216 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [June 



to the Chief Commissioner of Mines, or to the Deputy Commissioner 

 resident in the district, and secured by the payment of two dollars, 

 when a lease will be granted for a term of twenty-one years. Where 

 gold is discovered on private lands, as at Gay's River, and the 

 Government decline to re-vest the land, applicants for areas must 

 first arrange with the proprietor of the land, in writing, for leave to 

 enter and work, and, on the agreement being deposited with the 

 Chief or the Deputy Commissioner, a lease will be issued. 



By the covenants in the lease, the lessee must perform each year 

 one hundred days' labor in each area ; but, if he holds ten, and less 

 than twenty, he will not be required to perform during the first 

 year more than three fourths of the days' labor above required ; if 

 holding twenty or more, but less than thirty areas — only one half 

 of the days' labor will be required ; and if holding thirty or more, 

 only one quarter of the amount. The lessee must also on the first 

 days of January, April, July, and October, make a return to the 

 Commissioner showing the number of days' labor expended, and 

 the number of tons of quartz raised during the preceding quarter. If 

 quartz has been sold, all details must be given. He must show the 

 weight of all quartz sent to a mill ; the name of the mill ; the yield 

 of gold ; and also a statement of all gold which may be obtained 

 in other ways than in a mill, — as, for instance, from alluvial wash- 

 ings, or by crushing by hand. 



Lessees of areas, or parties not holding areas, wishing to erect 

 a crushing-mill, must obtain a license to work such mill, and enter 

 into bonds in the penalty of two thousand dollars for the payment 

 of all royalty due the crown on gold obtained in the mill, and for 

 a true and exact account of all quartz crushed, where from, by 

 whom owned, the yield of gold, whether unsmelted or smelted ; and 

 the amount of royalty due the crown, which amounts to three per 

 cent, on the value of the gold obtained ; unsmelted gold being 

 valued at $18.50, and smelted at $19.50 per ounce. These 

 returns must be made monthly, and sworn to, and the royalty 

 due paid over. 



Although the owner of a mill may not be the owner of the 

 quartz crushed in his mill, he alone is responsible for the royalty, 

 and for making the returns ; on ne^ect. or refusal to do which, 

 the mill-license can be concelled, and the bondsmen proceeded 

 against in the Supreme Court for the recovery of any royalty 

 which may be due. 



In September of the present year, ninety-five mines were being 



