<^,

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT~3)

il.25

^ 1^ 120

I U IL6

mil

Mlii

Photographic

Sciences

Corporalion

13 VMIT l*'Mi STMIT
,/1«)l7a-4S03

«'

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHM/ICMH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian Inttituta for Historical IMicroraproductions / institut Canadian da microraproductcions liistoriqua*

Tdchnical and Bibliographic Notea/Notas tachniquaa at bibliographiquaa

Tha Inatituta haa attamptad to obtain tlia baat
originai copy avaiiabia for filming. Faaturaa of thia
copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua,
which may altar any of tha imagaa in tha
raproduction, or which may algnificantly changa
tha uaual mathod of filming, ara chacicad balbw.

D
D

Colourad covara/
Couvartura da coulaur

I I Covara damagad/

Couvartura andommagte

Covara raatorad and/or laminated/
Couvartura raataurte at/ou palliculte

I I Covar titia miaaing/

La titra da couvartura manqua

Colourad mapa/

Cartaa gtegraphiquaa an coulaur

Colourad inic (l.a. othar than blua or black)/
Encra da coulaur (l.a. autra qua blaua ou noira)

I I Colourad plataa and/or liluatrationa/

Planchaa et/ou liluatrationa an coulaur

Bounc? with othar matarial/
Rail* avac d'autraa documanta

Tight binding may cauaa ahadowa or diatortion
along intarior margin/

Laraliura aarria paut cauaar da I'ombra ou da la
diatortion la long d J la marga intiriaura

Blank laavaa addad during raatoration may
atspaar within tha taxt. Whanavar poaaibia, thaaa
hava baan omittad from filming/
11 aa paut qua cartainaa pagaa blanchaa ajoutiaa
lora d'una raatauration apparaiaaant dana la taxta,
mala, loraqua cala itait posalbia, caa pagaa n'ont
paa 4tA filmAaa.

Additional commanta:/
Commantairaa aupplAmantairaa:

L'Inatitut a microfilm* la malllaur axampiaira
qu'll lu! a *tA poaaibia da aa procurar. Laa dAtaila
da cat axampiaira qui aont paut-Atra uniquaa du
point da vua bibliographiqua, qui pauvant modifiar
una imaga raproduita, ou qui pauvant axigar una
modification dana la mAthoda normala da filmaga
aont IndiquAa ci-daaaoua.

□

D
Q
D
D
D

Colourad pagaa/
Pagaa da coukiur

Pfagaa damagad/
Pagaa andommagAaa

Pagaa raatorad and/or lamlnatad/
Pagaa raataurAaa at/ou paillculAaa

Pagaa diacoiourad, atainad or foxad/
Pagaa dAcoioriaa, tachattea ou piquiaa

Pagaa datachad/
Pagaa d^tachAaa

Showthrough/
Tranaparanca

Quality of print varlaa/
Qualit* InAgala da I'lmpraaaion

Includaa auppiamantary matarial/
Comprand du material auppi^mantalra

Only adMon avaiiabia/
Saula Mition diaponibia

Pagaa wholly or partially obacurad by arrata
alipa, tiaauaa, ate., hava baan raflimad to
anaura tha baat poaaibia Imaqa/
Laa pagaa totalamant ou partlallamant
obacurciaa par un fauillat d'arrata. una palura,
ate, ont 4t4 filmAaa i nouvaau da fa9on i
obtanir la maiilaura imaga poaaibia.

Iliia itam la filmad at tha raduotion ratio ehackad balow/

Ca documant aat film* au taux da rMuetion indlqu* ei>daaaou8.

d
al
b
ri
n
n

10X

14X

18X

22X

26X

aox

12X

16X

aox

a4X

•

Hails
■ du
iodifi«r
r un«
Imago

The copy filmod horo has boon roproducod thanks
to tho gonorosity of:

Library of tho Public
Archives of Canada

Tho Imagos appoaring horo aro the boot quality
posslblo eonsMorlng tho condition and loglblllty
of tho original copy and In kooping with tho
filming contract spociflcatlons.

Original coplos In printed papor covers aro filmed
beginning with the front cover and ending on
the last, pegs with a printed or iliustrated Impres-
sion, or tho back cover when appropriate. Ail
other original coploe ere filmed lioginning on the
first page with a printed or illustrated impres-
sion, and ending on the last page with a printed
or Illustrated Impression.

