Mineralogy and Geology of Nova Scotia. 373 



granite, varying from 5 ft. to 40 ft. in diameter, and resting 

 frequently upon a few small rolled stones. They are also 

 always found in abundance upon hills of other kinds of rock, 

 which are near to and south of masses of granite ; and a few, 

 some of which are large, are found at a great distance, but 

 always rounded, or in the form called rolled stones. The 

 granite hills always show abundance of irregular fissures ; nor 

 is it easy to find a place where aline could be stretched 100 ft. 

 without crossing a crack. Besides these open fissures, there 

 are many seams which appear like fissures united, the small 

 ones with quartz, those that are 3 in. or 4 in. broad, with fel- 

 spar. Rarely a fine-grained variety will be found extending 

 for a mile or two, which separates, where it is exposed to the 

 air, into pieces of a good form and size for building-stones. 

 Within ten or fifteen miles of Shelburne, there are some 

 ledges composed of layers 6 in. or 8 in. thick, which stand ver- 

 tically, and are separated from each other by clefts about 2 in. 

 broad, filled with scales of mica. Granite varies very much in 

 the size of its grains, and in the colour and quantity of mica it 

 contains. There are also large masses which have their fel- 

 spar stained with red or yellow oxide of iron. This variety 

 is not fit for building-stone, as it is subject to decay when ex- 

 posed to the air. 



Whinstone (trap) is, next to granite, the most abundant 

 rock. As it generally alternates with slate, except upon the 

 great elevated plains above mentioned, it is necessary in de- 

 scribing its locality also to give that of slate. Some idea of 

 the proportion which these rocks bear to each other may be 

 obtained from the following extract from the journal of a walk 

 of 580 miles in that part of the province which is south-west 

 of the road from Halifax to Windsor. In travelling this dis- 

 tance, I passed 350 miles of granite, 173 of whinstone, eleven 

 of whinstone and grey wacke, and fory-seven of slate. As the 

 slate always runs in a direction a little north of east, and south 

 of west, and I travelled in every direction, this, although the 

 best approximation that I can give, will be an imperfect re- 

 presentation of the proportions of slate and whin. To this it 

 should be added, that I travelled little within ten miles of the 

 sea shore, where slate would have been found in a greater 

 proportion. 



The whinstone is generally of a light blue within, and of a 

 greyish white on the surface : its fracture invariably splintery. 

 It is deprived of its iron, and partially decomposed, by lying 

 under peat earth or the turf of woods, and forms those beds 

 of light dusty sand which are frequent on the shores of lakes. 

 This sand shows no particles of quartz, is easily rubbed into 



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