was carried on in 1921. The Peace River Gold Dredging Company has
a number of leases on Peace River, and following satisfactory tests in
the past two years are considering putting a dredge on the property.
Several large blocks of leases on Peace River are held by W. A. Aubin
and preparations for testing the ground are under way.

“ Along Peace River and some tributaries surface croppings of coal-
seams and coal formation indicate a considerable coalfield. A report,
1912, by C. I’. J. Galloway shows that cropping out along the Peace are
a number of seams of bituminous coal of excellent quality. The seams
described in the report vary in width from 2 to 4 feet, but larger seams
are known to occur in the field. Practically no development has been
done, as up to the present there has been no inducement to do so.
Without railway transportation there is, of course, no market, and
development must wait until at least railway-construction is definitely
assured. The field is, however, a valuable potential asset and will
probably be developed in the near future.” The writer also refers to the
indications of possible oilfields.

There was some excitement in 1907 and 1908 over gold finds on
McConnell Creek and Ingenika River, and McConnell Creek was then
staked from end to end, but the following year there was little work
done, and since one or two miners have worked there with satisfactory
results each season. In 1917 the attention of dredging companies was
attracted to the Ingenika and also to Peace River, and since work of
testing with drills has been carried on. J. D. Galloway, Resident Mining
Engineer, in 1921 said it would not surprise him if the next great placer
stampede was to this section.

R. G. McConnell, Canadian Geological Survey, said the geological
section afforded by the Finlay for the first 150 miles follows the strike
of neighbouring mountains and shows occasional sections of the gneisses
and mica-schists of which they are built. Numerous sections of con-
glomerate and plant-bearing shales and sandstone similar to those found
on the Omineca above the Black Canyon are also exposed along this part
of the river. After bearing to the west the Finlay cuts through green
schists, then in apparently conformable descending section through lime-
stones and calc-schists, quartzose shales and conglomerates, and gneisses
and mica-schists, probably archean. The latter rest on and dip away
from coarse-grained granite and diorites, the eastern boundary of which
follows the western shore of Thutade Lake. The green schists are
probably a continuation of the gold-bearing schists of the Omineca, but
if so the band becomes narrower toward the north.

He said: “Gold was found along the Finlay and on all streams
coming in from the west, in some places in quantities to deserve attention
of the prospector. No gold was found on streams flowing from the
Rockies above Little Canyon. The section drained by the Finlay-has
never been prospected to any extent owing to the difficulty and expense
of access, and the same may be said of the greater part of the Omineca

Thirty-one.