115 



dark-coloured opaque, and contain much disseminated magnetic iron, 

 yield by analysis considerable portions of chrome and traces of nickel. 



Dr. Dawson in his report on the Yukon district says : 



" A specimen of asbestus (chrysotile), being part of a small vein of 

 that material about half an inch in thickness, has been brought from the 

 Stewart River, and the occurrence of serpentine in large mass elsewhere 

 tends to show that valuable asbestus deposits may yet be found in the 

 region." 



If we now go out of our own Dominion we see that the Cambrian 

 serpentines of the Eastern Townships which extend to Gaspe Peninsula 

 are spoken of as occurring in the island of Newfoundland, and Mr. 

 Alexander Murray, in 1876, speaking of the different ores found in this 

 island, said : 



" The more valuable ores hitherto discovered upon this island, no- 

 tably those of copper, nickel and chromic iron, have usually been found 

 to be closely associated with serpentinous rocks ; and the presence of 

 such rocks has frequently instigated close inspection of the ground, re- 

 sulting in the discovery of satisfactory metallic indications." In a paper 

 read by Dr. E. D. Peters at the last meeting of the American Institute 

 of Mining Engineers, which was held here last fall, is found the follow- 

 ing statement : " The entire world's production of nickel annually is 

 less than 1000 tons, the bulk of this being produced by the New Cale- 

 donian nickel mines, which are oxyd deposits situated in serpentine 

 dyke." 



In theUrals, platinum associated with chromic iron is found ina rock 

 of serpentinous matrix. 



In Science, vol. 8, 1886, is given a very interesting article on the 

 genesis of the diamond, by H. C. Lewis. He refers to the diamonds of 

 Kimberley, South Africa, and on examination of the adamantifeious 

 rock, as well as of the ore which is free from diamonds, he says that : — 



" Both are dark, heavy basic rocks, composed essentially of olivine, 

 and belong to the group of peridotites. Both are similar in structure and 

 construction, differing only in the presence or absence of inclusions. 

 The rock consists mainly ol olivine crystals lying porph^ritically in a 

 serpen tinic ground-mass." 



Let us, then, hope that our Canadian serpentines, which are proved 



