DOMINION OF CANADA. 



267 



be said to have been mined to any extent pro- 

 portionnle !<> its qnantit y. 'There is now, how- 

 ever, a marked increase in the product of this 

 metal, its value for the past year being $112,201 

 m "iv than for the preceding year. 



Nickel. This is one of the most valuable 

 mineral products of Canada, though only dis- 

 covered in 18H3. when a deposit of nickeliferous 

 nyrrliotite was found in cutting through a small 

 lull at Sudbury. Ontario, for the Canadian Pa- 

 cific Railway. The increased value of nickel, 

 from its use in the manufacture of nickel steel, 

 has so stimulated enterprise at the Sudbury 

 mines that, in addition to the four companies 

 operating there for some time. 20 others have 

 been formed in the district. The value of the 

 out put of nickel for last year exceeded that of 

 the year before by $737,853. 



Of the other valuable mineral products, copper 

 has been found by employees of the Geological 

 Survey and others over vast tracts of country in 

 Nova Scotia, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Brit- 

 ish Columbia, but as yet the production of ore 

 is not over 500 tons a day. Silver is found in 

 considerable quantities near Lake Superior and 

 elsewhere, but so far the mines have not been as 

 productive as they might be made by additional 

 capital and enterprise. 



Amber. A discovery of an extensive deposit 

 of amber at Cedar Lake, Manitoba, has been re- 

 ported by J. B. Tyrrell, of the Geological Sur- 

 vey. It occurs mixed with sand and fragments 

 of partially decayed wood, on a low beach and 

 along the face of a deep, wet spruce swamp. 

 The pieces of amber were for the most part 

 smaller than a pea, but somewhere found as 

 large as a robin's egg. The amount of amber 

 on this strip of beach has been estimated at 

 1,457,280 pounds, which at a minimum value of 

 25 cents a pound would represent a total Of 

 $364,320. Amber has been found frequently in 

 the coals and lignites of the Northwest. 



Much of the capital invested in Canadian 

 mines is owned by Americans, and the develop- 

 ment of the mineral resources of the country, 

 notably within recent years, is largely due to 

 American enterprise. 



Political. The principal political events of 

 the current year in Canada were the retiring of 

 one Governor-General from office and the in- 

 stallation of his successor. Lord Stanley, of 

 Preston, was appointed Governor-General, May 

 1, 1888, and administered the duties of this of- 

 fice till July 15, 1893, when Lieut.-Gen. Mont- 

 gomery-Moore, commanding the British forces 

 in Canada, was sworn in as administrator of the 

 Government, until the arrival of the newly ap- 

 pointed Governor-General, the Earl of Aberdeen. 



In closing the last session of Parliament the 

 retiring Governor-General concluded his address 

 as follows : 



I feel with deep regret that the period of my official 

 connection with the Dominion is drawing toward its 

 close, and that in all probability 1 am taking leave ot 

 you for the last time. Lest this should be the case, I 

 desire to avail myself of the present occasion to ex- 

 press my abiding interest in all that concerns the 

 welfare dt' Canada, and inv sincere affection to her 

 people, who have never failed to testify their loyalty 

 to the person and throne of our sovereign, and to 

 show kindness and consideration to her representa- 

 tive. It will ever be my sincere desire to be of service 



to the Dominion, and I shall continue to cherish 



1'eeliiiLfs <>f the warmest solicitude lor the welfare and 

 ity of those among whom 1 have IM-.-II |>laeed 

 during the past live years. I pray that the blessing 

 <>t' Almighty God may at all times attend you. 



Through the death, in the spring, of his 

 brother, the Earl of Derby, Lord Stanley, of 

 Preston, succeeded to that title. The new earl 

 took his final leave of Canada on July 15. 



The Right Hon. John Campbell Hamilton 

 Gordon, seventh Earl of Aberdeen, was sworn in 

 as Governor-General of Canada, on Sept. 18, in 

 the Legislative Council Chamber in the Provin- 

 cial Parliament building, (Quebec. 



1 1 is Excellency was afterward presented with 

 an address, and his reply, indicating his policy 

 and his views relative to the responsibilities and 

 duties of his office, is of sufficient importance to 

 warrant its reproduction in an abbreviated form. 



It is surely appropriate that the first greetings of 

 Her Majesty's Canadian subjects to a new Governor- 

 General, and the first public utterance by the occu- 

 pant of that position, should be upon this historic 

 ground, and amid the inspiring traditions of this an- 

 cient and beautiful city. And your demonstration takes 

 place in an eminently opportune manner immedi- 

 ately after I have been installed in the distinguished 

 office to which I have been appointed. It is indeed 

 an office of high honor, as well as of grave and seri- 

 ous responsibility. But, gentlemen, does the honor 

 and dignity of the position exclude the holder of it 

 from the common lot, the common heritage of serv- 

 ice? Nay, it implies, it includes, it conveys this 

 privilege, this grand principle and purpose of life. . . . 

 To foster every influence that will sweeten and ele- 

 vate public lite, to make known the resources and de- 

 velopment of the country, to vindicate, if required, 

 the rights of the people and the ordinances of the 

 Constitution, and, lastly, to promote by all means in 

 his power, without reference to class or creed, every 

 movement and every institution calculated to forward 

 the social, moral, and religious welfare of the inhabit- 

 ants of the Dominion. Such, gentlemen, I venture to 

 assure you, is the aim and purpose which, in depend- 

 ence on the one ever effectual source of health and 

 strength, we desire to- pursue. I say ' we,' for by 

 your kindly and appreciative allusion to Lady Ab- 

 erdeen you have shown that you understand why I 

 contemplate these duties only in conjunction with my 

 wife. 



The new Governor-General was born in 1847 ; 

 was educated at St. Andrew's and Oxford Uni- 

 versities, and graduated at the latter in 1871. In 

 1870 he succeeded to the earldom of Aberdeen on 

 the death of his brother, and entered the House 

 of Lords as a Conservative ; but, disagreeing 

 with the policy of Mr. Disraeli, he has since year 

 after year identified himself more closely with 

 the Liberal party. His brief regime as Lord 

 Lieutenant, of Ireland, secured him great popu- 

 larity in that country a popularity shared by 

 the countess, who materially helped to make his 

 tenure of office a success. The Lord of Aber- 

 deen is no stranger in Canada. Not long ago he 

 resided for some time in Hamilton, Ontario, and 

 he has invested a considerable amount of capital 

 in the country. He has brought with him to 

 Canada a most enviable reputation for philan- 

 thropy, and the countess is well known for her 

 active efforts in promoting the moral and phys- 

 ical improvement of girls and others requiring 

 her sympathy and assistance. She instituted 

 the Scottish Girls' Friendly Societies, which 

 have been productive of great good ; and much 



