at $396,718; in 1894 to 6,229, valued at $339,756; in 1895 to 8,593 tons, valued at $493,075.

GYPSUM.

759. Gypsum is at present worked only in Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, though deposits of a certain quality have been found in Manitoba and the Territories. Gypsum is one of the oldest worked of any of the deposits of the country. In 1701 large quantities of it were mined by the French in St. John (New Brunswick) and transported to Port Royal (now Annapolis Royal), where it was used in connection with the building operations then being carried on there. Nearly one-half of the production. of 1894 is credited to Nova Scotia. Of the exports of crude gypsum, nearly 80 per cent goes from Nova Scotia; the market for it is almost altogether in the United States. From the following table it will be seen that the greater part of the production is exported in a crude state :— PRODUCTION AND EXPORTS OF CRUDE GYPSUM, 1886-95.

760. The production of building stone in Canada during the past nine years has, as far as known, been :

The above figures are from actual returns, and are supposed to represent about four-fifths of the total production.

There is not space in a work of this kind to take up all the minor mineral productions in detail. The table, at the commencement of the chapter, of mineral productions in 1894 and 1895, will be some guide to their annual value.

MINING LAWS.

761. A brief resumé of the mining laws of the Dominion of Canada and of the several provinces is here given.

762. Under the Union Act of 1867, mines and minerals were placed under the care of the Provincial Governments.

NOVA SCOTIA.

763. In Nova Scotia the province grants all its minerals with the land, except gold, silver, copper, lead, tin, iron coal and precious stones. These latter are leased under rental and royalty for revenue purposes. The gold and silver leases are for terms of 40 years. Other minerals are leased for

80 years in four renewable terms of 20 years each.

The gold and silver areas are 250 by 150 feet, laid off with the shorter side running east and west. Any number of these areas up to 100 can be secured under a license to prospect for 12 months on payment of 50 cents an area. During this period any number of the areas can be taken under lease, or the areas can be directly applied for under lease. The price of an area under lease is $2, and thereafter an annual rental of 50 cents per area secures it from forfeiture for non-working. If an amount of work equivalent to 40 days per annum per area is performed on the lease the rental for that year is refunded. A royalty is payable on all gold at the rate of two per cent, the gold being valued at $19.00 an ounce smelted, and $18.00 an ounce unsmelted, and at the rate of two per cent on the silver valued at $1.00 per oz.

In the case of the other minerals the payment of $30.00 secures a license to search for 18 months over a tract of land 5 square miles in extent, and not exceeding 24 miles in length.

All ores and minerals, other than gold or gold and silver, mined are subject to the following royalties:

Coal.-10 cents per ton of 2,240 pounds of coal sold or removed from the mine or used in the manufacture of coke-royalty not demanded on coal used by the workmen or in any mining operations in and around the mine. Copper.-4 cents upon every unit, i. e., upon every one per cent of copper contained in each and every ton of 2,352 pounds of copper ore sold or smelted.

Lead-2 cents upon every unit.

5 cents on every ton of 2,240 pounds of ore sold or smelted. recious stones and any other minerals that may be reserved, their values.

The Governor in Council has power to lower the rates of royalty above stated on iron, copper, lead, tin and precious stones, on being satisfied that the owners of such leased minerals have commenced effective mining operations. The leases of coal mines contain a proviso that royalties on coal may be increased, diminished or otherwise changed by the Legislature.

764. The mining laws of New Brunswick are very similar to those of Nova Scotia. The royalty on gold and gold and silver mined is 2 per cent

on the gross amount mined.

QUEBEC.

765. The mining laws of the Province of Quebec provide that mining rights are property separate from the soil covering mines and minerals, unless the proprietor of the surface has purchase from the Crown, as a mining concession or otherwise, the underground properties.

Mining concessions are divided into three classes :—

1. In unsurveyed territory (a) the first class contains 400 acres, (b) the second 200 acres, and (c) the third 100 acres.

2. In surveyed townships the three classes respectively comprise one, two and four lots.

All lands supposed to contain mines or ores belonging to the Crown may be acquired from the Commissioner of Crown Lands (a) as a mining concession by purchase, or (b) be occupied and worked under a mining license.

No sale of mining concessions containing more than 400 acres in superficies can be made by the Commissioner to the same person. The Governor in Council may, however, grant a larger extent of territory up to 1,000 acres under special circumstances.

The rates charged and to be paid in full at the time of the purchase are $5 and $10 per acre for mining lands containing the superior metals*; the first-named price being for lands situated more than 12 miles and the lastnamed for lands situated less than 12 miles from the railway.

If containing the inferior metals, $2 and $4, according to distance from railway.

Unless stipulated to the contrary in the letters patent in concessions for the mining of superior metals, the purchaser has the right to mine for all metals found therein; in concessions for the mining of the inferior metals, those only may be mined for.

Mining lands are sold on the express condition that the purchaser shall commence bonâ fide to mine within two years from the date of purchase, and shall spend not less than $500 if mining for the superior metals; and not less than $200, if for inferior metals. In default, cancellation of sale of the mining land.

