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Tertiary Coals of the North Pacific: — 1. Monte Diabalo, California. 2. Coose Bay. 3. Clallam Bellingliam Bay. 5. Other localltiea for tertiary coal, tertiary lignites. IV. Secondary Coals : — 1. Cheraainoa rlistriet. 2. De Courcy Islands. 3. Nanaimo acter of the Nanaimo Coal. 3 6. Fossil Remains. 4. Bayne's Sound, Brown's River, &c. 5. Siikwash. 6. Koskeomo. 7. Other localities. V. Geology of Vancouver Island : — Gold in connection with Coal Deposits. VI. Anthracite of North-west America ; — Queen Charlotte Islands. VII. Coal Trade of San Francisco and the North Pacific : — 1. Coal Imports of San Francisco 1861. 2. Coal Imports of San Francisco 1868. 3. Analyses of Native and Imported Coals. VIII. Conclusion. I. Introduction. — The north-west shores of America having been only visited by geologists within a comparatively recent period, our knowledge of its coal deposits dates from a period comprehended within a few years. The early explorers were either fur traders, soldiers, or botanists, who, whiie reaping har- vests of discoveries in their own peculiar branch of science, added nothing to our knowledge of the mineral deposits. Almost the 'earliest information we possess regarding the geology of Cali- fornia is afforded us by the ofiicial report of Dr J. B. Trask,* and the various geologists attached to the splendid surveys for the Pacific railroad, and the U.S. North- West Boundary Commission. Mr H. Bauerman, while attached to the British North Ameri- can Boundary Commission, made some observations on the geology, which he has published in a short paper, "On the Geology of the South-eastern part of Vancouver Island."*!' Subse- quently, Dr Hector, while attached as geologist to the Eocky Mountain Expedition, under the command of Captain Palliser, visited Vancouver Island, and communicated his observations to the Geological Society of London in an elaborate and valuable paper.:}: The author of this communication, while engaged in other duties, made many notes on the geology, between the vears 1863 and 1866, a portion of which are here given. They are merely as ♦ Report on the Geology of Northern and Southern California. Washington, 1856. t Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 18*30, vol. xvi. p. 198. X ibid. 1861, vol. xvii. p. 388. A 3fi19.^ KDINBURGH GEOLOGICAL SOCIKTY. I ' ■ H the title expresses— notes on the limits of the coal deposits, and uii the pliysical characteristics of the coal. His collection of fossils, no'v in the Britisli :Museum, will be described in another nienioir. IT. Coal-fields of the North Pacific. — Extending from Cali- fornia to the borders of Alaska are three coal-fields, belonging respectively to the Tertiary, Secondary, and Pahi'ozoic ages, the latter being situated, as far as yet known, only in the Queen Char- lotte Islands, off the northern coast of British Columbia, the exact age being as yet undetermined, though the coal is anthracitic, and is" in alf piobability paheozoic. The other two coal-fields are situated, as regards each other, from south to north, in the order of their age. The Tertiary e^r^ends from California Northward, and through Orerron r^'^d '"\ iiington Territory, impinging the southern eiiu of Vc-ucouver Island and British Columbia, and extending, with some interruptions, right across the liocky Mountains, the Miocene coals of Missouri being apparently only a continuation of these same beds. The Secondary beds, on the other hand, on the North Pacific coast, are confined to the island of Vancouver, though in all probability they are also a continua- tion of the cretaceous strata of Missouri. III. Teutiahy Coals of the North Pacific — The general ex- tent of this coal-field I have already given. The lignitic beds are associated with shales and sandstones alternately, and the con- tained fossds shew it to be of IMiocene age throughout. The coal from it is of a very imiform character, burning freely, but leaving behind nmch slag and ash, and in many cases, though giving out a strong heat, unsuitable for domestic purposes, on account of its sulphurous character. It has, however, been wrought at various places throughout its extent, and is at present being mined lor commercial purposes at several localities. These are as follows : — 1, Monte Diabalo, California. — This coal is extensively mined, for use in San Francisco. The stratum of coal is about from 3 to 4 feet in thickness, and is overlaid by a sandstone containing marine shells. This shell is chiefiy a gasteropod — the Schizoiiya Californica of Conrad.