpcrficiul workinj;. Tlio brctuUh of thin Vtiiii was fro:!! four to livo foot, but as it wuh iicitiior uncovcn-od nor oxan:inc(i, it was iuipos- silili; to (lotcriniiio its nttituJo (t is said that un asHayof tlic quart/, niade in New Voric, j;avo Sir» ill i^ohl and $12 in silver to the ton of rock, but tliat by the assay of Mr. (/olvin, it yielded i!()t lr A, of raugo I, iKirth-oast, I went to examine it, but the soil being covered with snow, and ao exploration haviiii? been made, I could not do ho ; I, however, notice it, and have sent you a specimen of the (lu.trt/.. Another locality of quartz having been indicated on lot 55) A, of range 1, Jiortli-eaHt, near Bolduo'a Oreck, I went to examine it. A superficial opening hao npcoimtns eontainfd gold. TbcKo usaiiyB wore Ibo "tore intcrestinj^ itiusmucli ns it appearH to mo tbat Iho band of tiilcoso ticliisfs :iiid quaitz v^Idm, whicb horo cronse« tbo landM of the Hritish Americaa Land Coihptmy, also travorNes tlioso of the (lolconda Miuing Oompany, whicb are tbe iota 2 and fi of rniige ]'i of Ascot. Tiio rerailtH of nuincroufl aHsayo of th« quarts and talooso slates from tbis locality, publiHbed ity tbc Company, give, as I bavc before mentioned, n mean result of JITk} of gold to tbe ton. Those rocks appear identical with those of Or- ford described above, irom whicb tbay arc only separated by a distance in a right lino of about two miles. The stream already spoken of (page 08) which falls into Lake St. Francis, after having crossed several lots in range A of the township of Lambton, traverses several outcrops of quarts. These were particularly remarked on loti 8 and 9, where the bed of the strcum is strewn with numerous masses of the mineral, portions of which were also found in the excavations made Ity mo on lot 8, in the search for alluvial gold. At the time that 1 examined these lots I could not undertake the researches necea- sary to determine the attitude of these veins. I however remarked, that while appreciable quantities of alluvial gold wore found on lot 8, scurcely a trace of the precious metal was seen cither above or below it; while at the samo time tbe angular aspect of the gold led mo to suppose that its source was not far distant. I accordingly made a mechaDioal asaaT of twenty pounds of the quartz from lot 8, and obtained for as fne result several very ■mail particles of gold. In accordance with the instructions which I received from you, I have limited my examination of the deposits of quartf, in the ChaudiAre valley to those which wera already attracting attention in the region. If 1 have given you but short and incomplete descrip- tions of these, it is because in most of them tbe walls of the veins bannot yet ba determin- ed, and because not one of them had at the time of my visit been sufficiently opened to allow of a correct opinion of its character or attitude. I have therefore preferred to pass over in silence certain points upon which information would be desirable, rather than give opinions which could only bo conjectural. I read in tbe Giologie Appliquie of Burat, '' that although the theory of metalliferous deposits, based aa it is upon numcroua facta which are tbc same in all parts of the world, may now bo regarded as establiabed, the practical condititms, that is to say those which regulate the character and riohnesa of mines, are altogether local." The study of metalliferous deposits in a district whore none of the same kind arc actively worked, is thus surrounded with difficulties and uncertainty ; 80 that in attempting the examination, with which you had charged me, of the Ohaudi^re region, it was neither pobsiblc for mo to judge by analogy, nor to establisb coinparisocs. A knowledge of local conditions moreover facilitates tbe estimation of the economic value of uietrlliferous deposits, for in sonic districts veins slender and poor at the surface, may augment in size bnd become richer in descending, while in others wide and ricL veins, in working, grow poor and narrow. Wo must therefore in a new country, work in tbo dark as it were, until experience shall have lixed certain rules for guidance. With these reser- vations, and relying on the facts established and made known in the Reports of ihe Geolo- gical Survey, on the results obtained by the gold miners in tbo region during tbe last three years, and unally upon my personal cxamiuationa as set forth in the preceding pagea, I conclude with the ibllowing observations. 3. The « iltcrod Uppo ihould not b( lana to tbe w CONCLUSIONS. 