204 Mineralogy and Geology of apart of Nova Scotia, 



tion could not be discovered. This will probably be met 

 with ere long, by the miners in the progress of opening the 

 bed, as it is found more advantageous to remove the ore to 

 the depth of only a few feet from the surface, in conse- 

 quence of which, they advance rapidly towards the dyke, or 

 " whin" as they technically call such an obstruction. 



In the vicinity of this dyke, we observed several irregular 

 shaped masses of metalloidal diallage, which, when struck 

 with a hammer were sonorous, ringing with a metallic sound, 

 not unlike that produced on striking a solid mass of metals. 

 Its color is green, tinged with grey, or is of a metallic grey. 

 It is of an interwoven laminated texture, and breaks with 

 difficulty, into fragments which are somewhat splintery, re- 

 flecting from the surfaces of the laminas, the metallic lustre 

 peculiar to this sub species. 



One or two scattered masses of the variety of amygda- 

 loid, called toadstone, were also noticed, possessing the char- 

 acteristic appearance of this rock from Derbyshire, and re- 

 sembling that found at Brighton in Massachusetts, which 

 Godon, an accomplished French mineralogical traveller, first* 

 recognised as this substance. From whence these boulders 

 came, as well as those of distinct trap rocks which are ex- 

 tensively spread throughout the province, we are unable to 

 say ; as these rocks do not here occur /;t situ, and this is 

 the only spot in the country, where the diallage and toadstone 

 are presented in rolled masses. We may venture however 

 to infer, that those of compact greenstone and vesicular 

 amygdaloid were derived from the trap rocks of the North 

 Mountains, and transported hither by that great and sudden 

 catastrophe, which has almost every where left such incon- 

 testible proofs of its violence. But they not only afford us 

 evidence of that violent catastrophe, but lead us further to:ibe- 

 lieve,that the overwhelming torrent crossed this province from 

 north east to south west, such being always the geographical 

 situation of the fixed rocks, in relation to those of the same 

 kind which have been severed from them, and carried forward 

 to distant parts of the country. The boulders of granite, 

 likewise aftbrd proof of this fact ; — they are never met with 

 on the North Mountains, but are abundantly scattered over 

 the face of the country in a south easterly direction. In like 

 manner, are the water worn masses of trap rocks distributed; 

 no debris of any kind being seen to the north west, which 

 could possibly have originated from the south east. 



