176 
THE GEOLOGIST. 
This cavern was also examined by Lieut. Baddeley, in 1828, who 
describes* the sides and roof as coated in many places with a white 
incrustation, havinp^ none of the crystalline aspect of stalactite, being 
softer and more resembling analagous appearances on the roofs of old 
brick or stone arches. It descends very raj)idly for a few yards, 
when it suddenly narrows to a mere crack, admitting the passage of 
a boy or small person into a more .spacious cavern, which had not 
been explored. 
Bigsby's Cave has been known for some years, and has been 
noticed in some of the Canadian newspapers as, I believe, the Grotto 
of St. Paul ; this is on the testimony of the Rev. Jos. M. Bellenger. 
None of these accounts could I lay my hands on ; and as the first 
notice of the cavern was from the pen of Dr. Bigsby, it seemed to 
me quite pi'oper that it should be called after him. It is not at all 
improbable that it has been further explored, through the able 
assistance of Dr. Fraser, of Mm-ray Bay, and a more extended 
account published of its interior ; in the present, however, especial pains 
have been taken to describe the nature of the rocks which exist in its 
vicinity. In Mun-ay Bay and on the coast below, the Trenton Hmestone 
presents upwards of six miles to the St. Lawrence, and runs as many 
up the MuiTay Bay River, with a general breadth of two miles. 
Dr. Bigsby found a brown or black splintery slate often interposed 
between the conglomerate and the dark limestone, which was plenti- 
ful at the cave. The curvature of the strata at the cavern at the 
west angle of Murray Bay and of the east shore of the Bay are 
objects of interest, and furnish " an additional evidence showing the 
temporary flexibility of rocks after consolidation, and their disturbance 
while in that conchtion." At the mouth of the grand river St. Anne, 
twenty-four miles below Quebec, Dr. Bigsby noticed three strong 
seams of grauwacke form as many concentric arches in the face of a 
naked and perpendicular bank, the outer of which is about eight feet 
high, and twenty-two feet span, the siuTOimding shale observing the 
same position ; and at the bridge of the liver Jaques Cartier, thirty 
miles above Quebec, there is a beautiful natural arch of blue lime- 
stone of similar dimensions. 
There ai'e very few places in Canada to be compared to Murray 
Bay for the beauty of its scenery and the suiTouuding featm'es of 
geological interest. Here can be seen an instructive assemblage of 
the most ancient rocks, and an abundance of their characteristic 
fossils, among which are fine examples of Oiihncemtitos, to repay 
the zealous investigator. Slight shocks of earthquake are not un- 
frequent in this neighbourhood, and it is related that they occur nine 
or ten times annually. 
19. — Bouchettk's Cavern, Kildare. 
This cavern was visited and first described by Colonel Bouchette 
(Surveyor-General of Canada) in the report of his official tour 
* Ti-aii. Lit. and His. Soc. nf Qiiehoc, vol. i. 