Licenses may be obtained from the Commissioner on the following terms: Application for an exploration and prospecting license, if the mine is on private land, $2 for every 100 acres or fraction of 100; if the mine is

*The superior metals include the ores of gold, silver, lead, copper, nickel, graphite, asbestos, mica and phosphate of lime. The words inferior metals include all other minerals and ores.

on Crown Lands (1) in surveyed territory, $5 for every 100 acres, and (2) in unsurveyed territory, $5 for each square mile, the license to be valid for three months and renewable. The holder of such license may afterwards purchase the mine, paying the prices mentioned.

Licenses for mining are of two kinds. Private lands' licenses, where the mining rights belong to the Crown, and Public lands' licenses. These licenses are granted on payment of a fee of $5, and an annual rental of $1 per acre. Each license is granted for 200 acres or less, but not for more; is valid for one year and is renewable on the same terms as those on which it was originally granted. The Governor in Council may at any time require the payment of the royalty in lieu of fees for a mining license and the annual rental-such royalties, unless otherwise determined by letters patent or other title from the Crown, being fixed at a rate not to exceed three per cent of the value at the mine of the mineral extracted after deducting the cost of mining it.

766. The Mines Act of Ontario provides for the abolition of all royalties imposed upon ores or minerals within the province prior to the 4th day of May, 1891. Reservations of gold and silver mines contained in any patent issued prior to the above date are made void, and all such mines in and upon such lands are deemed to have been granted in fee simple and to have passed with the lands, excepting as to lands patented under the Free Grants and Homestead Act, Revised Statutes, Ontario, 1887.

All ores and minerals mined on lands located, sold, granted or leased by the Crown on and after the 4th day of May, 1891, are made subject to a royalty to the Crown. The royalties imposed being (a) on silver, nickel or nickel and copper and iron, two per cent; (b) on all other ores such royalty as may be from time to time imposed by the Governor in Council, not exceeding two per cent, such royalties to be calculated upon the value at the mine after deducting cost of labour, explosives and raising the ore to the surface. Royalties are not to be imposed or collected until after seven years from the date of the patent or lease.

Any person may explore for mines and minerals on any Crown land not staked out or occupied. Crown lands supposed to contain ores or minerals may be sold as mining lands, or may, when situated within a mining division, be worked as mining claims under miner's license; such lands, when situated in unsurveyed territory or in townships surveyed into sections or lots, must be sold in blocks to be called mining locations.

Mining locations in the territory north of Lake Superior and Lake Huron and of French River and the River Mattawa are required to be of rectangular shape, containing not less than 40 acres. These locations are sold as follows: if in a surveyed township and within 6 miles of a railway, $3 per acre, if beyond 6 miles, $2.50; if in unsurveyed, $2.50 and $2.00 according to distance from railway; when in any other region the price is $2.00 and $1.50 according to distance from railway. All these mining locations revert to the Crown in default of the expenditure in actual mining operations of $4 per acre during the first seven years, when the area exceeds 160 acres, and of $5 per acre in case the area is less than 160 acres. In addition to granting mining lands in fee simple the province also grants leases of such lands for a term of ten years, renewable for a second like term.

The rental is $1 per acre for the first year and 25 cents per

acre per annum for subsequent years in the lands situated in Algoma and that part of Nipissing district north of the French River and the River Mattawa, and 60 cents the first year and thereafter 15 cents per annum for land situated elsewhere. These leases are all renewable after the second term by further terms of 20 years.

Miners' licenses in territories which may be set apart as Mining Divisions are granted for one year on payment of $10, renewable for another year on payment of a like fee.

The Legislature of Ontario created a Bureau of Mines in 1891. Mr. Archibald Blue was made director, and he has issued several valuable reports, the latest to hand being that for 1894.

DOMINION.

767. The Dominion Government have provided regulations for the disposal of coal lands, the property of the Dominion in Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and British Columbia.

Lands containing anthracite coal may be sold at an upset price of $20 per acre cash, and coal other than anthracite at an upset price of $10 per acre cash. Not more than 320 acres can be sold to one applicant. The Minister of the Interior has power to grant permission to prospect for coal for a period of 60 days, such permission to cover an area of 320 acres.

The regulations governing the disposal of mineral lands other than coal apply to Manitoba and the North-west Territories, and relate to Dominion lands containing gold, silver, cinnabar, lead, tin, copper, iron, or other mineral deposit of economic value.

No mining location or mining claim is granted until actual discovery of the deposit within the limits of the location or claim,

A location for mining, except for iron and mica on veins, lodes or ledges of quartz or other rock in place, must not be of larger dimensions than 1,500 feet in length and 600 in breadth. After marking out the ground in the manner prescribed, the claimant must, within 60 days thereafter, file with the agent of the Dominion Lands office for the district a sworn declaration setting forth the circumstances of his discovery and describing the locality and dimensions of his claim, paying in the sum of $5 as an entry fee. He obtains from the agent a receipt, which is his authority to enter into possession on the location for the next five years, and to take and dispose of any mineral deposit contained therein, provided that during each of the five years he expends in actual mining operations at least $100; which fact being sufficiently proved to the agent of Dominion Lands, and a fee of $5 in each year being paid, shall entitle the miner to work the location for another year. At any time before the expiry of the five years the claimant is entitled, on proof of having expended at least $500 in operations, to purchase the location at the rate of $5 per acre cash, and the further deposit with the agent of $50 to cover the cost of survey. feiture is evoked by non-compliance during the five years with the regula tions respecting annual expenditure.

For

A location for the mining of iron or mica must not be more than 160 acres in extent.