thrifty on the ridges and in the valleys. The slopes and ridges were well covered with a good sandy loam, intermixed with organic matter. Lake No. 1 lies about 200 feet higher than the Chippewa at the point where we left the river. We paddled three-quarters of a mile north and again portaged, going one mile north, 20 degrees east, to lake No. 2, travelling up a ravine between hills of gray granite gneiss. Considerable white pine was noted on the ridges passed and around lake No. 2. Crossing a little height of land we came to an old Indian camping ground and an extensive sugar bush. Years ago dian Sugar this country was well inhabited, but bush. for some reason the game left or was driven out and is only now returning. From the old sugar bush we paddled across a little low-lying lake with pine upon its shores, and portaged into lake No. 4, a lake of legendary fame, whose tale our guide related as we paddled northwest a mile and a half on its waters. Large rocky bluffs line the shores, and a good deal of pine was observed.

An old In

North a mile and a half of lake No. 4 an area of green schistose rock was seen about

Green Schirts.

half a mile in width, and striking west 20 degrees north we passed this in the low lying grounds of a former lake basin. Continuing half a mile north through good hardwood bush, maple and black birch, we came to another little lake, and having portaged from it 13 chains over a little height of land we entered the first lake, of the Batchawana system. The lakes of this system are easily distinguishable from those of the Chippewa by reason of the waters of the first named being dark and brownish colored, while those of the latter are clear as crystal. Speckled trout are found in nearly all the lakes. At lakes 6 and 7 we saw no pine. Going northeast up stream from lake No. 7 we came to a recently burned area which extended along our course Lakes and for some miles. We now passed through a series of marshy lakes and streams of shallow water with much muck bottom. Many little portages were made and scattered areas of white pine noted. Small spruce, tamarac and balsam grew around the waterway. Turning to the southeast we again entered Chippewa waters. Numerous

A Region of

Marshes.

wolf trails were seen round one of the streams. To the east stretch a level plain, partly open and covered with dry mosses and a good growth of short coarse grass. Crossing a mile and a half of this open we came to a little stream and one-half mile farther to a heart-shape lake the shores of which were thickly wooded with small white pine.

Around Lake Chippewa.

After portaging we entered lake Chippewa, and here camped for three days, October 8 to 11, spending this time in exploring the country to the east and southeast of lake Chippewa. The whole of this district is well covered with hardwood, with scattered pine throughout and belts of pine around the lakes and in the valleys. An area of slate and diabase crosses lake Chippewa, striking north 40 degrees east. Three miles south of the Slates, Dia- same lake a diabase dike was crossed, and in the same vicinity quartz with magnetite and green schist Samples from a quartz vein yielded traces of gold upon assaying. To the west of lake Chippewa hardwood ridges with little pine extend to the Batchawana river. North of the lake is a series of little lakes most of which are tributary to the Batchawana. the east of these lakes is a pinery stretching to and beyond the Chippewa river.

base and Veins of Quartz.

walls.

Wart Lake.

To

From a high bluff at the southwest end of Wart lake the country north, south and east could be seen for miles. To the southwest, south and southeast lay a country of hardwood hills and plains, ridges and valleys of pine, and extending, our guide said, through to the banks of the Goulais. But beyond Wart lake to the north and northeast a rough country was distinguishable, a great succession of bluffs, some timbered with spruce, but being for the most part bare rock,-the whole having the same appearance as the country crossed by our meridian line in this latitude. Gray granite bluffs surround the south and west shores of Wart lake. rising in places to an altitude of 350 or 450 feet.

The Batchawana Valley.

West of Chippewa lake the Batchawana river is wide and shallow. The bed is covered with large bou ders and paddling in a birch canoe is slow work. Going down the

river Mr. Kennedy and I walked the banks while eur guide brought down the canoe with the packs, he being in the water much of the time. After a day of this work we were able to do more paddling, the water being deeper and the stones in the bed smaller. Numerous stretches of gravel and sand were passed and along the sands of the river-side grew choke and ground-cherries. Many wolf tracks were noticed.

This river must rise at least four feet above its autumn height in the spring-time, and then its waters come down with great force, as was evidenced by the presence of large stones which had been carried in among the bushes of banks three or four feet high.

Two series of falls were passed and portages made, going down the river. Logs would probably pass over the first fall easily

the River.

enough in high water, but the rocks Falls on of the second would require some blasting for driving. A hornblende schist extending southwest was noted in contact with the granite-gneiss at the first falls. We left the Batchawana river a few miles from its mouth and portaged two miles westerly into Pike lake, and from there two and one half miles to lake Superior. High bluffs of gray granitic rocks lay to the northwest of our portage into Pike lake. Iron and copper were found here, our guide said, more than thirty years ago. From Pike lake a trail of a quarter of a mile leads to an old road extending from lake Superior

Pike Lake.

back four miles to a bed of iron ore.

An aban

Mine.

