[GILPIN] COAL MINING IN PICTOU COUNTY 169 



and all other ores and metals. At that time it was believed that the most 

 valuable product of the grant would be copper ore, but no deposits of 

 this metal were found of economic value, and at that date the gold deposits 

 w^re unknown. 



The grants of Crown lands made prior to 1759 contain no reserva- 

 tions of minerals. This w^ould have the effect of reserving the royal 

 metals, gold and silver, it being held that they pass only by special men- 

 tion. From this date to 1809 the usiuil reservations expressed in the 

 grants were gold and silver, copper, lead, coal, laj^is lazuli, and in some 

 cases, precious stones. There wei-e, however, some lai-ge township grants 

 in which gold, silver, and coals only are reserved. In 1809 ii-on ore was 

 added to the list of reserved minerals. After the passing of the grant to 

 the Duke of York in 1826 the Crown land grants necessarily reserved all 

 the minerals, but in 1858, when the greater part of the General Mining 

 Association's monopoly was surrendered, an Act of the Provincial Legis- 

 lature declared that the grantees of land since 1820 received all the 

 minerals previously reserved excepting coal, silver, lead, tin, copper, coal, 

 iron and precious stones. Those grantees receiving land prior to 1826, 

 retained of course all the minerals already granted, and all others relin- 

 quished by the government in 1858, and their possession of subsequently 

 reserved minerals was contirmed. In the words of the Act " all other 

 minerals, mines, ores and earths, including ironstones, limestones, slate 

 stones, g^^DSum and clay" are noM' granted with the lands. 



At the present date a good deal of confusion exists as to the actual 

 minerals held with the land in many of the large township grants. These 

 grants were made usually in a block to a number of settlers, many of 

 whom did not take up their lots. When these lots were settled on ^at a 

 later date, the occupants in some cases had no title, in other cases new 

 grants were issued with reservations differing from those in the original 

 grant. 



One of the schemes of the G-eneral Mining Association was the smelt- 

 ing of iron ore, but they found that the principal known deposits were 

 included in the grants issued prior to 1809, in which iron ore was not 

 reserved, and the idea was abandoned after the erection of a small test 

 furnace. 



The Duke of York, however, did not propose to work the mines, and 

 lost no time in ai-ranging for a lease of his rights to the General Mining 

 Association of London, a company formed to acquire and work minino- 

 properties in all parts of the world. They believed that valuable deposits 

 of copper ore existed in Nova Scotia, but an examination showed that 

 the coal deposits gave greater promise. 



The company found, on taking possession, that the Sydney mines 

 and the best known exposures of the Pictou seams were already being 

 worked under lease, and consequently were not transferable to them by 