1. The auriferous deposits which cover a gieat region in Lower Canada in all probability Ccnclusiong. contain, particularly in the valley of the Chaudiire, considerable areas whose reijular and methodic working on a large scale by hydraulic processes may be made remunerative ; in addition to which limited deposits of exceptional riohnesa, auoh as have been already found, may be looked for. 2. Although the examination of the alluvial gold from the deposita hitherto worked docs not permit us to attribute its source to veins of quartc in tbe immediate vicinity, it is nevertheless cstabUshed that tbi* alluyial gold is dpviv^gl firow tb? r^cki of the ragioo, 21 moDtionod, but from thin vioin- iinens containfd tlmt Iho band ritish Americao lich are the lotii arte and talooao )ro mentioned, a ith those of Or- a right lino of 3. The existence of native );ol(i having been cHtabliNhcd, aliko in tho voinn of the kllered Upper and Lower Hiluriaa rookH of the diHtrict, tho HcarcU fur guld-bcaring vcina khouid not be confined to a few hcnlilicH, but may bu cxtondod with prubnbilitics of auc- >•«■ to the whole area OGOUpied ly tho ultcrod rociiH of tluMo two diviaionH. I have tho honor to bu, yir, very rohpcolfuily, Vour must obedient aorvant, A. MiciizL. t. Fraooia, after mbton, traveraea on lot) 8 and 9, neral, portions of earoh for alluvial rosearcheB neoea- while appreciable -cciou» metal was of tho gold led mechaDioal aaeav several very ainall have limited my hioli wer« already )complete desorip- t yet be determin- Rciently openad to I preferred to pass s, rather than give tpliquie of Burat, >on numerous facts as established, tho 9r and richness of listriot whore none !S and uncertainty ; , of tho Ohaudi^re blish comparisocs. he econcmio value it the surface, may and rid. Teins, in , work in tho dark With til 080 reser- ports of the Qeolo- on durirg the last le preceding pagei, da in all probability dorablc areas whoae lulio processes may onal riohness, auoh ts hitherto worked mediate Ticinity, it ?«l(iof ther«giOQ. REPORT BY MR. T. STERRY HUNT, LL.D., F.R.S., CHEMIST AND MINERALOQIST TO THE GIOLOGICAL SURVEY. Sm, — I have now the honor to submit to you my report on the Bpcctniens of quar collected by Mr. Michel from the gold region of Eastern Canada, and described in his rl port. To the refsulta of my assays I have joined, as not without interest to those engage! in gold-working, some explanations as to the manner of assaying, the distribution of golT in nature, the nature and origin of the gold alluvions of Canada, and the mode of ocoul renco of alluvial gold in some other countries, as compared with Canada, together with| brief notice of the hydraulic process employed in California. AB8ATS Of QUART/ FOR QOLD. Before giving the results of my assays of the quartz specimens selected by M Michel, it may be well to explain briefly the mode in which gold occurs in ores, the prj cesses adopted fur its extraction, and the mode of assaying. While the gold most fr quently occurs directly imbedded in quartz, (or in bittor-spar as in Leeds, or in calcareoj spar,) it is eometimea contained in metallic sulphurets, as in iron pyrites, which in ofti auriferous; in vitreous copper ore, as in St. Giles; in blende, as at the Chaudifere; orf arsenical pyrites, as in Nova Scotia. Sometimes the gold in these sulphuretted minerals isl particles visible to the eye, but often in a state of minute division, and although the notij has generally been questioned, perhaps in chemical union with sulphur and the otl metals, In quartz or in spars, it is donbtle.amo irregular distribution is found to exist. Quartz holding a troy ounce of gold to the ton is u profitable ore* ; this quantity is lual only l-32,C66th part, or little more than a grain weight of gold to five pounds of [e rock, and even this minute portion is not equally diffused, but, in part at least, is con- - ■ I i ■ mm — m 1 ■»» — ■■ — ■ ■ ■'■■' ■ ■ ■ - ■■■■ ■ i^. ■■■ ■ I M l ■■■ ■ ""^ — ■ ■ ' ■ ■ ■ — — *»■'■■■ ■■■ — — — *Accor actual cost of working a gold-bearing qaarti vein in the above conditions in California at not |er seven dollars the ton. 24 Distribution gold. ccntrated into particles of some size ; us is shown by mechanical assaya like I °^ those described by Mr. Michel, where quartz specimens not greatly richer I yield by crushin" and .fashing visible scales of^ show how than that hero supposed, gold. These considerations will serve to show how uncc.