* The wdiole coal-field is much broken up by faults. I have not visited this locality myself, but I have seen many cargoes of the coal in San Francisco. A railroad is now in completion in connection with the mines ; and from its nearness to San Francisco, the mine has proved profitable, the coal bringing S8 per ton in that market. An analysis of the best specimens of this coal gave the following results : — Carbon, .... 5000 Volatile bituminous niattpr, . . 46-00 Ash, ..... 4-00 10000 Pacific Railroad Reports, vi. Geology 68. pi. ii. fig. 1. J i St b bi ON THE COAL-FIELDS OF TlIK NORTH PACIFIC COAST. no-ing 2. Coosc Bay, Oreyon. — This coal is iiiterstratified with sand- stones and shales, to a thickness of several liundred feet, but the bedding is everywhere much disturbed from intrusive traps. Tlu; greatest thickness the coal-seam has yet obtained is 9 feet, but this thuugh consideral)le is not uniform throughout. The coal-field extends over a considerable space, and has been traced inland. The coal is bright black, and with an appearance reseml)ling the best bituminous coal ; but its appearance belies it, for it has been found to be a very inferior quality of lignite, the structure of the wood being perfectly apparent. Like most of the western lig- nites, when exposed to the air it cracks in numerous cubical fragments. It burns freely, with considerable heating power. The following is an approximate analysis : — Fixed Carbon, Volatile matter, Ashes, 4654 50-27 3-19 100-00 The percentage of coke is 49-73, but it is dark, friable, and of little value. The amount of gas is large, but of low illuminating power. The coal apparently contains a little l)isulpliate of iron. It is used to some extent in San Francisco, 7759 tons having been impoi-ted into that town from January to August of last year. The fosf. Is hitherto discovered connected with this coal have been fossil plants, dicotyledonous leaves, with various species of Nautilus, Area, Cardiuni, Tdlma, Nucula Natica, Fusus, Cerithium, &c.* 3. Clallam Bay. — This locality is situated about twenty miles inside Cape Flattery, in De Fucas Straits, opposite Vancouver Island. The coal is associated with similar shales and sand- stones to that of Coose Bay. In the sandstones are found numerous fossil shells and Crustacea, a number of which are recent species, though, as far as have yet been examined, the preponderance of them are extinct species, so that I see no reason for classing this coal as being of a newer date than Coose Bay or Monte iJiabalo. Though the bay is only an open roadstead, yet from its proximity to Victoria, and being situated in American territory, and the coal therefore not liable to import duties if carried into San Francisco or other American ports, this locality has been frecjuently attempted to be wrought as a coal- producing station, but hitherto with but poor success. In 1863 and 1864 a Victoria company spent considerable labour and money on this project, and employed a most competent Scottish mining engineer, Mr John J. Landale, to report upon it. From his information I am enabled to I'urnish some further data regard- * Newberry Pacific Pailinad Reports, vi. Geol. p. 04, EDINBURGH GEOLUGICAI, HOCIKTY. I . iiig the locality. At this locality there has been tuimd ci'o[)i)iii^ out ill the lace of a clitt' of sandstone two seams of coal, resjxjc- tively two and eight inches thick. The hill or cliff in which this coal is found extends fioni Clallam JJay to Pillar Point (cioht or nine miles), and is several hundred feet in thickness. It rises abruptly, and nearly perpendicularly, from a bold shore, and, with scarcely any breadth of summit, descends as suddenly on t]w landward side, so that it is actually nothing more than a ledge of rock, thrown up by the faults which permeate the whole district. Behind this hill, however, stretching for several miles eastward and southward from Clallam P)ay, the surface of the country is almost level. The company 1 have spoken of have driven a mine into coal cropping out about four miles west of Pillar Point, and after crossing two faults, got into clean coal 21^ inches thick, that had been thrown up by a great peniiie fault, traceable for at least nine miles from Pillar Point westward. On the other side of this range or bluif, on the west end, the land is