IIONEYMAX GEOLOGY OF ANTIGOXISII COUNTY. 75 



Mr. Deacon next operated on the intervale below the Town, not 

 far from the confluence of Right's River, Brailey Brook and West 

 River. Here salt water and salt occurred on the surface — making 

 the place a favorite resort of the cattle. 



Here, after passing through a considerable thickness of clay, 

 impregnated with salt, he came upon gypsum. In this the boring 

 was so dry that it was difficult to work. Suddenly the bore hole 

 was found to be filled to some distance from the top. Mr. Deacon 

 was in transports when he found that the fluid was brine. Not- 

 withstanding vigorous pumping, the brine kept up to the mark, 

 with a great discharge of sulphuretted hydrogen. Being now very 

 sanguine in his expectations, he had a steam engine erected for 

 pumping, and furnaces, tanks and evaporating pans of large dimen- 

 sions constructed for the production of salt. After the manufacture 

 of a considerable quantity of salt, the strength of the brine became 

 very much reduced. Mr. Deacon accordingly commenced another 

 boring at a point near to the evaporating building ; after boring 

 through clays, impregnated with salt to a depth of 650 feet, with- 

 out finding any indications of brine — the brine of the other boring 

 becoming too weak for use, and the working capital exhausted, the 

 work was abandoned. 



It is much to be regretted that a greater extent of the saliforous 

 area was not explored by the boring apparatus, especially in the 

 region of the Saltpond. On the south side of this carboniferous 

 area lies Cape Porcupine, on the Strait of Canso. Conglomerates 

 and other lower strata, with limestone advance from this to meet 

 those that I have been describing. Combined they crowd toward 

 the Bay. Higher strata at Pomquet have small coal seams. 

 Near the Forks of Pomquet the sandstones contain deposits of the 

 grey sulphuret of copper, of the usual ( ?) economic value of such 

 deposits in the Lower Carboniferous Sandstones of Nova Scotia. 



I would here observe that the geology of this County, and the 

 physical feature, or hills, lakes, rivers, uplands and intervales, which 

 largely originate from its geology, constitute Antigonishe the finest 

 agricultural county in the Province. Its only drawback is its prox- 

 imity to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, with its Glacies (Ice.) 



