1865.] PERLEY — GOLD MINING IN NOVA SCOTIA. 213 



many of these may be observed, by the aid of a glass, minute specks 

 of gold ; these of course are washed away. Again, gold is inti- 

 mately associated with the sulphurets, and is lost as the pyritous 

 grains are swept away with the silicious particles ; and even grains 

 of gold are carried away by too copious a supply of water. At 

 Lunenburg where the gold was washed out of the sands of the 

 sea beach, great difficulty was experienced in obtaining amalgama- 

 tion, owing to the particles of gold being covered with a film which 

 entirely prevented a union with mercury. No doubt this coating 

 was formed by the decayed organic matter brought by the waves. 



Allusion has been made heretofore to the loss of gold by reason 

 of a non-reduction of the sulphurets; and in elucidation of this 

 point, the following assays were made on tailings taken from a 

 mill at Waverly. 



Assay No. 1 ; tailings selected from different parts of the tailings- 

 bank. 100 grains showed a yield equivalent to 6 dwts. 8 grains of 

 gold to the ton of 2000 lbs. 



Assay No. 2. From 5 lbs. of tailings all the silicious particles were 

 washed out, leaving the sulphurets, which only amounted to 3 oz. 

 11 dwts. 100 grains, and showed a result of 6 oz. 14 dwts. 1 gr. 

 of gold, and 10 dwts. of silver, to the ton of 2000 lbs. 



Assay No. 3 ; tailings as they were taken, from the bed and re- 

 duced to a fine powder. 100 grains yielded the equivalent of 

 7 dwts. 16 grs. of gold, and 2 dwts. 14 grs. of silver, to the ton 

 of 2000 pounds. 



In considering the results of these assays, it is apparent that 

 a great loss takes place in permitting the sulphurets to flow away. 

 By assay No. 2 the sulphurets amounted to 3 oz. 11 dwts., being - 1 - 

 or 5.88 per cent of the mass, and the result of the assay showed 

 an amount equal to 6 oz 14 dwts. 1 gr. of gold and 10 dwts. of silver 

 per ton of 2000 lbs. Allowing the market value of gold to be SI 9.75 

 per ounce, the value of a ton of sulphurets, setting aside the va- 

 lue of the silver in this instance, will be $132.36. As it takes 

 seventeen tons of tailings to produce one ton of sulphurets, it 

 follows that each ton of tailings is worth $7.78. By assay No. 

 3, the yield from the tailings taken as found, but triturated to a 

 fine powder, is equal to 7 dwts. 16. grs. to the ton ; this at $19.75 

 per ounce, amounts to $7.59. By assay No. 2 the value of a 

 ton of tailings is shown to be $7.78, — the two results closely 

 agreeing. 



The mispickel from Montague was analyzed for Prof. Silliman at 