L'exemplaire fllmA fut roproduit grico A la
ginArosit* do:

La bibltothdque dos Archives
publiques du Canada

Los imagos sulvantes ont 4tA reproduites avec le
plus grand soln, compto tenu do la condition et
do la nottetA do rexempleire filmA, ot on
conformM avec los conditions du contrat de
fllmago.

Ljm exemplairos origineux dont la couverture en
pepier est ImprimAo sont filmfo en commen^ant
par la premier plat et en terminant soit par la
dernlAro page qui comporte une emprointe
d'impresslon ou d'illustrstion, soit par le recond
plot, selon le cas. Tous los autros exemplairos
origlnaux sont fllmAs en common^ant par la
premlAro page qui comporte une emprointe
d'impresslon ou d'illustration et en terminant par
la domlAro page qui comporte une telle
emprointe.

The last recorded frame on each microfiche
shell contain the symbol -^ (moaning "CON-
TINUED"), or the symbol ▼ (meaning "END"),
whichever applies.

Un dos symbolos suivants apparattra sur la
dornlAro Image de cheque microfiche, selon le
cas: le symbolo -^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le
symbole ▼ signifie "FIN".

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 upp^r loft hand corner, left to
right end top to bottom, as many frames as
required. Tho following diagrams illustrate the
method:

Los cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre
filmis A dos taux de rAduction diff Arents.
Lorsque le document est tr«>p grand pour Atre
roproduit en un soul cilchA, 11 est f limA A pertir
de I'anglo supArlour gauche, de gauche A droite,
et de haut on bas, en prenant io nombre
d'imagos nAcessaire. Los diegrammes suivants
illustront la mAthodo.

»rrata
to

polure,
nA

(

THE

GOLD FIELDS OF CANADA:

A PAPER BEAD BEFOKE THE

ftortj onit MstaM ^Drittij nf dimh,

ISin November, 1863,

BY REV. JAMES DOUGLAS.

<«•♦-

QUEBEC:
PRINTED BY HUNTER, ROSE & 00., ST. URSULE STREET.

1863.

ni
bi
m
•w

aJ
b

t]
i1
e

a
d

t
t

8
8

d
i

THE OOLD FIELDS OF CANADA,

The first discovery of gold in Canada was made by a woman ,
near the mouth of the river Touffe de Pins, or Gilbert, a tri-
butary of the Chaudi^re, some forty years ago, but it attracted
no attention. In 1834, another woman, taking a horse to
water near the same spot, perceived, as she supposed, a stone
glittering in the bed of the river, and thinking it curious
enough to preserve, took it home with her. It was not however
till the following year that she became aware of its viilue. Shortly
afterwards the discovery was made public in SiUinn.in's Journal^
by General Baddeley, then a lieutenant of the Engineers, and
one of the most active promoters of our society. He stated that
the piece lately found weighed 10.63 grs. He wj»s not aware that
it had been chopped off a nugget, the remainder of which weigh-
ed 1066 grs. His information was, therefore, not calculated to
arouse any other than scientific excitement. So little interest, in-
deed, did the discovery occasion, that no mention of the important
event is made in either of the cotemporary newspapers. Had
gold mining, however, been then understood as it has been since
the discoveries in California and Australia have revolutionized
the system of working, and abolished the old and cumbrous method,
some excitement might possibly have arisen, and the mineral re-
sources of our country have been developed long ago. As it was, the
discovery was again almost totally forgotten, the only person, seem-
ingly, who took any interest in it being the Seignior, M, DeL^ry.

One of the earliest reports of the Geological Survey, that of
1847-48, contains a long description of the geological formation
which extends throughout the auriferous region of Canada, and
points out its resemblance to the geological features of those

THE aOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

other regions, upon this and other continents, where gold has been
discovered, but especially its intimate relation to those parts of
Vermont and the Southern States, whose rocks and alluvial de-
posits are auriferous. And almost every subsequent report, up to
1858, contains further information on the geological and mineral-
ogical characteristics of our gold fields — information so minute
and correct, that nothing of importance has been added to our
knowledge of the subject from other quarters.

Curiously enough, at this very time gold was found to exist in
minute quantities in a vein on the 17th lot of the 7th range of
Ascot, near Sherbrooke, thereby, at this early stage, exhibiting
the wide range of the auriferous field.

