SCIENTIFIC SURVEY. 265 



The Fox islands, in the wide bay of the river Penobscot, comprise 

 two large and several small islands. The largest of this collection 

 of many islands is called Vinalhaven from the name of one of 

 the earliest inhabitants. The largest island is surrounded by an 

 almost perfect breakwater of many smaller islands, so that there 

 are two excellent harbors and many inferior ones upon the south 

 and south-west. Although the islands composing this chain are ex- 

 posed on their front to the full force of the swell from the Atlantic, 

 they yet exhibit few marks of the power of tide-water and waves. 

 This is due to the firm character of the rocks of which they are 

 made up. It is a peculiarly fine-grained syenite of good color and 

 containing little or no oxidizable iron. To this " granite," as it is 

 commonly known in the bay, the little village of Carver's Harbor 

 owes its present prosperity. The granite is easily worked into a 

 tabular form even where the natural rift is considered most unsat- 

 isfactory, and these merchantable blocks are quarried within a 

 short distance of the wharves. 



The specimens of granite from this islund compare very favora- 

 bly with granite from any other part of Maine. There are three 

 large quarries on the island and some minor ones, all of which 

 were busily engaged in furnishing rock for government uses. The 

 north island, or " North Haven," as it is generally called, is sep- 

 arated from the island just noticed, by a thoroughfare varying in 

 width from two miles to very much less. The village is situated 

 on the north side of the thoroughfare. I have deemed this brief 

 topographical description of both islands of much importance in 

 understanding their prominent geological features. 



Leaving tlie drift, the surface geology, in the able hands of Dr. 

 Delaski, let us notice briefly the rocks as we pass from Carver's 

 Harbor in a northerly direction. We find nothing save syenite till 

 we reach the school-house on Calderwood's neck. Here is a peculiar 

 schist, apparently micaceous in its character, with a dip of 85° 

 and a strike N. N. E. Near this rock and furlher from the granite, 

 occurs a silicious slate of great density and containing a small per 

 cent, of lime. Owing to the white weathering of this slate, it was 

 thought by many of the inhabitants formerly that it might, by cal- 

 cination, become a fair lime for rough work. Some of this slate 

 contains more lime than the Kittery slates, so called, and would be 

 more likely to deceive those unpracticed in the matter of selecting 

 limerocks. But I have little hesitation in expressing my opinion 



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