GIBB — OX CANADIAN CAVERNS. 



177 



through, the new settlements of the lower province in 1824. It is 

 situated in the township of Kildare, about thirty-five miles due north 

 of the city of Montreal, but the precise locality I have been unable 

 to determine, although from the description it may be close to the 

 village of the same name. The southern half of the to^vnship is tra- 

 versed by a broad band of the Potsdam sandstone, in continuation of 

 the same rock running in a north-east direction from the south- 

 western part of the township of Rawdon. That part of Kildare north 

 of this band is composed of gneiss of the Lam^entian system, most 

 probably interstratified with some bands of crystalline limestone, in 

 which the cavern is developed. 



It was about the year 1822 that two young Canadian peasants, 

 whilst prosecuting their sport of hunting the wold cat, pursued two 

 of their game, until entering an obscure hole a httle above the bank 

 of the river, they lost sight of them. The more enterprising of the 

 two attempted to enter the aperture in the rock, at that time barely 

 sufficient to admit of his crawKng into it, but without success. Pro- 

 viding themselves with lights, a second attempt was more successful, 

 for " not only did they secure their prey (of which they have preserved 

 the skin to this day), but they discovered," says Colonel Bouchette, 

 " another of the many phenomena of nature, a description of which 

 cannot be uninteresting." 



The following account is given in the Colonel's words : — 

 " I descended into the cavern by means of a trap-door, which has 

 recently been placed at one of its angles for the facility and con- 

 venience of strangers desirous of visiting this singular spot, having 

 as my guides two of the inhabitants of the neighbouring house, bear- 

 ing lighted tapers. The height of the cave where we entered is five 

 feet, from which angle branch off two caves, the lesser whereof is of 

 the following dimensions : — 



Length 25 feet. 



Breadth varying from 2| to 9 „ 



Height 5 „ 



It bears about a south-east course from the entrance. 



The other has in length 70 feet 



Width from 7 to 8 „ 



Height, gradually increasing 5 to 13 „ 



" The increase in the loftiness of the cave originates from the 

 declivity of the ground part, which, at the north-eastern extremity, 

 is at least twenty-three feet from the surface. It forms nearly a 

 right angle with the first, at its south-western end, and an angle 

 scarcely obtuse at the other with another cave, whose 



Length is 80 feet 



Average width 6 



Height 5 „ 



vol.. III. z 



