and Geology of Lake Ontario. 425 



outlet near and east of Kingston, in numerous places, limestone 

 rests upon the gneiss without the intervention of a third rock ; 

 and on the slope of Point Henry under the west side of the 

 Fort, the primitive rock is immediately overlaid by a breccia, 

 whose remarkably angular fragments are of the greenstone 

 and sienitic gneiss (or granite) of the place exclusively. I ob- 

 served that the cement was a somewhat crystalline limestone, 

 and that the large and small fragments were kept separate. 

 Very little of this breccia is visible, neither can there be much; 

 for it is surrounded by fixed masses of the gneiss and of lime- 

 stone, horizontal or slightly inclined to the west. Shreds of 

 this last rock are occasionally seen attached to the gneiss of 

 the promontory close to Cedar Island and (as before men- 

 tioned) in parts of the outlet. Its adhesion is so strong that 

 it is easy to obtain hand specimens composed of both rocks in 

 firm union. The age of this sandstone is determined by that 

 of the limestone incumbent on it to be that of the old red sand- 

 stone. The limestone in every circumstance but its horizon- 

 tality (or near approach to that position) is similar to the car- 

 boniferous of England. Their most characteristic organic re- 

 mains and minerals are the same; as also their relations, at 

 least to the rocks beneath them. 



In the same form as on the lake shore, this limestone (whose 

 situation and characters we shall now trace) occurs in the val- 

 leys and small elevated plains interspersed in the adjacent pri- 

 mitive formation. It is horizontal, as far as the eye can judge, 

 and never under the sandstone or conglomerate. From Brock- 

 ville upwards, it skirts the outlet at some distance from its 

 banks, which are always (except as noted above) of sandstone 

 and gneiss ; thus the eminence in the rear of that town is cal- 

 careous, while the cliffs in front and on its east are arenaceous. 



The town of Kingston is based upon it, and it is to be traced 

 westerly for seventy miles to the Portage of the Bay of Quinte 

 at least, and southerly to the south shore of Lake Ontario ; 

 while in the two remaining dii'ections it terminates on the older 

 inclined rocks. At Kingston it forms extensive and high plat- 

 forms behind the town, which first by a ledge, and then by 

 broken shelves, gradually descend towards the shore to the 

 level of the lake. Points Frederic and Henry are faced by it 

 in low precipices ; and the latter lias many (|Uiirries of" it in 

 the hill east of the fort. The lake of the mountain in the Bay 

 of Quinte is underlaid by this limestone, and discharges into 

 the bay over a precipice (at a rude guess) 120 feet high. I had 

 no opportunity of examining this locality; but was more for- 

 tunate at Hallowell, about thirty-six miles west of Kingston, 

 N.S. Vol. 5. No. 30. June 1829. 3 I where 



