ON GOLD AND SILVBE. 



525 



Practically the whole of the gold of Nova Scotia is raised from quartz- 

 veins ; the denudation of the gold-bearing rocks must have produced a 

 vast quantity of alluvial gold, but this is now mainly dispersed over the 

 bed of the Atlantic,^ although it is likely that some gold may be found 

 beneath the alluvium of the valleys near Halifax. Gold was discovered 

 in 1859; in 1862 over 7,000 oz. was raised, 14,000 oz. in 1863, 20,000 

 oz. in 1864, and 27,000 oz. in 1867 : this was the maximum yield. Since 

 1871 it has ranged from 11,000 to 16,812 oz., with the exception of one 

 year (1874) when it fell to 9,140 oz. The steady increase of late years 

 is noteworthy: — 



The increase in 1886 as compared with 1885 is chiefly due to the 

 opening of new mines and to the yield in ' unproclaimed ' districts ; some 

 of the older districts fell off considerably. The gold mainly exists in the 

 free state, and generally in quantities visible to the eye. But the veins 

 also carry sulphides which include a considerable amount of gold. Most 

 of this gold passes into the tailings. 'Assays show that these tailings 

 when concentrated are often rich enough to warrant attempts being 

 made to save the gold ; but hitherto no systematic attempts have been 

 made in this direction.' ^ 



Although interesting to us the gold of Canada has no great influence 

 on the world's production. In 1864, following the great rush to the 

 Fraser river, British Columbia ranked, after California, with the best of 

 the American States ; but it now would take only the tenth place, and 

 Canada, as a whole, would only take the seventh place. 



Bzissia. — The large amount of gold obtained since 1851 from the 

 United States and from Australia leads most people to pay but small heed 

 to Biussia as a gold-producing State, but this is a grave mistake. During 

 the few years preceding the great gold discoveries Russia (including 

 Russian Siberia) was the chief gold country of the world ; and notwith- 

 standing the great output of other districts the variations in its yield liave 

 had a perceptible influence upon the world's production. The maximum 

 yield was, in 1879, 5,942,000Z. ; the yield fell to 4,561,000Z. in 1882, but 

 rose again the next year, and was 4,^80,000^. in 1884. 



The history of Russia's gold production is shown on Table 1. ; 

 when compared with the production of the other great gold countries its 

 uniformity is very striking. This is the more remarkable because almost 

 the whole of Russian gold is obtained from placer workings, quartz- 



' An interesting example of placer of Carboniferous age occurs at Gay's river. 

 This has been worked to a small extent. (H. S. Poole, Q.J.G.S. vol. xxxvi. 1880, 

 p. 313). 



' E. Gilpin, liejwrt Bcp. Mines, Nova Scotia, &c., 1885 