Exploration was now carried on vigorously on the Chaudi^re
and its tributaries, and it soon appeared that the main river and
all its tributaries, great and small, from Ste. Marie almost up to
Lake Megantic, were, more or less, charged with gold. Owing to
the sluggishness of the main stream up to its junction with the
Du Loup, that is, over at least twenty miles of its auriferous bed,
nothing more than prospecting has been done upon it, except at
one or two spots where it has laid bare the ledge, as at the Devil's
Rapids. There a highly remunerative quantity of large gold has
been found. But, while all its tributaries were discovered to be
auriferous, it was found that, at least below the bend of the river,
at the mouth of the Da Loup, the streams which flowed in from
the west were poorer than those which drained the ridge on its
east bank. These are the Guillaume, the Des Plantes, the Touffe
de Pins, and the Famine, with a number of insignificant rivulets.
Where the Chaudiore and the Du Loup join, they are streams of
about equal bulk. Here the Chaudi6re takes a bend and runs
almost due north and south, while the Du Loup flows in from the
south-east. The current of the Chaudii^re becomes now much more
rapid, and at two spots, at the Greater and Lesser Falls, both within
two miles of the junction, the ledge is exposed for a considerable
distance. At both these spots gold was early found jammed in the
crevices of the slate. More recently, the streams above thi3 point.

THE GOLD FIELDS OF CANADA. ©

especially the StaflFord Brook on the right bank and the Cond6 on
the left, have been successfully washed for gold. The same result
has attended the exploration of the Du Loup and its tributaries, up
the boundary line of the State of Maine.

In 1846, M. BeLory obtained al patent from the Crown, giving
him the exclusive right forever to work for gold within the limits
of his seigniory. The conditions of the patent are : " That our
said grantees, their heirs and assigns forever, shall strictly con-
form to all laws and usages in force, and applying in that behalf,
that they shall well and truly repay to other our loving subjects
such damages and compensations as may from time to time accrue
in consequence of the ground occupied, the opening of roads, and
other like causes from the operations in working the said mines.
And also, upon the condition that before working the same, they do
transmit and deposit with our Secretary of our said Province a true
and correct statement of the nature, situation and extent of the
said ores, minerals and mines. And further, upon condition of
transmitting, in each and every year, to our Receiver General for
our said Province, a true and correct account of the gross product
of the same, io such form and manner as our heirs and successors
may be pleased to direct ; and j_also, upon condition of well and
truly paying and delivering, in each and every year, from the time
of melting the said ores for the first time in working furnaces,
unto our Receiver General, or such other person as may have
authority from us, our heirs and successors, one-tenth part of the
whole gross product of the said ores, minerals, Tand substances
thereunto appertaining whatever ; the said one-tenth part being
melted, cast and prepared in the same manner as the like may be
for the behoof of our said grantees, nnd refined according to the
laws of France, as confirmed by the Edict of His Most Christian
Majesty of the month of June, 1601 ; and it is further our will
and pleasure that our said grantees have a remission of the said
one-tenth part for five years from and after the date of these pre-
sents."

In accordance with the conditions of his patent, he had the dis-
trict explored by Mr. Cunningham ; but unwilling to run the risk

THE GOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

of working himself, leased all his rights to the Ohaudi^re Mining
Company, in consideration of receiving an improved royalty,
amounting, for the first portion of the leasehold term, to twenty-
five per cent., and for the latter to thirty-three and a-half per cent.
This arrangement not being found to answer, the improved royalty
was bought up for a fixed sum. The company obtained also the
right of working in the fief of La Barbe, through which the lower
part of the Famine flows.

It began its operations on the Touffe de Pins, at a point about a
mile from its mouth, where the river had gradually receeded from
its original bed, leaving behind it an extensive flat covered with eight
or ten feet of debris. Here the company worked for several years, but
so unskilfully and so lavishly that the receipts did not cover the
expenditure. It is to be regretted that the first attempt should
have been made under circumstances so little likely to prove suc-
cessful, for the signal failure of the company helped to retard the
progress of the mines,, The Des Phntes was also worked in seve-
ral places. At one spot, immediately above the first fall, a rich
deposit was struck upon, which yielded, for several weeks, from
three to ten ounces a day. Here also was tried the experiment of
dry-digging. The deluvial deposit was washed from the hill-side
far above the level of the brook, and, though not wit^ such sue*
cess as to encourage the company to proceed, yet with sufficient to
prove the existence of so much diflused gold as would entitle any
one to employ, with a confident hope of remuneration, some more
rapid system of washing, such as the hydraulic process described
by Mr. Hunt in the Canadian Naturalist of April last. This
stream is peculiarly suited, likewise, for such an experiment, its
bed being narrow and the enclosing* hills steep, while a supply of
water, with a head of seventy or eighty feet, may bo had from a
fall not half a mile distant from the old dry diggings.

