i88o.] 
A nalyses of Books . 
53i 
Geological Survey of Canada. Report of Progress for 1877-78. 
Published by authority of Parliament. Montreal : Dawson 
Brothers. 
This report, as usual, contains a goodly store of interesting 
matter. Considerable attention has been paid to the apatite 
beds, and a very large number of samples have been analysed. 
The mineral is decidedly rich in phosphoric acid, averaging about 
40 per cent. The carbonates are trifling ; iron is in many cases 
absent altogether, and alumina ranges from 0*267 to 1*969 per 
cent. The only drawback is the presence of fluoride of calcium, 
averaging 7 per cent. This constituent requires special precau- 
tions to prevent nuisance when the apatite is used in the manu- 
facture of superphosphate. It may be pronounced decidedly 
superior to the Nassau apatite, which contains less phosphoric 
acid, more iron and silica, about the same fluorides, and alumina. 
To what extent these samples are fairly representative of the 
mineral veins seems, however, an open question. The apatite 
occurs in Ottawa county, and is accompanied by a great variety 
of mineralogical species, mainly similar to those found associated 
with apatite in Norway. 
The gold deposits of British Columbia are described at some 
length. The precious metal is found both in alluvial deposits 
and as auriferous quartz. Near Kelley’s lake a quartz vein has 
been discovered yielding 1*21 ounces of gold and 2*43 ounces of 
silver to the ton. Pellets of native silver have been found on 
the Similkameen, and the ore at Cherry Creek has been found to 
contain 658 ounces of silver per ton. On the South Similkameen 
the gold is mixed with coarse scales of platinum. Rich copper- 
ores and native copper have also been met with, but pending the 
possible discovery of deposits yet unnoticed the mineral resources 
of British Columbia do not seem of capital importance. 
Cape Breton is rich in fine marble, which at present lacks a 
market, being excluded from the United States by a protertionist 
duty of 50 cents per cubic foot. Many of the beds are perfectly 
fit for statuary purposes. 
The palaeontological observations are not remarkably im- 
portant. The Tertiary strata of British Columbia have yielded 
fossil inserts in good preservation, but presenting few points of 
interest. 
The Dominion must undoubtedly have many secrets, geological 
and biological, which are yet to be brought to light, and we 
must hope that the Survey will not on any account be cut short 
in its operations. 
Several important books stand over for review, on account of 
the want of space. 
