[MATTHEW] THE STONE AGE IN NEW BRUNSWICK 67 
indicated by the changes in the relations of water and land that have 
taken place since the men of the stone age scattered their stone chips 
along the river St. John. 
As bearing upon this question one might revert to the discovery of 
peat bogs along the shores of the Bay of Fundy, which show a subsidence 
of land along its coast in the recent (geological) period. Such bogs are 
found on the sides of the harbour of St. John, at L’Etang (or Frye’s) 
Island, and elsewhere in Charlotte county in coves sheltered from the 
heavy surf of the bay. These bogs go down to low-water mark and 
further, and could only have been produced when the present belt of 
intertidal shore was above the sea. The tides in this part of the bay 
rise to the height of 25 feet or more. 
If the present southern coast of New Brunswick were raised eight 
feet higher than now, the rush of sea-water into the river St. John with 
the rising tide, would entirely cease and the river waters would have 
opportunity to drain down to the level of the rocky barrier at the falls. 
As a result the level of the river would drop about two feet (which is 
now the rise and fall of tide within the rocky barrier at the falls). 
While not effecting to any great extent the steep shores of the lake 
like expansions near the mouth of the river, such a recession of its waters 
would greatly influence the areas of shallow water in Queen’s and Sun- 
bury counties, and a shrinkage of the large lakes along the eastern side 
of the river valley would result, the adjoining intervals (flood plain) 
gaining at the expense of the lakes. 
The back of this interval from near Fredericton to the mouth of 
the Jemseg, or outlet of Grand lake, is drained by a waterway (Porto 
Bello Creek, etc.), which carries also the drainage of the eastern side of 
the St. John river valley, including a chain of lakes on that side of the 
valley, of which the one above named is the most important. This 
waterway extends from near Fredericton to Gagetown, and so nearly 
half way to St. John; it abounds with fish and so would offer great 
attractions to a barbarous people that subsisted by fishing. It is along 
the shores of this creek and the “thoroughfares” of the lakes into 
which it flows that we find indications at frequent intervals of men of 
the stone age. These consist of the remains of pottery of a rude kind, 
and of flaked fragments, and implements and weapons of stone. 
These remains are found, not only on the banks of the waterways 
or thoroughfares connecting the lakes, but out in the lakes themselves. 
The remains are found both on the banks of the lakes and on the belt 
of shallows that stretch along their western shores. Here, mingled 
with the fine hard sand of the bottom, one finds, not infrequently, small 
Sec. I., 1900. 5. 
