O. C. Marsh on the Gold of Nova Scotia. 397 
The minerals noticed in association with the gold at this local - 
ity were mostly iron pyrites and mispickel. The former ap- 
aaa to be quite abundant, and, suspecting it to be auriferous, 
have examined a specimen and find it contains a considerable 
quantity of gold. The exact amount was not estimated, but it 
is sufficient to make its separation profitable if conducted with 
skill and economy. The mispickel at Tangier is frequently 
found underlying the gold in the quartz veins, and in some 
cases enclosing it. Chalcopyrite, magnetite, hematite, and ga- 
lena, also occur in small quantities. 
mong the specimens of gold obtained at Tangier I noticed 
three isolated crystals, which resembled in general appearance 
those brought from California. The largest of these was about 
one third of an inch in diameter. It was a rhombic dodecahe- 
dron with its edges slightly beveled, and although its faces were’ 
marked with delicate strise several of them were unusually bril- 
lant. The other two crystals were octahedrons, with dull and 
somewhat rounded faces. One of these was flattened and also 
much elongated. The smallest crystal was about two lines in 
length and quite perfect. 
The mines at this locality are on the Government lands, and a 
‘claim,’ thirty by thirty-three feet, is rented at twenty dollars per 
annum. At the time of my visit in August, about seven hund- 
ted men were working ‘claims,’ and a large amount of gold had 
been taken from the quartz veins, although in many cases at 
least one third of what they contained was lost by the rude and 
unsatisfactory methods employed in its extraction. ‘T'wo crush- 
ing mills, however, were then nearly completed, which, although 
very unlike, were apparently well adapted to the end in view. 
One of them was very similar to the arrastre, a rude instrument 
used extensively in the silver mines of Mexico, and found to be 
very effective.* It consisted, essentially, of two large granite 
boulders, attached by short ropes to a horizontal beam, on either 
side of an upright shaft, around which they were drawn by a 
pair of horses. The quartz was ine on a paved floor and kept 
Wet, and was crushed by the boulders as they were dragged over 
it. The other mill was a small sized quartz-crusher of recent 
Invention. 3 - 
At Lunenburg, which is about seventy miles west of Halifax 
and one hundred and thirty from Tangier, the gold also occurs 
in quartz veins traversing the clay slate, which here forms a high 
bluff, but it is most abundant in the sands of the adjacent beach, 
ose who first commenced explorations at this poe obtained 
large quantities of gold with very little labor, and their success 
800n attracted others from all parts of the Province. This local- 
ity is known in the neighborhood as “The Ovens,” from some 
* Ure’s Dictionary of Arts, vol. iii, page 677, London, 1860, 