nearly vertical, gradually flattening out as you proc^ed east- ward, presenting a fine, gentle, undulating face. On the side of several small ridges in different parts of the valley, a soft yellow sandstone is exposed, but it is difficult to obtain finy indication of the inclination or thickness of the strata, though this sandstone gives one some idea of continuity, and the probability is that a series of small detached coal-basins extend south, one after an- other, for a great distance inland. The beds appear to thicken and thin off at intervals. On sinking a shaft on the other side of the cliff, about a mile from Clallam Bay, the 22-inch seam was again reached at a depth of twenty-eight fathoms, and it is expected that, on boring still deeper, thicker seams will be found alternating with shales and sandstones. It has been estimated thac the 22-inch seam will yield about 2250 tons per acre, and that about 15,000 acres in the immediate vicinity of this locality will be coal-bearing. Regarding the quality of the coal, it is difficult to form an estimate from the often very partial reports of interested parties. It is, however, said that the clean picked coal gives very little ash, burns with a clear bright flame, and gives out considerable heat. Some of the large lumps which I have seen contained veins of sandstone varying from half-an-inch to one and a half inch, and to this possibly may be attributed the great amount of " clinker " which it forms on the furnace bars. It is only just to say, that all hitherto tried for steaming purposes has been merely surface coal, and therefore of inferior quality. The coal itself is hard, giving a brown lignite-like appearance on being scratched, shining equal to the appearance of anthracite, and breaking in small cubical fragments. Already a wharf has been built, and considerable works commenced, but I fear, whatever be the t'Ol. '«• and r»X TIIH COAL-l-'IKLDS OF TlIK NoJJTII PACIFIC ( OAHT. 7 quiility of tlio coiil, tlmt it cuu never beeoiuo ol' any iniportanee on uccount of the want of ii harbour. Almost eveiy [>ic'ce of shale is full of carbonaceous vegetable matter, but it is in the sandstone that the great amount of the f(jssil,s are found. The.se ai'o chieliy nuirine shells with some fucoid remains. All of tiic ■shells which 1 obtained (now in the liritish Muscnim) were from these sandstones, and mostly c(jllected from the nodules which had fallen from the cliffs on to the beach. They will be described at a I'uture period, when the; necessaiy examinations shall ha/e been completed. The casual examination which they have already received is, however, quite sullicicmt to estaldish the age of tlu! coal which is associated with tliem. An analysis of some average specimens of the coal gives : — Fixed carbon, . Vohitile matter, Allies, 4(;'4(» 50-!>7 ■2-u:i luo-uo 4. Bdlimjham Bay. — At intervals along the whole coast of I'ugct JSound, these carboniferous sandstones ap])ear. It is also evident that they are continued through to the Columbia lliver, and ill all likelihood crop out on the sides of the wild unexplored Olympian range. The valley between Olympia and the Columbia Kiver, generally known as the Cowlitz Tortage, appears to be a 'coal basin to some extent. Coal has been found not far from the celebrated Mound Prairie, about half-way over, and on the jNIonticello and Cohunbia rivers, but in such small quantities as hitherto to have rendered it unworthy of being wrought. If coal could be found in proximity to the splendid but undeveloped iron mines of the Columbia, the result would be of great com- mercial importance. Near the Squak Prairie, twenty-five miles from the village of Seattle, coal is seen to crop out on the side of the mountain in seams of two or three feet in thickness, Init as its position would render its transportation expensive, it creates but little interest. On the Stoluchwamish lliver, north-east of Seattle, a thin seam of coal has been found, but is not wrought. It is ordy when we arrive at Bcllingham Uay, situated a few miles south of the British boundary line (lat. 49" N.) that we find the coal of sufticient thickness and proximity to the sea to render it of sufficient importance to be mined. Here a comj)any have been at work for a number of years, and export a considerable amount of coal to the San Francisco nuuket. It is of the same <[uality as the other tertiary coals of the coast, and is generally nnxed with a better class of coals before being used. The mines are very full of lire-damp, while the various mines of cretaceous age are entirely free from tliis. From January to August 1808,5080 tons of this coal were inq)orted into San Francisco. The strata 15 H i ! I ■''. 