S72 Mineralogy and Geology of Nova Scotia. 



there are records, not written by the hands of man, which throw 

 some light upon the geological history of remote periods, and 

 give us some knowledge of the operations of the Former of all 

 things. If these records are obscure, their authority is un- 

 doubted. To decipher them has afforded the writer much 

 pleasure in many a lonely and wearisome walk : for it is only 

 by attending to the work that we can learn the design of 

 the workman; and it is with a view of throwing some light 

 on this subject that a part of these specimens have been 

 collected. 



Nova Scotia may be considered as a low portion of a moun- 

 tain range, a large proportion of it being a solid rock covered 

 with a shallow soil mixed with broken stone. Of this rock 

 the greater part is granite. It composes most of the highest, 

 steepest, and most abrupt and irregular hills in the province. 

 It is divided into three distinct masses; one of which forms 

 the basis of the greater part of the township of Halifax, com- 

 mencing near the mouth of the North-west Arm, and passing 

 about two miles west of the Dutch Village, continues, upon an 

 average, within five miles of the Windsor road on the south- 

 west side, and, swelling into lofty hills on the south of the 

 townships of Windsor, Falmouth, and Horton, extends, under 

 the name of the South Mountain, beyond Annapolis ; then 

 crossing Sissiboo River, and in some places approaching the 

 sea, in others at eight or ten miles distance from it, bends to 

 the left round the great barren plain of whinstone, which 

 forms the centre of the south-west part of the province, and 

 ends a considerable distance on this side of Shelburne. The 

 second, the least, but the most naked and mountainous, com- 

 mencing near the north end of Lake Major, in Preston, passes 

 by the head of Chizzetcook harbour, and, crossing the Mus- 

 quodoboit, ends a few miles beyond it upon the elevated plain 

 of broken whinstone ; which, skirting the granite ridge on the 

 north side nearly its whole length, extends beyond it between 

 Musquodoboit and the sea shore, almost to St. Mary's. The 

 third, commencing a little east of Parrsborough, stretches across 

 to within five miles of the Gulf shore at Tatmagouche, and, 

 forming the high land between Cobiquid and Pictou, extends 

 as far as Antigonish River; from whence, though the hills 

 continue, the rocks change to greywacke and coarse lime- 

 stone. 



Besides these three large masses, there are some other 

 small portions of granite ; but they are of inconsiderble extent. 

 In some parts of the province, very good land covers a rock of 

 this kind; but a large proportion of the hills are nearly or 

 quite naked. Upon these lie scattered innumerable blocks of 