It was on this stream and on the Famine that the company was
working, when Lord Elgin visited the mines in 1853.

On the latter river but little was done, and that on so small a
scale as not fairly to test its capabilities. As, however, it has

THE QOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

always been a favorite stream with the habitants, it must have
produced a considerable quantity of gold.

In size the gold of the Famine resembles that of the Du Loup,
being smaller than that of the TouflFe de Pins, where again there
is much less large gold than upon the Des Plantes. From the
circumstance of its only being found in rapids, the gold of the
main river is uniformly heavier than that of any of its tributaries ;
but if the flats were washed, they would probably be found
impregnated with the finest dust.

While the Chaudidre Mining Company was working within
its limits, the Canada Mining Company obtained the right to wash
for gold on the flats at the mouth of the Du Loup. Here it
carried on extensive operations in the summers of 1851 and '52.
Its works were superintended by an old Cornish miner, a Captain
Otey, who adopted the system used in Cornwall for washing
alluvial tin. As reported in the Geological Report for 1852, "The
gravel for about three-eight of ao a-^re, with an average thickness
of two feet, was washed and yielded 2,107 dwts. of gold, of which
160 were in the form of fine dust, mingled with about one ton of
black iron sand, the heavy residue of the washing. The value of
the gold was $1,826, and the whole expenditure connected with
the Washing, $1,643, leaving a profit of $182.

" In 1852, above three-eighths of an acre were washed, and the
total amount of gold obtained was 2,880 dwts., valued at $2,496,
Of this 307 were in the form of fine dust mixed with the iron sand.
Nine of the nuggets found weighed together 468 dwts., the largest
being about 127, and the smallest about 11 dwts. Small and
unimportant portions of platinum and iridosmiue were found.
The washing lasted from the 24th May to October 30th, and the
sum expended for labor was $1,888, leaving a profit of $608."*

Had the same amount of labour been as systematically and
sdientifioally employed elsewhere, there ia reason to think the
result would have been more encouraging : for at the spot selected
the gold is so fine and so widely scattered, that it would be impos-

* Geoltg7 of Canada, page 871.

THE GOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

sible to gain a moderate daj's wages in panning, whereas in the
more restricted channels of some of the smaller streams, panning is
remunerative. The experiment is all the more valuable, however,
on that very account.

The Canada Gold Mining Company was obliged to abandon its
w«}rks on account of some disagreement with the proprietor of the
land adjoining.

On the same spot the Napanee Company endeavored afterwards
to sink a shaft through the slate, in the hope of finding beds of
auriferous sand beneath, such as in California they believed to
yield the richest returns ; but after two years' boring, they
abandoned their foolish attempt.

Since 1855, the diggings have been abandoned to the depreda-
tions of the hahitants. It was their interest to conceal any
success which attended their panning, lest tribute should be
demanded of them. But as it requires more than an ordinary
inducement to drag the habitant from his warm stove to work
knee-deep in water all day long, few were tempted. The only
men who have worked perseveringly are the Poulins. There are
five brothers, all men brought up to a bush life, and better able,
therefore, to endure the fatigues of gold-washing than their neigh-
bors. They are not lacking in intelligence, and two, at least, are
intensely avaricious — eminent qualifications for successful gold-
seekers. It has always been as diflicuit to estimate their success as
to catch them at work. Their fire might frequently be found
burning, and the picks and shovels they had thrown down in their
haste to escape, but never themselves. The difficulty of finding
them was enhanced by their mode of operating. Opening a pass-
age in the side of a bank not larger than would allow them to
crawl in, they struck the ledge, and by degrees bored their way
along its surface, clearing it of the subjacent gold without display-
ing the extent of their work. One of them, last suirmer, admit-
ted having »7orked for years, but nothing more precise could be
elicited than that he had at times '' found very little, but at others
a good deal/' Another brother, when asked by the curi to give

THE GOLD FIELDS 07 CANADA.

the church gold to gild the high altar, replied he could give what
would gild the whole church. Exaggerated reports have, no
doubt, .gone abroad of their wealth; but, nevertheless, they must
have found more than the wretched manner in which they live
would lead one to infer, for their good fortune has not in the least
improved their outward condition. The gold being stolen, they
were always fearful of doing anything which would disclose their
success. ''

