SCIENTIFIC SURVEY. 423 



are full of the " black sand" so generally accompanying gold. 

 The veins are unusually abundant here. It is only a short distance 

 over the line to where gold is washed out of the Chaudiere river, 

 and the rocks are continuous across the line. 



Newspaper reports have expatiated largely upon the gold of 

 Orland, east of S. B. Swasey & Co.'s mills. This spot we visited, 

 and were not favorably impressed by the indications. The rock is 

 granite, not containing many quartz veins, but the bed of the brook 

 contains many boulders from an auriferous region. Our opinion is 

 that gold occurs here, but that it has been derived exclusively 

 from the transported materials.' The question to be asked next, is 

 where were these auriferous materials broken off ? We must ex- 

 amine the tables of drift striae in the vicinity to learn. Upon 

 reference we find that the boulders must have come from the north 

 and west of north. For many miles in that direction the rock is 

 schistose with some veins of quartz. It is the great mica schist 

 belt of central Maine, extending from the eastern Schoodic lakes 

 to Portland. If this is auriferous, then gold may yet be found ex- 

 ceedingly plentiful in the State. And we would recommend to 

 any persons living in this district who may wish to find gold, to 

 search for quartz veins, and then to test the value both of the 

 veins and of the soil near the ledges. In Orland there is an abund- 

 ance of very bright yellow scales of mica in the stream, which an 

 unpractised eye would certainly mistake for the precious metal. 



The finest auriferous belt brought to light the past season crosses 

 the St. Croix river above Calais. The rock is a mica schist full of 

 quartz veins and beds. An examination of these veins near the 

 railroad bridge in Baileyville showed us several pieces of bright 

 flake gold. The best locality is on the west side of the river upon 

 some ledges through which a passage for the railway has been 

 excavated. There is a considerable pyrites in the schist, so much 

 so that the action of the air decomposes it and gives the whole 

 ledge a rusty appearance. After our departure a mining com- 

 pany we believe the same that works at Lubec — effected a lease 



of the property, and have sunk a shaft, for the purpose of experi- 

 menting upon the value of the quartz. Alluvial washings on the 

 river have not promised so well. Nor does the rock at the railroad 

 bridge (Sprague's falls) afford as many quartz veins. 



Across the river in New Brunswick, upon land of Mr. Bolton of 

 St. Stephens, is another locality where gold has been found. Its 



