IN NOVA SCOTIA—ELLS. 43% 
wester, so well-known, and so little admired in Nova Scotia. Let 
him turn his eyes towards the western horizon, and as far as 
vision extends, the red sandstone supports the soil of the almost 
level country before him, while rocks of different classes are 
thrown up like walls on each of its sides, affording shelter from 
southern and northern gales ; and lastly, let a glance be taken at 
the bustling little village beneath his feet, and he will admire 
not only the grand and beautiful spectacle before him, but also 
the infant town below, prepared to afford him those refreshments 
his stroll will have rendered necessary. In the neighbourhood 
of Kentville, the new red sandstone is in contact with the old red 
- sandstone, the members of the mountain limestone and coal 
groups being deficient. The great bed of iron, represented as 
occupying a place throughout the whole South Mountain range, 
has not yet been discovered south ef that village; but from the 
occurrence of detached pieces of the ore, iron pyrites, and the 
carbonate of iron at Beech Hill, no doubt can be entertained of 
its uninterrupted existence,even farther eastward than that place.” 
An important feature in the history of Nova Scotian geology 
was the visit of Sir Charles Lyell who, in 1842, made a geological 
excursion through portions of the province. In this work he was 
aided by Dr. Gesner and also by Sir William Dawson, the latter 
at that time a young man of about twenty-three years of age. 
The results of this visit of Sir Charles Lyell are given in his 
book,“ Travels in North America,” published in 1845, He paid 
much attention to the group of rocks which had been classified in 
large part by Gesner under the head of the red sandstone division. 
and as a consequence of his examination these were separated into 
three portions styled respectively, the upper carboniferous, the 
productive coal measures, and the lower carboniferous or gypsif 
erous formation. The last named was placed in its true position 
beneath the coal measures, while the soft red sandstones, so con- 
Spicuous around the shores of Minas Basin, were regarded as an 
upper division and regarded as probably belonging to the Trias, 
The visit of Sir Charles Lyell was therefore important as serving 
to determine more clearly the true horizons of this important 
series of rocks. 