^u-u and how irregular must ueces5arily be the results of laboratory assays, which are rarely made on more than two or three ounces of the pulverized quartz, for the reason that the manipulation of much larger quantities by such a process becomes difficult. Tu the following assays five or six pounds of quartz, taken at hazard from a larger quantity, after being heated to redness and ijuonchcd in water to make it more friable, were reduced to a powder, from which wore txken portions for assay; these were more finely pulverized and sifted. Now it is obvious from what has been said about the irregu- lar distribution of the gold in quartz that different portions of 100 grammes each of this , powder may contain very variable amounts of tho precious metal, and moreover that another mass of quartz from an adjacent portion of the veiu may be much richer or much poorer than that selected for trial. IIcuco in an ore like gold-bearing quartz, in which the metal is generally invisible to ordinary inspection, the results of assays of selected portions have but a very subordinate value in dcterminiui; the economic importance of a deposi: ; and it is only by scver.il assay-triula ol" the powder resulting from the crushing of S very largo quantities of quartz from diifercnfc parts of the vein, or by its working on a large scale, that the value of a gold-bearing vein can be determined. Instances of the variable results to be obtained from different portions of the same sample will be given below, but tho following statements, from a lato paper by Mr. Robert Hunt, Keeper of the Mining Records in Groat Britain, giving an account of re^jont attempts to work auriferous quartz in the distiict of Dolgelly, in iMcrionethshire, North Wales, where the precious metal occurs in veins formerly wrought for copper, are instinctive. From two mines samples were assayed by Mr. Rcadwin, yielding from 200 to 400 ounces of gold to the ton of quartz, yet he at tho same time expressed the opinion that the average yield would not i exceed half an ounce of gold to the ton. We are larther informed that at one of the mines f 200 tons of quartz had been stamped, yielding 15 dwts , a.id at the other 2500 tons giving an average of only 12 dwts ; while another mine in the same district had treated over 4000 tons with an average produce of nearly 50 dwts to tho ton. This lode was of quartz, with some carbonate of lime, yellow copper ova and telluric bismuth, a not uufrequent companion of gold in other regions. — (^Quar. Jour. Science, Oct., 1865.) Of the quartz from the twelve localities specially indicated in the Report of Mr. ^jg Michel as having been the subjects of some exploration, there were made in all thirty -one assays, each on portions^of 100 grammes, and with the follow- ing results calculated ibr the ton of 2,240 lbs. ; the value of the gold being estimated at 820.67 the ounce troy of 480 graius. The silver was not determined in any of the assays, but it did not appear in any case to cxcocd the small proportion which is always alloyed with n.itive gold, and which in that from tho alluvions of tho Chaudi^re, as appears from the mean of several analyses given in the Geology of Canada^ to be about 12 percent. It gjj^gy is well known, however, that both the copper and lead ores of the Eastern Townships contain portions of silver, so that where these ores are associated with the gold, a larger alloy of silver may be looked for. Thus, in an assay of a pyritoua copper ore from a quartz vein in the Lower Silurian rooks in Ascot, more than five parts of silver were found for one of gold, {^Geology of Canada, p. 517.) 1. Vaudreuil, let 83, 1st range north-east. Two assays gave no trace of gold. 2. Vaudreuil, lot 21, concession St. Charles. Five assays : of these four gave an awrago of only 6 dwts. 13 grs. of goM=$G.76; while the fifth, in which a large scale of gold W.1S seen in sifting, and was added to the assay, yielc'ed at the rate of 4 ounces, 18 dwtfl.!=:$101.29 ; tho average of the five a«mys being $25.66 per ton. Ijold. VaudrLHiil, lot 62, Lst range northeast. Two assays gave mo no trace of Viiiidreuil, lot 19, concession St. (Jharles. Six assays; of these tho mean of four jtave 4 dwtH. 21 grains of gold=^5.03; and that of two others, in which, as in No. 2, a scale of gold was seen and was ground up with tho powder, was 3 ounces 2 dwts.