Yet, however much they may have foun'^ while scouring the
river bed, they probably never struck on any such rich deposit
as that which has created so unusual a fever throughout the pro-
vince during the past summer. The spot is on the north branch
of the river Gilbert, about four miles from its mouth. It was too
late in the season, when the discovery was made, to do more than
ascertain its exceeding richness, but so soon as the spring freshets
had subsided, they betook thomselves to work, and with such suc-
cess, that the fame of their good fortune spread rapidly through
the parish, and the most impussive of the habitants flocked to the
locality. The river was explored for about a mile of its length,
and two spots selected as the richest y one on the lot of a man
called Veilleux, the other about fifteen acres lower down, on
Kodrigue's land. The up^ier diggings attracted the greatest
crowds, and up to the middle of July, Rodrigue himself and three
of the Poulins, his associates, were undisturbed in their possession
of the lower diggings. Within the six weeks — from the beginning
of JuQje till near the middlo of July — several acres of ground
in Veilleux's lot were thickly perforated with holes, and the bed
of the river pretty thoroughly washed out. The bailiff, who was
sent by Mr. De L6ry to drive them off, took down the ne iCS of
about seventy persons. Of these a large proportion were, per-
haps, merely looking on; but, judging by the quantity of work got
through, there must have been as many as fifty people, on an
average, washing during the six weeks. Very few were willing
to make returns, not so much, perhaps, through dishonesty, as
because^ yrhen demanded, the gold was sold and the proceeds die-

THE OOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

posed of. The largest piece found was said to have beec picked
up by a woman named Parr^, and to have been sold for £22. One
party of sis, including the two most noted Poulins, acknowledged
finding fifteen ounces in three days ; and another party, of the
same number of hands, found six and a half ounces in two dajrg.
After the unlicensed diggers were drive n off, part of the location
was thoroughly washed with ground sluices by Messrs. Parker,
Hagens & Co., who have bought a continuation of the lease,
under the superintendence of a Californian, Mr. Percival. The
work might have paid, had not so much unproductive labor been
expended in clearing away the ground already worked. Between
the upper and lower diggings the stream is rppid, and flows often
over a bare ledge, but is still bordered on the right by narrow
alluvial flats (which, however, w ere not found to be sufficiently
productive to be worked profitably with such appliances as were used
last summer), and on the left by a steep ridge, which it is gradu-
ally cutting away. The lower diggings seem to have been caused
by a bar of hard rock, which, crossing the stream almost at right
angles, appears ta have intercepted the gold in its downward pro-
' ^^s; for below the bar nothing of any consequence has been
found, while immediately above it the yield has been enormous.
The soil became poorer as it receded upwards. It was just above
the bar that Rodrigue and his company worked the bed of the
river in the beginning of the season, and it was here they bought
the location which has proved so rich. Up to the middle of July
no work had been done upon the banks, the crowd being refined
at the upper diggings, and the bed of the stream affording occupa-
tion enough to the four, men who composed Rodrigue's paioy.
They worked eleven full days, and found, with nothing better than
tin pans, 10 lbs. of gold. And be it said to their credit, they were
honest enough to admit it, and give a quartp^ in tribute.

The location which, after this, Rodrigue and his party bought was
one hundred and fifty feet long by fifty feet wide. They selected a
part to work themselves, and sold the rest piece-meal, at prices
which moat have brought them in seyeri^ times what thej j^aid

IHE aOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

for the whole. Their find, after exhausting the bed of the river,
somewhat fell off; but while washing the banks they got, for in-
stance, one day 1 pound, and the following 10 ounces. But it
must be remembered that this was with the assistance of a ground
sluice, whereas previously they had used only a tin pan. Their
largest piece was sold for $200 ; the next largest weighed almost a
quarter of a pound. What they found ic all they did net know
themselves, as they frequently sold parcels of gold without keeping
accurate account of it; but the proceeds of the summer did
not probably amount to less than 24 tbs., which would give
6 Ifos. (worth $129G) to each man ; or, supposing them to
have worked eighty days, that is twenty days a month for four
months, which is more than probably they did, their wages were
per man over $16 a day, and deducting tribute during the early
part of the season and the price of location, say $14. One day
Bodrigue, working alone with an old man, panned 2 ounces 2
dwts. and 8 grains, worth $88. Their success, however,
must not be taken as the measure of others' fortune. None else
'Were so lucky as they, and few of those who purchased locations
higher up than Bodrigue's or further from the river, were repaid
for the outlay and their time. This has been and always will be
the fate of gold diggers. To reduce the average find to one dol-
lar a day per man, which is Australian wages, sixteen men must
find nothing to compensate for the good fortune of one such as
Rodrigue.

