NORTHERN OUTCROP, CUMBERLAND COAL FIELDS — GILPIN. 387 



the charming Jul} r sun tempts you, you give way for the mouth 

 of the basin, where the huge boulders of traps stem the Bay of 

 Fundy tides, heaping great sand beaches at their bases. Your 

 canoe grits upon Indian beach, you run it up amidst dozens of 

 other Indian canoes, and scan half way up the rocky barrier a 

 shady spot for your bivouac. Here yourlndian builds his lire, 

 two parallel lines of stones eighteen inches high, with a trench 

 between, picks and cleans his birds, and cutting branches from 

 the nearest tree, impales a bird on every twig, resting the whole 

 branch over his fire. Gravely he hands to each guest a branch 

 with its roasted fruit, who, holding the branch in one hand pulls 

 with the other the birds from the twigs. To one who has eaten 

 of this Abyssinian banquet there is no need to tell of their ten- 

 derness and juicy delicacy. The rigor mortis has not yet stiff- 

 ened the dead birds. This comes on after a few hours and then 

 passes off after a day or two. If you cook the grouse shot upon 

 your tramp for your night's supper, you are surprised how tough 

 they are, but if you hang them in your camp for a day or two 

 you find them tender. The Indian, like the Abyssinian, chooses 

 the almost living flesh for his feast. 





Article IX. — " The Northern Outcrop of the ("umber- 

 land Coal Field." By Edwin Gilpin, a. m., 

 f. g. s., f. r. s. c, etc. 



(Read May 8th, 1882.) 



My object this evening is to lay before you a brief summary 

 of the work which has been done on the northern outcrops of the 

 seams of the Cumberland Coal Field. Some of the information 

 is new and of importance, but for much of the work done at an 

 early date I have had recourse to official sources. 



The Cumberland coal field was for many years an unknown 

 and unpromising district. It was accessible by w r ater at the Jog- 

 gins only, to allow competition with the coals of Sydney and 

 Pictou. The presence of coal seams was known at several other 

 points, but the want of any means of transportation forbade an 

 attempt to open them. 



