264 
[Assembly 
in favor of considering the collections of ores, as veins instead of beds. 
The Indian vein is a perfect example of a vein, w^hich no one would 
think of calling a bed ; besides there are distinct walls in each case 
bounding the mass of iron on the east and west sides. 
The rock containing these ores is a red granite, the colour of which 
may be owing to the dissemination of the oxide of iron. The changes 
in the ores also is generally stained with the peroxide of iron, the pre- 
sence of which is always taken as an indication of the goodness of an 
ore. 
4. Associated Minerals. 
Fluor spar in small green, also occasionally in purple masses, occurs 
sparingly in the gangue of the ore. Calcareous spar in opake masses 
forms a large proportion of the gangue. The arrangement of the mi- 
neral matter constituting the vein is in alternating layers, an arrange- 
ment which is not easily described without the aid of a diagram. 
Palmer Vien. 
The history of the working of this vein is interesting on account of 
the difficulties which have been experienced in finding the main vein. 
It has been explored for many years and has furnished a large amount 
of ore, but the principal vein was not opened till this last year. 
The difficulty of finding the true vein, has been owing to four dis- 
tinct dykes which cross the vein in as many directions. One of these 
is fourteen feet wide, and may be traced on the surface for the distance 
of half a mile. Its strike is in a direction nearly parallel to the vein, 
bat still sufficiently oblique to it to cut it at a small angle at the place 
where it is opened to the greatest depth and width. Upon the east side 
of this dyke there were several places where ore occurred, and in some 
points large masses had been exposed and removed. These masses 
however were generally rather lean, and finally became unprofitable, 
and of course were abandoned. By the perseverance and well directed 
efforts of Mr. Burt, the manager of the Peru Iron Company's works, 
the main vein was discovered. This fortunate result was effected by 
piercing the fourteen foot dyke, on the west side of which, a vein thirty- 
five feet in width was discovered. The ore is black and mixed with 
white flint. It contains too much earthy matter to be smelted without 
washing. It is therefore less pure than the Arnold veins. It loses 
about one-third of its weight by this operation. 
