Vlll PROCEEDINGS. 



" Not having seen any mention made in any of the annual reports from Mr. 

 Gilpin, I thought it might interest you shoukl it prove to be rare. 



" I have added to the above a sainple or two from a sediinentary depoiiit of 

 manganese, and a red sienna from a 12 inch vein running into the solid ledge at 

 Gilbert's Point. 



" The black oxide of manganese is covered by about three inches of soil, and 

 in itself forms tivo strata with an iuttr-stratum about 4 inches thick of the yellow 

 deposit, of which I send you a sample. The whole bed is nearly 3 ft. in thick- 

 ness. By rubbing these substances between the finger and thumb, first moisten- 

 ing them, until the water evaporates, you will observe that they are completely 

 saturated with a natural oil ; and this I have little doulit is petroleum. 



" While stopping a few days in August last at this locality I noticed that some 

 of the wells were impregnated with this gaseous substance, and, indeed, under 

 certain atmospheric conditions, the very air was tainted with the unmistakable 

 odour of kerosene." 



The specimens referred to were exhibited. 



Ordinary Meeting, Province Building, 19th January, 1891. 



The President in the Chair. 



Inter alia. 



Rev. G. Patterson, D. D., read a paper on "The Magdalene Islands." (See 

 Transactions, p. 31.) 



In the discussion on this paper, Principal A. H. MacKay referred to a holiday 

 natural history exploration of the Magdalene Islands made in July and August, 

 1878, by himself and his brother, the late John H. MacKay, with geological 

 hainmer and knapsack, botanical vasculum and gun. Nearly all the coast line of 

 the islands, Amherst, Grindstone, Alright, Coflin, Old Harry Head, Northeast 

 Cape, North Cape, Grosse, and Wolf, with most of their connecting sand bars 

 were tramped on foot ; and several excursions were taken through the interiors. 

 He recognised the graphic word pictures of Dr. Patterson, and referred to a few 

 additional interesting points. About one hundred and seventy pha?nogamous, 

 with a large niimber of cryptogamous plants, were observed. Among interesting 

 ones, Bvbtis chamaf/ioruf!, on a transformed sand bar, near Wolf Island, Par- 

 nassia, on a rocky islet near Coffin Land, Habenaria orbiculafa, in a fair hill- 

 sidewood, might be mentioned — perhaps chiefly on account of the dramatic inter- 

 est of the occasions of the discoveries. 



Geographically, these islands were practically in three groups, forming a chain 

 running northeasterly as was described. The southern, Amherst, running east 

 and west about nine miles, south to north, three or four miles, was apparently on 

 a due east and west anticlinal of gypsiferous rock, through which ridges and coni- 

 cal elevations of igneous (doleritic) rocks rose, forming Demoiselle Hill abutting 

 on the coast nearly 300 feet high, and rising in the interior to nearly double that 

 altitude. These were considered to be of lower carboniferous age. On each side of 

 this anticlinal the dip was respectively north and south, first reddish and grayish 

 strata of various sandstones, tlaen on the south and north coast a redder sand- 



