NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 521 
oi Portage River, in a flat country traversed by the Intercolonial 
Railway, at the elevation, as shown by the railway levels, of over 
4.50 feet above mean sea-level. Some of its source branches lie 
among extensive peat bogs, as noted by Ells in his Geological 
Report for 1879-80 (D. 6). Thence to the Maliaget I do not 
know it, but all considerations would imply that it is in this extent 
a clear, swift, shallow stream flowing on a rocky bottom in an 
ever-deepening and enlarging valley. At the Maliaget, whence 
I have seen it to the mouth, it is a dear-water stream, 25 to 30 
feet wide, rippling along over dark gray sandstone cobbles and 
gravel, through quickwater pools separated by murmuring rips 
of small fall. The valley is cut some 60 to 75 feet into a plateau, 
but is moderately open, though steep walled. The river banks 
are at times low intervale points ; elsewhere the sandstone valley- 
walls are cut to vertical ledges, and again banks of glacial clay 
and gravel occur. This character it keeps, but with ever-enlarg- 
ing details, down to the crossing of the Bathurst road, where the 
valley is much deeper, some 125 feet, rather more open and very 
pleasing in its scenery, especially at the clearings of the old 
settlement. Below the bridge the river continues to enlarge and 
becomes a pleasing canoe-stream. The bed is still of drift, with 
occasional ledges, and the river winds much in a rather broad- 
bottomed valley, turning around low points to wash directly 
against the valley walls, which itis cutting into vertical sandstone 
cliffs. In places the plateau seems lower, and in general it lowers 
somewhat downwards, and thus it continues to the Escadelloc. 
It is plain that all this part of the Tabusintac is distinctly long 
pre-glacial in origin, but the steepness of the valley walls show 
that it is, nevertheless, comparatively new. It thus harmonizes 
perfectly with the age implied for it in my discussion of the 
origin of these Northumbrian valleys (Note 93), namely, — it is 
not a part of the ancient system, but a newer valley formed upon 
the southern slope of the great synclinal ridge which forms the 
backbone of the northeasterly angle of New Brunswick. 
Below the Escadelloc, and down to Big Hole Brook, the river, 
while ever enlarging, keeps the same general character. There 
is the same constantly moving shallow river, now in quickwater 
pools, now over shallow rips which merge at times to gentle 