8 KDINHlIKOll (IKOLOLilt'AL riOL'IKTY consist of tlio usual iilteniatioiis of saudstoiie, shale, and coal, and are of immense thickness. The chief fossils found are species oiPlntanus,Alnus,Acrr, Taxiis, Taxodium, and Jiuupcnts. The coal is hetter and harder than that of either C'oose \V\y, or, I think, De Fucas Strait (Clallam liay) ; and owing to the action of eruptive traps and metaniovphic rocks, approaches nearer t(i true coal than any otiier tertiary lignite on the c(,ast. The inUow- in"- is the analysis as given hy Professor W. 1'. lilake, one of our Foreign Corresponding Fellows : — * Fixed carbon, .... -iT'Oli Bitumen, .... ^^^^ii Ash, :ilf> lOUUO 5. Onur localities for Tertiary Coal — Northward of Bellinghani Bay the same coal crops cut. On Fraser Iliver, opposite Fort Langely ; at Burrard Inlet ; on various of the more s(jutherly islands in the Haro Archipelago (Orcas, &c.) ; on Saanich Penin- sula, Vancouver Island; and on the Vancouver shore of I)e Fucas Strait, near Sherringhani Point, some few miles to the east of the Jordan Iliver, it is seen in the cliffs in seams of some two feet to a few inches. In none of these localities has it, however, been wrought, either on account of the want of capital, ignorance of its value, or the inferior character of t 3 out-croj). At Ijurrard Inlet, however, the Hudson Bay Company did many years ago intend opening mines, hut the project was abandoned, on the better coal-seams of Nanaimo being discovered. Since then, the not overthriving town of New Westminster having been founded as the capital of the colony of British Columbia, in pro.ximity to the Inlet, a new company attempted to open out the mines, but I cannot learn that they succeeded. At Saanich, the discovery of coal is of importance on account of its proximity to the town of Victoria, and various attempts have been Tnade to render it available. The last account I had from that quarter informs me that a seap four feet in thickness has been found, and that the proprietors are sanguine as to their ultimate prospects of success. The general ignorance, not only among the colonists, but also among mining engineers on the coast, of the different qualities of the coal-fields, even of the existence of more than one on the island, renders it difficult to arrive at a true estimate of the value of any particular discovery. I believe, however, that the coals here enumerated, and all found south of the Chemainos Eiver, are of tertiary age— the cretaceous series commencing north of that locality. In 186-4, we found coal cropping out in a stream, falling into the Sooke Kiver, not far from whtire we subsequently discovered the gold mines of Leech Iliver, on the * Pac. Railroad, Rep. v. ; and Newberry, Id. lib. iv. 64. ON THE COAL-FFELDS OF TIIK NORTH l'A(jrFIC COAST. 9 Kokeseilah liivor, whore gold in snmll ([imutities luis also been discovered,* as well as on a sti-eani falling into the Cowichan liiver. All of these eoals, however, I believe to belong to the tertiary epoch, and almost, withont doubt, to the same period as those already described, namely, the Miocene period. G. Newer Tertiari/ X//y;u7r,s'.— Though the only lignites on the Nm-th Tacific coast, capable of being utilised as fuel, are of Miocene age, yet there are other lignites of a much more recent date, probably rieistoceno. The cliff at Useless Bay, Whidby's Island, shows the following section : — 1. Alluvial Soil. 2. Boulder Clay. 3. Li},fTute in thin horizontal stra- tum of the same thicknoHs (:j or 4 inches) throughout. 4. Sand. 5. Lignite. 0. Sand. 7. Lignite. 