This

road was graded and the ties laid doned Iron more than twenty-five years ago, and much of it is now grass-covered. No ore was ever taken out over it, and at Batchawana I could not learn why operations had ceased at such a stage. The road passes through a country comparatively level,-sand loam and gravel, thickly timbered with hardwood and spruce. Much of this land would be suitable for agriculture.

All the level front of Batchawana bay has been taken up for settlement. Some of the settlers are reaching back inland. Apple

203

ior, and its front is well lined with a fleet of fishing boats. The steamer Telegram does a busy carrying trade throughout the season, its owners buying all the fish taken along the Canadian shore from Sault St. Marie to Otter Head. Three lumbering firms are operating in this district this season, two taking out pulpwood and one cedar. Altogether 500 men or more will be employed for the winter.

The large island in Batchawana bay is for the most part comparatively level land, is well wooded, and would make good farming or ranching land if cleared.

Eight miles below Batchawana, near the mouth of the Chippewa river, is a copper prospect upon which considerable blasting was done in 1897.

The business atmosphere of Batchawana is healthy and invigorating-lumbering, fishing, farming, with not unpromising prospects of development in iron and copper.

Economic Minerals of the Line.

Nickel and
Iron,
Gold and
Silver.

At Garden River I was shown samples of nickel and iron ore said to have been taken from rocky bluffs in the country to the northeast. At Goulais river there is a gold and silver prospect, already mentioned in this report. Mineralized belts were crossed in this locality and up to the 12th mile. Of the country from the 16th to the 23rd mile the rock formation is very hard and in places flint-like, and not likely to prove good prospecting ground. Extensive slate areas of dull gray color were passed here. Quartz veins, carrying at the surface iron and copper pyrites, were passed in the country east and west of the 26th to the 30th mile.

A number of veins were crossed in the country along the 36th to the 43rd mile. Samples taken from a large quartz vein with schists assayed 7 oz. silver and traces of gold. The rocks to the east of the line were heavily impregnated with iron. Schists and diabase dikes cutting northwest through the granite were numerous here. This I believe is the most promising region for prospecting along the meridian line. It is four days' journey by water from Chapleau, and five or six from Batchawana.

In the Laurentian area north of the 45th mile little or nothing was found, if the tale and mica schists of Bad river be execpted.

In the region of the Batchawana and Chippewa rivers were numerous indications of both

copper and iron. A dull lead-blue slate was found on the shores of lake Chip

Copper and Magnetite.

pewa. A quartz vein south of the lake yielded traces of gold. Magnetite and quartz associated were found in this vicinity.

Introduction.

MELD WORK on the Economic Geology of

FIELD

Eastern Ontario was carried on during the summer of 1898 on lines similar to those followed in 1897.1 It was at first proposed to complete the work in connection with the outlining of the area over which the corundum deposits occur, and after this was done to spend some time in studying the deposits of iron and other substances which have been attracting considerable attention in this part of the Province during the last few years. As the work progressed, however, the corundum-bearing rocks were found to cover such an extensive area that little time could be devoted to the deposits of other minerals.

My assistants, as in 1897, were Messrs. R. T. Hodgson and W. C. Rogers, whom I have to thank for the interest they showed in the work.

The Director of the Bureau of Mines spent the last week of September in the district, and I accompanied him in a visit to some of the chief corundum deposits.

During the past season, as in 1897, we received many favors at the hands of persons living in the district, and I desire to return thanks for the assistance which was so willingly given us during the progress of the work.

we found corundum in this belt outcrop to the south and southwest. I also stated that it was likely the mineral would be found to occur in place in this part of the district. These rocks, among which are the first outcrops of nepheline syenite discovered in the Province, had been studied pretty closely in some respects, but it seemed to me likely corundum would be found to occur in certain facies of them to which little attention

and

In Nephe- had been paid by the geologists line Syenite who examined the district. Our Anorthosite. work during the past season has verified this prediction, as we found corundum in place at a number of points in Dungannon and other townships in which the remarkable masses of nepheline syenite have for some years been known to exist.

A very interesting occurrence of corundum was discovered in the townships of South Sherbrooke and Oso, where the mineral was found in a basic anorthosite. The similarity of this mode of occurrence of the mineral to some of those of Russia and India will be referred to again.

New Belts

and

The past season's work has shown that corundum is to be found at intervals along a belt of rocks which runs for a distance of discovered about 75 miles from the township explored. of South Algona in the northeast to the township of Glamorgan in the southwest. In addition to this there are two bands of corundum-bearing rocks of lesser length which have not as yet been connected with the main belt. One of these belts, which has a length of about eight miles, runs from the township of Methuen in Peterborough county through a corner of the adjoining township of Burleigh to Stony lake. Another belt, which so far as examined is found to have a length of 10 to 12 miles, runs from the western part of the township of South Sherbrooke in Lanark county through the township of Oso southwestward into Olden and Hinchinbrooke in Frontenac county.