94 NOTES ON THE DEBERT COAL FIELD.—GILPIN. 
and a few thin seams of coal, and abundance of leaves of 
cordaites, and a few calamites and stigmaria.” 
He further remarks: “We can trace this coal measure back 
from Advocate Harbour, near Cape Chignecto, to the upper part 
of the Salmon River of Truro, where it adjoins the carboniferous 
district of Pictou. It is (generally speaking) much broken and 
disturbed; and although it widens considerably towards its 
eastern extremity, it nowhere attains a great development, 
either in horizontal extent, or in the magnitude of its coal 
seams.” From Advocate Harbour to Partridge Island the belt 
contains contorted shales and sandstones yielding a few fossil 
plants, scales of fishes, and. shells of Naiadites. Mr. Matthew 
Jones, a member of this Institute, some years ago found in these 
strata footprints of a large reptilian animal, referable to the 
genus sauropus. Similar shales and sandstones outcrop on the, 
banks of the various rivers falling into the Basin of Minas, and 
show beds of bituminous limestone, with cyprids and fish scales, 
fireclays, clay ironstones, ete., and yield characteristic fossil 
plants of several of the species found in the Joggins section. 
In the same work Dr. Dawson has discussed the physical con- 
ditions which governed the deposition of the coal and associated 
carboniferous measures of the district. The evidence of the 
foldings of the carboniterous of the north side of the Basin of 
Minas, plainly given by the various river sections, leads to the 
anticipation that the coal measure band may prove disturbed. 
The longitudinal foldings are useful to the prospector, as they 
bring the various coal crops to the surface, and define the limits 
‘within which his researches can be carried on with profit. The 
‘transverse folding and faults caused by unequal strains, and by 
the irregularity of the great mountain chain, the determining 
element, may prove a source of expense to the miner engaged 
in economic development. 
The upper DeBert bridge, on the Londonderry road, appears 
to be a little to the south of the centre of the Basin in this 
locality. Following the stream downwards from the bridge the 
coal beds appear about in the relative order of the section, which 
is descending geologically speaking :— 