8. SjiikI. !). Lignite. This ligniLc is scarcely yet niucb changed from ii.s former wood; structure, and is quite useless for fuel. In this and other neighbouring localities, in the clays, are found abundant remains of the mastodon, and traditions of the existence of that animal still exist among the Indian tribes of the vicinity.t IV. Secondary Coals. — The whole coast of Vancouver Island, on the east coast, north of Chemainos, and round to Koskeemo Sound, on the westward, and for some distance into the interior, is bounded by a belt of carboniferous strata — com- posed of sandstones, shales, and coarse gravel-stone conglome- rates, interstratified with which are beds of coal of mueli superior character to any hitherto described. These beds, from the fossils they contain, appear to be cretaceous. Everywhere the strata named form a characteristic accompaniment of the coal, especially this coarse conglomerate just named ; and nearly everywhere it is underlaid by one or more seams of coal. Hitherto we have only found it cropping out at some points of the circuit named, though it may reasonably be supposed yet to be found on the opposite shores of British Columbia. The wall of the deep fjords indenting this part of the coast every wdiere are, how- ever, in most cases composed of trap and other igneous rocks, and whatever sedimentary rocks may at one ti .le have reposed on their flanks, have now been washed off by the action of denudation. These localities are in order going north. 1. In Chemainos district, near the river of tJie same name. — Here the characteristic conglomerates prevail, and the Indians told me a very circumstantial story of an out-crop of coal in the mountain. I was however unable to find it, but have, neverthe- * See my ofBciai " Explorations in Vancouver Island " (Victoria, 1864), and " Das Innere der Va.ncouvcr Inscl," Petermann's Geographische Mittheiltmgen, 1869. + See a letter by the writer of this paper to Professor Rupert Jones in Reliquicv Aquiianicce (Tjartet and Christy), part vi. ID EDINBURGH GEOLOGICAL SOCIKTY. l\\ \ I , l'< 1 f less, no doubt but that such exists. North of tliis point the sand- stones associated with the coal strata show along the coast, and in some places are fretted and worn into grottoes and caverns. Coal has been bored for here; but I am not aware that, so far as the sinkings have progressed, that the seams have been passed through. 2. Se Gourcy Islands.— On one of these islands we discovered coal, two feet in thickness, in the cliffs, almost concealed by the foliage, and accompanied, as elsewhere, by shales, sandstone, and conglomerates. 3. Nanaimo.— It is, however, at Nanaimo that these coals, of cretaceous age, have attained their greatest development. Some fificen years ago this coal was discovered by the Indians, and by them communicated to the Hudson Bay Company, who com- menced to work it, and continued to do so until 18G1, when they sold out to an English Company, who have ever since continued to prosecute their works with considerable vigour. This year they liave declared a dividend of fifteen per cent. They are the only coal-producing company in the island, and have now a town of some 500 inhabitants around the mines, with a railway and loco- motive conveying the coal to the "shoots," under which the ships l(jad. At present they only work one pit on the mainland, though on the off-lying islands (such as Newcastle Island) the same coal- measures prevail. On this island the Hudson Bay Company wrought coal for some years. The dip of the strata is acute, and the strike seaward, so that in any borings a considerable depth must be sought before the upper seams can be found. A section of the pit at present wrought will give a key to the whole subject of the nature of the lithology of the coal-seams. It will be noticed that in it the conglomerate does not appear ; but again on the island, and nearer the shore, it shows itself. Dr Hector has furnished a problematical section of this coal,* and though some of its details arc erroneous, it may be received as a fair diagram- matic view of the strata here. The strata in the pit in descend- ing order are — 1. Alluvial soil, gravels, sand. 2. Five feet hard sandstone. 3. Nine feet shale. 4. Two feet four inches fine sandstone. 5. Eighteen feet blue shales. 6. T>.cnty inches sandstone (gritty). 7. Six feet coal. 8. Finer gritty sandstone. , W This forms the floor of the pit, which is 121 feet in deptli, l)ut it is expected that under this will be found other seams of coal. Tliere are eight niclines in the dip of the length of 400 yards. The bearing of the level is 24° E. of S., and the dip from 1 to 3^^°. At present there are forty-seven men employed on the works, and some eighteen supernumeraries. About 120 tons of coal were raised per diem at the time of my last visit. This » Quart. Journ. Geol. Sue. 18G1, vol. xvii. pi. xiii. p. 888. ON THE COAL-riKLDS OF THE NORTH T'ACIFIC COAST. 