Mineralogy and Geology of Nova Scotia. 325 
would be in the greatest danger of being driven upon the shore 
by the sudden and violent gales that spring upin this region, or 
of being hurled among the broken ledges by the tides and cur- 
rents that rush impetuously along the coast, and leave only here 
and there a spot of real security, sheltered by some bold pro- 
jecting ridge of rock. 
In treating of the Geology of this province we have perhaps 
exceeded the limits within which, it may be said, we should have 
confined ourselves. But as our object has been to describe facts 
as they exist in nature, and also to point out, in some instances, 
the rationale of the more remarkable phenomena observed, it was 
found impossible to shorten the paper materially, without omitting 
parts which either had a necessary connexion with the whole, 
or which, in themselves, seemed too important not to have some 
brief consideration. Our object, too, has been to describe the 
structure and productions of the country in such a manner as 
would be most useful to those who may succeed us in exploring 
it; and in doing this, we have often cited several localities of the 
same substance, as it presented itself under some new form or 
variety, and have thus been led occasionally into a minuteness of 
detail which, though it has lengthened out our remarks, has given 
greater completeness to the whole. Among the numerous 
localities of mineral substances particularized in this paper, 
probably few will be found to have lost much of their interest 
since they were examined by us, while many of them will doubt- 
less be found to have acquired much new interest by the 
changes they may have suffered in the mean time, and by the sub- 
stances which these changes may have brought to light.* 
* It may be well to state as a curious fact in this place, that no traces of the 
y piace, 
mineral known as prehnite have appeared in our examinations of the trap rocks of 
Pp P 
77 
