NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 47 



in Maine, Katahdin, 5,248 ; in Nova 8cotia, the Cobequids, about 

 1,100. New Brunswick heights are therefore not great. 



Our knowledge of New Brunswick heights above sea level is based 

 upon the following data : 



(1) Levels determined by canal, railroad, and waterworks surveys. These 

 are many and valuable, but scattered, and not easily accessible, and he who 

 would collect, and reduce them to a single datum, would do great service to 

 our physiography. 



(2) The line of levels run along the St. John from high tide at Chapel 

 Bar, above Fredericton, to Grand Falls, by Robert Foulis, for the New Bruns- 

 wick government, in 1826. They are recorded on a map in the Crown Land 

 Office. It has been pointed out by Hind (Preliminary Report, 30) that Foulis' 

 figures are too low, which Mr. Shewen tells me is confirmed by the railroad 

 levels. 



(3) Barometric and spirit-level observations made in connection with the 

 Boundary disputes. One of these was a series across the province from Grand 

 Falls to Bay Chaleur, made by the Boundary Commissioners in 1839. The full 

 account of them is given in " Correspondence relating to the North American 

 boundary," British Blue Book, 1840. A central station, whose height was 

 determined from Foulis' levels, was established at Grand Falls, where the 

 central observations for weather were made, and by mercurial barometers many 

 heights along the Tobique, Nepisiguit, and Jacquet rivers were carefully deter- 

 mined. As Foulis' figures were used for the datum, all heights in this series 

 are too low. These, with some others, are given in a list by Hind in his report 

 on the geology of N. B. , 1865, pp. 23-24, and many others from railway surveys 

 and other sources are contained in the same work. Along the north line from 

 the source of the St. Croix two lines have been run — one with barometer, by 

 Bouchette, about 1817 (much too high), and another with spirit-level, by 

 Graham, in 1840-41, published in a document of the 3rd Session, 27th Congress. 



(4) The measurements by the Admiralty Survey of heights along the 

 coasts, recorded on their charts. I do not know how they were made, nor their 

 base level, but without doubt they were taken with care. 



(5) The determinations with the aneroid barometer made by the officers of 

 the Oeological Survey of Canada, particularly by Robert Chalmers. These are 

 all recorded on the official maps, and are frequently referred to in the various 

 geological reports. They include lake surfaces, as well as hills. The controls 

 for weather changes were obtained from the nearest meteorological stations in 

 the province. Like all aneroid observations made by a single instrument in 

 the field, the results can be regarded as only approximate. The base level is, 

 on some maps, high tide; on others, mean tide. 



(6 1 Aneroid and theodolite observations made by surveyors and others for 

 their private satisfaction. William Murdoch, C.E., of St. John, has made more 

 numerous measurements than any other that I know of, and he has kindly sent 

 me a list of these. A few made by myself are recorded in a later note of this 

 series (No. 13). 



