MINERAL OCCURRENCES AT DUSKY SOUND. 307 
The country in which hitherto he has found the most en- 
couraging mining prospects consists of a nearly square area of 
metamorphic rocks, comprising various species, such as horn- 
blendic and garnetiferous gneisses, micaceous and _ chloritic 
schists, garnetiferous quartz schists, &c.; which area is from 
three to four miles in width from east to west, and stretches from 
sea to sea, north and south, across a mountain range about 3000 
feet in height, dividing a branch of Dusky Sound from Wet 
Jacxet Arm, the distance between being about four miles. On 
both sides of this metamorphic tract, the rock consists of granite, 
which rises into mountains whose height is estimated as close 
upon 4000 feet, the mountain on the west being called Mount 
Hodge, that on the east Mount Pendar. The axis of elevation 
of the mountain range runs nearly east and west, a straight line 
in this direction passing the top of Mount Pendar, the highest 
part of the schist area, the summit of Mount Hodge, and further 
west that of Mount Phillips ; and Mr Docherty states the curious 
fact that in this line the tops of all three mountains are cleft in 
twain, as it were by large open fissures extending considerable 
distances downwards. On the highest part, near the eastern 
boundary of the schist area, Mr. Docherty affirms to have dis- 
covered seven distinct metalliferous deposits, varying from 2 to 4 
feet in thickness and running pretty close together, which from 
their general character he considers to be lodes, but whose mode 
of connection with the country rock, namely that they have the 
same strike and dip as the latter, are in fact interbedded in it, 
designates them as true mineral layers. And he is convinced, 
judging from surface indications, that other deposits of a similar 
class exist in neighbouring parts not yet well prospected. It may 
here passingly be remarked that according to descriptions at 
Roraas and Doore, near Trondhjem in Norway, rich copper-bear- 
ing layers are worked which in the nature of the minerals they 
carry, and that of the enclosing rocks, bear a striking resem- 
blance to some of the seven layers under notice. Four of these 
latter have a strike a few degrees west of north, and a westerly dip 
at between 30°and 40°, whilst the other three strikeja little north of 
east with a northward dip at about the same angle as the others— 
the relation of the two systems being in fact such that all the 
north and south layers appear to come to a junction at nearly 
right angles with the nearest layer of the east and west system, 
as this is plainly traceable in front of and either side beyond and 
is not crossed by any of them (see sketch 1). Considering that 
in the case of each system the country rock, as before stated, 
conforms in strike and dip with the layers, the singular feature 
just noted would be proof, respectively the result of a complete 
break and turn of the schist rocks about the line of the first east 
and west layer. Owing to the favourable circumstance of a deep 
narrow creek-valley running north and south westward of and at 
no great distance from the layers, these conjointly could be pro- 
spected to depths exceeding 1400 feet by adits of comparatively 
short lengths, because of the fact that the layers of both systems 
