(217; 



APPENDIX. 



Nova Scotian Archaeology. 



Ancient Pottery. 



At a meeting of the Institute December 8th, 1879, attention 

 was directed to specimens of supposed ancient pottery, belonging 

 to the Provincial Museum. 



Dr. J. B. Gilpin at my request brought the subject before the 

 Institute. 



He agreed with me in regarding the specimens referred to as 

 of pottery of a rude and very ancient character. 



The first specimen of our collection, when brought to the 

 Museum was in fragments. When restored, its singular char- 

 acter and construction rendered it interesting and perplexing. 

 The bottom is a piece of quartzite, flat and subcircular. This is 

 the basis on which the rest is formed. The other material 

 is a sort of clay. The whole is symmetrical and saucer-shaped. 

 The interior is banded concentric. The outside is plain but not 

 smooth. There are now 27 specimens in the Museum, all with 



one exception a small one have stone bottoms. The 



stones are quartzite and argillites. Their several shapes 

 generally conform to the stones selected for the bases. Their 

 structure is uniform. They are altogether different from speci- 

 mens of ancient pottery which have been found by Judge 

 DesBrisay in Lunenburg County, and the Rev. Dr. Patterson in 

 Pictou County, associated with stone implements, and have every 

 appearance of greater antiquity. 



Mr. J. T. Bulmer, the Librarian of the Legislative and Histori- 

 cal Library, on a recent visit to the Public Museums of the United 

 States, after a search for corresponding pottery, found 3 specimens 

 in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. 

 These are believed to be productions of the Esquimaux. 



Our large find in Nova Scotia, of which our 27 specimens is 

 only considered to be a representation, thus tends strongly to 