The conditions under which the alluvial gold is found vary
with the different character of the river beds. The Des Plantes,
between the lower and upper falls, where alone any mining has
been done, is narrow and precipitous ; there is, therefore, but
littHe depth of deposit upon the ledge, and that of a gravelly na-
ture ; hence the gold is found in largest quantity upon the ledge.
The bed consists of a hard grauwacke schist, dipping almost per-
pendicularly and interstratified by large dykes of serpentine. Above
the second fall its character total!;- changes, and it runs sluggishly
over a kind of plateau. This part has not been thoroughly ex-

THE GOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

plored. The Toaffe de Pins is also rapid, but the valley through
which it runs is seldom so narrow. Beds of clay alternate with
those of gravel to the depth, sometimes, of eight and twelve feet ;
and a stiff clay, when lying immediately upon the slate, is often as
rich throughout as where it rests upon the ledge. This was the
case at several spots at the Rodrigue mine. The bed is composed
of dark slate, very open in its cleavage. The Famine resembles
generally che Touffe de Pins ; but about a mile and a half above
the falls, that is about five miles from its mouth, there commences
an extensive deposit of clay, sand, and gravel. Sir W. Logan re-
ports, in 1850-51, having << followed the section made through it
by the river fof%.bout a mile and a-half, and constantly found the
clay beneath and the gravel resting on it. Toward the top of the
gravel, the bank often presented a horizontal deposit of mingled
ozyde of iron and manganese, in some parts six and eight inches
thick, filling the interstices among pebbles of various kinds. Gold
is found in the underlying gravel as well as in the clay beneath ;
both of which deposits appear to belong to the modified drift." *
A great quantity of gold is said to have been found this last sum-
mer about the head waters of the river. Gold occurs in the
Metgermet, a tributary of the Du Loup, under the same curious
coudition as in the Famine. There the beds of stratified material
attain a height of fifty feet above the bed of the river.

Where gold has been most extensively worked in the Du Loup,
that is at its mouth, the deposit is composed of loose gravel,
averaging not above two feet in thickness.

With regard to the quality of Chaudi^re alluvial gold : an assay
of a sample made by Messrs. Thomas, Abell & Co. shows it to be
3 1 grains worse than standard, with 28 dwts. of silver per
lb. But different samples vary greatly in their purity, ac-
cording to the size of the gold and the locality whence it
comes. The following results of assays by Mr. Hunt are given
in the report of 1852-53, and are repeated in the General Re-
port of the Geological Survey : — A small mass from St. Francis,

* Alto, General Report, page 139.

THE GOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

Beauoe, contained 13.27 per cent, of silver. The speoifio gravity
of five worn fragments of gold from Riviere da Loup was as fol-
lows : 15,76,— 16.49,— 16,65— 17.60,— 17.77. The third speci-
men, after being hammered into a thin plate and annealed, had a
specific gravity of 17.024, and gave 13.60 per cent, of silver. The
fifth, after a similar treatment, acquired a speoifio gravity of 17.848,
and gave 12.23 per cent, of silver. A third specimen, in fine scales,
had a density of 16,57, and contained 10.76 per cent, of silver.
It would seem from the variations in specific gravity, that these
specimens of native gold were not homogeneous, but were caver-
nous, and held earthy impurities. An apparently pure fragment,
weighing 7.5 grammes, - had a specific gravity of 16.76; but by
prolonged fusion with nitre and carbonate of soda, it lost 1.76 per
cent, of its weight, and acquired a specific gravity of 17.43. In
the assays above given the gold was precipitated by oxalic acid from
its solutions, which contained, besides, only traces of copper and
iron. The pure gold thus separated, after fusion with nitre, had
a specific gravity of 18.68 — 19.94, as determined on two specimens.

A portion of the gold dust from the washings at the Bividre du
Loup ^as subjected to amalgamation, and left one third of its
weight of black ferruginous sand, of which eighteen per cent, were
magnetic. The ncn-magnetic portion was rendered soluble by the
successive action of hydrochloric acid and fused bisulphate of
potash, leaving 4.8 per cent, of silicious residue. From the solu-
tions which contained iron and chromium, ebullution threw down
23.15 per cent, of titanic acid. The liquid was examined without
success for tin, uranium, cerium, and the rarer metals, which are
sometimes found in the auriferous gravel of other regions. The
gold obtained by the distillation of the amalgam lost 4.27 per cent,
of its weight by fusion with borax, and the assay of the resulting
ingot gave 12.87 per cent, of silver. This gold contained neither
copper nor palladium, but a minute trace of platinum. '''*'

As much uncertainty must exist with regard to the source of the
gold, as to the mode of its distribution. Till, in fact, the latter ques-

* General Beport, page 520.