=a$64.07. The average of these assays is tli'is $24.71 to the ton. 5. Vaudreuil, lot 89, lut range north-east. Two assays yielded no traoe of gold. Calcareous sp 25 nical assays like ot greatly richer visible scales of w irregular must more than two or >n of much larger ard from a larger it more friable, these were more about the irrcgu- ames each of this ad moreover that richer or much quartz^ in which assays of selected importance of a m the crushing of its working on a Instances of the »ple will be given unt, Keeper of the to work auriferous here the precious From two mines of gold to the ton IQ yield would not it one of the mines r 2500 tons giving had treated over lode was of quartz, a not unfrequent ) he ileport of Mr. Jiere were made in id with the follow- being estimated at any of the assaysi is always alloyed e, as appears from lUt 12 per cent. It )res of the Eastern ores are associated assay of a pyritoua lore than five parts race of gold. these four gave an ich a large scale of te of 4 ounces, 18 3 mo no trace of JO the mean of four ich, as in No. 2, a 33 2 dwts.=ai$64.07. traoe of gold. Comparison of Nature of the veins. 6. Vaudreuil, lot 20, concession Do Lery. Two assays, the mean of which gave U dwts. 16 grains of gold=:$15.15 to the ton. 7. Vaudreuil, lot 53, 1st range uorth-cast. Two assays gave no trace of gold. 8. Vaudreuil, lot 5!) Ist range north-cast. Two assays gave no gold. 9. Aubin-Delisle, lot 9, range 1. Two assays gave no gold. • 10. Aubert-Grallion, lot 30, range 1. Two assays gave no trace cf gold. 11. Lini^re, lot 76, range 1. Two assays gave no gold. 12. Linifere, lot 2, range 1. Two assays gave a mean of 6 dwts., 13 errains of enld= »6.76 to the ton. If we compare the results of theso assays with those mentioned by Mr. Michel, wo shall sec farther proof of the irregularity with which gold is distributed in the gangue. The quartz from several of these veins has been examined by Dr. A. A. Hayes, of Boston, whoso results, which arc wojrthy of the highest confidence, aro given by Mr. Michel, together with other assays by persons unknown to me, but probably reliable. The quartz of No. 1 had givea in Boston 837, and in another assay made on the spot, 8106 of gold to the ton ; the mechanical assay also yielded a por- tion of gold to Mr. Michel; while two assays of another sample from the same vein gave me no trace of the precious metal. Again, in the case of No. 2, Dr. Hayes obtained 877.56, and Mr. Colvin 854.00, while one assay of the same vein yielded me not less than $101.28 ; and four others, as seen above, a mean of only 86.76. No. 3, in like manner, is said to have furnished gold, though none was found in the specimen just assayed. Nos. 4 and 6 have yielded gold both to Dr. Hayes and myself ; while of No. 8, which gave traces of gold by Mr. Michel's mechanical assay, and of No. 11, which is said to have yielded gold to an assayer in New York, the specimens furnished me yielded no traces. .The specimens of quartz collected by Mr. Michel are all from the Upper Silurian «trat,i, and, although generally running with the strike, appear to be from true veins. In many cases they enclose angular masses of the wall-rock, and evidently fill up fissures produced by fracture. These veins appear to difl'er in their greater extent and apparent continuity, from those which traverse the adja- cent Lower Silurian rocks, nnd which are generally small and interrupted. The quartz of the above veins is generally white and crystalline, often with drusy Calcareous spar, cavities lined with crystals. It frequently contains portions of a brownish cleavable spar, closely resembling ordinary bitter-spar or dolomite, which, as is well-known, often contains a portion of carbonate of iron and weathers brownish. On analyzing, however, a portion of the spar from 10, it was found to be a compound of car- bonate of lime snd carbonate of iron, with traces Anly of carbonate of magnesia, being iden- tical in aspect and composition with a variety of calcareous spar from an unknown locality, analyzed by me and described in Dana's Manual of Mineralogy, 4th Pldition, page 43S. This sparry carbonate is slowly decosiposcd by the action of the air, giving lise to a very light pulverulent form of hydrous peroxyd of iron, which at the outcrop of some of theso veiDs is seen still retaining the cleavage of the spar. The decomposition of this, or of a similar spar, is apparently the origin of the (jozzan or ferruginous matter which forms, in some cases, the outer layer or selvage of the quartz veins in this region. In the case of No. 10, it forms a considerable portion of the vein towards the walls, and presents broad curved cleavage-planes. The accompanying quartz, which is generally white and crystalline, is sometimes stained green by chlorite, which forms small masses in the vein. Minute grains of galena are also present. The presence of the spar, or of the result of its decomposition, was also conspicuous in the veins 1, 2, 