36 HAMILTON — ON TIDES OF THE BAY OE FUNDY. 



at its head receives the waters of the Petitcocliac and Memram- 

 cook : the other continues the original north-east course, and 

 eventually forms Beau hasin, or Cumberland basin. The dis- 

 tance from the mouth of Chiegnecto channel to the head of 

 Cumberland basin may be called in round numbers fifty miles. 

 Returning to the southern or Minas channel, we find that its 

 general course from the mouth is nearly due east, a distance of 

 about eighty miles, to the head of navigation at Truro. A glance 

 at the chart will show that the contrasts in the conformation and 

 position of these two arms of the Bay are very great, and I 

 shall presently shew that the character of their respective tides 

 is materially affected by these differences. 



The northern shore of the Bay is a rugged " iron-bound" one, 

 composed of a hard metamorphic rock, from its mouth nearly up 

 to Shepody bay. The margin of this northern shore is more 

 indented, and the outline of the hills which compose it is more 

 uneven, than on the south side of the Bay. Towards the west 

 these hills are of moderate elevation, but as a rule, they increase 

 in altitude as we proceed eastward, until in Shepody mountain, 

 near the bay of the same name, they attain a height of 1050 

 feet. The south shore exhibits a wall-like ridge of trap rock, 

 associated with new red sandstone, from three to five miles in 

 width, and from four hundred to seven hundred feet in height, 

 stretching from Brier island to Cape Blomidon, and broken only 

 by the deep narrow gorges of Grand passage. Petite passage, 

 and Digby gut. The lofty isolated, or semi-isolated masses of 

 rock known as Cape d'Or, Spencer's island, Cape Sharp, Partridge 

 island, the Two islands, Five islands, Gerrish mountain, and 

 some others of less note on the north side of Minas channel, 

 belong to the same formation. As theSe latter headlands are 

 within the range of parallel of three submarine ledges running 

 parallel with the present south shore, and at the respective 

 distances of three, five, and nine miles therefrom, it is probable 

 that all were once parts of the same trappean range. Cape 

 Chiegnecto, the western termination of the metamorphic Cobequid 

 hills, rises almost perpendicularly from the water for eight 

 hundred and fifty feet ; and a short distance back attains a height 

 of nine hundred feet. The remaining shores of Cumberland basin 



