99 



Although we exported 19,000 tons of apatite hist year, almost 

 every ton of it was shipped to Great Britain and Europe. The quantity 

 sent to the United States was trifling. This was the more remarkable 

 as a large amount of American ca})ital is invested in our Canadian 

 apatite deposits. From the statistics supplied to him by Mr, Nimrao 

 at Washington, it appeared that in the year ending 30th June, 1883, 

 the United States imported 49,381 tons of crude phosphate, valued at 

 $429,391; 39,119 tons of Kainit, valued at $246,231, and 7,6G6 tons 

 of superphosphate, valued at $120, .576. Of this quantity, 1,262 tons of 

 crude phosphate and all the superphosphate came from Britain. It 

 thus seems reasonable to infer that some of our Canadian apatite was 

 niei-ely reshipped to the United States from Great Britain without any 

 fresh treatment there, while a much larger quantity was first converted 

 into superphosphate there and shipped in that form to the United 

 States. 



The only explanation of this anomaly seemed to be that it was a 

 fresh proof of the conservative nature of trade. The American dealers 

 were in the habit of importing from Britain long before our Canadian 

 deposits of apatite were opened. When these were first opened it was 

 done by men more familiar with the English market than the American. 

 It was less " bother" to ship from Montreal to the Mersey or to Bristol, 

 than to load barges there for New York. After the trade was once 

 established no determined eflbrt seems to have been made to direct it 

 into fresh channels. 



It was worth while to notice also in this connection that, althouofb 

 plumbago to the value of $361,949 was imported into the United States- 

 last year, not ore pound of it came from Canada. The lack of skill or 

 reckless folly of our miners in shipping inferior stuff to gain a temporary- 

 profit has given Canadian plumbago a ba I name that it may be almost 

 impossible to overcome. Mr. Hoffmann's admirable report showed that 

 it was really quite as good as that from Ceylon. 



Mr. F. D. Adams stated that in the Transactions of the Geological 

 Society of Stockholm for April, 1883, H. Sjogren had given a very 

 interesting account of the apatite deposits at Oedegarden in Bamle, 

 Norway. At this one locality alone, in 1882, between 700 and 800 

 men were employed in mining the apatite, and about 15,000 tons were 

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