Mineralogy and Geology of apart of Nova Scotia. 31 9 



weighty masses originally formed a vein in this rock, but 

 like that mentioned at Mink Cove, terminated abruptly at a 

 depth, less than that to which the decomposition of the 

 greenstone has extended. The structure of this ore is coarse 

 granular, sometimes crystalline and columnar. It is highly 

 magnetic, and some fragments possess polarity. Its specific 

 gravity is very great, averaging 5. and consequently it con- 

 tains about sixty five per cent, of pure and malleable iron, 

 though of cast iron it yields ten or fifteen per cent, more, 

 from its addition of carbon during the operation of smel- 

 ting it. The masses sometimes presented beautiful druses- 

 of amethyst in violet crystals, projecting from an incrusta- 

 tion of chalcedony, which contains small globular masses 

 of mesotype and calcareous spar. They also contain bril- 

 liant druses of quartz, presenting a botryoidal stalactitic ap- 

 pearance. In a few instances, the amethyst, quartz and chal 

 cedony are united in one specimen, enclosing imperfect crys- 

 tals of the magnetic iron ore, constituting, when polished, 

 a very singular and interesting variety of brecciated agate, 

 and showing the metallic concretions, deeply imbedded in 

 the transparent chalcedony. 



Near this place, a small stream takes its rise from the moun- 

 tains called William's Brook, which, running some distance 

 south eastwardly, empties its waters into St. Mary's Bay. On 

 the banks of this stream, near its source, we discovered veins 

 of a radiated milk quartz in the amygdaloidal trap, coated 

 externally with a thin incrustation of green earth, and having 

 vacancies internally crystallized, and enclosing in some of 

 the geodes, a beautiful pearly white foliated heulandite and 

 stilbite often radiated, and sometimes intersected by the 

 laminae of heulandite. The two minerals being thus exhibit- 

 ed together in the same specimen, their distinguishing pecu- 

 liarities are rendered much more obvious. Indeed, the most 

 unpractised eye readily distinguishes the bright pearly lustre 

 of the heulandite, from the dull greyish white reflection of 

 the stilbite. In the same geode with the heulandite, occurs a 

 greenish mineral, crystallized in the form of the obtuse rhom- 

 boid, and possessing all the characters of chabasie, except- 

 ing color. It is probably that mineral, colored by green 

 earth. These masses often occupy the whole interior of the 

 geodes, v and are deeply indented by the pyramids of the sur- 

 rounding quartz crystals; whence we suppose it to have 

 been of more recent formation, or at least of induration,, 



