76 TRANSACTIONS. 1 897-8 



or Teslin branch, and from their junction to the month, has 

 upwards of 2,000 miles, the other 1,200 miles being on the 

 confluents. 



As far as can be traced from our present knowledge, the 

 valley in Canadian territory affords 6,000 miles of river, 

 stream and gulch, of which about 1,400 are navigable for 

 the class of steamers suited to the region. In this ter- 

 ritory, which I consider by far the most important part of the 

 Yukon valley, we find gold profusely scattered ; in factj it 

 would be difficult to select a single mile on which traces are 

 not found. I do not wish to be understood as saying that all 

 this is rich or will pay for developing, far from it, but we 

 know now that about half of it affords good indications — good 

 enough to warrant us in assuming that it will be worked 

 under more favorable conditions than at present exist. Out 

 of this 3,000 miles not more that than 400 or 500 have been 

 thoroughly prospected and developed, and in those 400 or 

 500 we have found the world-renowned Klondike region, 

 which probably, all told, comprises less than 150 miles of 

 river, stream and gulch. 



The Stewart, with its confluents, furnishes nearly 2,000 

 linear miles of gold-bearing territory. This will average pos- 

 sibly less than y^ of a mile in width. At present much of 

 this we know is good. 



The Pelly, up to the time of speaking, is practically 

 unknown. A little prospecting has been done at several 

 points with the result that, though not considered rich, it is 

 an asset in the gold production of the future. 



Outside of the Yukon valley in the more south westerly 

 portion of this district, gold has been found on streams tribu- 

 tary to the Alsek River, from which we may reasonably con- 

 clude that the whole Yukon territory is more or less gold- 

 bearing and will probably afford 7,000 linear miles of aurifer- 

 ous deposit, of which we may assume say one-half as worth 

 developing ; not at present it may be, in part, but with in- 

 creased facilities for transport there can be very little doubt 

 but that it will be utilized. These remarks refer, of course, 

 to auriferous gravels and earths. When we take into con- 

 sideration quartz, the possibilities can only be imagined. At 

 present there are upwards of a dozen gold-bearing quartz lodes 

 located in the vicinity of Forty Mile and Dawson, low-grade 

 in quality but vast in extent. It is onlv reasonable to infer 

 that, where gold is so universally and widely scattered, a por- 

 tion of it at least must remain in the in sine mother lode, and 



