MINERAL RESOURCES.
Gold.Placer gold occurs widely disseminated throughout the Yukon basin, though only in a few places has it been found in sufficient quantity to make profitable working. The most important of these are bars along the Lewes between Teslin and Little Salmon rivers and on Forty-mile creek, a southern tributary of the Yukon emptying near the 141st meridian. Ten men were located on the bars of the Lewes, and, although the water was very high when we went down, they are said to have done well in the latter part of the season. One member of our party, Mark Russell, was equipped with long experience in prospecting both for placer and vein gold, and while the necessity for getting through the country as rapidly as possible prevented anything like an exhaustive examination, still enough was done to give a fair idea of the resources of the region traversed. While in White River basin we also had the benefit of Mr Bowker's experience. A few " colors" were found on most of the branches of White river which we crossed, but it was all fine gold and afforded nothing which could be regarded as a good prospect. The indications of gold-bearing quartz were even less encouraging. Practically no vein quartz was seen between Selkirk and Scolai pass, either in place or among the stream gravels. Along. the lower portion of the Nizzenah and thence southward to near the mouth of Copper river considerable quartz occurs in small stringers through the schist, so that there is a possibility of this region containing gold-bearing veins. Copper.Native copper has long been known to exist in the Copper River basin, but exactly where or in what quantity has never been ascertained through actual examination by a competent observer. Its occurrence in White River basin also has been suspected from the presence of native copper among the Yukon Indians, although they were known to trade with those living on Copper river from whom they might have obtained the metal.