THE GOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

tion is satisfactorily settled, it would be unsafe to decide posttiyely
on the first. Sir W. Logan speaks cautiously, therefore, when he
says : — " The source of the gold appears to be the crystalline
schists of the Notre Dame range, and the materials derived from
their disintegration not only constitute the superficial material
among the hills of this range, but are spread over a considerable
area to the south of them." In the report for 1852, Sir William
attempts aleo to define the geological position of the auriferous
drift : he supposes it to be of greater antiquity than the drifts
occupying the valley of the St. Lawrence, which contains remains
of the whale, seal and two species of fish. The highest point at
which this drift occurs is in the Montreal mountain, at 470 feet
above the sea level, whereas the lowest point of the surface of the
Ghaudidre drift is 800 feet. No traces of organic remains have
been discovered in the Chaudidre drift.

Whether quartz be the original matrix of all gold or not, a
good deal of the large gold on the Ghaudi^re is found with more
or less quartz adhering to it, and several specimens from placer-de-
posits are almost embedded in this rock : and that although no vein
yielding such large gold has yet been opened. The same difficul-
ties exist to some extent in accounting for the aquaecus distribu-
tion of the precious metal on the abrasian theory here as else-
where. Yet the agency of water in a'icumulating the gold at all
those spots where an unusual quantity has been found is very
apparent. At the top of the Des Plantes fall, and at Rodrigue's
location, a high ledge of harder rock than the slate which it
intersects crosses the river, forming just such a barrier against
the action of the water upon gold, as is the bar in the cradle or
the tie.

But though no very productive gold-bearing vein has been
opened, it is true that in several of the many veins which cut the
slate, specks of visible gold have been discovered, and in a few
instances, very pretty specimens have been taken out ; and when all
the veins have been tested, it will doubtless be found that many
are auriferous; perhaps so richly charged, though nothing is now

THE GOLD HELDS OF CANADA.

visible to the eye but the mass of milky stone, that they can be
worked with advantage.

On the river Guillaume, gold is found associated in small quan-
tities with white garnet rock. An auriferous vein crosses the Bes
Plantes a little below the first fall, from which specimens of visible
gold were taken several years ago. Another well-defined vein
cuts the slates near the head of the Great Bapid, where visible
gold occurs, associated with rich argentiferous galena, sulphuret of
zinc and iron, and arsenical pyrites ; and about fifty yards above
this, a thin vein not six inches wide, has yielded very beautiful
specimens of the precious metal. No properly-directed attempts
have been made to ascertain their value } for though a good deal of
work was done upon the large vein at the head of the Bapids, the
object kept in view was the finding of visible gold only.
Several assays have been made of its contents, which show gold
to be disseminated through it ; but no large quantity has been
crushed and treated with mercury, so as to ascertain its general
richness. Mr. Hunt reports it to contain " argentiferous galena,
blende, mispeckle, besides cubic and magnetic pyrites, with minute
grains of native gold. A portion of galena from the assorted and
washed ore, which still retained an admixture of blende and
pyrites, gave by assay 69 per cent, of lead and 32 ounces of silver to
the ton of ore. Another sample of galena, more carefully dressed,
gave at the rate of 37 ounces of silver. The button of silver obtained
by oupellation from this lead contained a small but appreciable
quantity of gold. The assay of a second portion of the sample of
ore, which yielded 69 per cent, of lead, afforded by cupellation a
quantity of silver equal to not less than 256 ounces of silver to
the ton. This result was probably due to the presence of a frag-
ment ^f native silver, or some rich silver ore among the dressed
galena ; inasmuch as a third assay, of another portion of the ore,
more carefully dressed than the first, yielded 37 ounces of silver to
the ton. The silver from the cupellation of the reduced lead con-
tained a little gold, and both silver and gold were obtained from
the blende and pyrites of the same vein. 1000 grs. of the

THB OOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

pyrites, still mingled with a small portion of the other ores, were
roasted, and then fused with litharge, boraz, salt of tartar and
metallic iron. The resulting button of lead gave by cupellation,
0.15 grs. of an alloy of gold and silver. 700 grs. of the
blende, treated in the same manner, gave 0.19 grs. of a similar
alloy of a pale yellow colour. The two precious metals seem thus
to be generally disseminated throughout the ores of this vein.''^

There can be little doubt, from the known presence of gold in
some veins, of its existence in most^ Dr. Anderson obtained gold
from a small fragment chipped off a quartz boulder at St. Mary.
The success which has attended quartz crushing in Nova Sootia
will probably give an immediate impulse to that branch of gold
mining here, and we may, therefore, expect that during the coming
summer the contents of some of the countless veins, with which
the face of the whole region is reticulated, will be exposed.
Should they prove to be as richly charged with gold as those of
the Lower Province, the discovery will most likely result in the
general abandonment of alluvial diggings in favor of that more
constant and certain source of profit.

