MINERALS OF THE NEW RED SANDSTONE AND TRAP. 113 



new couutiy, not witliout their influence on ttie mental and moral tone 

 of the inhabitants of these dissimilar districts. 



5. Minerals of the New Red Sandstone ayid Trap. 



The red sandstone of this formation docs not contain any valuable 

 repositories of useful minerals. It frequently includes small veins of 

 foliated and fibrous gypsum. In some parts of King's County it con- 

 tains thin bands of impure limestone, and in one locality, near 

 Cornwallis Bridge, I have observed in it a bed of impure manganese 

 ore, a mineral which also occurs at Quaco. These deposits are, 

 however, of too small dimensions to be of any practical value. The 

 sandstone itself is usually too soft and perishable to form a useful 

 building-stone. Blocks and slabs of it are, however, quarried for 

 fire-places and chimneys, and are said to be well adapted to this use. 



The trap contains some small veins of metallic minerals, not as yet 

 known to be of mining importance ; but it abounds in the finely 

 crystallized minerals usually contained in the ancient volcanic rocks, 

 and the long range of coast-line which it occupies, and the very 

 rapid waste wliich it is undergoing, place these within reach of the 

 collector in almost unexampled abundance. As these minerals are of 

 much interest to mineralogists, and the trap formation of Nova Scotia 

 lias become somewhat celebrated for the abundance and fineness of 

 the specimens which it affords, I give below a catalogue of the mineral 

 species that I have collected, with references to the localities from 

 which I have specimens in my cabinet, and which I believe to be the 

 most productive of fine specimens. Many other localities, however, 

 are mentioned by Messrs Jackson and Alger and Dr Gesner, who 

 have devoted especial attention to these beautiful productions. I 

 may remark, however, that interesting specimens may be found in 

 almost all parts of the trap coasts, by inquiring for the spots in whicli 

 land-slips have most recently occurred. 



Magnetic Iron Ore — in octahedrons and massive ; Partridge Island, 



North Mountains of King's. 

 Specular Iron Ore — in tabular crystals ; Sandy Cove. 

 Native Coppet — in irregular masses; Cape d'Or, Briar Island, and 



Peter's Point. 

 Crray Sulplmrct of Copper, Green Carlonate of Copper, Oxide of 



Copper, associated with Magnetic Iron, at Indian Point, also 



Cape d'Or; not in fine specimens. 

 Quartz — occurs in a great variety of beautiful forms, among which 



H 



