18 THE OOOURREXCE OF 0;OLD IX XEW BSUXSWICK. 



In ono place about two mile.- nl»ove the big fail?, in wlint 

 peeiued to l)ean old channel, on the north side of the river, the 

 following:; beds were observed in a ])it opened by Mr. Perley : 



1. Fine river sand or loam, 1 to 2 feet thick. 



2. Sandy clay with rusty, gravelly layers, from 18 inches 

 to 2 feet in depth. Gold colours were sparingly met with in this. 



o. Decompo'^ed, talcose slates, 15 inches dee}) in the shaft, 

 l)ut the liottom was not reached. Colours of gold Averc also 

 found in this material. 



Mr. Perley also showed me particles of gold obtained from 

 the alluviums of Silver Brook, a small stream flowing into the 

 Ncpisiguit Eiver about three miles below Third >*'epi^iguit Lake, 

 and I have been informed tliat gold likewise occurs along Little 

 South Branch, the next tributary to the east. In the beds of these 

 streams no cxplora\ory woi'k has lieen done furthcrthan washing 

 with a pan. 



Reviewing all the facts relating to the occurrence of allu- 

 vial gold in this jiartofNew Brunswick they tend to confirm 

 the observations made by Prof. Hind in 1864, namely, that de- 

 posits containing it exist in the valleys of a number of the rivers 

 and brooks flowing into the Right Hand Branch of the Tobique 

 and into the upper part of the Nepisiguit. especially from the 

 south. The precious metal which these alluviums contain is, 

 however, apparently in an extremely scattered condition, though 

 so far as can be ascertained, entirely of local origin. But so 

 very little systematic exploration liaj been carried on, either 

 along the Serpentine, or the small tributaries flowing into it from 

 the north, that it is difficult to arrive at any conclusion in regard 

 to its occurrence. Further preliminary work is desir.:ble, to as- 

 certain not only the limits of the auriferous deposits and the 

 precise localities where these contain the most gold, but also to 

 test the quartz veins in new localities, more jtarticularly at and 

 above the big falls of this river. Sluicing should likewise be 

 more generally undertaken, especially at these falls and for 

 two or three miles above them. The flats on either side of the 

 river should also be i:)rospected, as they often have old buried 

 river channels beneath, and the contents of the alluviums 

 throughout the valley i)roved. Though the i)recious metal has 



