98 



THE TRIAS OR NEW RED SANDSTONE. 



fishing communities in the province. Briar Island is the extreme 

 western end of the trappean ridge, which is, however, prolonged 

 beyond the land in a submarine ledge. It consists entirely of basaltic 

 trap, very regularly divided into columns, which may be seen both 

 as a pavement on many parts of the beach, and in lofty precipices 

 which rise to their greatest height on the south-west side of the island, 

 where they form a perpendicular wall several hundred feet in height, 

 and adorned with buttresses, outlying towers, and pinnacles, such as 

 basaltic cliffs alone can produce in their full perfection, I was so 

 fortunate as to be detained several days- at Briar Island by a south- 

 west gale, and had the pleasure of seeing the Atlantic swell bursting 

 in all its grandeur on these iron-bound shores (Fig. 27). 



Fig. 27. — Basaltic Cliffs, West End of Briar Island. 



The red sandstone is seen to underlie the trap of Digby Neck for 

 several miles below the head of St Mary's Bay, but beyond this I 

 did not again observe it. Gesner states, however, that a small patch 

 of it can be observed at low tide beneath the trap of Briar Island. 

 This interesting fact I had no opportunity of verifying, owing to the 

 stormy state of the weather during my visit. 



