446 A POPULAR EXPOSITION OF THE 
of natural springs of petroleum in the valley of the Thames, appears: 
to have been known to the Indians long before the clearing of that 
district. Under the name of ‘‘Seneca oil,’”’ the petroleum from these 
sources was employed as a popular remedy for rheumatism, &e., by 
the early settlers, who are said to have learnt the use of it fromthe 
Indians of the locality. In the Geological Report of the Canadian 
Survey, for 1850, Mr. Murray pointed out the occurrence:of several 
of these so-called << oil springs’ in the townships of Mosa and Ennis- 
killen ; and in the Report of the succeeding year, attention was called 
to a deposit in that district of bitumen or mineral tar, arising from 
the thickening or drying up of petroleum overflows. One of these 
concreted petroleum deposits occurs in the southern part of Ennis- 
killen, forming two detached portions of about an acre each, 
and varying in thickness from about a couple of inches to two 
feet. Another deposit of a similar character, three or four inches 
in thickness, has been since discovered in the northern part of 
the township, eight or ten feet beneath the surface of the ground. 
It occurs in Drift clay above a stratum of gravel. Subsequently to 
the announcement of the natural springs of this locality, others have 
been found in the townships of Zone and Orford ; and some also near 
Tilsonburg, in the township of Dereham. These latter lie beyond 
the limits of the Hamilton formation, or over the Corniferous lime- 
stone ; and petroleum has been obtained by wells from that rock. 
In 1857, the idea occurred to Mr. Williams, of Hamilton, C.W., 
then engaged in the distillation of the solid bitumen of Enniskillen, 
to bore through the Drift clays of that district into the underlying 
rock beds, in ‘the hope of striking subterranean reservoirs of the 
petroleum, such as had been shown to occur i Ohio and Pennsyl- 
vania—and his attempt was rewarded by an almost unexpected suc- 
cess. At the present time about one hundred wells or bore-holes 
have been put down in Enniskillen alone. Many of these were ‘at 
first “‘ flowing-wells,”’ the petroleum rising above the surface of tlie 
ground; but after flowing for some time, the action in the greater 
number suddenly ceased. Some, however, still continue to flow. 
Altogether, an immense quantity of petroleum has been obtained from 
these sources. 
The wells in Enniskillen are of two kinds, known respectively as 
surface and rock wells. The former pass through the soil and Drift 
clay to a depth of about 50 or 60 feet to a stratum of gravel imme- 
