216 Mineralogy and Geology of a part of Nova Scotia, 



across the South Mountains, and the border of the sandstone 

 formation to Hahfax. We should, however, were it not for 

 the convenience of the steam boat, prefer making our en- 

 trance beneath the lofty portals of Cape Split and Cape 

 D'Or, — by taking passage from St. Johns to Windsor in one 

 of the packets which statedly perform this voyage. Passing 

 up the Basin of Mines, the tourist will behold some of the 

 most sublime and beautiful scenery which this country aftbrds, 

 besides the most striking geological phenomena. 



To describe the structure of this beautiful country in such 

 a manner, as would be most useful to persons, who may suc- 

 ceed us in exploring the mineralogy and geology of Nova 

 Scotia, has been the object of the present essay, which for 

 the shortness of the time allotted to the examination of the 

 country, can be regarded only as a rude sketch, exhibiting the 

 more prominent features of its geological structure. Much 

 yet remains to be discovered by future investigation, and we 

 trust many of our countrymen, as well as of the inhabitants 

 of Nova Scotia, will speedily fill up our imperfect outline, 

 by an attentive examination of the strata which we have cur- 

 sorily noticed. Some errors will probably be found in our 

 statements, such as must unavoidably occur, in an account of 

 the geology of an unexplored country, where there are but 

 few of those conveniences which abound in our own, to facil- 

 itate the researches of the pioneer in its geology. They will 

 we trust be found, in the main, correct, although some omis- 

 sions will doubtless be discovered, and the boundaries of the 

 rock formations, may not always have been exactly portrayed. 

 This was a necessary consequence arising from the obscu- 

 rity occasioned by the uniform covering of soil which exists 

 in the interior, and, although it enriches the country in an 

 agricultural point of view, it greatly embarrasses researches in 

 its geology. The sea coast, denuded by the action of the 

 waves, exhibits the most satisfactory views of its rock forma- 

 tions, and when defeated in our search for the outcroppings 

 of strata in the interior, we scarcely ever failed in obtaining 

 a view of them, somewhere along the extensive coast of this 

 province. The simplicity and remarkable regularity in geo- 

 logical structure exhibited in Nova Scotia, cannot fail to ex- 

 cite the admiration of every geologist, who may examine that 

 country, how much soever he may disagree with us, in our 

 theoretical deductions. 



