PROCEEDINGS. XXXIX 



A paper was read by M. Murphy, D. Sc, Provincial Engineer, President of the 

 Institute, entitled : Supplementary notes on the destroyers of submerged wood 

 in Nova Scotia. (See Transactions, p. 215.) 



Ordinary Mkkting, Province Building, Halifax, 8th February, 1892. 



The Prksidrnt in the chair. 



Inter alia. 



A paper by Mr. W. H. Prest, entitled : — Evidence of the Post-glacial Extension 

 of the Southern coast of Xova Scotia, was read by the Secretary. (See Transac- 

 tions, p. 143.) 



Ordinary Meeting, Provincial Museum, Halifax, 14th March, 1892. 



The President in the chair. 



Inter alia. 



A paper entitled : — Nova Scotia Gold Districts, their Geological Formation, as 

 proved by Borings in the Killag Gold District, by H. Squarebrigs McKay, was 

 read by the Corresponding Secretary. The following are extracts from this 

 paper : — 



" My first visit to the district was spent in making a preliminary survey, not- 

 ing the very large ni;mber of excavations made, some almost obliterated by time, 

 while others showed, plainly, the diligent work of the prospector, without any 

 particular method in his work. These excavations are mostly round pits, sunk in 

 some instances to Ijed-rock, but in most cases not. The whole ninety-six mining 

 areas are literally honey-combed with these excavations. 



" In about the centre of tlie property, and covering an area of about thirty 

 acres, is a depression in the formation where in some past age, there has been a 

 lake, but which is now filled with sediment from the washings of the surrounding 

 hills, till it is now a basin of quick-sand and mud, in places twenty-tive feet deep, 

 to bed-rock. 



" This quick-sand prevented the prospector from carrying on his burrowing 

 here, but it is surrounded to the very edge, with these excavations. In the cen- 

 tre of this sediment-filled lake, I found the mine which we had bought. It was 

 filled with water. 



" I found, by inquiry, that the top of the rock formation in the mine, was very 

 much broken, but further down it was solid. This being the fact, it was perfectly 

 clear what was best to do. I saw it was not necessary to drain the .swamp, and 

 that it was very necessary to see the mine in the shortest possible time, and for 

 the smallest possible expense. From all the evidence I could procure, I was con- 

 vinced that the geological formation of the district was not at all understood ; 

 that I would, in all probability, make a total failure if I followed the advice of 

 other people and did not make my own investigation, because from the investiga- 



