discoveries of Gold in Nova Scotia. 425 



but hitherto, if the precious metal has really been found in these 

 districts, the quantities appear to have been small. These rocks 

 are of different geological age from those of the coast, so that 

 the occurrence of gold in the latter affords no evidence that it 

 will be found in the former. Yet quartz veins occur in these 

 inland rocks very abundantly, and in slaty rocks not dissimilar 

 from those of the coast, though geologically much younger. It is 

 to be observed also that the age of the veins may be much less 

 than that of the containing rocks, so that the veins of the newer 

 formation may resemble in origin and date those of the older. It is 

 interesting also to note, that heretofore, while the inland or newer 

 metamorphic series has afforded ores of iron and numerous 

 though small veins of copper pyrites, the coast series, until the 

 recent gold discoveries, was regarded as quite barren of metallic 

 minerals, with the exception of iron pyrites. The antecedent 

 probabilities would thus be in favour of the inland series, more 

 especially as copper and gold are associated in Canada. On the 

 other hand, it is quite possible that the older or coast dis- 

 trict may alone be auriferous, the newer or inland cupriferous 

 instead. 



It has been remarked that it is wonderful that in a district so 

 thickly settled, and so much subjected to the operations of the 

 urveyor, road-maker, and agriculturist, as the south coast of 

 Nova Scotia, so numerous deposits of gold should so long have 

 escaped observation. Geologists also and mineral explorers have re- 

 peatedly visited and passed through the district. Still, when it 

 is considered that the country is netted with quartz veins, and 

 that perhaps not more than one in a million of these is appreciably 

 auriferous, the wonder ceases. Ordinary observers do not notice 

 such things. A geologist not specially looking for useful minerals, 

 soon becomes wearied of breaking up and examining barren veins 

 of white quartz, and certainly cannot spare time to spend two 

 years in " prospecting," like the persevering discoverer of the 

 Wine Harbour deposit. My own field notes contain the record 

 of many days of hard work among these unpromising rocks, and 

 countless quartz veins have suffered from my hammer, without 

 yielding a speck of gold. I believe I have visited all the localities 

 of the discoveries, except Tangier, and in some of them, as at the 

 St. Mary's River, Indian Harbour, and Wine Harbour, I have 

 spent days in examining the rocks, not certainly with a special 

 view to the discovery of gold, but often with the assistance of in- 



