104 Mr Jukes on the Geology of Newfoundland, 



mapping down a series of rocks the order of which is known, 

 and in which the identification of one affords a ready clue to 

 the interpretation of the rest, the geological surveyor has to 

 labour at long, uninteresting and perplexing details, in order 

 to acquire the preliminary knowledge with which to begin his 

 work. If to these considerations be added that of the difficul- ^ 

 ties arising fr6m an uncleared country and a dangerous coast, 

 increased during the latter part of the season by unfavourable 

 weather, I hope the small part of the survey which has been 

 completed during the past summer, compared with what I had 

 expected to accomplish, will be sufficiently accounted for. 



The best form into which the materials collected can be 

 thrown, will, I think, be, first of all, a general account of the 

 different formations met with in the course of the survey, and 

 then a sketch of the portions of the country occupied by each, 

 their local varieties, and then their relations one with the other. 

 As I have not yet been able to connect the eastern and western 

 sides of the Island, I will describe them each separately, as far 

 at least as regards the stratified rocks. And inasmuch as any 

 names which can be given to the several formations must be 

 for the present provisional, and I wish by all means to steer 

 clear of that fruitful source of error, hasty generalization, I 

 shall apply to the different formations, names derived either 

 from those places near which they are best exhibited, or from 

 some obvious and general character.* 



Stratified Rocks of the Eastern part of Newfoundland. 

 (In the descending order.) 



1. The Bell Isle Shale and Gritstone Formation. — This forma- 

 tion is the newest or highest in the series of stratified rocks 

 on the eastern side of the Island. It consists of a great mass 

 of dark brown and black shale, interstratified with beds of a 

 fine-grained gritstone. The shale is of various degrees of 

 hardness, sometimes crumbling beneath the finger and in very 

 thin laminse, at others in thicker plates, requiring a sharp blow 



* Our readers will find some interesting geognostical information regard- 

 ing Newfoundland, in vol. x. p. 156 of the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, 

 by William Corraack, Esq. ; and in vol. iv. p. 151 of Memoirs of Wemerigji 

 Natural PCistory Society, by Mr John Baird. — ^Edit. 



