USEFUL MINERALS. — GOLD, 635 



washing of the sands and gravels m the beds of rivers, and of the 

 alluvial deposits on their banks be neglected, for it may happen in 

 many cases that gold may occur in these when the veins originally 

 containing it have had their outcrops worn away or concealed. 

 Exploring for gold in new localities cannot be expected to be remu- 

 nerative, except in rare cases ; but it would be well at least that 

 persons residing in the district above referred to, would embrace such 

 opportunities as may occur of examining the quartz veins in their 

 vicinity. It is to be hoped that in a short time a geological survey 

 will place within their reach greater facilities than those which now 

 exist, for making discoveries, and improving those already made. 



The table on the next page, from the Reports of the Commissioner 

 of Mines for 1866 and 1867, will give more precise information 

 as to the present state of gold production in Nova Scotia, and the 

 following remarks relate to districts not mentioned in the table : — 



The Ovens in Luneuburgh County yielded, in 1862, 361 oz. of gold 

 from surface washings. The mine at Laurencetown yielded in 1862 

 75 oz., and that at County Harbour 40 oz., but operations have been 

 suspended at these places. Mount Uniacke is a new locality recently 

 opened, and yielded in 1867, 947 ounces of gold. Localities in 

 Upper Stewiacke, Musquodoboit, and Sheet Harbour, are also attracting 

 attention. 



The "Chester Mining Company" have opened shafts on some of 

 their gold veins on Gold River, which are said to be very promising ; 

 one sample tested having given 77 dwt. gold, and 12 oz. silver per 

 ton. Alluvial sand from the banks of Gold River is said to have 

 aflforded to Professor How gold at the rate of 14 dwt. 10 grains to 

 the ton. This last fact is of some interest as indicating the possible 

 occurrence of auriferous alluvia which seem to be rare in Nova Scotia ; 

 but perhaps might reward more careful search, more especially in the 

 lower part of the boulder clay, and in the bottom of the beds of more 

 recent alluvial sand and gravel. Even poor deposits of this kind 

 might be made to pay by the methods of hydraulic washing on a 

 large scale now in use in California. — 



The mining of gold for the present eclipses all the other resources 

 of this district of Nova Scotia. It is not known to contain any other 

 metallic minerals of value. Its granite, however, afJbrds an excellent 

 building stone, now used to some extent, more especially iu Halifax. 

 Some of the bands of slate have been opened for roofing slates, but 

 I believe not as yet on a large scale ; and clays of excellent quality 

 for bricks and coarse pottery occur at Chezzetcook and other places 

 on the Atlantic coast, and are manufactured to some extent. 



