1899] Mineral Resources of the Ottawa District. 45 



stores of mineral wealth which have of late years been revealed 

 in that area, and the present development of our western 

 Ontario gold fields was an impossibility. The same remark 

 applies to the great deposits of nickel at Sudbury, which were 

 disclosed by the building of the Canadian Pacific, while it is 

 only in the last three years that the new and valuable finds of 

 corundum have come to light, as a result of the explorations of 

 the Geological Survey. 



In all attempts at mineral development there are of neces- 

 sity a host of schemes placed on the market which are largely 

 speculative. This seems to be an unavoidable evil, but it also, 

 unfortunately and seriously, interferes with the actual business 

 of legitimate mining. Areas practically worthless are placed 

 before the public under high sounding names, and in the rush 

 after speedy wealth many of these are assumed by the uninit- 

 iated to be of equal value with those which are clearly of 

 economic importance. The resulting disapointment on the part 

 of the holders of stock in worthless properties tends to bring 

 discredit on whole areas of valuable lands, and results in very 

 serious injury to the mining interests of the country at large. 



Another great source of harm to legitimate mining is the 

 misstatements of certain persons, who, under the guise of mining 

 experts, travel the country and pretend to discover valuable 

 mineral deposits, sometimes by the aid of the mineral rod and 

 sometimes by means of experience, supposed to be gained in 

 Other mining fields abroad ; and it is a curious thing to note 

 that, if the so-called expert or prospector can claim to have 

 been in Australia or California, his dictum is held to be quite 

 conclusive as to the value of any mining property, even if any 

 experience so obtained may only be acquired as the result of 

 shovelling away the accumulated debris from around the surface 

 of the pit. Such experts, it may be said; generally do more 

 harm than good in so far as deciding on the actual value of a 

 mining area, and many owners of comfortable farms throughout 

 this country have speedily lost all their property by following 

 the lead of such blind guides. The peculiar properties of the 



