48 BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



The most valuable parts of the Gesner and Institute Museum 

 are the ethnological collections now in the lecture hall of the 

 Natural History Society, and the collection of minerals from the 

 Jurassic Trap of Nova Scotia, made by Dr. Gesner. The collection 

 of birds and mammals has been superseded in importance by 

 that of the Natural History Society. The minei-als are kept in 

 a room called the " Gesner Museum." 



The Albert Mine Case. Early in the " forties " a peculiar 

 mineral was discovered near Hillsboro in Albert County, N. B., 

 which was claimed to be coal, and a license was obtained to mine 

 it. Gesner contended that it was not coal, but asphaltum, and 

 obtained a license to mine this mineral. The contending parties 

 laid their claims before the court at Halifax and a long trial was 

 the result : both sides brought expert testimony ; Dr. C. T. 

 Jackson and Dr. A. A. Hayes of Boston, and J. G. Percival 

 of New Haven, were brought to show that the minei'al was 

 coal. R. C. Taylor and Prof. Jas. Robb were the experts called 

 by Gesner and his associates to prove that the minei'al of the 

 Albert mine was asphaltum. After long argument on both sides, 

 when the question was passed to the jury, the judge drew atten- 

 tion to the fact that the license to mine coal included " and 

 other mines and minerals," and stated that the substance was 

 a mineral. On this point the question was decided in favor of 

 the defendants, and Gesner lost his case ; though there is no 

 doubt his contention was right, for the mineral is not a coal, 

 but a variety of asphaltum (melan-asphalt). 



Dr. Gesner was appointed Commissioner to the Indians in 

 Nova Scotia, and in 1847 made a report on their condition to 

 the provincial government. 



Other Publications. To the list of publications referred to 

 in this article, or mentioned in that published in Bulletin No. 

 XIV., the following may be added — Geology of New Brunswick, 

 Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Fisheries of the Pro- 

 vinces ; Practical Treatise on Coal, Petroleum and other Distilled 

 Oils. 