11 coal is sold at $7 per ton to vessels calling, and to those loading lor San Francisc(», when import duties are' chargeable on it, at |G per ton. In San Francisco it brings $13 per ton ; and at Victoria, only ninety miles south, where it is chiefly used, being brought down by small schooners, it is sold retail at $11 per ton * The ibllowing tables show the particulars of the export for last year :— Table showing the Coal Exported from Nanaivio,for the, year ending •AUt December 18(58. Tons. Cwt. January, .... 3,815 05 February, .... 4,536 05 March, ..... 5,453 15 April, ..... 4,876 15 May, ..... 4,169 10 June, ..... 3,355 05 July, ..... 4,615 15 Aujrust, ..... 4,141 15 September, .... 1,206 00 October, ..... 2,630 10 November, .... 2,621 15 December, .... 2,355 10 Total shipments in 1868, Total shipments in 1867, 43,778 31,239 00 05 Increase in favour of 1868, . 12,538 15 Of the above shipments in 18G8 there were shipped to Tons. Cwt. San Francisco, . , 23,799 00 Victoria, V.I., . 7,967 00 Portland, Oregon, , 3,124 00 Sitka, Alaska, 2,295 00 Acapulco, Mexico, . 1,305 00 Use of Her Majesty's ship.s. and other steamers calling, • • 5,288 00 43,778 00 3rt. Charactc of the Kanaimo Coal. — The coal itself is bright, tolerably hard, and not unlike some of the best qualities of English or Welsh coal in appearance. It burns freely with a good heat, but produces a great amount of ash. It is universally used by all Her Majesty's ships on the coast, and by all of the Colonial and other steamers plying on the coast. It is highly valued as fuel fov domestic purposes, botli in Victoria, San Francisco, and other towns. Gas is manufactured from it at Victoria of good illuminating quality. No lire-damp has hitherto been found in the mine. The coal is easily wrought ; a miner being able, under * The following note witli which 1 am favoured by Mr S. M. Robins, the Secy, of tlie "Vancouver Coal Company," shows tho export for the last six years: — 1863, 21,304 tons; 1864, 28,CS2 tons; 18('5, 32,819 tons; 18GG, 25,115 tons; 18G7, 31,239 tons; 1808,43,778. 1 12 EDINBURGH GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. favourable circumstances, to take out about 2| tons in his work- ing time, which at the rate of 5s. per ton for his clear dressed coal, will net him about lis. per diem. Most of the miners are from Scotland or Lan.. ..shire, and generally employ an Indian to clean their coal for them. They rarely work a full day, prefer- ring to earn a constant moderate wage, rather than run the chance of getting the price lowered, by their producing the coal in greater quantities. An analysis of the coal by Dr Newbeny gives :— Fixed Carbon, Volatile Matter, Ash, . 51-81 44-30 3-89 100-00 A second (which I have adopted) made from better specimens gives Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Sulphur, Oxygen, Ashes, . 66-93 5-32 1-02 2-20 8-70 15-83 100-00 The specific gravity was 1-24. 3h. Fossil Remains. — In the sandstones are found various species of Inoceramus, Baculitcs, Ammonites (commonly), Pcden, JVatica, Aladra, Tellina, Trigonia, Emori, Cythera leoncnsis (very common). Area, Exogyra. Ostrca, Rostellaria, Psammobia, &c.; and in the shales various specimens of dicotyledonous and monocotylodonons plants, the leaves of which are perfectly preserved. The plant remains are wholly confined to the shales, and the animal almost entirely to the sandstones. Further north, fossils are found in no- dules of sandstone which have fallen from the cliff, and got worn round by the action of the waves. Out of the shales here flows a salt spring, which produces salt of good quality.* Behind, and out of the limits of the present Coal Company's grant, the beds of coal crop out again, showing in one place a clear face of 11 feet of pure coal. This has been taken up by the "Harewood Company" — an English concern, but as yet nothing has been done to develope the mines. The whole of tliis coal-field is, however, much broken up by faults and other dis- turbing influences. 4. Bayne's Sound, Browns River, d'c. — North of Nanaimo the coal strata disappear for some distance, but on the shores of Bayne's Sound coal has been found in considerable quantity, and * Tho sprinj? ia capablo of supplying about a jrnlkm a niinuto. The briiio has a specific gravity of lO'OO, ami yields, on analysis, 3-440 t,'miiia oF salt to tho iinpi'rial gallon. Another spring on Salt Spring Island yields 4 '.