40 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



and silver in each. This, unfortunately, is a difficult task ; the amount of silver 

 present in the rocks and gold ores of Western Ontario is comparatively small, and 

 the determinations are not sufficiently exact, in that case, to inspire confidence ; 

 while the amount of gold is often many times less than that which is commonly 

 reported by assayers as a trace. In addition to this, the examination of the 

 samples is tedious, and the limited time at my disposal was only sufficient for the 

 attainment of the results above mentioned ; it is almost superfluous to add that in 

 such questions as this, the evidence can not be too abundant, and should as a 

 minimvim comprise many times the number of results which have been stated. 



It is too soon yet to arrive at any definite conclusion, but we may state as a 

 step towards the final result, that certain countrj^ rocks in our western mining 

 district contain small but determinable quantities of gold. 



