HALIBUKTON — ON EXPLORATIONS IX PICTOU COAL FIELD. 93^ 



those of Italy, wliicli possesses iron eqiuii to that of Sweden, 

 and gold which excels that of Australia and California in purity, 

 which has unequalled fisheries, safe harbours, extensive coal 

 tields near the water's edge, and above all a position almost 

 midway on the very highway of nations between the Old and. 

 the New World, may hope, at some future day, to inherit a full 

 share of that greatness, which Britain must, in her old age, 

 resig-n to her children or to strano-ers. 



Art. XI. Explorations in the Piotou- Coal Field. 

 Br 11. G. Halibukton, f. s. a., f. r. s. n. a. 

 From the discovery by Mr. French, in 1865, of the Albion 

 Mines main seam several miles further west than it was sup- 

 posed to exist, 1 was led to take up extensive mining rights in 

 the vicinity of the Pictou Coal Mines. Mr. French, to whom 

 this province is under great obligations, had proved that com- 

 paratively little was known of the extent of the productive 

 measures, and that similar discoveries must soon be made in 

 other directions. The explorations, Tv^hich are the subject of 

 this paper, were personally superintended by myself, and were 

 conducted by the aid of a mining engineer on the following 

 properties: — No. 1., situated on the southwestern side of the 

 coal basin, on an area known as " the Culton property," and 

 adjoining the colliery of the Intercolonial Company; No. 2,. 

 on the south eastern extremity of the basin, on the west flank 

 of McLennau's Mountain. No. 3, at the eastern end of the 

 basin near the waters of Merigomish, on a property called the 

 St. Lawrence area. No. 4, on a property on the northern side 

 of the basin purchased from Messrs. McDonald, McKay and 



tui'al Society cannot have forgotten the surpassing beauty and equal excellence of the 

 apples communicated by the great Colony of Nova Scotia. Certainli/ notlung like them 

 had been previously seen at any Public Exhibition in this country." " What gives this 

 collection especial interest is the example it affords of tlie excellence of the climate of a 

 Colony which half the world believes to be dismally dreary." The London Times also 

 says, " The beauty of the apple beats anything we have ever seen ;" and the Koyal 

 Horticultural Society, in its proceedings, states, " The only other country except Turin, 

 which exliibited grapes grown in the open air, was Nova Scotia, and several of these 

 were of the same kinds as those from Lombardy, but they seemed to have agreed better 

 with this new habitat on the other side of the Atlantic, and to have beaten their old. country 

 cousius both in size and flavour." The explanation for this may be found in the fact 

 that Nova Scotia is situated in the same latitude as Nice, and that its autumns arc pro- 

 longed by its proximity to the Gulf sti-eam. 



