118 HONEYMAN GEOLOGY OF ANTIGONISH COUNTt. 



lower carboniferous, but how long after this period it is difficult to 

 determine. On the opposite coast of Cape Breton an interesting 

 shore section at the new coal mines of Mabou, north of Mabou har- 

 bour, seems to illustrate the subject I am now investigating. We 

 find in this section the lower carboniferous conglomerate of immense 

 thickness, succeeded by a thick bed of rose coloured gypsum, suc- 

 ceeded by sandstones, with flora, a thick seam of coal, modiola shale, 

 shale with calamites, clays with bands of clay iron stone, thick sand- 

 stones with flora, impure coal, clays and shales. The whole of these 

 strata have been tlirown into their present highly inclined position 

 at the same time, and that too doubtless at the period of the trap 

 eruptions in Antigonish county. I consider that the Mabou section 

 represents geological time at least equivalent to that of the whole 

 carboniferous formation of Antigonish county, and therefore conclude 

 that all the carboniferous rocks of the county and the silurian of 

 Arisaig assumed their present position at one and the same time. 

 The formations in this county which we have thus examined, having 

 become subaerial, continued so while deposition was in progress in 

 the north of what is now the county of Antigonish. I have already 

 brought under your notice lower carboniferous conglomerate, sand- 

 stone and limestone, with associated trap, at Malignant cove. Doctor's 

 brook and McAra's brook. These undoubtedly are a part of a 

 carboniferous series, which extending into Northumberland Strait 

 and into the Gulf of St Lawrence, constitute part of the foundation 

 on which Prince Edward Island triassic sandstone rests. In an age 

 long posterior to the formation of the rocks of Prince Edward Island 

 and their elevation, another very characteristic feature of the geology 

 of the county was formed. I refer to the great deposits of drift which 

 occur in every direction, obscuring the subjacent rocks and render- 

 ing the work of exploration often difficult and perplexing. The 

 more prominent accumulations are the hills that occur in the break 

 between the Antigonish mountains and the Malignant cove and 

 Cape St. George range. At the north about one mile from the 

 MaHgnant cove there are low mounds ; gradually they increase in 

 size and number, until at the distance of three miles south of the 

 cove or at the south entrance of the break, the last of the series 

 forms the elevated site of a Catholic chapel, which is conspicuctus for 

 several miles. On the banks of the Ohio river are numerous mounds 



