Mineralogy and Geology of Nova Scotia. 219 
Annapolis river winds its course for more than eighty miles, car- 
rying with it the rich loam brought by the rivulets and torrents 
which contribute their waters to swell this beautiful river, depos- 
iting it along its course, and thereby forming a part of the fertile 
alluvium of this valley. The North mountains, however, contribute 
much more generously to the fertility of the land, from the pecu- 
liar rocks of which they consist, producing by their decay the 
most luxuriant soil. The North mountains form the southwestern 
coast of the Province, skirting the Bay of Fundy, and having the 
Annapolis river at their southern base. They extend, with but a 
single interruption in their continuity, nearly one hundred and 
thirty miles, and present to the sea an insuperable barrier against 
its encroachments. ‘The direction of this range is northeast and 
southwest, with a gentle curve towards the Bay of Fundy, to 
which it presents a series of lofty mural precipices, well adapted 
to resist the encroachments of its overwhelming tides and tumul- 
tuous waves. This range formed by far the most fruitful field of 
our researches, and rewarded our labors by presenting the most 
interesting appearances, and many rare and beautiful specimens. 
We shall describe it nearly in the order in which its different parts 
were examined by us, beginning with Digby Neck, which affords 
peculiar facilities to the researches of inquirers into its geological 
structure and mineral productions. 
This narrow strip of land is a continuation of the North 
mountains from Annapolis Gut, and, extending thirty miles to the 
westward, is bounded on the north by the Bay of Fundy, and 
on the south by St. Mary’s Bay, which separates it from the main 
territory. At its western extremity are situated Long Island and 
Brier’s Island; the former separated from the latter by Grand Pas- 
sage, and from the main peninsula by Petit Passage ; but geologi- 
