66 The Apatite Deposits of Canada. 



exhibitions of London and Paris in 1851 and 1855, and the 

 mineral had already been found by explorers at several other 

 points in the same region previous to 1863. In the Geology of 

 Canada, published in that year, the writer resumed the results of 

 his further studies of these deposits, and described the apatite as 

 occurring in the Laurentian rocks, both distributed in crystals 

 through carbonate of lime, and in " irregular beds running with 

 the stratification and composed of nearly pure crystalline phos- 

 phate of lime." This was further said to occur in North Burgess, 

 in several parallel " beds interstratified with the gneiss."* 



In a subsequent report of the geological survey, in 1866, I 

 again noticed the occurrence of the apatite in beds in the pyrox- 

 enic rocks often found associated with the gneiss. It was said, 

 " the presence of apatite seemed characteristic of the interstrati- 

 fied pyroxenic rocks of this section, in which it was very frequen- 

 tly found in small grains and masses, alike in the granular and 

 the micaceous schistose varieties." In these rocks, the apatite 

 was Scdd to mark the stracification, and to form, in one example, a 

 bed, in some parts two feet thick, which was traced 250 feet 

 along the strike of the pyroxenic rock. I at the same time descri- 

 bed the occurrence of apatite, often with calcite, in "true 

 vein-stODes, cutting the bedded rocks of the country;" alike 

 gneiss, pyroxenite, and crystalline limestone. These latter 

 deposits were farther spoken of as well-defined veins, traversing 

 vertically, and nearly at right angles, the various rocks ; as often 

 banded in structure, and including besides apatite both calcite 

 and mica, occasionally with pyroxene, and more rarely with horn- 

 blende, wollastonite, zircon, quartz, and orthoclase. These veins 

 were said to be very irregular, often changing rapidly in their 

 course from a width of several feet to narrow fissures. It was 

 added, "it is evident that this district can be made to supply 

 considerable quantities of apatite ; " and while the uncertainties 

 arising from the irregularities of the veins were mentioned, it was 

 said that " some of the deposits might probably be mined with 

 profit."f 



Before following farther this history, it may be stated that 

 there are two districts in Canada which have, within the past few 



* Loc. cit, pp. 592, 761. 



t Loc. tit., pp. 204, 224, 229. 



