Geognosy of St. Paul's linTj. 9| 



We arrive<l about six o'clock at St. Urbin's, whirb is 

 between four and five leagues nortlnvard of St. Paul's Bav 

 U'bere passinij tbe nigbt, we made preparations in tlij 

 inurn.ng to visit some deposites of iron ore said to occur iu 

 the mountain chain to the nortlnvard, and to test the truth 

 of a report which had been brouijht to Quebec respectlnfr 

 tbe occurrence of coal hereabouts. 



We had many reasons, geological as well as other to 

 question the accuracy of this latter report ; but none of then, 

 were oi so positive a nature as to render our visit to the 

 spot unnecessary, particularly as if we had not done so 

 some doubt would always have existed Oi, the subject as it 

 was only from seeing the total discredit with which their 

 «ory was receive<l by us, after having visited the j.lace, and 

 the utter hopelessness which existed of iu.posing upon us 

 that we obtained from one of the conspirators the followino- 

 occount. ^ 



They purchased a bushel of good Newcastle coal about 

 three weeks before our arrival, and deposited the same iu 

 n small stream in rear of St. Paul's JJay. 



Fortunately there was not a geologist among them an<l 

 tbe.r b.tuminou, coal was deposited i.. dehance of the 

 »K--aut.ful laws of nature, upon the sides, and in close con- 

 tact With prin.ary rocks, with not a vestige of a secomlary 

 or transition formati<,n within several miles. To sec was 

 therefore to be satisfied, or rather dissatisfied, and we 

 turned our backs upon the beautiful but meretricious 

 •harms of the wanton sparkling with all her jetty blackness 

 nt the bottoM), of a pellucid stream gurgling over a fi„e 

 felnpathoH. ^an.l, up which we were invited to walk, under 

 the plea of collecting more of this arliheial .lep.mit, but 

 pr<.l)ably with the real intention of extinguishing the flame 



