372 Our North Land. 



of seven or eight hundred feet. The lower part consists of coarse 

 grey sandstone passing into conglomerate, with white quartz pebbles 

 like that of Little Whale River, while the upper part consists of 

 limestones slightly unconformable to the sandstones, and all capped 

 with trap. On the same side, and between the Castle Peninsula and 

 the narrowest part of the outlet, a boss of Laurentian gneiss, about 

 one hundred feet high, protrudes through the sandstones and lime- 

 stones. 



The economic minerals of the east main coast of Hudson's Bay 

 may yet prove of great value. In the lower part of the magnesian 

 limestone portion of the series there is a band about twenty-five 

 feet in thickness of an open or drusy character, in which galena, in 

 bunches, occurs in sufficient quantities to be of economic value. In 

 1858-59, the Hudson's Bay Company obtained nine tons of this ore 

 from numerous small openings which were made about three miles 

 north-east of their establishment at Little Whale River ; but it 

 appears to be equally or more abundant in some spots in the same 

 band of limestone on the south side of the river. This band is 

 traceable to Richmond Gulf, at the entrance of which are bunches 

 of galena which would weigh upwards of a hundred pounds. 

 Specimens from " the mine " on the north side of Little Whale River 

 were found by Dr. Harrington to contain 5104 ounces of silver to 

 the ton of ore. That from the south side of the inlet of Richmond 

 Gulf he finds to contain, when separated from the gangue, 1203 

 ounces of silver in every two thousand pounds of the ore. 



Dr. Bell says, while on the coast, he was presented with some 

 fine specimens of pure copper pyrites, also iron pyrites, which were 

 found in a small vein cutting the gneiss on a point about one mile 

 south of Great Whale River. This iron pyrites is gold-bearing. 

 Besides the silver in the galena, already referred to, it was found 

 along with the gold in the pyrites. Zinc was also found in con- 

 siderable quantities. Valuable ores of iron were also discovered 

 which, upon investigation, were shown to yield 25.44 per cent, of 

 metallic iron, and over twenty-five per cent, of carbonate of manganese. 

 Other minerals and a great variety of precious or ornamental stones 

 were found in abundance on the coast. 