•94 graino per imperial gallon. ON THK COAL-FIEI.US OF THE NOllTH PACIFIC COAST. i; ► it is only the want of a suitable harbour which prevents this being an excellent place for mining. Already a coal company is in course of " prospecting it." In Valdez Inlet coal has been found, and some nine miles into the interior, on the banks of a river which bears my name, immense beds of coal were discovered by the expedition under my command. Again, on the shores on the lake whence the Puntledge (of which Brown's liiver is a tributary) rises, I saw pieces of coal, and though unable to find the seam wliere they had fallen out of, yet I observed the same sandstone strata associated with the coal on the river there. There are two seams on Brown's liiver — a thinner, and a thicker one of eight feet — and from the dip and general inclination, I believe that the coal which crops out in Valdez Inlet is the con- tinuation of the upper seam at Brown's Iliver. The coal here is of a better quality than that of Nanaimo, and produces excellent coke. AVe mined out huge blocks of it for our camp fire, alarming all the bears and other wild animals in the neighbourhood by the unwonted brilliancy with which we lit up the gloomy pine forest. On Salmon Eiver, according to Indian report, coal crops out. 5. Sukwash. — North of this locality the trap rocks only appear until we come to a stream called Sukwash by the Indians, two miles south of Fort Kupert, when it again makes its appearance under the same conditions as before. Here the Hudson Bay Com- pany mined it for some time, but have long ago discontinued the works, which have again begun to be tried by another company, who propose to carry it to Fort Itupert Harbour as their port of shipment ; but independently of other considerations, the usual iinancial troubles inlierent in colonial companies will prevent this scheme being realised for some time at least. From Sukwash is a valley which goes right through to Koskeemo Sound on the otlier side of the island. This basin is, I believe, one of coal deposit, and the coal at Sukwash is of the same nature, and con- tinuous with the extensive coal seams of Koskeemo Sound on the other side. 'J. Koskeemo Goal Scams- The sounds of Quatseeno and Kos- keemo are situated on the north-west coast of Vancouver Island * about 240 miles seaward from Victoria. The sound is one vast harbour, entered from the Pacific, and ramifying into a south- east arm, an east arm, and a west arm. The land in the vicinity of this inlet was acquired by an English company some years ago, who expended a considerable amount of money in causing a proper survey to bo made of their mineral riches. These surveys were chiefly confided to INIr J. J. Landale, who has been alrea 50 ^ CO ^ t- r-: cc g . O (M -f o 2 a lO 1 a ^1 o o ^" .5 <^' o lo oj gas 3^ 0) 5 ^- r-i r-i > .-S O O O ? a -t_) o • o o t.-^ ■'"^ -t< O rt^ (M -^ 1^ CO o lo CO as o CO ^ (M (M o t^ »o o o CO O 1— t O T-H o -t< < ec o Tt< t- t- 0 -^ (M o o to 1— ( CO CO t- C^l CO I i-'P : : : : • t^ t- CO O CO 00 • CO CO • • • * o C^l tH rH >o 0 CO • C^l lO . . . . -i^ 1—1 rH CO Ci (M • o (M : : : : • ^A «^ o rH 1-H O O i-H rH rH £d "^ »-l O -t^ O -M CO - t- CO -^^ CO JD^ . . . . * ^ in • • • • • w ^ CO »o lO o uo »o (M lO -^t^ fl J^- CO CO (M lO Ci »o CO to CO o -t o O o 00 CO lO lO lO CO rfH Ci 1-H CO ■* lo o • CD CO O r-l o 00 t^ 1> CO t^ CO 05 to CO rj< -^ "^ lO t^ cS >» O • 1^ •«-! 5 lO in CO as . . '^ —, -3 o O O 1 ■4-9 ^ ^ 1 H^ Vi 3 • ;r3 • pq • <1 • a s s ■4.4 P^ ^ c^ p; O OQ Ph HH . J?C -C O I^MPhOO^ _o -a • CO 3 S J ^v_ Y" ON THE COAL-FIKLDS OF THE NORTH I'ACIFIC COAST. 23 VIII. Conclusion. — It is apparent, from what I have said, that there are abundant supplies of coal o' ; tlie Nortli Pacific, sufficient, if properly developed, for the supply of the railroads and steamers, wliich are yearly on the increase ; hut that the only coal iitted for steaming purposes is found in the British posses- sions, all others being of tertiary age, and very inferior in quality. In these coal-fields British Columbia has within itself the ele- ments of lasting prosperity, which, if properly managed, might be the means of raising the colony from its present state of com- mercial depression to a condition the reverse of this. The high lates of labour will, however, long act as a deterrent to the full development of tlie mineral riches of the coast, but this obstacle is gradually lessening in magnitude. It is not the province of this paper to enter upon the discussion of what exi)ense would .be incurred in opening up these mines, — even did its lindts admit of such a digression. 1>