﻿232 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  SCIENTIFIC 
  INTELLIGENCE. 
  

  

  I. 
  Geology 
  and 
  Mineralogy. 
  

  

  1. 
  Canada; 
  Summary 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  

   Department 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  1898. 
  — 
  Among 
  the 
  items 
  of 
  general 
  

   interest 
  in 
  the 
  report 
  are 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  

  

  "The 
  aggregate 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  minerals 
  in 
  Canada 
  

   during 
  the 
  year 
  1897, 
  as 
  finally 
  corrected 
  and 
  published, 
  is 
  

   128,661,430, 
  being 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  about 
  2*7 
  per 
  cent 
  over 
  that 
  of 
  

   the 
  previous 
  year. 
  This 
  is 
  largely 
  accounted 
  for 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  

   development 
  of 
  gold 
  mining, 
  particularly 
  .in 
  the 
  Yukon 
  district, 
  

   the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  gold 
  produced 
  being 
  more 
  than 
  double 
  that 
  for 
  

   1896." 
  

  

  The 
  Director 
  examined 
  the 
  North 
  Saskatchewan 
  gold 
  district, 
  

   where 
  much 
  interest 
  is 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  dredging 
  machinery 
  to 
  

   gather 
  the 
  river 
  gravels. 
  He 
  reports 
  regarding 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  

   the 
  gold 
  in 
  the 
  "Saskatchewan 
  gravels," 
  that 
  

  

  " 
  Gold 
  in 
  fine 
  scales 
  and 
  particles, 
  generally 
  so 
  minute 
  as 
  to 
  

   require 
  the 
  employment 
  of 
  mercury 
  in 
  collecting 
  it, 
  is 
  now 
  known 
  

   to 
  occur 
  on 
  almost 
  all 
  the 
  rivers 
  running 
  eastward 
  from 
  the 
  

   Rocky 
  Mountains, 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  International 
  boundary, 
  

   wherever 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  prospected. 
  To 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Peace 
  

   River, 
  this 
  gold, 
  in 
  any 
  workable 
  quantity, 
  seems 
  invariably 
  to 
  

   characterize 
  a 
  portion 
  oi 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  each 
  of" 
  the 
  rivers, 
  giving 
  

   out 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  before 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  is 
  

   reached, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  along 
  a 
  less 
  well 
  defined 
  line, 
  but 
  

   one 
  probably 
  due, 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  to 
  the 
  local 
  substitution 
  of 
  sand 
  

   and 
  clay 
  banks 
  and 
  beds 
  lor 
  the 
  gravel 
  bars 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  and 
  more 
  

   rapid 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  streams. 
  The 
  Peace 
  River 
  and 
  the 
  Liard, 
  

   rising 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Rocky 
  Mountains 
  proper, 
  among 
  rocks 
  

   known 
  to 
  be 
  auriferous, 
  contain 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  gold 
  throughout 
  

   their 
  lengths, 
  or 
  to 
  points 
  in 
  their 
  lower 
  courses 
  where 
  the 
  

   changed 
  conditions 
  of 
  flow, 
  above 
  alluded 
  to, 
  render 
  the 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  any 
  minutely 
  divided 
  gold 
  which 
  they 
  may 
  still 
  carry 
  

   practically 
  impossible. 
  In 
  other 
  words, 
  in 
  these 
  two 
  rivers, 
  and 
  

   possibly 
  also 
  in 
  some 
  still 
  farther 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   part 
  at 
  least 
  of 
  the 
  contained 
  gold 
  comes 
  directly 
  from 
  their 
  upper 
  

   tributaries 
  ; 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Athabasca, 
  the 
  North 
  Sas- 
  

   katchewan 
  and 
  other 
  rivers 
  farther 
  to 
  the 
  south, 
  the 
  evidence 
  at 
  

   first 
  sight 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  entirely 
  against 
  the 
  possible 
  derivation 
  of 
  

   gold 
  from 
  the 
  mountains 
  to 
  the 
  westward." 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  result 
  of 
  recent 
  observations 
  appears, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  indi- 
  

   cate 
  that 
  the 
  gold 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Saskatchewan 
  and 
  other 
  rivers 
  of 
  

   the 
  Northwest 
  has 
  come 
  in 
  part 
  from 
  several 
  sources, 
  but 
  has 
  

   been 
  derived 
  chiefly 
  from 
  the 
  crystalline 
  rock 
  of 
  the 
  Laurentian 
  

   axis 
  or 
  plateau 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  or 
  north-eastward, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  transported 
  with 
  the 
  fragments 
  of 
  these 
  rocks 
  that 
  now 
  

   form 
  so 
  conspicuous 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  drift 
  ' 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Plains. 
  

  

  