Coal in Canada. 213 



matter of coal. All the ri cites of the earth and of the hills and 

 of the deep beneath, have been thrown into its lap, except this ; 

 and like the child whose toys are all valueless because mamma 

 cannot give it the moon to play with in its own hand, it turns its 

 eyes away from all its other treasures, and cries for coal. Then 

 when any clever pretender, or simple practical man misled by 

 indications which he does not understand, for a time deludes it with 

 the fancy that it possesses the much coveted combustible, it rails 

 at the stupid Geological Survey which has failed to make the dis- 

 covery, and snaps its fingers at the geologists, whose spectral 

 " theories " have— like the ghosts that guard hidden treasure — 

 hitherto scared it from the prize. 



We are far from desiring to insinuate that in Canada the public 

 mind is in such matters behind that of other countries ; and it is 

 cheering to know that many intelligent men are fully aware of 

 the real position of this country in its geological resources. It is 

 however very disheartening to scientific men, to find on the peri- 

 odical recurrence of delusive mining schemes or unexpected prac- 

 tical facts, how very little even the more literary portion of the 

 people are leavened with scientific truth. We write and lecture, 

 and finally suppose that men have at least some general appreci- 

 ation of that which we teach ; but on a sudden we find ourselves 

 quite mistaken, and the public ready to give ear to any statement, 

 no matter how much at variance with the facts established by long 

 and patient enquiry. The best use to be made of such unplea- 

 sant discoveries of popular ignorance, is to take advantage of 

 the excitement which they occasion, in order to diffuse better 

 ideas. 



The latest of these professed discoveries is that of coal at Bow- 

 manville, C. W., a town of about 4000 inhabitants, 43 miles dis- 

 tant from Toronto. A practical miner acquainted with the digging 

 of coal, and therefore supposed to know more of its whereabout 

 than the geologists and such unpractical persons, has made his 

 way to this place. He assures a proprietor there that there is 

 coal on his property, though situated on Lower Silurian rocks, and 

 these rocks overlaid by no one knew how much tertiary clay and 

 sand. A glance at the geological reports scattered broadcast over 

 the country, would have shown that the occurrence of coal there 

 is in the last degree improbable. But miners are supposed to 

 have a wonderful penetration in such matters. Without taking 

 any competent advice, a bore is made, and, wonderful to relate, at 



