213 



ON CA]S"ADIAN CAYERITS. 



By Geoege D. Gibb, M.D., MA., F.G.S., Member of the Canadian 



Institute. 



(Continued from jpage 179). 



21. — Probable Oayeens at Chatham. 



Tlie greater part of the main road from Carillon to Grenville, a 

 distance of thirteen miles on the northern banks of the Ottawa Hiver, 

 runs over the Calciferous sand rock of the Lower Silmian formation. 

 In many places the sm^face of the rock is exposed, and beyond the 

 village of Chatham, towards Orenville, and even in Chatham, for a 

 short distance, the road consists of the solid limestone rock. As the 

 surface of the rock is more or less rough or uneven, the road is an 

 uncomfortable one to ti'avel over in a wheeled vehicle. On driving 

 over that part of the rock just near Chatham, a tremendous loud 

 rumbling noise is occasioned by the stage, which is not heard in 

 other situations. This has been attributed to the presence of one or 

 more large caverns situated beneath the road at this place : and, on 

 making inquiry on the spot, I learnt that a prevalent opinion has long 

 been entertained by ihe country people and many intelligent persons 

 in the neigbourhood, that a considerable cavern does exist in this 

 part of the country in the place mentioned. On the many occasions 

 that I have driven over this road, the loud rumbling noise has been 

 invariably observed by my fellow travellers as well as by myself. 

 Some day an opening into the cavern may be discovered and the 

 mystery solved. The main road is elevated and is probably from 

 seventy to ninety feet above the level of the Ottawa River. 



22. — Calquhoun's Caveeij", Lanaek. 



The locality of this cavern is in the northern corner of the town- 

 ship of Lanark, in the county of the same name, Western Canada, on 

 the borders of the small river Mississippi, a branch of the Ottawa. A 

 small branch of the former runs into this township from the neigh- 

 bouring township of Ramsay, in a south westerly direction from the 

 village of BeUamyville. The cave was discovered in the autumn of 

 1824, by Mr. Colquhoun, the owner of the ground, who, when clear- 

 ing his land, came upon a hole at the foot of a tree, which was the 

 first indication of its presence, and his curiosity induced him to de- 

 scend and examine it. A notice of this discovery appeared in a 

 Canadian newspaper, in E'ovember, which was seen by Dr. Bigsby, 

 then in Philadelphia, who wrote to Lieut. Robe, of the Royal Staff 



