Native Copper of Lake Superior, &c. 209 
“Early in the spring of 1772 we sent a boat load of pro- 
visions, but it came back on the 20th day of June, bringing 
with it, to our surprise, the whole establishment of miners. 
They reported that in the course of the winter they had 
penetrated forty feet into the face of the hill, but on the ar- 
rival of the thaw, the clay on which, on account of its stiffness, 
they had relied, and neglected to secure it by supporters, 
had fallen in ;—that from the detached masses of metal, 
which to the last had daily presented themselves, they suj 
posed there might be ultimately reached a body of the same, 
but could form no conjecture of its distance, except that it 
was probably so far off as not to be pursued without sinking 
an air shaft; and lastly,—that the work would require the 
hands of more men than could be fed in the actual situa- 
tion. of the country. Here our operations in this quarter 
ended. The metal was probably within our reach, but if 
we had found it, the expence of carrying it to Montreal 
must have exceeded its marketable value. It was never 
for the exportation of copper that our company was form- 
ed, but always with a view to the silver, which it was hoped 
the ores, whether of copper or lead, might in sufficient 
quantity contain.” 
Eighteen years after the failure of this attempt (1789) 
Me Beante-passed through lake Superior on his first voyag 
of discovery into the northwest, ind tics description of lake 
might be well worthy the attention of the British subjects 
to work the mines on the north coast, though they are not 
supposed to be so rich as those on the south.”(1) 
‘The attention of the United States government ap 
first to have been turned toward the subject during 
ministration of President Adams, when the sudden a : 
tation of the navy rendered the employment of domestic 
copper in the equipment of ships, an object of political as 
-well as pecuniary moment; and a mission was author- 
ized to proceed to lake Superior. Of the success of this 
; n- 
"Ws (1) McKenzie’s Voyages, p- 20. 
Vor. IHf....No. 2. 27 