4, 6, and 12. In some cases, as in the vein at the Devil's Aapids, this spar contains a portion of carbonate of maganese, and then the result of its deoc position is black or brownish-black from the presence of oxyd of maganese. If gold were iiubeddea in this spar, as it certainly is in the bitter-spar of Leeds, it would be liberated during the decomposition of the spar, and appear near the outcrop of the veins. From such a source may bo derived the angu- lar and unworn gold which Mr. Michel found at the St. Francis, and of which occasional particles have been found elsewhere in tne alluvions, offering a, marked oootraat to the ordinarily worn and rouad«d oonditioQ of the iiUayiftl go)G|, 4 tiourco of gozzan. Gold in lovTw Toek. Whila the results of numerous assays of quartz from the Upper Silurian rooks are certainly such ns to encourage us to look for workable deposits : n the rocks of that scries, it shouM not be forjcotten that specimeDS of native gold are also found in the veins ol" the Lower Silurian iu Leeds and >St. Giles. An assay of the quartz from the latter is said to have yielded Dr. Hayes 6 J dwti. of gold to the ton. Gold hag tAso been found in similar geological conditions at tha Ha'ifax Copper Mine, in a veinstone, whose as'^ay gave about tho same (juantity as the last. (Nbtet on the Gold of Eastern Canada, published by the Geological Survey, page 31.) It seems therefore quite as probable that workable gold veins may be found in the fjower as in the Upper Silurian rocks. Indeed, the opinion has already been expressed in the Reports of the Survey, that tho chief source of tho alluvial gold has been the disictogration of the crystalline rocks of the Lower Silurian series, which form the chain o! hills to the north-west of tlic auriferous alluvions. It would seem, in fact, that the gold resting on the Upper Silurian locks beyond those hills must bo derived from a source somewhat remote ; fince it is difficult to conceive of a force which could break up the rock, separute the gold from its gangae, and give it a worn and rounded aspect, which should not be, at the same time, an energetic transporting agency. The derivation from the Lo.rer Silurian rocks to the north, of a large portion of the materials making up the auriferous alluvions which rest on (he Upper Silurian strata is evident ; for intermixed with the dark-colored clay-slates of tlie latter are numerous worn pebbles of epidote, jasper, diovite, diallage, Bcrpentine, and red argillite, which arc derived from the Lower Silurian series j together with magnetic, titanic, and chromic iron ores, — all three of which, but especially the latter, appear to characterize the older rocks. It is further to be noticed that one of the richest alluvial deposits of gold yet observed in the Chaudi^re district is along the Kivi6re des Plantes, which runs entirely on the Lower Silurian rocks, and about a mile to the north of the boundary of the Upper Silurian area. As might be expected, Mr. Michel, who has carefully examined the alluvions of this stream, informs mc that they differ .from those of the Gilbert and other streams further southward, iu which the ruins of the Upper Silurian strata are mingled with those of the Lower Silurian series. With regard to the black sand in auriferous alluvions, and tho erroneous notions which Bluck sand prevail with regard to it, it should be remarked that similar black saody residues, consisting chiefly of various ores of iron (sometimes with oxyd of tin and other minerals), may beobtained from the washing of almost all sands and gravels derived from crystalline rocks, and that the occurrence of a black sand, therefore, in no way indicates the presence of gold. When however this metal is present in a gravel, it, from its great weight, remains behind with the black sand and dense matters in the residue after washing. As long ago described, the black sand of tho auriferous alluvions in Can- ada consists chiefly of chromic, titanic, and magnetic iron ores. Th« examinations of tho auriferous alluvions above described, show tho exisCence Boulder clay. ^^ * peculiar deposit of clay, bluish on the Gilbert River, but yellowish in Ascot, Orford and Lambton. It is very stifl'and coherent, and encloses large quantities of boulders and rounded fragments of rock, but seems from the testimony of the miners and froji the repeated trials made by Mr. Michel on tho Gilbert and elsewhere, to be destitute of gold. It is worthy of record that on lot 6 range 14 of Ascot, ho detected iu it tihells which were too imperfect to be preserved, but from