Among materials for ornamental purposes may be 

 mentioned agates, jaspers, labrador feldspar, and por- 

 phyries. In Grenville and in Chatham are found in 

 great abundance porphyries of fine -texture, suscepti- 

 ble of a high polish, and of various colors, rivalling 

 in beauty the porphyries of the old world. 



PETROLEUM. 



Springs of petroleum or mineral oil occur in seve- 

 ral localities in the southwestern part of Canada ; 

 and from numerous wells sunk in Enniskillen, near 

 Lake St Clair, several millions of gallons were ob- 

 tained in 1861-2. Since that time however the supply 

 ef oil from the wells has greatly diminished. 

 In other localities in this region, as at Bothwell, the 

 existence of natural springs yielding a little petro- 

 leum has led to the sinking of wells, which are yield- 

 ing moderate supplies of oil. The part of the country 

 here underlaid by the oil-bearing rock is very large, 

 and it is not improbable that from some portions of it 

 considerable quantities of petroleum may yet be 

 obtained. 



At the other extremity of the province, in Gaspe, na- 

 tural springs yielding small amounts of petroleum are 

 found over a considerable area, and wells are being 

 sunk in the hopes of obtaining it in available quan- 

 tities. The oil in this region occurs in Upper Silurian 

 rocks, while in southwestern Canada it belongs to 

 the Lower Devonian limestones. These are supposed 

 to be the source of the wonderfully productive wells 

 of western Pennsylvania and the adjacent regions ; 

 the estimated value of whose produce of petroleum 

 for the current year is stated at not less than $75,- 

 000,000. Although the geological conditions have 

 there been more favorable to the preservation and 

 accumulation of the oil than in Canada, it is pro - 

 bable from the results lately obtained in Bothwell, 



