NOTES ON SURFACE GEOLOGY — BAILEY. 7 



Western Nova Scotia being clearly attributable to the agency of 

 moving ice, and the search for auriferous deposits having been 

 shovs^n to be ultimately connected with the direction and amount 

 of boulder transport by this agency, one is naturally led to en- 

 quire what relations, if any, may be traced between such trans- 

 fer and the position of existing valley depressions, as also whether 

 or not any evidences can be obtained of former river channels, 

 post-glacial or pre-glacial, different from those which now mark 

 the surface. Regarding the former poiut it may be remarked 

 that in the case of both Queens and Shelburne, the more consid- 

 able rivers, such as the Port Medway, Liverpool, Broad, Sable 

 Joidan and Roseway, reach salt water at the head of correspond- 

 ing indentations of the coast, and for long distances inland have 

 very nearly the same course as the latter — a course (S. 10-20 E.) 

 which conesponds also with the average direction of the diift. 

 It is noticeable also that these streams, though large and rapid, 

 occupy, as a rule, valleys of inconsiderable depth, the bed of the 

 stream being often but a few feet below the level of the sur- 

 rounding country. It may perhaps be inferred from these facts 

 that the existing drainage is comparatively recent, and the cir- 

 cumstance alread}' referred to that manj' of the lakes upon which 

 these streams are so largely dependant are drift-dammed 

 lakes, helps to give probability to this conclusion. If such is the 

 case it may be presumed that most of tlie existing streams, ori- 

 ginating in the melting ice of the glacial era, were directed in 

 their flow by the local circumstances of the time, and to a large 

 extent irrespective of previously existing channels, many of 

 which may have been at the same time obliterated. As to 

 whether or not any old and now abandoned channels of drainage 

 exist or are to be recognized, almost nothing of a reliable nature is 

 known. As, however, has been pointed out by Dr. Selwyn and 

 others, the subject is a very important one, for in all gold regions 

 such ancient river beds are found to be rich repositories of gold, 

 and there is no reason to suppose that in this respect Nova 

 Scotia is any exception. To determine this point very careful 

 and minute studies both of the character and distribution of the 

 superficial deposits of the Province are required, but these have 

 not as yet been made. 



