94 APPENDIX. 



I was therefore somewhat astonished, when we found ourselves 

 advancing so much to the north of the narrows of Halifax harbor ; still 

 I expected that by changing the direction of our road we might come so 

 far south as to arrive at the expected position. I was, however, dis- 

 appointed and my foregone conclusion became valueless. We found 

 ourselves transported to Montague, in a locality some miles to the north 

 of its supposed position. 



The metamorphic lower silurian strata of Montague are quartzites 

 with interstratified argillites having auriferous quartz veins conformable 

 with the bedding and also intersecting it. The lode or lead conformable 

 with the stratification called the Belt lead, is the seat of the principal 

 works. This is found to be the richest gold-producing vein in the 

 locality. There are also works on a cross lead, from which a very 

 beautiful and rich mass was exhibited at the time of our visit. The 

 strata containing these have a southerly dip, being on the south side of a 

 synclinal, which, if continued westerly would intersect the section of 

 rocks at the railway on the west side of Bedford Basin, about two 

 miles north of Halifax. 



Mr. Lawson pointed out to me the position of an anticlinal axis to 

 the south of the mines. 



Our visit was too cursory to enable us to ascertain details of 

 structure. I looked for fossils but found none. I observed in the 

 argillites, concretions such as are frequently found in argillile strata, and 

 which have often an organic nucleus. I expect to return to the locality, 

 for the purpose of making a better investigation. 



This Gold Field is at present one of the most productive of the Gold 

 Fields in the Province. The persevering operations of Mr. Lawson 

 have been rewarded with distinguished success. He explained to me his 

 system of mining ; there is no groping in the dark ; the product of every 

 shaft is kept distinct ; the exact amount of gold produced by each is 

 known so that the comparative productiveness of each is manifest ; the 

 whole working is carefully measured and planned. The works are 

 superintended by Mr. Lawson himself. 



There is much mispicked or arsenical pyrites associated with the 

 gold in the quartz vein : the result of this is that a great part of the gold 

 escapes in the process of crushing and amalgamating, by the sickening of 

 the mercury. Among all the methods proposed for remedying this evil, 

 there have been none found adequate to meet the case. The cost of all 

 exceed the profit ; the tailings when exposed to atmospheric action 

 become partially oxidised and cemented together by the oxide of iron. 

 It is to be hoped that some means will now be discovered by the ener- 

 getic proprietor of the mine by which the evil may be remedied, and the 

 precious metal recovered. 



D. H. 



