ECONOMICAL GEOLOGY. 131 



Dennisville, was remarkable for the abundant reddish pre- 

 cipitate which covered the mud and sticks about it. 



There are no springs on the beaches, but fresh water is 

 found in the slashes on the old beaches ; and it can be found 

 at any time in the sand in the protected hollows between 

 the sand hills, by digging holes two or three feet deep, 



Salt. — The manufacture of this useful article might be 

 carried on to some extent with profit. It was made on the 

 shore during the war of 1812, but on the return of peace, 

 the manufacture was abandoned. The flat sands near the 

 beaches furnished the supply of brine. It was procured by 

 digging holes in these sands, and allowing the brine to 

 drain into them. It was so strong that a barrel of it would 

 make a bushel of salt. The brine was evaporated by 

 heating in iron kettles. 



There are hundreds of acres of these flat sands on the 

 back of the beaches. They appear to have been made by 

 the waves, which have at some time broken over and 

 washed away portions of the beach spreading out and 

 depositing the sand in an even layer on the surface of the 

 marsh. The sea water, with which the sands are wet, is 

 concentrated by the heat of the sun, until it becomes almost 

 saturated brine. Last August, in company with Mr. Thos. 

 Beesley, I visited the sands on Peck's Beach for the pur- 

 pose of examining them, and bringing away a specimen 

 of the brine. It had rained the day before, and parts of 

 the sands were entirely covered with fresh water ; and yet, 

 by scraping a hole ten or twelve inches deep, we obtained 

 a supply of pretty strong brine. On testing, it proves to 

 have a specific gravity of 1.128, and to contain 15.11 per 



