308 Mineralogy and Geology of a part of Nova Scotia. 



to decide, who are more conversant with such phenomena, 

 as we only propose to describe, and not to account for the 

 appearances we observed. 



The next place we shall notice, is that part of Digby Neck 

 about six miles from Petit Passage, as we proceeded in our 

 examination towards Digby up the Neck, called Little River 

 Settlement. There are at this place a few inhabitants ; and 

 as the mouth of the river affords a convenient harbor for 

 small vessels, some fishing trade is carried on from this place. 

 The most remarkable geological feature observable here is 

 the wonderful symmetry of form in the prisms of trap. They 

 here present a lofty precipice to the sea, where the river 

 empties into St. Mary's Bay, composed of regular prismatic 

 columns of three, five and nine sides, frequently broken 

 horizontally, and in some cases imperfectly articulated 

 by their motion on each other ; thus resembling, in a strik- 

 ing manner, the basaltic rocks of the Giant's Causeway 

 on the coast of Ireland. These prismatic blocks are usu- 

 ally two or three feet in diameter, and sometimes of 

 many yards in length unbroken ; not unfrequently they 

 have been dashed frOm their pedestals, and tumbled in 

 confusion against each other, forming irregular Gothic arch- 

 es, and by their rude forms give an additional wildness 

 to the scene. — The only specimens that can be procured 

 amongst these ruins are fine examples of the basalti-form 

 structure of the trap, if indeed, it may not claim the rank 

 of basalt ; for it differs only in respect to its not being so 

 often in articulated prisms, and in exhibiting more evidently 

 its component minerals, than the specimens we have seen, 

 which were brought from the north of Ireland, from Scotland 

 and from Germany. — The exposed surfaces of these rocks, 

 from the additional oxidizement of the iron, exhibit a brown- 

 ish red coating, but on recent fracture, show the internal 

 structure to be fine grained, and of a homogeneous aspect, the 

 Crystals of hornblende, alone being visible to the naked eye. 

 This trap is very heavy, tenacious and sometimes sonorous. 

 Its color varies but is generally greyish black. We did not 

 notice in these columns any sensible magnetism, having at 

 the time no good compass for the purpose ; but that this 

 property does exist, we have sufficient evidence, from the 

 influence it exerts on a surveyor's compass, in determining 

 the divisionary lines of estates. This is peculiarly the case 

 on Digby Neck, and in the neighborhood of Little River ; 



