THE CANADIAN GEOLOGICAL SUEVET. 2^1 



for five years more. In 1846 the Copper region of Lake Superior 

 occupied the entire attention of the Survey ; and since that time an 

 immense amount of country has been examined in various parts of the 

 Province, the greater portion of which being entirely wild and un- 

 known, it was found necessary to survey topographically. Besides 

 the geology, — much of it of the very highest economic importance, — 

 which has been followed out on both sides of the St. Lawrence, both 

 above and below Montreal, in the Eastern Townships, and in the 

 region around the confluence of the Ottawa ; the courses of all the 

 main rivers of Lake Huron on the one side of the " Height of Land," 

 and of the Ottawa on the other, have been traced and measured to 

 their sources, the Lakes and principal features of the interior surveyed, 

 and the elevation of every fall and rapid ascertained trigonometrically 

 or by spirit level. Those surveys have since been mapped on a scale 

 of an inch to a mile, with every particular noted thereon. 



Moreover, a regular system of measurements has not been confined 

 to the totally wild and unfrequented parts, but has been found abso- 

 lutely necessary throughout nearly the whole of the settlements, in 

 consequence of the numerous inaccuracies and omissions in the various 

 township plans. "Where a more accurate method could not be ob- 

 tained, all the observations were connected by a registration of each 

 step taken by the observer, the bearings from one point to another 

 being taken by compass. And as an example of the amount of work 

 accomplished by this means — Mr. Eichardson (who has been employed 

 as an explorer since 1845) in 1853 registered paces, in his note book, 

 making a total distance during the season of upwards of 1000 miles. 

 The results of this process have also been mapped on a scale of an 

 inch to a mile, and have supplied, on many occasions, much material 

 to fill up deficiencies, and correct discrepancies, on the old published 

 maps. 



The result of these investigations is already acknowledged to have 

 been of incalculable benefit to science, as having most essentially 

 thrown light, where there was muoh misapprehension before, on the 

 whole of American Geology ; and they have, moreover, beyond dis- 

 pute, been productive of the most valuable information as regards the 

 distribution of economic materials. While the position of such use- 

 ful materials as do exist can be readily recognised by reference to 

 the Geological map, in which the various formations are represented 

 by different colors — those that do not exist, will be found wanting 

 and, consequently, need not be looked for ; such, for example, is the 

 case with regard to Coal — a mineral not likely to be (bund among 

 rocks recognised as belonging to the Silurian and Devonian epochs. 



