GEOLOGICAL REMARKS. 575 
land covered with soil, but with here and there a protruding mass 
of primitive rock: one of these appeared to be of sienite or granite. 
The north-eastern end of this range is perhaps more bare of soil, 
and, therefore, exposes the rock, which shows itself in detached 
hills. Precisely similar in appearance and direction is a range on 
the south shore, about fifty miles in length, commencing at Cape 
Monmouth and terminating in detached hills in the vicinity of the 
south side of the First Narrow. The courses, also, of both the 
First and Second Narrow, which are just within the eastern 
entrance of the Strait, are nearly parallel with these hills; and 
the smaller ranges of eminences, Elizabeth Island and the cliffy 
land of Cape Negro, where the clay formation commences, all 
trend to the N.N.E., preserving a general resemblance of form 
and character to the two ranges above mentioned. 
The irregularity of the topographic features of the western por- 
tion of the Strait, combined with its confused assemblage and im- 
mense number of islands and rocks ;—the regularity of the strata 
—the coinciding parallelism of all the bays, channels, and sounds, 
—and the total absence of islands in the central portion or slate 
formation ;—together with the remarkable similarity of the direc- 
tion of the hills and coast line, and the stratification of the north- 
eastern tract, which is very different from that of the centre ;— 
are very striking facts, and, geologically considered, are of great 
interest. 
No less remarkable, however, and equally interesting, is the 
character of the vegetation ; not so much in the variety of plants, 
as in their stunted growth to the westward, their luxuriance in the 
centre, and the total absence of trees to the eastward. For this mo- 
dification the following reasons seem to me to account sufficiently. 
To the westward the decomposition of granite, and the other pri- 
mitive rocks which are found there, forms but a poor, unproductive 
soil; so that, although the land is thickly covered with shrubs, they 
are all small and stunted: the torrents of water also that pour 
down the steep sides of the hills, wash away the partial accumula- 
tions of soil that are occasionally deposited ; consequently, few 
trees are to be found, excepting in clefts and recesses of the rock, 
where decomposed vegetable matter collects and nourishes their 
growth ; but even there they are low and stunted, for the most 
luxuriant seldom attain a larger diameter than nine or ten inches, 
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