Quebec, 245 



go generally at right angles $ the diftances 

 between them are not always equal. The 

 outfide of the ftratum, or that which is 

 turned towards the other ftratum, is fre-^ 

 quently covered with a fine, black, fhining 

 membrane, which looks like a kind of a 

 pyrous horn-ftone. In it there is fome- 

 times a yellow pyrites, always lying in 

 fmall grains. I never found petrefaftions 

 or impreffions, or other kinds of ftone in 

 it, befides thofe I have juft mentioned. 

 The whole mountain on which Quebec 

 is fituated, confifts entirely of lime-flate 

 from top to bottom. When this ftone is 

 broken, or fcraped with a knife, it gives a 

 ftrong fmell like the ftink-ftone. That 

 part of the mountain which is expofed to 

 the open air, crumbles into fmall pieces, 

 had lofl their black colour, and got a pale 

 red one in its ftead. Almoft all the public 

 and private buildings at Quebec confift of 

 this lime-flate ; and likewife the walls 

 round the town, and round the monafteries 

 and gardens. It is ealily broken, and cut 

 to the fi^e wanted. But it has the pro- 

 perty of fplitting into thin (Livers, parallel 

 to the furface of the ftratum from whence 

 they are taken, after lying during one or 

 more years in the air, and expofed to the 

 fun. However, this quality does no da*- 



' 



