SOURCE OF ST. PETEr's RIVER. 185 



resistance which the sienite offers than the trap rocks, to 

 the destructive action of the waves. The rocks are like- 

 wise less ragged; they are steep and rounded at their sur- 

 face. The divisions which they present are very irregu- 

 lar; we question much wliether the rock be stratified, 

 though in some places it assumes that appearance, especi- 

 ally when seen from a distance ; for on approaching, the 

 divisions are found to be irregular, at least in all places 

 where we had an opportunity of studying them closely. 

 In plate 13, Mr. Seymour has given a very correct deline- 

 ation of the appearance of the coast, at a point somewhat 

 west of the " Otter's head." From a distance, we had al- 

 most been induced to consider the rock at that place as di- 

 vided by vertical fissures, but on drawing closer, the 

 features were such as are represented in the plate. At 

 a distance inland, the mountains appear higher, and it 

 is by no means improbable, that they equal, if they do not 

 exceed, in elevation the height of the coast west of the 

 Peek. The mass which constitutes these rocks, we have 

 called a sienite, though it differs materially from the com- 

 mon sienite by the presence of quartz, which in some places 

 forms at least one-third of the mass; perhaps the term of 

 amphibolic granite would be more correct; we think a new^ 

 name ought to be introduced in science, to designate a rock 

 which constitutes such extensive formations. We have ap- 

 plied the term sienite instead of greenstone, which we be- 

 lieve Dr. Bigsby generally uses, because the proportion of 

 feldspar has appeared to us to predominate over that of 

 amphibole. It bears to granite the same analogy that the 

 protogine of Jurine does ; for in it, the mica is replaced by 

 amphibole, while in the protogine its place is supplied by 

 talc. In some spots the protogine is also found, as well as 

 a more compound rock, formed of quartz, feldspar, am- 