The gold-bearing veins appear among rooks of both the Upper
and Lower Silurian groups, which merge gradually into one another
in the midst of the gold regions of the Chaudi^re — the Quebec
group giving place to Upper Silurian slates between the G uillaume
and St. Frangois church. The geological features of the Chau-
di^re are described in the recent report of the geological survey,
page 427, condensed from the annual report of 1849-'50.

But gold is not confined to the Ohaudi^re valley. It will,
probably, be found over the whole extent of the Quebec group of
rocks, which stretches, with certain undulations, from MissisquoiBay
to Newfoundland. A specimen, weighing several dwts. was brought
up lately from Trois Saumons ', and gold is found in the Magog and St..
Francis rivers, and in streams in Westbury, Weedon, Ascot and
Dudswell, and on Lake St. Francis. As already stated, gold was long
ago detected in a copper-bearing vein in Ascot, near Sherbrooke ;

* Q«ologioal Report for the year 1868, and Qeneral Report, page 617.

Tim GOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

and very beautiful specimens, weii;!iing several pennyweights, have
been taken from a vein of bitter spar on lot No. 14, 14th range,
in Leeds, near Harvey Hill, \rhich carries likewise copper-glance
and specular ir^n ore. The same measure is supposed by Mr,
Herbert Williams, the raining superintendent of the English and
Canadian Mining Company, to crop out in the Handkerchief
Peak, St. Sylvester, the property of the Chaudi^re Copper Mining
Company, where the prospects of gold are favourable.

It is yet an open question whether, after all, the Canadian gold
fields are to be a source of wealth to the province, or only a subject
of curious enquiry to the geologist and mineralogist. For nearly
twenty years it has been a well-known fact that gold exists, in
considerable quantities, within fifty miles of our city, and with the
object of finding it the auriferous region has been over and over
again explored. But had not the fortunate discovery of a single
rich deposit created an unwonted excitement, they might have re-
mained as long again of as little general interest as the gold mines
of Transylvania or the Ural Mountains. That Canada is another
California is more than improbable ; that its alluvial diggings will
become as famous as those of Virjjjinia and the Carolinas, is pos-
sible. In Virginia, as much as $10,000 has been taken from a
spot twenty-five feet square. Nothing yet done here caa compare
with that. The gold mines of the Southern States sent annually
to the tTnited States mint one million dollars of gold.

As there will, probably be a rush to the Chaudi^rent it summer
and Rodrigue's mines being well-nigh exhausted, the crowd will be
driven to search elsewhere, the question may be solved. Next
summer, in all likelihood, the quartz mines will also be fully tested,
and we shall be able to draw comparisons with Nova Scotia. There
is perhaps hardly identity enough between the Nova Scotian gold
bearing group and the Quebec group to excite any very sanguine
expectations. It is, however, a hopeful sign that there is some
affinity between the rock at Cape Canseau and the upper slates
which are intersected by some of the quartz veins of the
Chaudi^re.

THE GOLD FIELDS OF CANADA.

Unless the quartz veins do prove productive, the gold will hardly
ever become directly a source of revenue to the province, owing
to the extreme difficulty there will be found of enforcing any sys-
tem of licences. To keep on foot a body of police and officials,
numerous enough to watch so wide a district, covered over almost
its whole extent by dense forests, would cost a hundred fold more
than the sale of licenses would ever bring in. And the same diffi-
culty would attend the sale of locations. Once, however, quartz
crushing-mills are established, a royalty may be levied without any
expense to government, and with as little dissatisfaction as the tax
has excited in Nova Scotia. Should the gold fields not prove rich
enough to attract single-handed labour, but should capitalists deem
it worth while to work on a large scale, the case would, of course,
be diflFerent.

^!';

!!'■

lardly
>wiDg

Mys-

icials,

Imost

diffi-

uartz

tany

9 tax

I rich

ieem

urse,