REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I9IO I33 



were ordered to. At a depth of two feet this mine promised well 

 as we found there eight inches and four lines of face. But after 

 we had reached a depth of 32 feet, it ended in nothing. This dis- 

 couraged the Sieur Vreiznic, our engineer, who said that in all the 

 mines he had excavated even of two or three lines at the surface, 

 he had found at a depth of 20 feet more than a foot of face with- 

 out counting the veins scattered in various places. 



From the 15th to the 24th of September we worked on the north 

 side. After having removed the earth from the rock we found at 

 the surface five inches, one line; and after the mine was opened 

 there were found only two inches. From the 27th of September 

 to the 4th of October we worked on the east side without losses 

 or wounds to our men. We had some hopes of succeeding better 

 here, since we had found on the surface nine inches and three 

 lines, but at a depth there was nothing at all. And that we might 

 have nothing wherewith to reproach ourselves, on October 28th 

 we tried the west side, where on the surface were only two and a 

 half inches, and at 20 feet depth nothing. 



The season obliged us to return to Quebec as we had neither 

 provisions nor lodging fitted to resist the great cold and snows ; 

 so we w^ere forced to abandon our work which had yielded us no 

 more than eight to nine thousand weight of lead. We took our 

 departure on St Martin's day and on the same vessel that had 

 brought us, and the mine had only made a hole in the purses of 

 the miners.^ 



1 A play on words : " La minne mina la boiirce des mineurs." 