a drawing made on the spot, appear to be a species of Afya. This clay, which seems to correspond to what has been called the boulder-clay of the St. Lawrence and Champlain valleys, is like it found distributed in an irregular manner, partly no doubt from the effects of subsequent denuda- tion. While, en the borders of Lake St. Francis, which is 890 feet above the sea, the bottom of the boulder-clay was not reached at thirty feet, it was often found by Mr. Michel to be only two or three feet in thickness, and in many places was absent. Auriferous gravels arc found resting on this boulder-clay, but the general testimony is that they are poorer than those found lying on the bod-rock ; and the important fact is shown by numerous workings on lots 19 and 20 on the Gilbert, and also in Ascot, on lot 2 of bo^uldor chiy." ^angc 13, that a rich layer of auriferous gravel lies below the boulder-clay, resting upon the clay-slates beneath. The residue obtained by washing a portion of this barren clay from the Gilbert Kiver was not without interefifc. Besid^a^ the rounded fragm«nts, which were, with yorj fev arihn rocks are jits ; n the rocks native gold are St. Giles. An (Iwti. of gold to HaUfax Copper ast. (^N'otet on 31.) It seems the ijower as in id in the Reports disintegration of ain o! hilla to the old resting on the ioraonhat remote ; Bcpanite the gold not be, at the he liCTcr Silurian iriferous alluvions the (lark-colored , diovite, diallage, n series ; together but especially the ed that one of the 5 along the Kivi6re out a mile to the ectcd, Mr. Michel, at they differ .from ruins of the Upper 1C0U8 notions which irailar black sandy nes with oxyd of tin and gravels derived icrefore, in no way n a gravel, it, from lers in the residue 18 alluvions in Can- show the exisience r, but yellowish in it, and encloses large i ,he testimony of the rt and elsewhere, to Ascot, he detected awing made on the | espond to what hasj ys, is like it found subsequent denuda- , above the sea, thej indbyMr. Michel to > Auriferous gravels \ Lhat they are poorer I ihown by numerous s n Ascot, on lot 2 of| )w the boulder-clay, • tm the Gilbert River rere, with yorT fov exceptions, of Upper Silurian clay-slate, there were numerous wor-n and rounded mas- ses of iron pyrites, which also made up one-third of the finer and heavier sand remaining after washing. This, after the separation of the pyrites, was found to consist of magnetic, chromic and titanic iron ores, resembling those of tho auriferous gravels of the same vicinity, but in very much smaller grains. It is worthy of note that the grains, as well as the small rounded pebbles of iron pyrites from tins bouidev-clay, were bright, and froo from any discoloration or tarnish, a fact which would seem to show that thoy had been carefully protected from the air by the clay ever since the 'imc of their orogion. Such grains of pyrites, bad they existed in a permeable gra?t*l, womI'I have been more or less completely destroyed by oxydation, which may explain the general absence of unoxydized pyrites from the auriferous alluvions. The occurrence in this .-^ferile clay of the chromic and titanic irons which elsewhere accompany the gold, is a fact which suggests further inquiry into the origin and history of the superficial deposits of this region. In Australia the gold fields of Victoria have derived their precious metal, as in Australia. Canada, from quartz veins in Silurian rocks, but the breaking-down of these took place at a remote period, the great deposits of alluvial gold being in a series of sands, gravels and clays apparently of fresh-water origin, containing lignite, and of Miocene or Middle Tertiary asrc ; which arc covered in places by overflows of a vol- canic rock, there called blue-stone. A partial disintogratiou of this ancient auriferous drift took place near the close of the 'J'ertiary period, giving rise to the second gold alluvions, and the present action of rain and rivers oa these two produces the tliird c\ recent alluvions. As a general rule, the portion richest in gold in all of these is found at their base, where they rest directly on the Silurian strata. In some cases these several deposits overlie one another, so that, two or even three auriferous strata or our at one dollar da would be onc- rd. Now, it was up and Chttudifero .eight hundredth tho cubic yard, lis would be $l.3S cd in the llcport er-chanuels, nor tii nch the hydraulic ! gold in them was f an old auriferous ,nd of which the ified portion. The s met with in Vic- cient alluvion may. oknesB and import- RRY HUNT.