270 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [April 28, 



form the fuel employed, and which may be obtained to an almost 

 unlimited extent from the noble forests and extensive peat-beds 

 which still cover a large portion of the country, these ores would 

 yield an iron admirably adapted to the manufacture of steel, and 

 probably equal in quahty to the celebrated Swedish charcoal-iron 

 which has hitherto been so largely imported into this country. 



In addition to the well-known magnetic ores, the Laurentian 

 rocks of Hastings are rich in deposits of Haematite or red oxide of 

 iron. In the discovery and development of these Hsematites I have 

 long felt much interest. The existence of the " Kane ore bed" was 

 pointed out by me several years back, and the bed has already been 

 described by the Geological Survey. It is situated on lot twelve of 

 range five in the township of Madoc, and has a superficial develop- 

 ment extending over several acres. Since the last notice published 

 by the Survey, I have caused an excavation to be made in the field 

 where the ore was originally discovered, and after cutting for a 

 distance of 40 feet failed to reach the wall rock. The ore is a fine- 

 grained Haematite, converted at the surface into a soft red ore. As 

 traces of ancient workings have been found in this deposit, it is 

 probable that the Indians formerly visited the locality for the sake 

 of obtaining the red ochreous substance for use as war-paint. In 

 an excavation, at a considerable depth, I have obtained bone needles 

 and other objects of human workmanship [which were exhibited] ; 

 whilst several shells and stag- antlers that were also found in this 

 excavation have been transmitted to Dr. Dawson, of Montreal. 



The Haematite from the Kane ore bed has been smelted at the 

 Eadnor forges in Lower Canada, and has yielded a pig-iron of ex- 

 cellent quality. It has also been treated at the Atlas Works in 

 Glasgow by the Eessemer process with very encouraging results. 

 According to an assay made in the Metallurgical Laboratory of the 

 Hoyal School of Mines, the ore contains 51*46 per cent, of iron. 



In the third lot of the fourteenth range of Hungerford, there 

 occurs a bed of Haematite, to which attention has not hitherto been 

 directed. The ore is a hard fine-grained Haematite, breaking with, 

 a steel-grey fracture and high metallic lustre. In its present un- 

 developed state, it is difficult to estimate the extent of the deposit, 

 but it is undoubtedly considerable. An assay made in the Metal- 

 lurgical Laboratory of the Royal School of Mines shows that this 

 ore contains 65-91 per cent, of iron. 



Pyrrhotine, or magnetic pyrites, although not to be regarded 

 strictly as an iron-ore, may be most conveniently noticed in this 

 place. An extensive deposit of this iron-bearing mineral crops out 

 on the face of a hill on the nineteenth lot of the first range in Ma- 

 doc. As this mineral not unfrequently contains cobalt and nickel, 

 it was considered desirable to examine the Canadian pyrites for 

 these metals ; but no traces of either were detected. 



V. On the OTHER Minerals op Hastikigs. 



Whilst the gold and iron-ores form the chief mineral wealth of 

 Hastings, the county is by no means destitute of other minerals, 



