262 Messrs. Jackson and Alger on the 
Cape D’Or, situated atthe mouth of the Basin of Mines, pre- 
sents a mural precipice, attaining, in some places, an elevation of 
four hundred feet above the level of the sea; and is composed of 
amorphous and irregularly columnar trap, resting on amygdaloid 
and trap-tuff or breccia. From the yielding nature of the two last 
mentioned rocks, which form the base of the precipice, deep 
caverns and irregular arches have been formed beneath the su- 
perincumbent rock by the beating of the angry surges against its 
walls, while a shelving platform of trap-tuff remains below the 
surface of the water, and is left exposed only by remarkably 
low tides. This trap-tuff is a breccia composed of angu- 
lar and irregularly rounded masses of compact trap, amyg- 
daloid, and red sandstone, united by a softer cement of the 
same substances. The sandstone at this place makes up but 
a small proportion of the breccia. The crevices in this rock 
are frequently occupied by irregular masses of native cop- 
per, which generally are indented by the surrounding matrix. 
They are rarely arborescent, and never distinctly crystallized. 
Where exposed to the action of the waves, the copper is always 
bright, and may be seen for some distance beneath the water ; 
but, where it is beyond their reach, it is usually coated with an 
incrustation of the carbonate or oxide of copper. The individ- 
ual pieces seldom weigh more than one or two ounces, but masses 
are said to have been found lying detached among the fragments 
of rock, one of which weighed fifteen pounds. The name of this 
cape doubtless originated in the supposition that this metal was 
gold, and was bestowed by the French emigrants, who were the 
first Europeans that peopled Nova Scotia. The brilliancy and 
unusually yellow color of this copper might easily have caused 
this error, as it led us to suspect it might be an alloy of that or 
